Cosmic News & Space Discoveries

A low-lying cloud layer brought autumn ambience to western Washington and Oregon, while mountainous areas near the coast remained above the pall.

Get ready to celebrate BepiColombo’s arrival at Mercury. Craft a welcoming message that could be a drawing, song, poem or any other art form and stand a chance to win a trip to mission control! 

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) a contract amendment that will provide the company with €2.7 million in additional co-funding to support the build-out of the company’s launch and testing infrastructure at SaxaVord in Scotland. According to the agency, RFA is expected to resume preparations for static fire tests of […] The post ESA Awards RFA €2.7 Million in New Funding for SaxaVord Operations appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Starfish Space has confirmed that its first full-scale Otter satellite servicing vehicle is complete and… The post Starfish Space’s first Otter servicing vehicle slated for Transporter-18 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The bold mission to extend the lifetime of NASA’s Swift observatory is coming to an end in the next 24 hours. Almost exactly one year after NASA signed a contract […]

Belgium’s Space Applications Services has secured a ride for its LUVMI-M rover aboard a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander. The company announced the agreement on 23 September, saying the mission is on track to become Europe’s first fully commercial lunar rover mission. Although development of the LUVMI family has benefited from public […] The post European Lunar Rover Secures Spot Aboard Blue Origin Blue Moon Mission appeared first on European Spaceflight.

On 16–17 September, the European Space Agency (ESA) hosted a record 3100 visitors from Europe’s space industry for a two-day Industry Space Days (ISD) event at ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands. 

During NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑13 mission aboard the International Space Station, astronauts will support a series of biomedical and human performance investigations, including a new collaborative effort to study how spaceflight affects blood flow and clotting. NASA also is testing crew members’ manual piloting skills, evaluating methods to counter vision and brain changes, gathering essential health […]

Currently, space missions are one-shot affairs: satellites are sent to orbit to do their mission until they run out of fuel. The European Space Agency is working on a more sustainable future where satellites and spacecraft can rendezvous, dock, refuel, repair, recalibrate and even be repurposed for new missions indefinitely. 

"If you come up short with who comes down the ladder first, the impact is felt around the world."

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 24 –… 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. OriginalAnnotated The Ghosts […]

East Aurora, NY — Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B) announced the completion and commissioning of a new ISO Class 8 certified clean room at its Niagara Falls facility. This […] The post Moog Completes ISO Class 8 Clean Room at Niagara Falls Facility to Expand Thruster Production appeared first on SpaceNews.

Like tendrils on a vine, lava spreads out from the northern crater of Krasheninnikov, a volcano pair on the Pacific coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. On July 30, 2025, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake had struck in the nearby ocean, apparently jolting one of the two volcanoes awake. A few days later, for the first time in […]

Once it goes through a confirmation review, the observatory can proceed into construction. The 5.9-foot telescope will be capped at a project cost of $1.2 billion, which excludes launch “and other non-project costs.”

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss and Novaspace CEO Pacôme Révillon look at what to expect from the space industry in the next year by playing a game of true […] The post True or false on space industry trends with Pacôme Révillon appeared first on SpaceNews.

AS the International Space Station continues to orbit Earth as it has for over a… The post Expedition 75 astronauts continue science work as Crew-13 readies for launch appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Côte d’Ivoire signed the Artemis Accords on Thursday as the 75th signatory during a signing ceremony in the nation’s largest city Abidjan, marking the largest milestone yet for the international coalition of like-minded countries committed to peaceful and responsible space exploration. “The United States and Côte d’Ivoire already cooperate on Earth,” said NASA’s Deputy Administrator […]

In this Aug. 27, 2026, image, an Alta-X drone flies an advanced guidance and navigation system known as the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) experiment near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston developed SPLICE, which successfully completed simulated lunar descent and […]

Four crew members from three space agencies will launch to the International Space Station no earlier than spring 2027 for a long-duration science expedition as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-14 mission. NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Chris Birch will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Makoto Suwa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut […]

Carbon-capture technology repurposed for breweries spreads and finds new applications

NASA announced the winners of the Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table Thursday, with the top $300,000 prize being awarded to Chinyere Ukeje of Philadelphia, Pa. for the Adaptive Nourishment Infrastructure (ANI) food system concept. This competition challenged solvers to explore innovative solutions for integrated space food systems that would provide safe, nutritious meals […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 23 – A… 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. AfterBefore A […]

Carpets of wildflowers burst from arid, ochre-colored land in Western Australia following winter rains.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope completed its 200,000th orbit around Earth on Sept. 19, marking another new milestone for an observatory that continues to transform our understanding of the universe. Hubble has traveled more than 5 billion miles around Earth over its 36-year lifetime, exceeding 1.7 million total observations. An observation completed on the day of […]

The Republic of Croatia became the 74th signatory to the Artemis Accords on Wednesday during a ceremony in the capital city of Zagreb with NASA and U.S. Department of State officials present. “It is my privilege to welcome the Republic of Croatia as the latest signatory of the Artemis Accords,” said NASA Deputy Matt Anderson […]

NASA announced Wednesday a mission to explore the history and evolution of the universe, PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), is advancing to the next phase of development. This space telescope is the first in a new class of NASA astrophysics missions, called Probe Explorers, within the agency’s longstanding Explorers Program. “The PRIMA mission is […]

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of massive galaxy cluster MACS J0417 (left of center) on Sept. 19, 2026. This galaxy cluster acts as a gravitational lens, bending and magnifying light from objects far behind it. Supernova Athena, discovered by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in 2025, is predicted to reappear between now and […]

Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles (4.6 million square kilometers), tying 2008, 2010, and 2025 for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record. […]

"Beijing's intended strategy is to dominate the high ground of the twenty-first century."

With Booster 21 and Ship 41 stacked at the launch site as of early morning… The post Ship 41 and Booster 21 head into key pre-flight test appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The inclusion of the upper stage, tail number Ship 41, comes ahead of a probable fueling demonstration planned in the days leading up to a launch attempt. Starship Flight 14 is scheduled for no earlier than Sept. 28, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Shannon Lucid’s Record-Setting Mission Aboard Mir  Three days before returning to Earth, Shannon W. Lucid—who joined NASA in 1978 as one of its first six female astronauts—checked in on wheat growing in the Svet greenhouse aboard the Russian space station Mir. For six months, Lucid lived and worked alongside two Russian cosmonauts conducting life science […]

DENVER, Colorado – September 2026 – Ethereal Space, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded Task Order 1 under NOAA’s ProTech 2.0 Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) program, following NOAA’s […] The post Ethereal Space Awarded NOAA SBEM Task Order 1 appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA’s researchers know that when you settle into your seat on a commercial flight, you expect a smooth takeoff, views over the clouds, a steady descent, and hopefully an early arrival at your destination. But when your flight gets delayed on the tarmac instead of lifting off, or it ends up in a holding pattern […]

FFA 2026 Hyperwall Schedule

For more information, contact Jonathan E. Jones, Langley Research Center, jonathan.e.jones@nasa.gov Download the PDF version The purpose of this Technical Bulletin is to communicate the risks associated with freeze–thaw cycles in hydrazine monopropellant systems and to provide general recommendations for mitigating damage, operational hazards, and loss of system reliability in propulsion and auxiliary hydrazine systems. […]

From the ESA Blogs.

The European Space Agency’s and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Ramses planetary defence spacecraft has been turned on for the first time by its prime contractor – marking a major milestone in its time-critical development schedule.

"I think we are going to lose the ability to use certain orbits."

Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, APXS Strategic Planner and Payload Uplink/Downlink Lead, University New Brunswick, NB, Canada Earth planning date: Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 This week we had two planning days (Tuesday and Friday), as Monday was Labor Day in North America, where many of the Curiosity team are based. Labor Day (the first Monday in September) marks […]

SpaceX rolled Ship 41 to the launch site for stacking with Booster 21, and the… The post Ship 41 rolls to Pad 2 carrying two flown tiles from Ship 40 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Currently speeding through deep space at 12 km/s relative to Earth, ESA’s Hera spacecraft is due to reach its target Dimorphos asteroid this November. But if an astronaut were magically teleported onto the small-car-sized Hera upon arrival, what would they be seeing, and what would it feel like to walk on the asteroid’s surface?

From the ESA Blogs.

