In a First, Space Station Is Fully Docked

The International Space Station just hit a new milestone, with every one of its eight docking ports full for the first time ever, according to NASA officials. The crowded house comes after the arrival of three new crew members—NASA's Chris Williams and Russia's Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev—who docked Russia's Soyuz MS-28 on Thanksgiving Day for an eight-month stay, per Space.com. To make room, controllers had to move a robotic Cygnus cargo ship using the station's Canadarm2, reinstalling it at a different port.

The ISS also hosts the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, two Russian Progress cargo ships, Japan's new HTV-X1 cargo craft, and two SpaceX Dragon capsules—one for cargo, one for crew. The Dragon crew includes NASA's Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Russia's Oleg Platonov, all part of the ongoing Expedition 73 and not due back until 2026. NASA's Jonny Kim and Russia's Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, meanwhile, will return to Earth on Monday aboard the Soyuz MS-27, opening up one of the ports.