Category Archives: Spacex

NASA and SpaceX's moon landing will likely be delayed "several years" beyond 2024, according to a report by the space agency's watchdog.

Earlier this month, NASA pushed back the date to land humans on the moon in SpaceX's Starship spaceshipfrom 2024 to 2025.According to the report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which audits NASA programs, the launch could be further delayed.

"Given the time needed to develop and fully test the [landing system] and new spacesuits, we project NASA will exceed its current timetable for landing humans on the moon in late 2024 by several years," the report said.

The OIG report noted that SpaceX still needed to test its Starship spaceship in orbit, practice refueling it in orbit so it can reach the moon, and perform an uncrewed mission.

On top of this, the delivery of the astronauts' spacesuits had been pushed back, partly because of lack of funding, OIG's report said.

NASA's Artemis I and Artemis II missions, which help prepare for the final mission to the moon, Artemis III, could also be delayed because of "technical challenges" with the agency's own Space Launch System rocket and Orion spaceship, according to OIG's report.

NASA is expected to spend a total of $93 billion on the Artemis program between 2012 and 2025, the OIG's report said.

NASA didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In April, NASA awarded SpaceXan exclusive $2.9 billion contract to land the first humans on the moon since 1972.

NASA only chose one company for the contract when it was expected to choose two. One of the other companies in contention, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, subsequently filed a lawsuit against NASA, claiming the space agency's decision to award a $2.9 billion contract to SpaceX was "unfair."

The OIG report said that Blue Origin's protests had caused delays to the agency's schedule.

When NASA announced in early November that it had pushed back its timeline for its return to the moon to 2025, Bill Nelson, the agency's administrator, partially blamed Blue Origin for the delay.

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NASA, SpaceX Moon Landing Could Be Delayed 'Several Years': OIG - Business Insider

MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The International Space Station (ISS) will fly close to a fragment of a rocket belonging to Elon Musks SpaceX Company, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said in a statement on Tuesday.

"At 07:18 Moscow time on November 25, 2021, a fragment of a US Falcon 9 carrier rocket launched in 2019 will fly close to the International Space Station," Roscosmos announced on its Telegram channel.

The minimum distance between the space debris and the orbital outpost will be almost 5.5 km, the space agency specified.

"The situation is under the control of the ISS Russian Segment Main Operations Group," it said.

The ISS crew is currently operating in its normal mode. The data was provided by the Main Information and Analytical Center of the Automated Warning System of Hazardous Situations in Near-Earth Space at the Central Research Institute of Machine-Building (TsNIIMash, part of the space agency Roscosmos).

On November 15, the ISS approached space debris several times, according to information from the Mission Control Center in Houston.

During the first two incidents when space debris approached the ISS, Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov and US astronaut Mark Vande Hei went over to the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft while US astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and Germanys Matthias Maurer went onboard the Crew Dragon spaceship.

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Orbital outpost to fly near SpaceXs rocket debris on Nov. 25 Roscosmos - TASS

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SpaceX Reveals INSANE $3.2B Plan to Launch the First Space Factory With hopes of making humanity multi-planetary, the genius minds at SpaceX have been

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SpaceX Reveals INSANE $3.2B Plan to Launch the First Space Factory - Oakland News Now

NanoAvionics has announced their latest satellite rideshare mission MP42 is to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 with payloads from OQ Technology and Veoware.

Using the prototype of its new MP42 smallsat bus, this is the fifth shared satellite mission by NanoAvionics, which has been one of the firsts companies in the smallsat industry to successfully kickstart and continue such a commercial program. The launch of NanoAvionics satellite has been booked for the SpaceX Transporter-4 mission, planned for 2022.

The MP42 is also the companys largest built satellite and the first commercially available modular microsat bus in the industry. It has the same modularity for hard- and software and mission operations infrastructure as NanoAvionics nanosatellites. It will be deployed into LEO via a launch agreement with NanoAvionics launch partner Exolaunch, a German company providing launch, deployment and in-space transportation services. Exolaunch will also supply its CarboNIX separation ring to dock the MP42 to the SpaceX port aboard the Falcon 9 rocket.