According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Italy has committed more than $5 billion to the development of a lunar habitat for the agency’s Moon Base programme. In return, the country has secured spots for two Italian astronauts on future missions to the surface of the Moon. Speaking during the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, […] The post Italy to Spend Over $5 Billion to Send Two Astronauts to the Moon appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Agricultural emissions represent an important and understudied part of Earth’s land and atmosphere systems. The FarmFlux mission will deploy more than a dozen sensors to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, particulates, and other pollutants rising from agricultural lands and animal farms and the interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere. The mission is jointly led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Colorado […]

NASA’s Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer formed a working group in August 2026 to review the most recent data related to extravehicular activity (EVA) prebreathe testing and decompression sickness (DCS) events, venous thromboembolism (VTE) in-flight occurrences, and patent foramen ovale (PFO) implication as they relate to NASA’s Artemis (lunar and beyond) missions. The recommendations from this working group are built upon and integrate the outcomes of previous working groups hosted by OCHMO.

Lee esta historia en español aquí. NASA-supported scientists have discovered an organism that lives at extreme temperatures previously thought impossible for complex life. High temperatures can cause the destruction of necessary cell components, which is a big problem for cells with complex parts like a nucleus encasing delicate genetic information. In the heated waters of […]

A total of five orbital launches are scheduled this week. SpaceX will launch its Falcon… The post Launch Preview: Electron, Falcon 9, and Starship set for launches appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

SpaceX’s disk-shaped Starfall reentry capsule, first flown on Falcon 9 in June, now has two… The post Exolaunch, Space Cargo book Starship Starfall missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

When NASA’s Perseverance rover reached the inner edge of Mars’ Jezero Crater in September 2023, mission scientists were surprised by what they found. Called the “Margin Unit,” the geologic area stretches along the shoreline of an ancient Martian lake, so they expected sedimentary rocks, which would have formed as layers of sand piled on top […]

NASA kicked off its State Hubs for Skilled Technical Workforce initiative Sept. 15, 2026 with awardees at Space Center Houston. Agency leadership convened State Hub partners to align strategy and build momentum while focusing on partnerships, small business engagement, and next steps. “The NASA State Hubs initiative is a top priority for the agency, because […]

The Republic of Albania signed the Artemis Accords Monday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, joining the coalition of like‑minded nations committed to the responsible and transparent exploration of space. “It is my privilege to welcome the Republic of Albania as the 73rd signatory of the Artemis Accords,” said […]

September 21, 2026— Washington, D.C.—The Commercial Space Federation (CSF) is pleased to welcome ORBITInsure and Renaissance Strategic Advisors (RSA) as its newest members. ORBITInsure joins CSF as a Space Supply […] The post Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Welcomes Two New Members appeared first on SpaceNews.

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will return to Earth on 28 September, with flight controllers guiding the spacecraft close to our home planet to alter its speed and direction en route to Jupiter.

From the ESA Blogs.

On Sept. 12-13, NASA’s Johnson Space Center employees brought the excitement and wonder of space exploration to Houston’s Japan Festival at Hermann Park.  For more than 30 years, the festival has immersed guests in traditional Japanese culture through food, dance, martial arts, music, and more, Johnson has supported the festival as an exhibitor for the […]

Paris, 18 September 2026 – Access to appropriate finance is becoming a strategic enabler of Europe’s space ambitions. At ESA Headquarters in Paris, investors, financial institutions, industry leaders, European institutions and policymakers, representing close to 200 participants, came together for the Investor Forum 2026 to explore how public demand and private capital can work together to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, industrial capabilities and commercial growth.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have signed an exchange of letters extending their long-standing Cooperative Agreement for a further five years, until 8 January 2032, reaffirming Europe's and India's commitment to expanding cooperation in space.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that it is aware of delays affecting the Ariane 6 launch schedule following reports of an engine turbopump anomaly. French news outlet La Tribune first reported an issue with an unspecified Ariane 6 component on 17 September. According to the report, the additional checks were expected to disrupt […] The post ESA Acknowledges Ariane 6 Delays Following Reports of Turbopump Issue appeared first on European Spaceflight.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 21 –… 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. Cocoon Nebula Wide […]

While the sea ice melt season has lengthened dramatically in most of the satellite era, the trend unexpectedly stabilized around 2010.

From the ESA Blogs.

Description NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this 360-degree panorama of “Turquoise Bay,” a geologic area of interest in the “Margin Unit.” The 818 images used to create the natural-color panorama were captured between Oct. 5 and Oct. 16, 2023, the 933rd to 944th Martian days, or sols, of the mission. […]

NASA astronaut and commander of the agency’s Artemis II mission, Reid Wiseman, a Baltimore native, takes a selfie with fans at an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Baltimore. NASA’s engagement at NFL games is part of the agency’s Inspiration Tour, […]

The first planned orbital Starship mission is scheduled for launch from Starbase in Texas as soon as Sept. 28, pending final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Using NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a team of scientists has discovered the largest, newly formed… The post LRO discovers large new lunar crater, finds interesting thermal emission phenomenon appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 20-26, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate is in session this week. […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 20 –… 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. Analemma over the […]

The German aerospace agency DLR’s MAPHEUS-17 suborbital research mission is slated to launch from Sweden’s Esrange Space Center as early as 1 October. In a 16 September update, the agency confirmed that several key preflight tests had been completed and that final preparations for the mission were now underway. According to SSC Space, the MAPHEUS-17 […] The post DLR’s Suborbital MAPHEUS-17 Mission to Launch as Early as 1 October appeared first on European Spaceflight.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 19 –… 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. Night SkyAnnotation A […]

The Progress M-25 docked at the space-facing port of Russia’s Poisk module at 9:44 a.m. EDT (1344 UTC) after a one-week delay.

Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled during a window that opens at 6:47 p.m. PDT (9:47 p.m. EDT / 0147 UTC). It will be the 81st Starlink mission of the year.

The European Space Agency has awarded 18 contracts worth a combined €20 million to study potential future evolutions of the European Union’s IRIS2 secure communications service. Signed on 17 September, the contracts bring together nearly 80 European companies to study new satellite-based secure connectivity services and associated mission concepts. According to ESA, the solutions will […] The post ESA Awards €20M in Contracts to Study Future IRIS2 Services appeared first on European Spaceflight.

SpaceX is now targeting Starship Flight 14 no earlier than Monday, September 28, pending regulatory… The post Starship’s upcoming missions: Waiting on Orbit, Building toward the Cape appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

To continue regular crew transportation to the International Space Station, NASA has awarded SpaceX three additional missions through a contract modification.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 18 –… 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. Messier 33: The […]

IRVINE, Calif. and TORINO, Italy – Sept. 17, 2026 – Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin company and a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries, […] The post Terran Orbital Promotes Margherita Cardi to Vice President of European Operations & Head of Strategic Programs appeared first on SpaceNews.

Though the spiral galaxy in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It’s one of over a thousand galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large cluster of galaxies bound together by […]

Week in images: 14-18 Sep 2026

“I can tell you SpaceX has already gone captive."

Paris, the capital of the French Republic, stretches across this photograph captured by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot during her long-duration εpsilon mission aboard the International Space Station. 

Though the spiral galaxy in this new image by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It’s one of over one thousand galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large cluster of galaxies bound together by gravity.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and The Pokémon Company International (TPCI) have launched an official collaboration to celebrate World Space Week 2026 from 4–10 October 2026.  

Using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory, astronomers have directly observed a giant star’s outflow, called a stellar wind, being captured by its compact companion and providing the power source for strong X-ray flares. The research is part of NASA’s exploration of the extreme universe to better understand how the […]

The Republic of Albania will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 12 p.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 21, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, becoming the 73rd country signatory. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha and Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the […]

From the ESA Blogs.

UC Berkeley engineers and managers watch as the COSI (Compton Spectrometer and Imager) detector assembly is slowly raised from a table in this July 8, 2026, image. The four pieces of silver material on the top of the detector box cover the flex circuits, which carry signals from the detectors to the readout electronics. COSI […]

As China integrates crewed and robotic missions to further its lunar exploration program, it is… The post China progresses plans for Mars sample return, asteroid flyby and more launch sites appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed 18 consolidation contracts bringing together nearly 80 companies to study new secure and resilient connectivity services. The contracts also cover associated mission concepts and aim to shape the future of the EU's secure connectivity constellation – IRIS² – which will provide Europeans with resilient communications, when and where it matters most.

On 16 September at its Industry Space Days 2026 event at ESA–ESTEC in the Netherlands, the European Space Agency (ESA) honoured three space companies with this year’s prestigious awards for excellence and innovation. 

