On May 22, 2014 at 13:05 UTC the “Atlas-5” rocket-carrier was launched from Cape Canaveral launch site of US Air Force. The launch was performed by United Launch Alliance supported by the 45th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited the NROL-33 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. The nature of the payload is not officially reported, but experts believe that is a telecommunication satellite of the Quasar type.
 

On May 18, 2014 Astronaut Wubbo Ockels, the first Dutchman in space, passed away. He was 68.

 

On May 17, 2014 at 00:03 UTC the “Delta-4” rocket-carrier was launched from Cape Canaveral launch site of US Air Force. The launch was performed by United Launch Alliance supported by the 45th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited GPS-2F-6 “Rigel” navigation satellite.
 

On May 18, 2014 at 19:05 UTC the American “Dragon” unmanned supply spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. The “Dragon” is a commercial spacecraft operated by U.S. space company SpaceX. The “Dragon” cargo spacecraft fell into the ocean about 480 kilometers west of Baja California, where it was retrieved by SpaceX engineers. It was the company's third contracted cargo resupply mission to the ISS (CRS-3 flight). CRS means Commercial Resupply Services. According to the U.S. space agency, a recovery boat will carry the spacecraft to a port near Los Angeles, where it will be prepared for a return journey to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing. Dragon carried about 1,588 kg of NASA cargo and science samples from the ISS.
 

On May 18, 2014 at 13:26 UTC the “Dragon” unmanned supply spacecraft (CRS-3 flight) was undocked from the ISS. At the controls of the robot arm inside the space station's cupola module, American astronaut Steve Swanson gave the command to release the spaceship to begin the trip back to Earth. Swanson and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov monitored the Dragon's departure as a series of rocket firings placed the spacecraft on course to a safe distance from the space station.