On June 05, 2015 at 15:24 UTC the “Soyuz-2.1A” rocket-carrier was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Arkhangelsk region, North Russia. The launch was performed by Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. The rocket orbited the “Kosmos-2505” satellite. It is a Kobalt-type optical reconnaissance satellite. Russian officials said the new satellite was named “Kosmos-2505”, keeping with the Russian military’s naming system for defense and intelligence-gathering spacecraft. This launch used the same upgraded type of Soyuz rocket with a modernized digital flight control system that sent a doomed Progress cargo craft into orbit on April 28.
On May 27, 2015 at 21:16 UTC the “Ariane-5ECA” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. The rocket orbited the “DirecTV-15” and the “Sky Mexico-1” communications satellites. DirecTV 15 and Sky Mexico-1 are beginning missions expected to last at least 15 years.
On May 21, 2015 at 16:42 UTC the "Dragon” capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at about 250 kilometers southwest of Long Beach, California, USA. The Dragon delivered to Earth about 1400 kilograms (3100 pounds) of cargo. It was the "SpaceX CRS-6” mission. CRS means Commercial Resupply Services.
On May 21, 2015 the station's robotic arm removed the “Dragon” (SpaceX CRS-6) unmanned supply spacecraft from a berthing port on the Harmony module of the International Space Station. Controlled by ground controllers and then astronaut Scott Kelly, the robotic arm let go of the "Dragon” resupply vehicle at 11:04 UTC.
On May 20, 2015 at 15:05 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 US Air Force’s reusable X-37B spaceplane. It is the fourth mission of the reusable X-37B spaceplane. But the military won’t say which of its two X-37B spaceplanes was launched on May 20, the first craft which has flown twice or the second vehicle that has flown once. Ten Cubesats were also put into low-Earth orbit by the “Atlas-5” rocket.
On May 16, 2015 at 05:47 UTC the Russian "Proton-M” rocket-carrier was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The rocket equipped with the "Briz-M” booster was to orbit the “MexSat-1” communication satellite. The Proton rocket’s third stage failed about eight-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, just before the booster was programmed to disconnect from a Breeze M upper stage designed to guide the Mexican government’s “MexSat-1” satellite into an orbit.
On May 8, 2015 at 02:04 UTC the Russian “Progress M-27M” spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific after spinning out of control following liftoff April 28 with supplies for the International Space Station.
Russian Ministry of Communications issued the postage stamp and the FDC devoted to the 50th anniversary of the first spacewalk. The first EVA was performed during the “Voskhod-2” space flight. First Day cancellation was conducted in Moscow and in the city of Vologda. The commander of the “Voskhod-2” spacecraft, cosmonaut Pavel BELJAEV was born in Vologda region. Although Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov took the first spacewalk on 18 March 1965, the 50th anniversary postage stamp was issued on April 10, 2015!?
In 2015 Russian Ministry of Communications issued the postal stationery devoted to the Cosmonautic Day. The cover is cancelled with the "Cosmonautic Day” official post mark with the date setting mechanism in Moscow on April 12, 2015. Total edition is 2 000 000 envelops.