The MP42 bus is part of NanoAvionics new range of microsats. It was developed by the company to meet the growing customer demand for hosting more sophisticated payloads like larger cameras for Earth Observation (EO) or power-hungry devices for high data throughput and complex communications missions. The MP42 is capable of accommodating payloads in the range of 50 kg. and all its subsystems were tested with 20kRad biased radiation dose and board level Single Event Effects (SEE) tested under 200 MeV Proton Beam, ensuring at least five years of lifetime in LEO.

Among other customer payloads aboard the MP42, NanoAvionics will integrate a second cell tower in space, dubbed Tiger-3, for OQ Technologys 5G IoT/M2M communication constellation. The smallsat will also host Veowares RW500 fully integrated reaction wheel for high performance satellite attitude control with next-generation high torque / low power technology. As a default in its new microsat range, NanoAvionics introduced its upgraded payload controller to maximize data-exchange and support payload operations. The new range of microsat products will also include AI reinforced on-board payload data processing, maximized data exchange rates, and the possibility to implement customer software blocks similarly as in mobile phone application cases.

OQ Technologys third mission follows the successful launch of its Tiger-2 satellite in June this year, which performed very well during tests. Using the satellite, the company also tested its user terminal in harsh conditions and managed to achieve even indoor reach with no external antennas.

OQs cell-tower in space technology aims to provide real-time global connectivity with ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) and massive machine type communications (mMTC), compatible with the global 3GPP standard, for applications in rural and remote areas, particularly in industries such as oil, gas, logistics, mining and defence. The company has recently revealed its patents portfolio for 5G IoT cellular communication over satellites and aims to provide global coverage from north pole to south pole.

Veoware will run various on-orbit tests with its RW500 high-torque reaction wheel. The reaction wheel is designed to offer high torque for low volume and low power consumption, with the greatest agility for satellites around 50 kg, and for missions with a minimum of five years lifetime. Other technological features include low magnetic residual, very high radiation shielding, redundant windings, firmware upgrades in space and regenerative braking.

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NanoAvionics Preparing To Launch Their 5th Rideshare Mission Via Exolaunch Aboard The SpaceX Transporter-4 Mission SatNews - SatNews Publishers

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SpaceX Starship Could Enable NASA To Build A Permanent Science Research Laboratory On The Moon SpaceX Starship Will Enable Humanity To Transport

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SpaceX Starship Could Enable NASA To Build A Permanent Science Research Laboratory On The Moon - Oakland News Now

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet plays with an arrival of French macarons on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017.ESA/NASA

Thomas Pesquet, a European Space Agency astronaut, just returned to Earth after a six-month shift on the International Space Station.

Pesquet inside the ISS's cupola window on October 16, 2021.ESA/NASA

He was part of SpaceX's second full crew to the space station a mission called Crew-2.

His crewmates were NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

The Crew-2 astronauts boarded SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship and undocked from the ISS on November 7.

Russia's Soyuz spaceship and Nauka laboratory module on the ISS, on September 15, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Pesquet served as ISS commander for the last month of his spaceflight.

The next day, they plummeted to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

A Dragon spaceship carrying cargo approaches the ISS on August 30, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Pesquet was "basically the designated professional photographer of this mission," SpaceX engineer Kate Tice said on a livestream, as the Crew Dragon backed away from the ISS.

Pesquet shared the photo above with a caption: "The setting sun gives some beautiful pastel colours to the landscape along the Paran and Uruguay rivers."ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

During his time in space, Pesquet took more than 245,000 photos from about 250 miles above the Earth.

"Karkheh Dam, Iran. I'm blown away by the swirling blues in these pictures and their contrast with the parched earth," Thomas Pesquet wrote in a caption for the photo above.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

"I think there's too many pictures," Pesquet said in a NASA Q&A on Monday.

A salt lake in Iran, photographed from the ISS on August 17, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

On one of Pesquet's last days in space, the ISS flew above a highly active, multicolored aurora borealis, triggered by a huge burst of particles from the sun.

A powerful aurora seen from the space station on November 4, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

"We flew right above the center of the ring, rapid waves and pulses all over," Pesquet wrote when he shared the photo. Some of the aurora's spikes reach higher than the space station, he added.