For two hours on the afternoon of Wednesday 16 September, five operational Galileo satellites broadcasting over Europe transmitted a new encrypted signal for testing. On the ground in Andøya, Norway, and at ESA’s navigation laboratory at ESTEC, in the Netherlands, receivers successfully established their location using these encrypted signals, marking the first real-world positioning using Galileo’s upcoming Signal Authentication Service (SAS). 

Media accreditation is open for the next cargo launch that will deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. The 35th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for NASA will lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket. NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than October to launch […]

Fifty years ago, on Sept. 17, 1976—Constitution Day of America’s bicentennial year—NASA unveiled its first space shuttle orbiter, OV-101, to the public. NASA had originally planned to name the vehicle Constitution, but a letter-writing campaign changed the agency’s plans. Nearly 100,000 fans of the Star Trek television series wrote the White House urging that the […]

For two hours on the afternoon of Wednesday 16 September, five operational Galileo satellites broadcasting over Europe transmitted a new encrypted signal for testing. On the ground in Andøya, Norway, and at ESA’s navigation laboratory at ESTEC, in the Netherlands, receivers successfully established their location using these encrypted signals, marking the first real-world positioning using Galileo’s upcoming Signal Authentication Service (SAS). 

PARIS — South Korean company Satrec Initiative is working with parent company Hanwha Systems to provide high-resolution Earth imagery for the synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) constellation announced in July. Satrec Initiative, acquires 25-centimeter optical […] The post Satrec Initiative to build 10-centimeter-class optical satellites for Hanwha constellation appeared first on SpaceNews.

LEUVEN, BELGIUM and BILBAO, SPAIN – 17 September 2026—Simera Sense, a leading European provider of optical payload solutions for small satellites, today announced a strategic partnership with IDOM, one of […] The post Simera Sense and IDOM partner to develop and produce xScape350 optical system as demand for high-resolution EO imagery surges appeared first on SpaceNews.

"They should fly their capsule. The government paid a lot of money for that."

In this episode of the podcast, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss interviews Josef Aschbacher, the director-general of the European Space Agency, at the World Space Business Week conference in Paris. They discuss […] The post Inside Europe’s push for space autonomy with Josef Aschbacher appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the agency’s StarBurst mission, a small satellite designed to investigate neutron star mergers and the origins of short gamma-ray bursts. StarBurst will launch aboard a Bandwagon rideshare mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 17 – A… 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. A Treasure […]

PARIS — Icarus Robotics, the New York startup developing dexterous mobile robots for space missions, conducted tests of its free-flying platform ahead of a 2027 demonstration on the International Space […] The post Icarus Robotics tests Joy in Canada ahead of ISS flight appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Meteosat Third Generation-Imager2 (MTG-I2) satellite was launched on an Ariane 6 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, this timelapse video shows the process of getting the satellite ready for liftoff up to its launch into space on 27 August 2026 at 22:11 CEST (17:11 local time). 

Bulgarian satellite manufacturer EnduroSat has secured $205 million (€178 million) in new funding, pushing the total raised by European NewSpace companies in September above €1 billion. Announced on 16 September, EnduroSat’s new funding round was co-led by US investment firms Riot Ventures and Atreides Management, with participation from the European Innovation Council, among others. It […] The post EnduroSat Raise Pushes European NewSpace Funding Above €1 Billion for September appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Temperature records toppled across the central and southern U.S. as the autumnal equinox approached.

Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation, in partnership with the BMC3I TAP Lab, has selected the Focus Area Cohort Teams (FACTs) participating in Cohort 26.A. The selected teams represent innovative […] The post Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation, in partnership with the BMC3I TAP Lab, Selects Focus Area Cohort Teams for Cohort 26.A appeared first on SpaceNews.

Planning crewed missions to the Moon and Mars involves preparing for the medical realities of long-duration space travel. Factors like cosmic radiation, microgravity, and distance from Earth create unique health considerations for astronauts. To anticipate these needs ahead of time, NASA developed the Integrated Medical Model (IMM). The IMM is a decision-support tool that uses […]

Following the departure of the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station on… The post Progress MS-35 poised to launch cargo to ISS from Kazakhstan appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

SpaceX will attempt to put Starship into orbit for the first time next week pending regulatory approval. If all goes according to plan, Integrated Flight Test-14 or IFT-14 will orbit […]

Written by Benjamin Tutolo, Professor, University of Calgary Earth planning date: Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 Curiosity has marked several huge milestones (14 years on Mars; 5,000 sols on Mars; 1 kilometer of elevation gain since landing) over the past several weeks, and the team has duly celebrated these remarkable achievements. These celebrations punctuate the rover’s […]

Astronomers have confirmed a world that’s less than a million years old as the youngest known planet, using data from NASA-funded archives. Called Elias 2-24 b, the baby planet is still whirling in its natal disk of dust and gas. “Our planet-formation models already struggled to explain the previous record holders for the youngest known […]

Long before they helped shape NASA’s future aerospace breakthroughs, Derek Abramson, Justin Hall, and Justin Link were in their garages and homes building radio‑controlled aircraft, testing new ideas, and flying their creations at hobby events. That early passion now fuels the work of NASA’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory at the agency’s Armstrong Flight […]

As part of NASA’s new Inspiration Tour, Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and commander of the agency’s Artemis II mission, will highlight America’s strengths in space exploration and aeronautics innovation at the Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints game in Baltimore on Sunday, Sept. 20. A Baltimore native, Wiseman is a 27-year Navy veteran and NASA […]

NASA recently awarded $10.5 million to seven organizations nationwide through its new State Hubs initiative. Space Florida was selected for Project ORBIT, which aims to expand opportunities for middle and high school students, boost enrollment in key career and technical programs, and create a statewide portal connecting skilled workers with aerospace employers. Elaine Ho, associate […]

Description While parked at a sand ridge nicknamed “Chocolatal,” NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas at two times of day. The first was taken on Aug. 30, 2026, at 9:56 a.m. local Mars time; the second was taken on Sep. 2, 2026, at 5:39 p.m. local Mars time. Those […]

Anak Krakatau erupts ash and volcanic gases in this Sept. 5, 2026, image acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. Eruptions are a regular occurrence at Anak Krakatau, a small volcano between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. Much of its activity remains relatively mild, but it occasionally puts on more […]

Seasonal changes redistribute enough water around Earth to shift the planet’s center of mass back and forth by fractions of an inch relative to its geometric center. NASA scientists are on the case, tracking the oscillations because Earth’s center of mass is a crucial reference point for satellite navigation and elevation measurements. A team, led […]

NASA celebrated the full restoration of its Guam Remote Station with a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 10, closing out more than three years of recovery after Super Typhoon Mawar devastated the site in 2023. Engineers from across the agency completed the final and most complex step of the rebuild on July 1, when they returned the […]

It started as a routine data-quality check. But as Robert Wagner, a scientist with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scanned a giant Moon map on his computer screen, an unusually large bright spot circled by a dark halo caught his eye, as it implied that surface material in that area had been shaken up. “I […]

Since raising more than $1 billion in a Series F funding round, Iceye has moved rapidly to address growing demand for sovereign space capabilities. In quick succession, the Finnish synthetic […] The post Iceye’s global presence expands to address sovereign demand appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik (left) and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano view progress on the solid rocket booster integration in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Bresnik, Parmitano, and NASA astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio, and Bob Hines made […]

Reaching orbit would mark a significant milestone.

Watch the full replay of the launch of ESA’s state-of-the-art FLEX Earth Explorer satellite and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite. Both were launched together aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a new milestone in Europe’s Earth Observation Programmes. Flight VV30 lifted off on 15 September at 03:21 (14 September at 22:21 local time).

NASA Ames Science Stars of the Month: September 2026 The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Steve Ormsby, Aphrodite Kostakis, Alejando Borlaff, Sarah Nickerson, Martina Caussi, Keiko Nomura, and Stephen Broccardo. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative disposition needed to […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 15 – A… 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. A Daytime […]

In April, the world watched as four humans circled the Moon for the first time in over 50 years with NASA’s Artemis II mission. On Saturday, Sept. 19, the public is invited to look up again with NASA events across the country, including the International Observe the Moon Night celebration held at NASA’s Goddard Space […]

The mission, with the shorthand VV30, is the second launch of a Vega-C rocket managed solely by Avio without Arianespace. Liftoff from Ensemble de Lancement Vega at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana happened at 10:21 p.m. local time (9:21 p.m. EDT / 0121 UTC / 3:21 a.m. CEST).

