Space News
Latest updates from across the cosmos
Heading Home: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Concludes Station Science Mission
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is ending, with the crew scheduled to return in early October. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will head home from the International Space Station after supporting research that benefits life on Earth and prepares humans for missions […]
NASA Astronaut Christina Koch to Join NFL Fans in Philadelphia
As part of NASA’s ongoing Inspiration Tour, NASA astronaut Christina Koch will highlight America’s strengths in space exploration and aeronautics innovation at the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams game in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 4. A self-proclaimed Philadelphia sports fan, Koch is an explorer and engineer who spent a total of 338 days in […]
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Launches to International Space Station
Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission launched at 11:10 a.m. EDT Thursday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. “Crew-13 is another demonstration of America’s unmatched capability in human spaceflight and the strength of our commercial partnerships,” said […]
What’s Up: October 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
A Meteor Shower and the Moon Near the Pleiades See Saturn at opposition, catch the Orionid meteor shower, and watch the Moon pass close to the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Skywatching Highlights Transcript Saturn takes center stage, a meteor shower lights up the sky, and the Moon visits the Seven Sisters. That’s […]
LMT Group and Novaspace partner to develop strategy for 5G/6G satellite communications hub in Latvia
Noordwijk, the Netherlands | September 22, 2026 – During the international Industry Space Days 2026 event at the European Space Agency’s ESTEC facility in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the Latvian Mobile Telephone […] The post LMT Group and Novaspace partner to develop strategy for 5G/6G satellite communications hub in Latvia appeared first on SpaceNews.
BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival begins - full replay
Video: 02:31:10 Watch the replay of the livestream originally broadcast on 3 September as ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission took the first critical step towards arriving at Mercury.After travelling through the inner Solar System together for eight years, BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from the rest of the stacked spacecraft on 3 September 2026. This marks the beginning of one of the most complex planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.Broadcast live fr
Rains Swamp the Gandak River
After days of torrential rain, the river rose to record-breaking levels in parts of Nepal and India.
APOD: 2026 October 2 – The Complete Sharpless Catalog: 313 Nebulas
What does it take to image hundreds of nebulas? Today’s image contains the entire Sharpless Catalog of H II Regions, totaling 313 objects. Zoom in and explore!
Crew-13 Arrives at ISS as Crew-12 Prepares to Depart
NASA’s 13th operational Crew Dragon mission arrived at the International Space Station today about 8 hours after launch. That’s the fastest trip on a SpaceX Dragon thanks to an opportune […]
10 Things: Movie Night
Join Us for Movie Night with NASA NASA’s mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration and scientific discovery. NASA+ documentaries allow you to come along for the ride. It’s free. It’s on demand. And no subscription is required. Grab some popcorn and come along for the journey. Other Worlds: Europa Cosmic Dawn Planetary […]
Rethinking risk with electronics for space
In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss speaks with Ken Stoler, the space business development lead for Arrow. They discuss how spacecraft designers and operators have changed their attitudes toward risk, […] The post Rethinking risk with electronics for space appeared first on SpaceNews.
World Space Week 2026 Celebrates the “Rocket Revolution”
HOUSTON, Texas (September 30, 2026)— World Space Week events, beginning October 4 in 100 nations, will celebrate how launch innovation has stimulated the rapidly-growing space economy and enabled new uses […] The post World Space Week 2026 Celebrates the “Rocket Revolution” appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Launches
In this Oct. 1, 2026, photo, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft is carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the International Space Station for a […]
NASA Awards Enterprise Logistics Support Services Agreements
NASA selected 16 companies to provide Enterprise Logistics Support Services under new agreements that will standardize requirements, improve reporting, and streamline the management of costs and resources. The $1.4 billion blanket purchase agreements will support equipment and property management, transportation, disposal, product support, flight hardware support operations, equipment maintenance and repair, export control, move operations, […]
China launches Guowang, Yaogan-40 satellites, sets up busy Q4 manifest
HELSINKI — China completed its ninth and tenth launches of September, sending Guowang and Yaogan satellites into orbit, ahead of an intense finish to the year. A Long March 8A […] The post China launches Guowang, Yaogan-40 satellites, sets up busy Q4 manifest appeared first on SpaceNews.
