Three cargo ships in three weeks: how the International Space Station entered an unusually dynamic period during the εpsilon mission
A post by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, shared on social media during her εpsilon mission, summed up a scene that is not often seen even in the rhythm of work aboard the International Space Station: three cargo spacecraft departures in just three weeks. The footage, which Adenot published with a note that since the beginning of her stay in orbit the station had bid farewell to three cargo vehicles, opened a broader view of the logistics that keep the orbital laboratory alive. In the meantime, another departure followed, so the sequence of spacecraft that left the station grew even longer. This made the episode more than an attractive snapshot from the everyday life of astronauts: it turned into a clear reminder of how the supply of the International Space Station is a complex and continuous international undertaking.
The εpsilon mission officially began on February 14, 2026, when the SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule carrying the Crew-12 crew docked with the station. ESA states that Sophie Adenot launched on February 13, 2026, with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and her mission is conceived as a multi-month stay in orbit dedicated to scientific experiments, technological demonstrations, and operational tasks. In that context, her video recording from orbit is more than a casual diary entry: it documents a period in which both crews and cargo spacecraft rotated through the station in a short time, with an increased operational tempo that includes undockings, robotic operations, equipment relocations, and the preparation of waste for controlled destruction on re-entry into the atmosphere.
Three departures in a short period
The first of the three cargo spacecraft that left the station in that period was SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule on the CRS-33 mission. NASA announced its undocking on February 26, 2026, after a multi-month stay attached to the orbital complex. Dragon is especially important among today’s supply ships for the International Space Station because it can return cargo to Earth. Unlike some other cargo spacecraft, which burn up in the atmosphere together with station waste at the end of the mission, Dragon returns with experiment samples, equipment, and research results that are then analyzed on the ground. That is precisely why each of its departures marks not only the end of one resupply phase, but also the transfer of part of orbital research back to laboratories on Earth.
After Dragon came the departure of the Japanese HTV-X1 spacecraft, the first mission of the new generation of Japanese cargo ships. In early March, NASA and JAXA confirmed that HTV-X1 would be released from the station’s robotic arm on March 6 in U.S. time, or March 7 in Japanese time. That spacecraft is important not only because of the delivery of supplies, but also because it represents the technological successor to the earlier Japanese Kounotori cargo ships. JAXA emphasized that HTV-X opens a new phase of Japan’s contribution to station resupply, with modernized systems and additional capabilities for experiments after departure. In practical terms, its departure was another logistically demanding moment for the crew, because that operation also included work with Canadarm2, precise timing coordination, and controlled separation from the station.
The third departure, the one Adenot directly highlighted in her post, was the farewell to Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus NG-23 cargo ship. On March 12, 2026, NASA confirmed that Cygnus XL had been released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm and thus completed its mission at the station. The spacecraft bore the name S.S. William “Willie” McCool, in honor of the NASA astronaut and naval test pilot who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. That detail further reinforces the symbolic dimension of the post shared by Sophie Adenot: according to U.S. Navy tradition, the bell on the station marked the ship’s departure, and that role was taken by astronaut Jack Hathaway, who also comes from a military and flight-test background. In this way, the technical operation also received a ceremonial framework, rare but deeply rooted in the culture of astronautics and maritime heritage.
From three to four: Progress also departed soon after
In the description of the footage, Adenot noted that after it was recorded the crew also “waved” to the Russian Progress. On March 16, 2026, NASA announced that Roscosmos Progress 92 had detached from the station, loaded with waste and unnecessary material for a planned destructive re-entry into the atmosphere. This raised the number of cargo departures in a relatively short period to four. Although the public often pays more attention to launches and dockings, departures are an equally important part of orbital routine. Every spacecraft must be properly undocked, moved onto a safe trajectory and, depending on its type, either return cargo to Earth or burn up in the atmosphere together with waste that can no longer be kept on the station.
This is also important because of limited space. The International Space Station is not only a research platform but also an infrastructure system with strict rules for managing supplies, consumables, and waste. Cargo ships do not bring only food, water, spare parts, and scientific equipment. They also serve as temporary storage areas, workspaces and, at the end of the mission, “containers” for waste that is no longer returned to Earth. In that sense, the wave of departures recorded by the crew also speaks of the cycle of unloading the station and preparing for new dockings and operations in the continuation of the expedition.
Why this series of departures matters
Such a concentration of departures in just a few weeks shows how dependent the International Space Station is today on the coordination of several partners and several types of spacecraft. Its resupply involves American private companies, the Japanese space agency, and the Russian program, each with its own operational rules, technical solutions, and schedules. Dragon has the ability to return scientific cargo to Earth. Cygnus serves as a robust cargo system that burns up in the atmosphere together with waste after the mission. Progress has for years remained one of the pillars of the Russian logistical contribution to the station, especially in the delivery of consumables and waste removal. HTV-X, in turn, marks the technological renewal of the Japanese resupply segment.
