Nasa ground controllers have re-established contact with the International Space Station less than three hours after a computer failure briefly interrupted communication.

BBC: Nasa back in contact with the International Space Station

In May, the same aircraft had to make two unscheduled air returns following reports of engine failure, according to a Dana Air station manager in Lagos.

CNN: Nigerians demand answers in wake of Dana Air crash

In August, a Soyuz failure on a mission to resupply the space station led to a six-week suspension of flights.

BBC: Another Soyuz rocket launch fails

The former director of TV station BNN, Bart de Graaff, died from kidney failure aged 35 after spending years on a transplant waiting list.

BBC: The Big Donor Show logo

In August, a Soyuz failure on an unmanned mission to resupply the space station led to a six-week suspension of flights.

BBC: Soyuz back in service after failed launch

The so-called Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre is what the truck will initiate if it suffers a major failure just as it is about to dock with the space station.

BBC: Total cargo: 4,860kg

Early in the year, a Soyuz rocket carrying an unmanned Progress spacecraft suffered a launch failure, a failure that had some concerned that NASA might decide to leave the International Space Station without a crew.

FORBES: Russian Space Program Suffers Another Failed Launch