The rocket will carry an unspecified number of satellites to orbit. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 7:18 p.m. PDT (10:18 p.m. EDT / 0218 UTC).

UK-based satellite maker Open Cosmos announced on 14 September that it had closed a €300 million funding round. The company said it would use the new funding to expand its manufacturing capacity and accelerate the deployment of its Earth observation and communications constellations. The €300 million raise represents the company’s first major publicly announced funding […] The post Open Cosmos Raises €300 Million as Investors Back Europe’s Space Push appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA will host an International Observe the Moon Night celebration from 5:30 to 8 p.m. CST on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the official visitor center for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. International Observe the Moon Night celebrates the Moon, the science behind it, and its connection […]

Space Force programs are tapping satellite data and AI to get intelligence to military commanders faster The post More satellites watch the battlefield, putting a premium on making sense of the data appeared first on SpaceNews.

Italian launch services provider Avio has successfully completed its second Vega-C flight of 2026, deploying the European Commission’s third Sentinel-3 Earth observation satellite and ESA’s FLEX mission. The Vega-C rocket lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre at 01:21 UTC on 15 September. Following two burns of the rocket’s AVUM+ upper stage, Sentinel-3C was deployed […] The post Avio Launches Second Successful Vega C Flight of 2026 appeared first on European Spaceflight.

This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images released to date from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Using Webb, astronomers searched IC 348 for brown dwarfs, which are less massive than the smallest stars. The researchers discovered brown dwarfs just twice the mass of Jupiter, bringing the […]

Nine orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week. Two Falcon 9s are expected to deliver… The post Launch Preview: Nine orbital launches scheduled from sites around the world appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The European Space Agency’s FLEX Earth Explorer satellite and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite have been launched together aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a new milestone in Europe’s Earth Observation Programmes.

This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope released to the public so far. Using Webb, astronomers searched IC 348 for brown dwarfs, which are less massive than the smallest stars. The researchers discovered brown dwarfs just twice the mass of Jupiter, bringing the study of these curious objects into a new mass range.

But there may be a price to pay for a quiet Atlantic hurricane season.

During Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip to Peru last week, the State Department announced a new Space Catalyst Partnership with Artemis Accords countries to expand commercial and civil space […]

ESA’s state-of-the-art FLEX Earth Explorer satellite and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite have been launched together aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a new milestone in Europe’s Earth Observation Programmes. Flight VV30 lifted off on 15 September at 03:21 (14 September at 22:21 local time).

Meet a key member of our Hera asteroid mission team: the Hera Space Companion, not just an AI chatbot but a dynamic mission-linked communication platform, designed to make the European Space Agency’s first planetary defence mission accessible to everyone!

Download our new mapping of every space company valued at $1 billion or more. The post Space’s growing billion-dollar club appeared first on SpaceNews.

The mission, with the shorthand VV30, is the second launch of a Vega-C rocket managed solely by Avio without Arianespace. Liftoff from Ensemble de Lancement Vega at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana is scheduled for 10:21 p.m. local time (9:21 p.m. EDT / 0121 UTC / 3:21 a.m. CEST).

"NASA’s award decision appears to be inconsistent with the eligibility criteria."

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink revealed today that the United States has orbiting space control weapons. Speaking at the AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, MD this […]

The Republic of Djibouti became the 72nd nation and eighth African country to sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony Monday at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Artemis Accords are the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing transparency, safety, and coordination among nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond. “Djibouti joins […]

SpaceX has completed multi-day catch-related testing with unflown Ship 42 at Pad 2, then rolled… The post Ship 42 wraps chopsticks tests, Flight 14 moves to NET Sept. 22 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Plants may look still and silent, but every leaf is constantly responding to its environment.

Two Earth observation satellites – ESA’s Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) satellite, and the third satellite for the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission – are encapsulated inside the nose cone of a Vega-C launcher and are awaiting liftoff at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 14 –… 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. Where Your Elements […]

Reds, yellows, and oranges are already sweeping across tundra landscapes in Nunavut.

This webinar will provide an overview of the CSDA program’s goals and activities, including the new Cal/Val initiative, and more.

Fans pose for a photo with an astronaut in the NASA Experience Zone at an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. NASA’s engagement at NFL games is part of the agency’s Inspiration Tour, aimed at strengthening connections between NASA and its […]

Join us for conversations about the tech, policies and business models required to build a functioning in-orbit logistics ecosystem The post Sept. 21: What Comes Next for On-Orbit Servicing? appeared first on SpaceNews.

Did you spend part of your summer camping, hiking, at the pool, or in an aircraft? So did NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class. The 10 candidates have been working their way through a comprehensive and rigorous training program since the agency introduced them to the public on Sept. 22, 2025, from NASA’s Johnson Space Center […]

NASA has selected 12 new investigations to help support human explorers in space. Six will help advance the ability to produce food off-planet, while another six advance the understanding of how unique conditions associated with space exploration can impact the health and physiology of astronauts.   The six food-focused investigations, supported by the agency’s Space […]

Sixty years since its first test firings began, NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi is welcoming Blue Origin and Relativity Space to its facilities.

The launch marks the 400th orbital flight from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is scheduled during an 87-minute window that opens at 2:49 p.m. EDT (1849 UTC).

French launch startup Sirius Space Services has successfully test-fired a complete prototype of its STAR-1 rocket engine for the first time. The company announced the milestone on 12 September, stating that it had conducted the first hot-fire tests of the complete STAR-1 engine at Airborne Engineering’s propulsion test facility in southern England. While the company […] The post Sirius Space Fires Complete STAR-1 Rocket Engine for the First Time appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Avio S.p.A., the Italian prime contractor, launch service provider, and launch operator for the Vega… The post Vega C set to launch the ESA Sentinel-3C and FLEX missions from Kourou appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 13 –… 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. To view this […]

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 13-19, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session […]

The European space sector is enjoying a run of advances in September, highlighted by Isar… The post Europe’s commercial launch sector picking up the pace appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

French launch startup HyPrSpace announced on 11 September that it has pushed the inaugural flight of its Baguette One suborbital rocket to 2027. In June 2025, HyPrSpace announced that it would launch the inaugural flight of its Baguette One rocket in 2026 from a French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) test facility on the French […] The post First HyPrSpace Baguette One Launch Slips to 2027 appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Week in images: 07-11 Sep 2026

Mexico’s second-largest metropolitan area borders on folded rock layers of the Sierra Madre Oriental.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 11 –… 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. M83: The Southern […]

Australian Earth observation satellite company LatConnect 60 (LC60) has strengthened its position in India with two strategic agreements announced at the Bengaluru Space Expo 2026 on September 7th, spanning satellite […] The post LatConnect 60 Expands India Market Presence for SWIRSAT With NSIL Agreement and GeoSyze Partnership appeared first on SpaceNews.

On 15 September, two spacecraft will leave Earth together aboard the same launcher from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou: FLEX, ESA’s photosynthesis mission, and Sentinel-3C, Copernicus’ newest satellite monitoring Earth’s oceans, land, ice and atmosphere.

Italian rocket builder Avio has completed integration of its FD1 flight demonstrator, marking a major milestone in preparations for the vehicle’s launch from an Italian Ministry of Defence test range in Sardinia. Avio announced the milestone on 10 September as part of its first-half 2026 financial results. The company said its liquid oxygen and methane […] The post Avio Completes Integration of FD1 Rocket Demonstrator appeared first on European Spaceflight.

"We felt like now is the time to pour gas on that fire."

The science from every Moon rock sample, lunar dataset, and discovery produced through NASA’s Artemis program will be shared by the agency with the global scientific community. That commitment is upheld by all 71 countries that have signed the Artemis Accords, a set of principles for safe and transparent civil space exploration. NASA put those […]

Media are invited to hear from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts during a news conference beginning at 2:45 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Sept. 16, from the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will discuss their upcoming return to Earth. Learn where […]

NASA asks US states to show them the money.