Help Overlap Zoo Reveal Cosmic Dust
Galaxies, vast collections of billions of stars, gas, and dust held together by gravity, are scattered across the immensity of space. But every so often, a coincidence occurs: Two galaxies line up from our point of view on Earth (or from a space telescope) and appear to overlap in the sky. These rare overlapping galaxies […]
Curiosity Blog, Sols 5016–5021: Fantastic Minerals and How To Detect Them
Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Earth planning date: Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 Curiosity surprised us at the beginning of the week with a change in rock texture — instead of the finely layered bedrock blocks we’ve been seeing in our recent sulfate unit workspaces, suddenly we were looking […]
Galileo Space Is Building Satellites That Turn Signals Into Answers in Orbit
Galileo Space is building satellites designed to turn signals into answers in orbit. Modern defense and commercial operations need fast answers about what is happening and where. Existing systems can […] The post Galileo Space Is Building Satellites That Turn Signals Into Answers in Orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.
An Agricultural “Island” in the Saskatchewan River Delta
Surrounded by wetlands, Manitoba’s northernmost farmland near The Pas turns from green to brown over the 2026 growing season.
APOD: 2026 October 1 – Harvest Moon with Erupting Mount Etna
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 1 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Harvest Moon with […]
Live coverage: NASA, SpaceX to launch next crewed mission to the International Space Station
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, will become the first agency astronaut to fly for a second time onboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. EDT (1510 UTC).
LTG David Miller Nominated as Next Leader of U.S. Space Command
U.S. Space Force Lieutenant General David Miller, Jr. has been nominated as the next Commander of U.S. Space Command, succeeding Gen. Stephen Whiting who will retire early next year. Yesterday, […]
NaviGate successfully demonstrates onboard precise orbit determination aboard D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier
ROME, 30/09/2026 – NaviGate, an Italian space technology company spun out of Sapienza University of Rome, has successfully completed the in-orbit demonstration (IoD) of NaviCode Caravel, its autonomous onboard precise […] The post NaviGate successfully demonstrates onboard precise orbit determination aboard D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier appeared first on SpaceNews.
Hubble's superbubble scene
Image: This sprawling cosmic vista and subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month comes from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC is the largest of the small galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. At just 160 000 light-years away, the LMC offers a close look at highly active stellar birthsites like the nebula shown here. This nebula is named LHA 120-N44, or N44 for short, and it’s located in the constellation Dorado.The appearance of this photogenic nebula is dominated
NASA Awards Contract to Develop 5G Communications for Moon
NASA has awarded Modulate Space Corporation a contract to develop key elements of a 5G communications system for use on the lunar surface with built-in Wi-Fi 6, for NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. This accelerated effort is organized into two primary work areas that together will develop a scalable, standards-based communications capability designed to […]
NASA Adds New Science Investigations for Moon Base
NASA selected three new scientific investigations and their payload suites to advance our knowledge of the Moon and help pave the way for building humanity’s first lunar outpost, Moon Base. The suite of science instruments and technologies was selected through NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) program and will […]
Quantum Space Executes Launch Processing Agreement with All Points Logistics for Prime Mission
ROCKVILLE, Md. and MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — September 30, 2026 — Quantum Space, LLC (the “Company” or “Quantum Space”), a company developing the next generation of advanced maneuverable spacecraft for […] The post Quantum Space Executes Launch Processing Agreement with All Points Logistics for Prime Mission appeared first on SpaceNews.
Science begins for Smile
On 23 September, the European-Chinese Smile mission was declared ready to start revealing how Earth responds to the wind of charged particles from the Sun. This follows a busy in-space commissioning period since the spacecraft launched on 19 May and reached its target orbit for science operations on 20 June.
NASA Sets Crew-13 Launch, Docking Coverage
NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch, launch, and docking activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew‑13 mission to the International Space Station. Live coverage will stream through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online: https://www.nasa.gov/live Crew‑13 is scheduled to launch at 11:10 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 1, from Space Launch Complex 40 at […]
NASA Adds Blue Origin New Glenn 9×4 to Launch Services Contract
In accordance with a contract on-ramp clause, NASA has added Blue Origin’s New Glenn 9×4 launch service to the NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract. The New Glenn 9×4 launch service will be available to NASA’s Launch Services Program Office to use for future missions. The NLS II contracts are multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with an […]
Powerful Storms Continue to Prowl the Pacific
Hurricanes Polo and Nolo sent destructive effects ashore amid an active season in the northeastern and central Pacific.
APOD: 2026 September 30 – Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 30 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Arp 78: Peculiar […]
NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications
NASA’s 2027 Human Lander Challenge is seeking ideas from college and university students to help address one of the most critical needs for sustained lunar exploration: reliable communications. As NASA prepares for long-term human presence on the Moon through the Artemis and Moon Base programs, communications systems will be just as important as spacecraft and […]
Launch Preview: Crew-13 to launch to ISS, Falcon Heavy to launch mission for the NRO
Four orbital launches are expected this week, all by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy… The post Launch Preview: Crew-13 to launch to ISS, Falcon Heavy to launch mission for the NRO appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
Terran Orbital Names Jamin Brown Chief Operating Officer
IRVINE, Calif. – Sept. 29, 2026 – Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin company and a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries, today announced the […] The post Terran Orbital Names Jamin Brown Chief Operating Officer appeared first on SpaceNews.