"We've been treated with some unbelievable auroras," Pesquet said during the Q&A. "It's sad, because the pictures just don't do them justice."

The aurora, photographed from the ISS on August 20, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Pesquet said he saw about 15 to 20 instances of the aurora during the mission.

Story continues

Auroras are just one example of stunning views Pesquet and his crewmates enjoyed as they orbited Earth.

The coast of Namibia, seen from space on September 23, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Among Pesquet's favorite subjects is what he calls "crop art" the colorful geometry of agricultural fields.

Fields of crops in Canada, captured by Pesquet on June 3, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Agricultural areas can make beautiful patterns. While it's hard to pin down exact locations from space, Pesquet said these farms in the desert are somewhere on the African continent.

A desert peppered with blue-and-green circles of growing crops, captured from the ISS.ESA/Thomas Pesquet

"I like how something artistic sometimes comes out of a very practical purpose," Pesquet wrote when he shared this photo on social media.

Pesquet photographed crops somewhere in Mexico or the Southwestern US on August 17, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

"Circles, squares, (salt) mines and irrigation are not meant to be pretty from up close, but they dazzle us from above and at a giant scale," he added.

In some places, like Bolivia, pretty patterns and the crops growing within them are due to the clearing of tropical forests.

Pesquet shared this image on Twitter with the caption, "Star-like patterns in San Pedro Limn, Bolivia where areas of the tropical dry forest have been cleared for agriculture."ESA/Thomas Pesquet

But natural landscapes make colorful patterns, too.

Pesquet shared this photo with the caption, "More crazy beautiful landscapes in Australia, I see fractals, watercolours and so much more!"ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Australia has particularly dramatic natural formations, like these salt lakes.

Salt lakes in Australia, photographed from the space station on May 14, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Since the space station orbits Earth every 90 minutes, astronauts see 16 sunrises and sunsets per day. But not all the sights are beautiful.

The light from a sunset falls across the ocean on June 15, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet/A. Conigli

"We see the pollution of rivers, atmospheric pollution, things like that," Pesquet told French President Emmanuel Macron on November 4.

Wildfire smoke covers crops near California's Sequoia National Park on August 20, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

He spoke with Macron on a video call from the ISS, as world leaders met during the UN climate conference in Scotland. Negotiators' goal in Scotland should be to speed up humanity's response to the climate crisis, Macron responded, according to The Associated Press.

"What really shocked me on this mission were extreme weather or climate phenomena," Pesquet told Macron.

Hurricane Elsa photographed from the space station on July 4, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

"We saw entire regions burning from the space station, in Canada, in California," he said, adding, "the fragility of Earth is a shock."

Wildfire smoke rises from burning forests in Canada on August 12, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

"Year after year, we also know we are beating records for fires, for storms, for floods. And that is very, very visible. I very clearly saw the difference compared to my mission four or five years ago," Pesquet told Macron.

Pesquet captured Patagonia's melting Upsala Glacier in in a collage of photos.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet/A. Conigli

Pesquet also saw comforting sights, like his birthplace of Normandy, France.

Pesquet took this photo of Normandy shortly after arriving at the ISS, April 28, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

Many of his photos feature France's landscapes.

The Gulf of Morbihan in France, on October 8, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

"We are in public service. We have a responsibility to do things for the people and inform people of what we're doing," Pesquet said during the Q&A on Monday.

Pesquet shared this photo with the caption, "Kiev, and the beautiful swirls of the river upstream. I remember taking this picture in winter last time, when the river was frozen and all white."ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

"I think there's a responsibility also to share this point of view because you see the fragility of the Earth," he said, adding, "When you see the Earth from space, it's very finite, limited resources."

Clouds moving through Earth's atmosphere on June 11, 2021.ESA/NASAT. Pesquet

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French astronaut's jaw-dropping photos from SpaceX mission capture bright auroras and raging wildfires - Yahoo News

While many of Lyres peers focus on replicating bar well staples: gins, rums, vodkas, etc, Lyres ... [+] goes beyond, crafting no-ABV options of a full portfolio of spirits, from sweet vermouths to Campari swaps to absinthes.