Two galaxies merge at a furious rate in this Aug. 25, 2026, image of the II Zw 096 system. This and several other images of both visually and scientifically interesting galaxies were released by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes. Chandra X-ray data (magenta) pinpoint powerful black hole activity and hot gas, while optical […]

How do scientists studying space with data from a telescope hundreds of thousands of miles away know that what they are seeing is real? A new NASA project, Artifact InSPECtor, invites you to find out – and by doing so, to help missions like Euclid and NASA’s new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope answer fundamental […]

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully launched on Sunday, Aug. 30, atop a SpaceX… The post Roman telescope deploys solar array and communication systems, powers on Coronagraph Instrument appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

NASA issued a Request for Information today inviting governors to indicate interest in hosting and sponsoring the new U.S. Space Academy proposed in President Trump’s recent Executive Order. Responses are […]

The Exploration Company has signed a contract with Arianespace to launch an initial demonstration mission of its Nyx cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station aboard an Ariane 6 rocket. While neither company has publicly announced the contract, the French Presidency published an official list of agreements alongside the International Space Summit being held in […] The post The Exploration Company Books Ariane 6 Flight for Nyx Demo Mission appeared first on European Spaceflight.

From the ESA Blogs.

Aerospacelab and Thales Alenia Space have secured IRIS2 contracts expected to total more than €5.4 billion, covering satellite platforms and communications payloads for the European Union’s secure communications constellation. While the company didn’t disclose the contract value, Airbus has been selected to build and integrate the first 66 satellites in the constellation’s low Earth orbit […] The post Aerospacelab, Thales Alenia Space Secure €5.4 Billion in IRIS2 Contracts appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The European Space Agency has awarded The Exploration Company a €760 million contract under the second phase of its European cargo return programme, covering an initial demonstration of its Nyx spacecraft and options for two additional flights. ESA announced that it had awarded The Exploration Company (TEC) the Phase 2 contract on 10 September during […] The post ESA Awards The Exploration Company a €760M Space Station Cargo Contract appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA is bringing artificial intelligence to the study of the Moon, helping researchers transform how they analyze the Moon’s surface. In an ongoing collaboration with IBM Research and several academic institutions, NASA has launched the NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation Model, among the first open-source AI models built specifically for lunar science. The model, trained primarily on […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 10 –… 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. LDN 1295: The […]

At a time of year when dust storm activity winds down, a plume of dust blanketed parts of the West African nation and its neighbors.

The European Space Agency’s Hera asteroid mission for planetary defence has a cartoon dinosaur for its mascot – because dinos were made extinct after an asteroid impact, but while they didn't have a space agency, people do! Now we’re asking you to supply our dino with a name, to win a place at November’s Hera arrival celebration.

A brilliant concentration of stars takes center stage in this Aug. 11, 2026, image taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb observed IRS 3, a star near the end of its life cycle, located within this starfield. Webb’s mid-infrared data revealed the clear signature of oxygen-rich silicate dust, as well as, for the first […]

Search and rescue technology developed in part by NASA saved five lives

Less than two weeks after an Executive Order was signed to create the first United States Space Academy, NASA-led work is in full swing to make the academy a reality and shape the future of America’s aerospace workforce and leadership. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman chaired the first Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy […]

The Republic of Djibouti will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 11 a.m. EDT, Monday, Sept. 14, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, becoming the 72nd country signatory. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Ambassador of Djibouti to the United States Mohamed Siad Douale for the ceremony, together with U.S. State Department Assistant […]

Through a new collaboration between NASA and the National Football League (NFL), the agency will soon bring America’s strengths in space exploration and aeronautics innovation to the football field. NASA will conduct flyovers, astronaut appearances, and fan engagement at NFL games across the United States as part of its new Inspiration Tour. “This is the […]

The mission, dubbed USSF-153 mission, will launch an undisclosed number of satellites for the U.S. Space Force. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled during a three-hour window that opens at 8:37 a.m. PDT (1137 a.m. EDT / 1537 UTC).

SpaceX has rolled Super Heavy Booster 22 out of Mega Bay 1 to Massey’s for… The post Flight 15 pairing undergo testing at Massey’s appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Last November, NASA and its European partners launched the Sentinel-6B satellite to improve hurricane forecasts, help protect infrastructure, and benefit commercial industries, including shipping. The satellite now is flying 30 seconds behind its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich. Both satellites are providing precise sea level height measurements during what oceanographers expect to be a historic El […]

A powerful eruption from the Indonesian volcano lofted ash into the atmosphere, disrupting thousands of flights and degrading air quality.

Europe’s Meteosat Third Generation Imager 2 (MTG-I2) satellite has reached its designated orbit at 36 000 km from Earth and is ready to begin its commissioning phase, preparing it to provide years of service to improve weather forecasting over Europe and North Africa.

The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission – NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – visited Huntsville, Alabama, Sept. 1, 2026, where they met with the NASA workforce at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The event gave the crew an opportunity to share firsthand […]

The UK government published its long-awaited Space Strategy, clarifying what it means by “assured access to space,” nearly a year after the phrase began replacing references to a sovereign British launch capability. The strategy does not, however, answer what the government intends to do with the bulk of its still-unallocated European Launcher Challenge funding, including […] The post UK to Leave Launch to “Germany and Other Allies” appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 The span of sols spanned by this blog post is noteworthy in several ways. First, Curiosity became a world-class (for Mars at least) mountaineer by passing the 1 kilometer mark of elevation from its landing site on the floor […]

The European Space Agency’s FLEX satellite and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite are scheduled to launch together aboard a Vega-C rocket on 15 September at 03:21 CEST (14 September at 22:21 local time). Watch the VV30 launch live from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with coverage starting at 02:50 CEST.

From the ESA Blogs.

Witness how over the last eight years, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has been travelling through the inner Solar System and aligning itself with Mercury's orbit. So far, it has travelled 9.9 billion km and completed nine 'planetary flybys' to help steer its way. In the video, you can see the spacecraft fly past Earth once, Venus twice, and Mercury six times. 

Following their landmark Artemis II mission earlier this year, distinguished NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman are transitioning in September to emeritus status at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. In an emeritus role, individuals with a high degree of technical and professional knowledge can continue to support the agency by donating their […]

"We will not be relevant without a massive rocket at a massive cadence."

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have discovered a new class of objects behaving unlike any they have seen before. Astronomers suggest these newly spotted objects in other galaxies may help solve not one, but two long-standing questions in astrophysics. These mysterious objects give off unusually low-energy X-rays but intense levels of ultraviolet radiation. This […]

A NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract has been awarded by the agency to Relativity Space Inc., and its Terran R launch service in accordance with the contract’s on-ramp provision. The Terran R launch service will be available to NASA’s launch services to use for future missions. The NLS II contracts are multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts […]

European space logistics startup The Exploration Company has raised $450 million (€387 million) in a Series C funding round to support the development of its Nyx capsule and Storm rocket engine. Announced on 8 September, the round was co-led by US venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners, London-based venture capital firm Atomico, and the Scaleup […] The post The Exploration Company Raises $450 Million in Series C Funding appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Algorithm NASA first applied to satellite imagery is now used to peer into antiquity

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captures a photogenic nebula, N44, in the Large Magellanic Cloud in this Sept. 3, 2026, image. N44 is dominated by two features: a vast central void and a shell of dense, dusty gas. The central void is a ‘superbubble’ spanning roughly 210 by 140 light-years across. The glittering stars at the […]

More than 1,000 visitors explored NASA sea level science firsthand during World Ocean Day at the University of Georgia Aquarium on Skidaway Island on June 6, 2026.

For the first time, scientists used the joint power of NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to study some of the most far-flung bodies in our solar system, Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs). Some of these are the smallest and faintest ever directly seen. The researchers unexpectedly found fewer small TNOs than they expected, and that […]

NASA is seeking proposals to advance the technology and infrastructure needed to explore the Moon and establish a Moon Base in the lunar South Pole region. Announced on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the solicitation targets capability gaps, including power generation, oxygen extraction, and producing materials on the Moon required for construction and operations. These technologies are […]

Jaden Caradine knew he wanted to be an engineer at eight years old. He just took a winding road to get there. Before he enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, before he discovered the field that would become his focus, and before he landed a Pathways internship at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, Caradine […]

The space economy will grow exactly as fast as we can launch rockets.

Maritime and aviation notices indicate that HyImpulse could attempt the second flight of its SR75 suborbital rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland as early as 5 October. On 2 September, Norwegian air navigation service provider Avinor published a notice outlining temporary danger areas for a HyImpulse rocket launch from SaxaVord Spaceport between 5 and 18 […] The post HyImpulse Could Attempt Second SR75 Flight as Early as 5 October appeared first on European Spaceflight.

