Today, Thursday, September 12, there are more humans in orbit than ever before in Earth and human history. With the launch of a Russian Soyuz capsule, with three crew members, towards the International Space Station (ISS) which happened yesterday, was brought to 19 the number of people in spacesurpassing the previous record.
Space is therefore busier than ever, a milestone that underscores the growing global interest in manned space missions.
These are all space missions and all astronauts which are currently orbiting the Earth and which led to this record:
Soyuz capsule
The Russian Soyuz capsule launched into orbit on Wednesday carried the astronaut Don Pettit NASA with cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin And Ivan WagnerTheir arrival at the ISS increased the number of occupants in this orbital laboratory, where there were already three other Russian cosmonauts: Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin and Oleg Kononenko. This group is joined by NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Tracy Caldwell-Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams, who extended their stay on the station due to complications with the Starliner Mission from Boeing.
Starliner Mission
The expanded presence of astronauts Barry Wilmore And Suni Williams on the ISS addresses technical issues of the Boeing Starliner capsule, which was originally scheduled to return to Earth in June. The mission, which began as a manned test lasting just 10 days, struggled with thruster failures, forcing the crew to remain on the station until February 2025. Although the ship has already begun returning to Earth, NASA will use a capsule Space X Crew Dragon to bring back these astronauts.
The difficulties of this mission contrast with the success of Elon Musk and his Space X, whose launches have been crucial to maintaining the flow of astronauts to the ISS and other destinations.
The Chinese Expedition to Shenzhou 18
China’s space station Tiangong continue your mission Shenzhou 18which has three astronauts on board: Li Cong, Li Guangsu and Ye GuangfuThe Tiangong is an example of China’s space advancement as it seeks to consolidate itself as a power in the space race.
SpaceX’s private Polaris Dawn mission
The company Elon Musk’s SpaceX The success of the first private space mission in history was noted and culminated successfully on September 12, a date undoubtedly for history. And the man behind this ambitious project is the controversial Elon Musk, owner of Space X, who piloted the Polaris Dawn mission.
Two non-professional space astronauts on board the Crew Dragon Capsule Resilience, Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon They began a five-day mission on September 10. This capsule reached a higher altitude than any other manned spacecraft since the Apollo Missionsonce again highlighting Space X’s role in the new era of space exploration.
Other space recordings
The current record of 19 people in space joins other recent space milestones in human history beyond Earth. For example, in 2023, 20 people were briefly in space: 14 astronauts and six space tourists traveled aboard the space plane. Virgin Galactic VSS Unit.
Although VSS Unity has not reached the Karman Line, which at 100 kilometers altitude is considered the true limit of space by some organizations, has surpassed 80 kilometers, which is recognized as the beginning of space by NASA and the U.S. military. These missions underscore the continued growth of the commercial space industry and the expansion of the frontiers of human exploration.
