On December 11, 2018, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Prokopyev performed the extra vehicle activities (EVA – spacewalk). The cosmonauts cut into multi-layer insulation and debris shielding to inspect the “Soyuz MS-09” spacecraft’s metallic hull, where Prokopyev and German astronaut Alexander Gerst had plugged a 2-millimeter hole that caused a minor air leak in August. The spacewalkers first cut into the thermal blankets, then sliced into shielding designed to protect the ship from micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts.

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On December 8, 2018 at 15:36 UTC, the private U.S. unmanned supply spacecraft, the "Dragon” SpX-16 (CRS-16 flight), was successfully docked to the International Space Station. The linkup operation was carried out with the help of the giant 17-meter Canadarm. The capture with Canadarm-2 was performed by German astronaut Alexander Gerst at 12:21 UTC. The Dragon spacecraft was maneuvered into position and attached to a berthing port on the space station's Harmony module. This docking marked the 16th time a Dragon spaceship has reached the space station, counting a demonstration flight in 2012.

On December 7, 2018 at 18:20 UTC (on December 8 at 02:23 Beijing time) the Chang Zheng-3B (Long March-3B) rocket-carrier was launched from Xichang Cosmodrome, Sichuan province, southwestern China. The rocket orbited and then injected the “Chang’e-4” space probe on a trajectory toward the Moon. The space vehicle is expected to enter lunar orbit after a series of course-correction maneuvers, then use braking rockets to descend to the moon’s surface, targeting a landing inside Von Karman crater in Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin region in early January.

On December 7, 2018, at 04:12 UTC the “Long March –2D” (“Changzheng-2D”) rocket-carrier was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, the northwest of China. The rocket orbited two Saudi Arabian Earth observation satellites (SaudiSat-5А and SaudiSat-5В) and 10 small secondary payloads.

On December 5, 2018 at 18:16 UTC the "Falcon 9” rocket-carrier was launched from SLC-40 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA. The launch was performed by the "SpaceX” private company supported by the 45th Space Wing of US Air Force. US private company SpaceX launched its "Dragon” (CRS-16 flight also known as SpX-16) unmanned spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. CRS means Commercial Resupply Services. It is the 17th successful flight of a “Dragon” spacecraft and the 16th successful flight of a “Dragon” to the ISS.

On December 4, 2018 at 20:37 UTC the “Ariane-5ECA” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. The rocket orbited India’s “GSAT-11” telecommunication satellite and South Korea’s “GEO-KOMPSAT-2A” meteorological satellite.

On December 3, 2018 at 18:34 UTC the "Falcon-9” rocket-carrier was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA. The launch was performed by Space X company supported by the 30th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited 64 small satellites.

On December 3, 2018 at 17:33 UTC the Russian "Soyuz MS-11” spacecraft docked with the Russian “Poisk” module of the International Space Station.

The spacecraft delivered 3 members of Expedition 58 to the ISS, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and American astronaut Anne McClain. The new comers joined current ISS Expedition 57 members – Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopiev, German astronaut Alexander Gerst and American astronaut Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor. The mission of Kononenko, Saint-Jacques and McClain is to last during 194 days.

On December 3, 2018 at 11:31 UTC the Russian “Soyuz MS-11” spacecraft was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The space vehicle was orbited by the Russian “Soyuz-FG” rocket-carrier. The spacecraft is piloted by 3 cosmonauts: Commander, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko (center), Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques (right) and American astronaut Anne McClain (left).

Photo by Russian Cosmonaut training center.

It is the first crew launch for Russian space program since a Soyuz booster failure led to the emergency landing of a tw ... Read more »

On November 30, 2018 at 02:27 UTC the “Rockot” rocket-carrier was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Arkhangelsk region, North Russia. The rocket orbited a trio of military communications satellites of the “Rodnik” type.

On November 29, 2018 at 04:27 UTC the PSLV-C43 rocket-carrier was launched from Sriharikota spaceport, 80 km from Chennai, India. The rocket orbited the “HySIS” (Hyper Spectral Imaging Spectrometer) satellite. It is the Earth-imaging satellite designed to assess vegetation, soil conditions and pollution in rich detail. The rocket also orbited 30 small satellites.

On November 26, 2018 at 19:54 UTC, the US InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) probe landed on Mars for a two-year surface mission to probe the planet’s deep interior. This landing concluded a 484-million-kilometer journey for “InSight” that began May 5, 2018 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.