Russia’s 2nd Blagovest Military Communications Satellite Blasts off on First Proton of 2018

The thunder of Russia’s Proton rocket returned to the Baikonur Cosmodrome Wednesday night for the first time in seven months when the former workhorse of the Russian space program soared into the pre-dawn skies over the Kazakh launch site on a military mission.

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Classified Proton Launch with 2nd Blagovest Satellite Appears on Schedule for Wednesday

Out of public sight, a Proton-M rocket was rolled to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome last weekend in preparation for liftoff as early as Wednesday with the second satellite in a dual-purpose civilian and military communications network

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Progress MS-07 Departs Space Station for Secretive Month-Long Free Flight

Russia’s Progress MS-07 spacecraft wrapped up its cargo-delivery and trash pick-up mission at the International Space Station, undocking from the Earth-facing Pirs Module on Wednesday to head off on a four-week free flight dedicated to scientific experiments before the spacecraft will fire its engines on April 26 to set up for its fiery demise.

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Soyuz MS-08 Arrives at Space Station after Textbook Rendezvous with U.S.-Russian Crew Trio

Russia’s Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft pulled into a docking port on the International Space Station on Friday after two-day journey from a remote launch pad in Kazakhstan to the orbital home and workplace for the three experienced space fliers spending the spring and summer months off the planet.

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Nighttime Soyuz Launch Sends All-Veteran Crew Trio into Orbit for 160-Day Space Station Mission

A veteran Russian Cosmonaut and two NASA Astronauts with prior Space Shuttle experience blasted off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome Wednesday night on a planned 160-day space flight to the International Space Station.

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Soyuz Rocket Moved to Baikonur Launch Pad for Nighttime Liftoff with All-Veteran Crew Trio

Russia’s Soyuz FG rocket rolled out to its historic launch pad at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome under waves of early morning fog on Monday in preparation for liftoff with an all-veteran crew on Wednesday to send them off on a half-year Expedition to the International Space Station.

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Next Space Station Crew Enters Launch Campaign at Baikonur Cosmodrome

The next crew headed to the International Space Station – comprising a veteran ISS Cosmonaut and a pair of Shuttle fliers – arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome last weekend to enter their final preparations for launch on a five-month flight as part of ISS Expeditions 55 and 56.

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Soyuz Parachutes to Safe Landing on Snow-Covered Kazakh Steppe with U.S.-Russian Crew Trio

A veteran Cosmonaut and two NASA Astronauts parachuted into the sunrise on Wednesday aboard their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft after a half-year mission to the International Space Station, touching down on the snow-covered steppe of Kazakhstan after circling the Earth 2,688 times and covering 114.5 million Kilometers.

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ISS Crew Members from U.S. & Russia Set for Post-Sunrise Soyuz Landing in Kazakhstan

Two NASA Astronauts and a veteran Russian Cosmonaut are on the verge of their return to Earth after a 168-day stay on the International Space Station, set for a parachute-and-rocket-assisted touchdown on the frozen steppe of Kazakhstan just after sun-up on Wednesday aboard their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft.

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Trace Gas Orbiter Concludes Aerobraking ahead of Final Orbit Trimming, Science Operations

ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter circling Mars since October 2016 this week finished a delicate aero-braking campaign of nearly one year that moved the spacecraft from a highly elliptical orbit into a nearly circular Low Mars Orbit in preparation for a final set of trimming maneuvers and the start of a highly anticipated science mission.

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Photos: Soyuz Rockets Skyward in the Dead of Winter with Progress Cargo Spacecraft

After a two-day delay, Russia’s Soyuz 2-1A rocket lifted off from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 8:13:33 UTC on February 13, 2018 on a nine-minute climb into orbit with the Progress MS-08 cargo spacecraft headed to the International Space Station.

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