Soyuz MS-26 Docks at ISS Amid Record Activity

A record-breaking 19 people are currently in Earth's orbit, with various missions contributing to this unprecedented number. The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft successfully delivered NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 11. They join an international team, including astronauts whose stays were extended due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule. This mission marks Pettit's fourth spaceflight and the first for NASA's oldest active astronaut since 2012. Meanwhile, SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission, with a civilian crew, achieved the first-ever private spacewalk and a new post-Apollo altitude record. These missions highlight the collaborative and increasingly commercial nature of space exploration today.