From the ESA Blogs.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 8 –… 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. Hubble: Decagon Around […]

Layers of sedimentary rock that jut from the Soledad Basin at surprising angles have long enthralled television and film producers, including the team behind Star Trek.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center have pushed Artemis III Space Launch System hardware another… The post Artemis III SLS stacking advances as Orion results confirm trajectory fix appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

On 3 September 2026 at 15:49 CEST, the European Space Agency's BepiColombo Mission Control Team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) received the signal they had been waiting for – BepiColombo’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) successfully separated from the spacecraft stack. This landmark achievement for the ESA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission marks the first step of BepiColombo's long-awaited arrival at Mercury. 

Isar Aerospace's second flight was a major improvement, becoming the first successful satellite launch from continental Europe.

Five orbital launches are expected this week. Two Falcon 9s are expected to launch from… The post Launch Preview: Soyuz, CZ-8A, and Falcon 9 to launch from sites around the world appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Along Missile Row at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Stoke Space and Relativity Space are… The post Cape neighbors Stoke and Relativity advance LC-14 and LC-16 toward first flights appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

SpaceX is still building out assembly, test, and launch infrastructure at Starbase while Flight 14… The post Starbase Infrastructure Advances Toward Flight 14 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

German launch services provider Isar Aerospace has completed the first successful launch of its Spectrum rocket, deploying five CubeSats into low Earth orbit. The mission marked the first time a privately funded European orbital rocket had successfully reached orbit and the first successful orbital launch from continental Europe. The Spectrum rocket lifted off from Andøya […] The post Isar Aerospace Completes First Successful Spectrum Flight appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 6-12, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 5 –… 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. Chasing the Moon’s […]

From the ESA Blogs.

The European private space launch provider Isar Aerospace, headquartered in Ottobrunn, Germany, is set to… The post Isar Aerospace attempts launch of Spectrum rocket after months of delays appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

SpaceX decided to shift all Starlink missions flying on Falcon 9 rockets to the West Coast as it pushes towards the debut of its Starship-Super Heavy in Florida. Liftoff of the Starlink 15-24 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled during a window that opens at 3:59 a.m. PDT (6:59 a.m. EDT / 1059 UTC).

NASA will host a virtual webinar at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, titled “The RS-25 Engine and the Future of Artemis Missions: An Accessible Webinar for the Blind and Low-Vision Community.” This webinar is open to the public, however it is tailored specifically for a blind and low-vision audience. The webinar will last about two hours and include […]

Blue Origin will design and launch the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter by the end of 2028.

On Wednesday, June 17, skywatchers across the United States—and parts of Canada—enjoyed a rare event: a daytime lunar occultation of Venus. A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon moves directly in front of another celestial object from our viewpoint on Earth, briefly hiding it from sight. This time, the Moon slipped in front of Venus […]

On 4 September 2026, media representatives joined an online briefing ahead of the launch of ESA’s FLEX and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites.

German launch services provider Isar Aerospace appears to have scrubbed a planned 4 September attempt to conduct the second flight of its Spectrum rocket. The company called off the attempt several hours after launch-related road closures came into effect. At 10:39 CEST on 4 September, Nordland Police announced that land and maritime traffic restrictions around […] The post Isar Aerospace Calls Off 4 September Spectrum Launch Attempt appeared first on European Spaceflight.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 4 – Na… 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. Nā ʻUhane […]

Week in images: 31 Aug - 04 Sep 2026

Blue Origin is expanding its Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral footprint on multiple fronts,… The post Blue Origin expands test and launch sites across the Cape appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Copernicus Sentinel-3 is one of the most diverse missions for measuring and monitoring Earth’s climate systems. It captures a breadth of data about the environment and has contributed substantially to what we know about climate change over the past decade. The launch of the mission’s third satellite heralds the continuity of this vital source of knowledge.

Munich-based space situational awareness startup Project-S has emerged from stealth with what it describes as “multi-million-euro backing.” The company is currently preparing for the first in-orbit demonstration of its active radar, with a spokesperson telling European Spaceflight that it is scheduled to be launched aboard a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission next month. On 2 September, […] The post German Space Situation Awareness Startup Project-S Emerges from Stealth appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The Pacific was buzzing with storms while the Atlantic was notably quiet.

The fire department at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley will perform training on the Moffett Federal Airfield beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 through Friday, Sept. 11. The training will involve the use of a propane-fueled aircraft fire simulator and be conducted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PDT. Because the aircraft simulator is […]

"Let me be clear: America is not only welcome—we want you there."

With Indonesia gripped by drought, fires are smoldering on the surface and underground.

NASA will provide live coverage of the launch and docking of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the crew aboard the International Space Station. The unpiloted Progress 96 resupply spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 12:15 p.m. EDT (9:15 p.m. Baikonur time), Wednesday, Sept. 9, on a […]

Gen. Douglas Schiess succeeds Gen. Chance Saltzman as the third chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force The post Schiess takes command of Space Force as the service prepares for expansion appeared first on SpaceNews.

Gen. Douglas Schiess took charge of the U.S. Space Force today at a Change of Responsibility ceremony outside Washington, D.C. Outgoing Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman praised his successor […]

Written by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 After Curiosity’s 14 years on the surface, Mars continues to surprise. Both of our workspaces this week contained features unlike quite anything we have seen in the past — broad, shallow pits (like the one in the image above) dotted […]

Now on a three-month, million-mile journey to its final orbit, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon reveal the universe’s darkest secrets. The mission launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman pairs a large […]

Maritime safety notices indicate that a week-long launch window for Isar Aerospace’s second Spectrum flight will open on 4 September. On 1 September, the Norwegian Coastal Administration issued a warning outlining that rocket launch operations were expected to be conducted daily between 16:00 and 21:35 UTC from 4 to 10 September. The warning establishes two […] The post Isar Aerospace Could Attempt Second Spectrum Flight as Early as 4 September appeared first on European Spaceflight.

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.

This Hubble Space Telescope image features a sprawling cosmic vista called N44.

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.

With its announcement that it had secured €2 million in new funding, French startup ArcSpace announced plans to test an automated welding system in orbit in 2027. Founded in 2022, ArcSpace is developing compact electron-beam tools designed to weld, join and cut metallic structures in orbit for applications including spacecraft servicing and assembly. On 25 […] The post ArcSpace to Demo On-Orbit Welding Tech in 2027 appeared first on European Spaceflight.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 3 – The… 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. The Eclipse […]

Leuven, Belgium & Halifax, Canada – 3 September 2026 – European optical payload provider Simera Sense today announced that Canadian space technology company Galaxia has acquired a HyperScape100 hyperspectral imaging […] The post Galaxia Takes Next Step in Earth Observation with purchase of Simera Sense Hyperspectral Imager appeared first on SpaceNews.

After eight years of travelling through the inner Solar System, BepiColombo is arriving at Mercury. This page will show the latest updates throughout the mission's arrival.

At Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, preparations for one of the year’s most anticipated Earth-observation launches are entering their final stages.

Yesterday evening, during a signing ceremony at the Space for Inspiration event in Copenhagen, Denmark, the European Space Agency (ESA) and ispace-Europe celebrated the implementation of MAGPIE, set to be the first European rover on the Moon.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope observes a giant, evolving, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 2 –… 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. Solar Eclipses and […]

"Requirements are being adjusted to reflect near-term mission needs."

Community college students across the U.S. now have another opportunity to discover how their education can lead to fulfilling roles at the forefront of aerospace, science, engineering, and technology. The updated NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) student challenge invites students to learn about the agency and its missions, engage with NASA experts, and explore […]

With Rocket Lab targeting to launch its Neutron vehicle by the end of this year,… The post Rocket Lab’s Hungry Hippo completes testing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Recent observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole. This discovery marks the first time a large regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the planet’s southern hemisphere. The feature appears remarkably similar to Saturn’s famous hexagon at its northern pole, but is also distinctly different, suggesting scientists may be witnessing a new atmospheric phenomenon develop on the iconic gas giant.

On Aug. 28, 2026 (the evening of Aug. 27 in some time zones), the Moon passed into Earth’s shadow, creating a deep partial lunar eclipse. At the moment of greatest eclipse, 12:13 a.m. EDT, 96.3% of the Moon’s disk was immersed in Earth’s umbra—the central, darkest part of the shadow where sunlight is completely blocked. […]

High above Earth, thin veils of metallic haze drift through the edge of space. Known as sporadic E layers, these high-altitude “clouds” form from the vaporized dust of burnt-up meteors, earning their name from the unpredictable way they emerge and then dissipate. Now, new results from a NASA sounding rocket — a suborbital research rocket […]

DURANGO, Colo. — Sept. 2, 2026 — Agile Space Industries celebrated the completion of a 20,500-square-foot expansion of its Durango headquarters with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 26, joined by […] The post Agile Space Industries Celebrates Durango Headquarters Expansion with Ribbon Cutting appeared first on SpaceNews.

