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Historic 'Orbital Traffic Jam': All 8 ISS Docking Ports Occupied for First Time in 25 Years

03:44 AM, 12/03/2025
Historic 'Orbital Traffic Jam': All 8 ISS Docking Ports Occupied for First Time in 25 Years

For the first time in 25 years the International Space Station has all eight docking ports occupied after Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL moved to the Unity module. The visiting fleet includes multiple SpaceX Dragons, Cygnus XL, JAXA's HTV-X1, two Soyuz crew vehicles and two Progress resupply ships. A Thanksgiving Soyuz arrival prompted a temporary relocation of Cygnus; it has since been reattached and crews are unloading experiments and supplies. Jonny Kim is scheduled to return next week aboard Soyuz MS-27 with two Russian cosmonauts.

Historic milestone: All eight ISS docking ports are occupied

For the first time in its 25-year history, the International Space Station now has every one of its eight visiting-vehicle docking ports occupied. Flight teams confirmed the configuration after Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft was relocated to the station's Unity module, filling the last open port.

Who is currently at the station

  • Multiple SpaceX Dragon spacecraft (crew and cargo)
  • Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo vehicle
  • Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) HTV-X1 cargo ship
  • Two Russian Soyuz crew capsules
  • Two Russian Progress resupply ships

The packed configuration — described by mission teams as a rare "orbital traffic jam" — is visible on a recent configuration map showing every port in use. Flight controllers routinely plan and manage vehicle relocations and dockings, so simultaneous occupancy like this is a logistical milestone rather than a safety problem.

Recent crew and cargo activity

On Thanksgiving, NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev arrived aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. To accommodate that arrival, the Cygnus cargo craft was temporarily moved. Cygnus was reattached the following Monday, and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman and Chris Williams began unpacking science experiments and supplies that had arrived on Sept. 18.

Next week Jonny Kim is scheduled to return to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-27 with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.

Why this matters

This moment highlights the ISS as a hub of international cooperation and sustained resupply operations. Multiple providers from the United States, Russia and Japan operating at the same time reflect a healthy cadence of crew rotations, science deliveries and cargo missions that keep the station continuously staffed and stocked.

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