Commercial Defense Satcom Service Revenues to Surpass $22.6B by 2035
Paris, France | September 2026 — Novaspace’s Satellite Communications for Defense and Security, 2nd Edition highlights a defense Satcom market poised for rapid growth. By 2035, commercial satellite service revenues […] The post Commercial Defense Satcom Service Revenues to Surpass $22.6B by 2035 appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA Features Exploration, Science at International Space Conference
NASA will participate in the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye, from Monday, Oct. 5, to Friday, Oct. 9, highlighting America’s leadership in human exploration to the Moon and Mars, advancing responsible exploration under the Artemis Accords, world-changing science, and support for the commercial space sector.  The IAC, organized by the International Astronautical […]
NASA Awards Orbital Safety Analysis Support Services Contract
NASA has awarded a contract to Omitron Inc. for the acquisition of orbital safety analysis services, which provide for critical protection of NASA spaceflight assets and astronaut lives. This indefinite-delivery contract is valued at approximately $23.5 million over a five-year period of performance and entails conjunction assessment screening services for all NASA uncrewed spacecraft, support […]
If AI cannot be trusted in a classroom, why should it be trusted in orbit?
On September 9, 2026, Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment science lead, said on social media that he personally believed there was a greater than 10% chance that artificial intelligence could kill […] The post If AI cannot be trusted in a classroom, why should it be trusted in orbit? appeared first on SpaceNews.
Galaxies in a cosmic house of mirrors
Image: This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features galaxies in great detail that have been warped and multiplied like they’ve stepped into a house of mirrors. The brilliant golden galaxies splashed across this image belong to a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies concentrated on one side of the cluster are not actually part of the cluster and are much farther away from us.MACS J0454.1-0300 is itself immensely distant: the light from th
Happy New Year on Mars
30 September 2026 marks the start of a new year on Mars. At exactly 10:16 CEST/08:16 UTC on Earth, the Red Planet begins a new orbit around our Sun.
NASA Highlights Lessons Learned From Swift Boost Mission
A commercial mission to boost NASA’s Swift observatory concluded without raising the spacecraft’s orbit, but the agency and industry vendor gained valuable experience that will benefit future in-space servicing programs.
October’s Night Sky Notes: Spooky Stargazing
The Ghoul Located within the constellation Perseus lies a star called Algol, also known as ‘Demon Star’ or ‘The Ghoul’. You can spot this star during the autumn months, along with Cassiopeia and Andromeda in the northeastern sky, beginning after 9 PM. In Greek mythology, this star represents the ‘blinking eye’ of the gorgon Medusa. […]
Fire Cloud with a Pileus on Top
Scientists captured rare observations of an ephemeral pileus cloud hovering over a smoke-infused cloud that rose above a wildfire in Montana.
APOD: 2026 September 29 – Sh2-188: The Shrimp Nebula
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 29 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Sh2-188: The Shrimp […]
Next Crewed Boeing Starliner Flight Not Until 2028
Two years after Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft landed in the New Mexico desert without NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, Boeing and NASA said today it will not be ready to […]
Mars Has Its Charmes
Written by Athanasios (Thanos) Klidaras, Ph.D. candidate at Purdue University Sept. 21, 2026 After a long hiatus, the Perseverance rover updates page is back. A lot has happened on Mars in the meantime, and with regular updates now resuming, there is plenty to catch up on — Perseverance has been busy. The rover has spent […]
Space is everyone’s business: Economist Enterprise’s 4th annual Space Economy Summit returns to Orlando
ORLANDO, FL — September 28th, 2026 — Space is rapidly becoming a practical business tool for industries far beyond aerospace, as satellite intelligence, resilient connectivity and other space-enabled technologies create […] The post Space is everyone’s business: Economist Enterprise’s 4th annual Space Economy Summit returns to Orlando appeared first on SpaceNews.
Successful Earth flyby improves Juice’s course to Jupiter
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) skimmed the very outer edge of Earth’s atmosphere on 28 September, using the gravity of our home planet to alter its route to Jupiter using very little fuel.
NASA Armstrong Celebrates 80 Years of Flight Innovation
On Sept. 30, 1946, five National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics (NACA) engineers arrived at Muroc Army Airfield in California’s high desert to achieve supersonic flight for the first time. In less than two years, NACA flew the X-1 aircraft faster than the speed of sound, marking an important milestone in aviation history. Fast forward 80 […]
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