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir successfully completed US EVA-99 at 21:29 CEST on Tuesday 1 September. It was Sophie’s third spacewalk, and the 33rd conducted by a European astronaut.   

German launch services provider HyImpulse announced on 2 September that it had extended its Series A funding round by more than €50 million, bringing its total funding to date to €125 million. The company is currently preparing for the second flight of its suborbital SR75 rocket and the inaugural launch attempt of its larger SL1 […] The post HyImpulse Extends Series A Funding Round by €50 Million appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The Cluster mission danced its final dance as Tango reentered the atmosphere on 1 September, at 23:30:31 CEST. The end of the Cluster mission in 2024 turned into the start of the reentry data collection campaign. After four ‘targeted’ reentries, this is now a proven method of safe end-of-life disposal. It also enabled the repeated observation of the reentries by a plane full of scientists, creating a unique reentry data set that will improve our understanding of the destructive process and can inform the design of safer and more sustainable satellites in the future.

Independent safety officials also have high praise for changes by NASA leadership.

On Aug. 24, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began installing the four RS‑25 engines in the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will carry the Artemis III crew into low Earth orbit in 2027. Each RS‑25 engine has a unique serial number that records its detailed flight […]

In summer 2026, a substantial iceberg calved from Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland and swiftly drifted into Nares Strait, colliding with an island along the way.

As SpaceX prepares to launch Starship Flight 14 in the coming weeks, work in Florida… The post Launch Site and Facility Progress ahead of East Coast Starship debut appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Brilliant Venus and a Harvest Moon Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot, spot brilliant Venus, welcome the equinox, and see the Harvest Moon near Saturn and Neptune. Skywatching Highlights Transcript The Moon joins a tea party… Venus cranks up the brightness… the seasons officially change… and the Harvest Moon meets up with […]

Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is currently scheduled for 1:18 a.m. PDT (4:18 a.m. EDT / 0818 UTC).

NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a next-generation communications system that will enable reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for current and future Mars missions. The firm-fixed-price contract has a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA no […]

Spanish launch services provider PLD Space has secured an additional €108 million in funding, extending the Series C round to €288 million. The company is preparing for the inaugural flight of the Miura 5 rocket later this year. PLD Space announced that it had closed a €180 million Series C funding round in early March. […] The post PLD Space Adds €108 million to Series C Funding Round appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Yesterday, on 31 August 2026, Samba reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 21:39:38 UTC / 23:39:38 CEST as the third of the four Cluster satellites. Samba had been lined up for a special 'targeted reentry' safely over the South Pacific Ocean, the precision so high that a plane could fly out from Tonga and successfully record its demise for reentry science.

A full month before FY2027 begins, the House today joined the Senate in passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. Both parties are eager […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 1 – A… 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. A Plane […]

"We could really be facing the great filter."

Here’s the August 2026 puzzler. Quick, where is this? And what makes this place interesting or unique?

The NASA and contractor workforce continues to make progress ahead of next year’s Artemis III… The post SLS picks up the pace, four vehicles in production appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Six missions are scheduled to launch from launch sites across the globe this week. After… The post Launch Preview: Array of international launches planned this week appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

August was a busy month for ESA, between spectacular views, historic milestones and exciting new discoveries. 

Where is Roman? Roman is making its three-month journey from Earth to Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, or L2. Along the way, Roman is undergoing a process called commissioning, where systems are turned on, adjusted, calibrated, and prepared for science operations. Commissioning is the time for scientists and engineers to make sure that Roman is performing […]

During a ceremony hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at the agency’s headquarters in Washington on Monday, the Republic of Türkiye signed the Artemis Accords, joining the growing international coalition of like-minded nations dedicated to peaceful, transparent space exploration. “It is my privilege to welcome the Republic of Türkiye as the 71st signatory of the […]

August 31, 2026— Washington, D.C.—The Commercial Space Federation (CSF) is pleased to welcome Outlier and Rendezvous Robotics as its newest Associate Members, bringing expertise in reusable satellite platforms and adaptable […] The post Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Welcomes Two New Associate Members appeared first on SpaceNews.

The observatory will shed new light on the mystery of dark energy, observe distant exoplanets, and explore the structure of the universe.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, transits the Sun during launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 30, 2026. Roman is named after the agency’s first chief astronomer. Roman will survey billions of stars and galaxies with a field of view far larger than Hubble’s, […]

Rewatch the European Space Agency's 31 August 2026 online press briefing on the latest developments of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, Europe's and Japan's first mission to Mercury.

I have spent much of my career looking at the defense industrial base from different vantage points: as a warfighter, inside major defense companies, and now leading a company whose […] The post Speed to Field Starts Below the Prime appeared first on SpaceNews.

With thousands of emergency responders conducting search-and-rescue operations following the catastrophic flash flood that struck northern Nepal on 26 August, satellite imagery is helping to reveal the scale of the inundation and devastation across the affected region.

European satellite operator SES has awarded OHB a contract worth almost €1 billion to develop and build satellite platforms for the medium Earth orbit component of Europe’s €15.6 billion IRIS2 secure communications constellation. OHB announced that it had been awarded the contract on 31 August, describing it as the first major industrial order awarded since […] The post SES Awards OHB €1 billion for IRIS2 MEO Satellites appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, at 07:26 EDT / 12:26 BST/ 13:26 CEST on 30 August 2026. With the successful launch, Roman began its mission to survey the sky in visible to near-infrared light to help reveal the nature of dark energy and dark matter. The telescope will also investigate the true diversity of exoplanets in our galaxy.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 31 –… 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. To view this […]

Description Long shadows are cast by the recently completed Deep Space Station 23 at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex near Barstow, California, in August 2026. A 34-meter (114-foot) multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna, DSS-23 will boost the DSN’s capacity and enhance NASA’s deep space communications capabilities for decades to come. NASA leadership and personnel as well […]

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of August 30-September 5, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House is in session this […]

Now on a three-month, million-mile journey to its final orbit, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon reveal the universe’s darkest secrets. The mission launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman pairs a large field of […]

With just one more major mission upcoming, NASA's science programs need a boost.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off this morning on a mission to find more planets around other stars in the universe and solve the mysteries of dark energy […]

Description Five antennas soak in the summer sun at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex near Barstow, California, in August 2026. The recently completed Deep Space Station 23, a 34-meter (114-foot) beam-waveguide antenna, can be seen to the right of the frame in the foreground. The other three 34-meter antennas are, from left, DSS-26, DSS-25, and […]

Description Leadership from NASA Headquarters, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Deep Space Network (DSN) stand in front of the recently completed Deep Space Station 23 antenna at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex near Barstow, California, on Aug. 25, 2026.  From left: Germaine Aziz (project manager, DSN Aperture Enhancement Project, JPL); Bradford Arnold (manager, […]

NASA and SpaceX are set for the launch of NASA’s next great space observatory —… The post NASA, SpaceX set to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Florida on Sunday appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Using a donated Hubble-class mirror originally built for a spy satellite, NASA's Roman Space Telescope is poised for launch Sunday on a $4.3 billion mission to open a new window on the universe. Liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy is scheduled for 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 UTC).

NASA’s new flagship space observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is now attached to its Falcon Heavy rocket and ready to set out on its journey to uncover the secrets of the universe.

The European Space Agency has signed the first contracts under its European Launcher Challenge, committing… The post ESA awards first European Launcher Challenge contracts appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

From left to right: NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor from President Donald J. Trump on Aug. 28, 2026, for their service during the Artemis II mission. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 28 – The… 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. The Sky […]

The Meteosat Third Generation-Imager2 (MTG-I2) satellite, has been launched on board an Ariane 6 launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Liftoff was on 27 August 2026 at 22:11 CEST (17:10 local time).

Scotland’s Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has acquired the assets of Sutherland Spaceport Ltd, an Orbex subsidiary that was established to develop a vertical launch site on the north coast of Scotland. In a 25 August announcement, HIE said it had acquired the assets from the company’s joint liquidators and would now review how the […] The post Orbex’s Sutherland Spaceport Assets Sold to Scottish Development Agency appeared first on European Spaceflight.