As demand for no-ABV drink options continues to skyrocket, one non-alcoholic spirits producer has hit a major milestone. Lyres has just wrapped a major funding round, valuing the UK-based company at 270 million pounds ($360 million USD). This is a jump from a valuation of 100 million pounds ($134 million USD) earlier this year.

The funding round was led by D Squared Capital and Morgan Creek Capital Management, an early investor in Drizly, AliBaba, and SpaceX

Founded in 2019, Lyres quickly gained a following by producing out-of-the-box spirits, like absinthes, rums, Campari-alternatives, and more, all sans alcohol. In two and a half years of trading, the brand had expanded to more than 60 countries.

The pace of growth were seeing is exceptional. We sold our first bottle in 2019 and today were selling one at least every 30 seconds, says Mark Livings, the brands CEO and founder. On our current trajectory, Lyres is set to become the fastest independent beverage brand to reach Unicorn status.

With this valuation, Lyres now sits as the most valuable no- and low-alcohol spirits brand in the world. The business is on course to be annualizing 50 million ($67 million in USD) in revenues by December this year.

We saw early on the potential of the brand and its products to capture market share in this fast-growing consumer category, describes Mark Yusko, CEO and Founder of Morgan Creek Capital Management. With a footprint now established in 60 countries, we are excited to see the impact of increased investment in sales and marketing facilitated by this capital injection.

The new investment of 20 million pounds will finance marketing expenses and fund the hiring of new employees, creating more than 50 new jobs in sales and marketing, production, logistics, finance and e-commerce.

While many of Lyres peers focus on replicating bar well staples: gins, rums, vodkas, and the like, Lyres reconsiders the full back bar, crafting no-ABV options of a full portfolio of spirits, from sweet vermouths to Campari riffs to alcohol-free absinthes. Currently, the portfolio spans 14 different products, including gins, bourbon-style bottles, triple sec, white rum, amaretto and coffee liqueurs.

The brand recently launched Classico, an alcohol-free Prosecco, to complement spirits range, and introduced a series of no-alc RTDs: Lyres American Malt and Cola and Lyres Dark n Spicy.Many of these innovations helped Lyres succeed in the Middle Eastern market, one of the worlds closely regulated markets for beverage alcohol.

Millennials and older Gen Zs are drinking less alcohol than any generation before them, but the mindful drinking movement transcends generations and cultural borders. Were not only growing our business were expanding the whole category, entering territories like the Middle East and the Far East virtually uncontested, said Livings.

Lyres seemed to step into the NA space at the right moment. In the last year, global off-premise sales have skyrocketed, hitting $3.1 billion across low-alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories. This is a jump from the categorys $291 million in off-premise sales the year prior.

The market is still small less than 5% of household penetration but non-alcs are outpacing the growth of low-alcs, according to NielsenIQs SVP of Account Development Kim Cox. NA sales totaled $331 million (up +33.2%) in the last year, while low-alcohol sales rose 8.1% to $2.77 billion. Brands saw a 315% increase in low- and no-alc beverage dollar sales.

By category, NA beer and cider grew 31.7%, wine increased 39.4% while zero-ABV spirits saw sales grow 113.4% over the last year.

The no/low alcohol beverage market is one of the fastest-growing markets in F&B and is showing similar characteristics to plant-based milks, meats, and other mindful consumer categories, describes Daniel Grossman, Managing Director of D Squared Capital. Lyres leading product, brand, and range of award-winning SKUs have proven that they are the industry leader and we are excited to be backing the best in class company.

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Non-Alc Spirit Brand Earns $360 Million Valuation, Landing Backing From SpaceX Investor - Forbes

In a campaign stop in the Rio Grande Valley Wednesday, Texas Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Beto ORourke lent his support to the expansion of SpaceX on Boca Chica Beach a county park 20 miles outside of Brownsville.

ORourke told TPR he has met with local officials, including Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez and Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevio, and he believes a balance can be struck between economic growth and environmental protection.