That is exactly why the video recording from the εpsilon mission has a broader meaning than an interesting scene from the cupola or the station window. It shows the infrastructure of everyday life in space: behind every frame of Earth and the orbital horizon stands a system in which it must be known when something arrives, how long it stays, what needs to be moved from it, what returns, and what is discarded. When three, and then four spacecraft rotate through in such a short time, that is not only a visually impressive sequence of events but also a test of the proficiency of the crew, ground control centers, and international cooperation.
The mission of Sophie Adenot and the European presence in orbit
For Europe, this episode also carries additional symbolic weight. ESA pointed out that εpsilon is the first space mission of Sophie Adenot, a French astronaut and former military pilot, and the mission name points to the idea of a small but meaningful contribution within a large system. Such symbolism seems especially fitting here. In the daily work of the station, there is often no single big dramatic event; instead, the mission consists of a series of precisely executed, seemingly small steps: handling cargo, preparing experiments, maintaining equipment, and recording operational changes. Yet it is precisely from such steps that the stability of the entire system arises.
In this story, Sophie Adenot is both a witness and an active participant. The Crew-12 crew arrived at the station at a time when the orbital laboratory was in a period of heightened dynamics. The arrival of a new crew, the continuation of the scientific program, and changes in the schedule of cargo ships together created a dense operational calendar. That is why her post feels authentic: it shows not only the beauty of the view from orbit, but also the working rhythm of a station that functions as an international hub in constant motion.
Ceremony, tradition, and remembrance of Willie McCool
Particular attention was drawn to the part of the post referring to Cygnus NG-23 and its name. Northrop Grumman’s ship was named after William “Willie” McCool, a U.S. Navy pilot, test pilot, and NASA astronaut who was the pilot of mission STS-107 and died in the Space Shuttle Columbia accident during re-entry on February 1, 2003. In astronautics, the naming of spacecraft often has a memorial and educational role: it connects current operations with the history of the program and reminds us that space exploration is technological progress built on experience, risk, and remembrance.
In that light, the bell-ringing with which Jack Hathaway marked the departure of the spacecraft is more than a charming detail. According to the explanation accompanying the post, it is a tradition taken from the U.S. Navy, and the fact that the task was given to an astronaut of a similar professional background further emphasized the link between contemporary space missions and older forms of service and navigation. Such moments show that life on the station is not made up only of procedures and checklists, but also of rituals that give the crew continuity, identity, and a sense of belonging to a long line of explorers and pilots.
What comes next for the station
The sequence of departures does not mean a slowdown in work on the station, but quite the opposite. Freeing docking locations and completing logistical cycles make it possible to prepare for new deliveries, technical operations, and experiments. NASA, ESA, JAXA, and Roscosmos must coordinate schedules very precisely in such periods to avoid overlaps and ensure that every segment of the station remains operational. When the calendar of visits and departures is examined, it becomes clear that the International Space Station is far from a static laboratory: it is a busy and technically demanding hub in which something is constantly being moved, attached, detached, and prepared.
That is why Sophie Adenot’s post is important even beyond the circle of space enthusiasts. It shows very simply what one of the station’s fundamental functions looks like: maintaining life and work in orbit depends not only on astronauts but also on an uninterrupted chain of supplies, waste removal, and international coordination. In just a few weeks, the crew bid farewell to Dragon, HTV-X1, and Cygnus, and then also to Progress. It is a rhythm that may, from Earth’s perspective, seem like a series of separate news items, but from the station’s perspective forms a single whole: a constant flow of spacecraft without which scientific work, technical maintenance, and daily life in orbit would be impossible.
Sources:- ESA – official εpsilon mission page with basic information about Sophie Adenot’s mission and the crew composition (link)- ESA – post about the official start of the εpsilon mission, with the launch and docking dates of the Dragon Freedom capsule (link)- NASA – announcement of the undocking of the SpaceX CRS-33 cargo capsule from the International Space Station (link)- SpaceX – CRS-33 mission summary and confirmation of the Dragon capsule’s return to Earth after its stay at the station (link)- NASA – announcement and operational data on the departure of the Japanese HTV-X1 spacecraft from the station (link)- JAXA – official schedule and technical data on the departure of HTV-X1 from the International Space Station (link)- NASA – coverage and confirmation of the departure of Cygnus NG-23, the S.S. William “Willie” McCool spacecraft (link)- NASA – post about the departure of the Russian Progress 92 cargo ship from the station on March 16, 2026 (link)
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