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Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station rather than just read about it. In short: Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) are made primarily to deliver cargo, however several Russian modules have also docked to the outpost following uncrewed launches. Resupply missions typically use the Russian Progress spacecraft, i.e., Progress-M (Standard and Modified), Progress-M1 and Progress MS series vehicles, European Automated Transfer Vehicles, Japanese Kounotori vehicles, and the…

Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station — main illustration
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) are made primarily to deliver cargo, however several Russian modules have also docked to the outpost following uncrewed launches. Resupply missions typically use the Russian Progress spacecraft, i.e., Progress-M (Standard and Modified), Progress-M1 and Progress MS series vehicles, European Automated Transfer Vehicles, Japanese Kounotori vehicles, and the American Dragon 1 and 2 vehicles and Cygnus (Standard, Enhanced and XL series) spacecraft. The primary docking system for Progress spacecraft is the automated Kurs system, with the manual TORU system as a backup. ATVs also use Kurs, however they are not equipped with TORU. The other spacecraft — the Japanese HTVs and HTV-Xs, the SpaceX Dragon (under CRS phase 1) and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus vehicles — rendezvous with the station before being grappled using Canadarm2 and berthed at the nadir port of the Harmony or Unity module for one to two months. Progress, Cygnus and ATV can remain docked for up to six months. Under CRS phase 2, SpaceX Cargo Dragon docks autonomously at IDA-2 or 3 as the case may be. As of June 2026, Progress spacecraft have flown most of the uncrewed missions to the ISS. To avoid confusion, this list includes Soyuz MS-23, which was launched uncrewed and landed crewed, but does not include Soyuz MS-22 and Boeing Crewed Flight Test, which was launched crewed and landed uncrewed, which is listed at List of human spaceflights to the International Space Station.

Current and completed spaceflights

This is a list of uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station. Key to box background colors:

Module launch Launch failure, spacecraft did not reach orbit Partial failure, spacecraft reached orbit but did not rendezvous with ISS Note: Russia has delivered cargo via the uncrewed missions of Progress since the launch of the ISS, while the U.S. had used Space Shuttles for hybrid human/cargo missions, resulting in a greater number of Russian uncrewed flights to the ISS. Since the discontinuation of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, the numbers of crewed and uncrewed flights by the U.S. and Russia are more closely matched.

^For vehicles that are berthed to the station using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) the times of berthing and unberthing are given. For those vehicles whose berthing and unberthing time is not sure is not provided, SSRMS capture and release is taken. This is because these vehicles remain physically attached to the station longer than indicated when counting the time between initial SSRMS capture and release. Formerly, the Japanese HTV and the SpaceX Dragon and currently, the Cygnus are the visiting vehicles to attach in this manner. For all other vehicles the times of docking and undocking are given.

Future spaceflights Manifested future flights are shown below:

On May 15, 2026, SpaceX launched its 34th commercial resupply services mission (CRS-34) to the International Space Station using a Falcon 9 rocket. The uncrewed Dragon capsule successfully docked with the station's Harmony module on May 17, 2026, delivering approximately 6,500 pounds of scientific experiments, crew supplies, and hardware.

Spaceports

Baikonur Cosmodrome Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is the oldest and busiest spaceport. The first module of the ISS was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81 as the uncrewed spacecraft Zarya in 1998 and flew uncrewed for about two years before the first crew arrived. The Progress spacecraft is the most frequent cargo ship sent from Baikonur to the station, bringing supplies such as food, fuel, gas, experiments, and parts. Its light payload is offset by its ability to deliver critical replacement parts at short notice. Fresh fruit and vegetables from the earth are an important part of the crew's diet.

Tanegashima Space Center

Located in Japan on an island 115 kilometres (71 mi) south of Kyūshū, the Tanegashima Space Center (TCS) is the launch site for H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), called Kounotori (こうのとり, Oriental stork or white stork) and HTV-X, used to resupply the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) and the ISS. The name Kounotori was chosen for the HTV by JAXA because "a white stork carries an image of conveying an important thing (a baby, happiness, and other joyful things), therefore, it precisely expresses the HTV's mission to transport essential materials to the ISS". White Kounotori can carry 6,000 kilograms (13,000 lb) of cargo in total, about 3,500–4,500 kilograms (7,700–9,900 lb) of which is accessible by the crew in the pressurized section, the remainder is unpressurised cargo on Exposed Pallet to be handled by the ISS's robotic arm.

Guiana Space Centre The European Space Agency (ESA) uses the Guiana Space Centre near Kourou in French Guiana. Operational since 1968, it is particularly suitable as a location for a spaceport due to its proximity to the equator, and that launches are in a favorable direction over water. The near-equatorial launch location provides an advantage for launches to low-inclination (or geostationary) Earth orbits compared to launches from spaceports at higher latitude, the eastward boost provided by the Earth's rotation is about 463 metres per second (1,520 ft/s; 1,040 mph) at this spaceport. The ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle weighs 20,700 kilograms (45,600 lb) at launch and has a cargo capacity of 8,000 kilograms (18,000 lb) including 1,500 to 5,500 kilograms (3,300 to 12,100 lb) of dry cargo, up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of gases (water, nitrogen, oxygen, air), with up to two gases per flight, and up to 4,700 kilograms (10,400 lb) of propellant for boosting and refueling the station.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station illustration
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station illustration
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station illustration
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station illustration
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

In research
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s in spaceflight, 2010s in spaceflight, International Space Station, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station in simple terms?

Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) are made primarily to deliver cargo, however several Russian modules have also docked to the outpost following uncrewed launches. Resupply missions typically use the Russian Progress spacecraft, i.e., Progress-M (Standard and Modified)…

Why does Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station.

Tags

  • 2000s in spaceflight
  • 2010s in spaceflight
  • International Space Station
  • Lists of space missions
  • Spaceflight timelines
  • Uncrewed spaceflights to space stations
  • Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

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