Whether it's oil and gas, or even renewable energy, or SpaceX at Boca Chica and in Brownsville, we have extraordinary economic opportunity and job growth opportunities here, he said. But we've got to make sure that we also have the necessary oversight to protect public health, to protect our natural resources, and to make sure that we can pass on to the next generation something just as good or better than what we received in this generation.

SpaceX is preparing to launch the largest rocket in the history of spaceflight. If permitted by federal regulators, it will lift off from the beach-side facility at the southern tip of Texas. But residents and researchers have criticized the permitting process, saying the company has flouted rules at the expense of the environment, and the community.

Local concerns about SpaceX range from blocked access to public parks and beaches to long term ecological damage.

"He should meet with the residents of the Rio Grande Valley who have expressed deep concern about the impacts of SpaceX on people, gentrification, indigenous sacred sites, and endangered wildlife habitat," said Dave Cortez, director of the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, after the campaign event. "He should take the time to consider the vast negative impacts posed by the industrialization of some of our last pristine coastline in Texas."

"Beto stood with fronterizas who were concerned about pollution from the Asarco Copper smelter in El Paso, and we call on him to do the same for the people of the Rio Grande Valley," added Cortez.

Related: SpaceX prepares to launch largest rocket ever despite ongoing FAA review

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will complete its environmental assessment of the SpaceX expansion in the Rio Grande Valley by the end of the year.

Several environmental advocacy groups have criticized the draft version of the FAAs review, which was released in September. Texas Parks and Wildlifes Chief Operating Officer Clayton Wolf was concerned with SpaceXs plans, writing in a Nov. 1 letter that the site expansion plans were unclear and they would impact federally protected species.

Related: FAA says it will finish environmental assessment of SpaceX facility in South Texas by years end

We've got to make sure that industry does not run roughshod over the people of Texas, ORourke told TPR. Thats ultimately what happened with the power grid, where we allowed industry to call the shots because of the campaign contributions they made. And we never forced them to weatherize the grid or protect the public health or to ensure that the grid would not collapse and we wouldn't lose hundreds of lives. So, lesson learned for sure for all of Texas in February of 2021. Let's not repeat the mistakes in that or any other industry.

Dominic Anthony Walsh and Gaige Davila contributed to this report.

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Beto O'Rourke lends support to SpaceX expansion in South Texas with 'necessary oversight' - Texas Public Radio

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Four astronauts safely returned on Monday from a record six-month NASA science mission aboard the International Space Station, splashing down with their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in the Gulf of Mexico at the end of a daylong flight home.

The Dragon vehicle, dubbed Endeavour, parachuted into the sea off the Florida coast as planned just after 10:30 p.m. EST on Monday (0330 GMT Tuesday), following a re-entry descent through Earth's atmosphere carried live by a NASA webcast.

Real-time infrared thermal video imaging captured a glimpse of the capsule streaking like a meteor through the night sky over the Gulf minutes before splashdown.

Applause was heard from the flight control center as the four main parachutes inflated above the capsule, seen drifting down toward the Gulf surface and slowing to about 15 miles per hour (24 kph) before dropping gently into the calm sea.

"Endeavour, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home to planet Earth," a voice from the SpaceX flight control center in suburban Los Angeles was heard telling the crew as a safe splashdown was confirmed.

"It's great to be back," one of the astronauts radioed in reply.

The return capped 199 full days in orbit, the longest ever for an entire U.S.-launched crew, according to Kathy Lueders, associate NASA chief for space operations. It surpassed the previous 168-day record set by the predecessor SpaceX-NASA mission earlier this year, she said.

Within an hour of splashdown, the capsule was hoisted from the ocean to the deck of a recovery ship, and the four astronauts were seen emerging one by one from Endeavour's hatch.

Two NASA astronauts on the flight - pilot Megan McArthur, 50, and mission commander Shane Kimbrough, 54 - were the first two out of the vehicle. They were followed by Japanese crew mate Akihiko Hoshide, 52, and fellow mission specialist Thomas Pesquet, 43, a French engineer from the European Space Agency.

SpaceX Crew-2 streaks across the sky as it makes its return to Earth, in New Orleans, Louisianna, U.S., November 8, 2021, in this still image taken from a social media video. @_tehgreat/via REUTERS

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Each flashed smiles and a V-for-victory sign as they were helped onto waiting gurneys, unable to immediately bear their own weight after months in microgravity. They were to undergo brief medical checkups then be flown to shore via helicopter.

FIERY RE-ENTRY

Operating autonomously, the spacecraft began its eight-hour return voyage earlier in the day with a 90-minute fly-around of the space station as the crew snapped a series of survey photographs of the orbiting outpost, circling the globe some 250 miles (400 km) above.

The Crew Dragon then proceeded through a series of maneuvers over the course of the day to bring it closer to Earth ahead of its final night-time descent.

Propelled by one last ignition of its forward rocket thrusters for a "de-orbit burn," the capsule re-entered the atmosphere at about 17,000 miles per hour (27,359 kph) for a free-fall toward the ocean below, during which crew communications were lost for several minutes.

Intense friction generated as the capsule plunged through the atmosphere slowed its descent while sending temperatures surrounding the outside of the vehicle soaring to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,927 degrees Celsius). The bottom of the capsule is covered by a shield that dissipates the heat, preventing the spacecraft from incinerating.

The four astronauts were launched to orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 23.

It was the third crew sent to the space station under NASA's fledgling public-private partnership with SpaceX, the rocket company formed in 2002 by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who also founded electric car maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O).

The returning team was designated "Crew 2" because it marks the second "operational" crew that NASA has launched aboard a SpaceX capsule since resuming human space flights from American soil last year, after a nine-year hiatus at the end of the U.S. space shuttle program in 2011.

The replacement team, "Crew 3," was originally slated to fly to the space station at the end of October, but that launch has been delayed by weather problems and an unspecified medical issue involving one of the four crew members.

Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Richard Chang, Peter Cooney and Ana Nicolaci da Costa

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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NASA-SpaceX crew returns from record mission aboard International Space Station - Reuters

The Crew Dragon space capsule astronauts, from front left, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. John Raoux/AP hide caption

The Crew Dragon space capsule astronauts, from front left, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

The journey back to Earth from space is never easy, but the astronauts aboard the SpaceX capsule coming home Monday will have an extra challenge to deal with: no working toilet. The four members on SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavor will be wearing diapers as they splash down, in order to prevent anything else from splashing too.

The crew for this mission, known as Crew-2, has been at the International Space Station since April, and have spent nearly 200 days in space. "It's been a very, very intense mission, a lot of things have happened," said expedition commander and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet in a press conference over the weekend. Over the mission, they conducted a series of spacewalks installing solar panels to upgrade the station's powergrid, grew the first green chile peppers in space (and made tacos!) and even hosted a private Russian film crew.

The SpaceX capsule is currently scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on Monday afternoon and return Monday night, although all of that is dependent on the weather. All in all, the four crew members could spend up to 20 hours in the capsule, from the time the hatches are closed until they open again on Earth.

In this weekend's press conference, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur confirmed that the toilets on board Dragon Endeavor are broken. "Of course that's sub-optimal, but we're prepared to manage," she said with a smile. "Space flight is full of lots of little challenges, this is just one more that we'll encounter and take care of in our mission."

This is not the first toilet issue on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. An alarm went off on SpaceX's all-tourist flight earlier this year, signaling a problem with the onboard waste management system. Bill Gerstenmaier, a vice president at SpaceX, later said in a press conference that the spacecraft's urine storage system had become disconnected in flight, allowing pooled urine to enter a fan system. It didn't cause any major problems on that flight.

A similar problem was then found on Crew-2's capsule, which is why it has been taken offline for this return journey home. NASA and SpaceX engineers say they did extensive tests to make sure that the urine leak from April, when the crew was last in the Dragon capsule, would not have harmed the spacecraft over time.

A new SpaceX mission, Crew-3, is set to launch no earlier than Wednesday to continue the work of Crew-2. Gerstenmaier, who was a longtime NASA engineer before joining SpaceX, says that the toilet problem has been fixed for the upcoming launch.

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A broken toilet on SpaceX capsule means astronauts will return to Earth in diapers - NPR