President Donald J. Trump awarded NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor Friday for their service during the Artemis II mission. He presented the awards during a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, honoring the first […]

NASA named a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as the first prize winner for Phase 2 of the agency’s LunaRecycle Challenge, which focused on developing solutions for reducing waste during missions to the Moon or deep space by recycling common materials, like fabrics, plastics, foam, and metals.  The Composites for Extraterrestrial Recycling By Engineering the Reuse and Upcycling of Zotek (CERBERUZ) team, comprised of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students at MIT, received a total of $775,000 in awards.   The technology grinds mixed trash into a fine powder, […]

Week in images: 24-28 August 2026

The final two of ESA's pioneering Cluster spacecraft, Samba and Tango, will end their journeys as they burn up in our atmosphere on 31 August and 1 September respectively. Their targeted reentries mark the end of a mission that has transformed our understanding of Earth's magnetic environment. The final moments also offer a rare scientific opportunity for reentry observations from a plane.

To strengthen the nation’s space workforce and develop the next generation of space leaders, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order on Friday to establish the nation’s first U.S. Space Academy. The order highlights how space is a critical domain for American national security, economic growth, scientific discovery, and technological innovation. The proposed academy […]

President Trump signed an Executive Order today during a ceremony honoring the Artemis II crew that will create a NASA-led U.S. Space Academy to “encourage and guide” students to pursue […]

The meandering Congaree River sustains towering forest ecosystems and fashions oxbow lakes as it shifts across its floodplain.

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will take part in her third spacewalk during U.S. Spacewalk 99 on Tuesday 1 September. NASA live coverage will begin at 13:00 CEST, with the spacewalk expected to start at approximately 14:30 CEST and last around six and a half hours.

Homer’s The Odyssey chronicles Odysseus’s journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. A distance of approximately 530 km as the crow flies, yet it takes Odysseus ten years and countless adventures to arrive—without his crew or his boat. What could Odysseus’s journey have looked like if he had modern-day satellite navigation systems, such as Galileo, at his disposal?

"From here on, Starlink missions out of Florida will fly on Starship."

"It's called the US Space Academy. That's a big deal."

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss interviews Jeff Janicik, CEO and chairman of Innoflight. They discuss Golden Dome, Artemis and working with big numbers for the Space Development Agency. Sponsored […] The post The electronics ‘under the hood’ of space networking appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

After nearly a decade of service to NASA, including an eight-month science expedition aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Jonny Kim’s last day at the agency is Thursday. He will continue serving as lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. Kim launched to the space station in April 2025 aboard the Soyuz MS‑27 spacecraft to conduct […]

The European Space Agency has signed the first contracts under its European Launcher Challenge, committing a combined €543.6 million to Isar Aerospace, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and PLD Space. MaiaSpace was notably not among the awardees, with the agency stating that the contract award process with the company is “expected to resume in the coming weeks.” […] The post ESA Awards €544 Million in European Launcher Challenge Contracts appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch at 7:26 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30. While you wait to watch the launch, brush up on some key facts about this wide-view mission. To learn more about the Roman mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/roman Media contact: Claire AndreoliNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.claire.andreoli@nasa.gov301-286-1940

New civil servants and guests pose for a group photo with NASA and center leadership in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 80-by-120-foot test section, N221 on Aug. 24, 2026. The civil servants were sworn-in the same day in the largest swearing-in ceremony ever hosted at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley since […]

Turkey will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 2:30 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 31, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, becoming the 71st country signatory. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will host Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır for the ceremony, together with U.S. Department of State officials. This event is in person only. […]

The second Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite (MTG-I2) has been launched on board Ariane 6, flight VA270, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. It will complete the first family of MTG satellites, delivering data for weather forecasting over Europe and northern Africa with unprecedented quality, quantity and frequency.

The Meteosat Third Generation Imager2 satellite (MTG-I2) has been encapsulated inside the Ariane 6 fairing and is in place on its launch pad. It is scheduled to lift off on Thursday evening, 27 August, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

After eight years, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is about to enter its Mercury Arrival Phase. On 3 September 2026, ESA’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from BepiColombo’s two science orbiters – the first major step in one of the most operationally challenging planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.  

Galaxies are like cosmic gems, each with characteristics including size and shape that make them distinct. A new gallery released today from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes displays a collection of galactic images that showcase this variety. Astronomers put galaxies into three main categories: spirals like our own Milky Way with arms emanating […]

On August 15, 2026, the Ukrainian military attacked the factory used for manufacturing Russia’s Soyuz-2 launch vehicle, causing significant damage to the facility and raising doubts over the vehicle’s future.

"This will be a project like no other."

Pandora, NASA’s newest exoplanet mission and the first satellite to launch through the agency’s Astrophysics Pioneers program, is now making unique observations of worlds beyond our solar system and the stars they orbit. The mission will determine the atmospheric make-up of at least 20 exoplanets, including the presence of hazes, clouds, and water. “Pandora’s data […]

A flurry of activity has been underway at the Starbase production site over the past… The post Starbase’s future production capacity ramping up appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Space Angel has welcomed its selection by the Western Australian Government as the recipient of the $1.75 million Spaceport Establishment Support Grant, announced by Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson. […] The post Space Angel secures $1.75m WA Government backing to advance Western Australian spaceport plans appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley invites media to learn more about NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Roman telescope will provide a wide, detailed view of the universe, helping scientists study dark energy, exoplanets, and cosmic structures. […]

Set to launch on Sunday, Aug. 30, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will empower astronomers to explore vast regions of the cosmos and settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, dark matter, planets outside our solar system, and the formation and growth of galaxies over cosmic time. Key contributions to Roman’s mission […]

The NASA-led Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on 30 August 2026 at 07:26 EDT / 12:26 BST / 13:26 CEST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.

Fully autonomous space mission operations require the ability to detect faults and compensate for them without human intervention. To address this challenge and provide model-based support for system design and operations, it is important to connect fault management (FM) and model-based systems engineering (MBSE). This approach was successfully demonstrated with the model-based generation of a […]

In this episode, SpaceNews Mike Gruss interviews Kevin Lausten, CEO of Morpheus Space, at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. They discuss why propulsion is critical […] The post Propulsion is having a moment appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA will announce the winners of the final phase of its LunaRecycle Challenge on Friday, Aug. 28, at The University of Alabama (UA) Lee Styslinger College of Engineering in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Launched in 2024, the challenge incentivizes the invention of new recycling systems that could support non-metabolic waste management efforts for future lunar missions. Media […]

The Falcon 9 rocket will fly on a south-easterly trajectory upon launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff is scheduled for 2:34 a.m. PDT (5:34 a.m. EDT / 0934 UTC).

NASA’s Deep Space Network facility in California is marking the addition of a brand new 34-meter-wide (114-foot-wide) radio frequency antenna to the agency’s deep space communications and navigation system. The network uses giant dish antennas located at three global facilities to support more than 40 spacecraft exploring the solar system and interstellar space. The new […]

SALT LAKE CITY – Aug. 25, 2026 – Tendeg has released NewTEN, a two-axis steerable reflector antenna that expands communications performance and pointing access for small spacecraft. Unveiled Monday, Aug. […] The post Tendeg Launches NewTEN Steerable Compact Antenna at SmallSat appeared first on SpaceNews.

SpaceX announced plans today to build a second Starbase, this one on the coast of Louisiana. All Starship launches to date have been from Starbase, TX. They will soon begin […]

The European Space Agency has announced that its Draco mission has passed its Critical Design Review, clearing it to enter full-scale manufacturing, integration and testing ahead of its planned launch in 2027. ESA announced the milestone on 17 August, saying the review had validated the design of all of Draco’s systems. With the CDR complete, […] The post ESA’s Draco Reentry Mission Clears Its Critical Design Review appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are an invisible backbone for everyday life. They are essential for transportation, emergency response and public safety. They are also vulnerable to interference, both natural and human made.

From left, Expedition 75 flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA (partially obscured and wearing the spacesuit with a red stripe on the legs) and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) work together during a six‑hour and 23‑minute spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Aug. 18, 2026. The pair will finish installing a high-speed […]

PHOENIX, AZ — August 24, 2026 — Spirit Electronics, a value‑added distributor of high‑reliability electronics focused on performance‑driven program requirements, announced that space‑grade and high‑reliability components from Texas Instruments and […] The post Spirit Electronics Adds Texas Instruments and Microchip Technology Space Grade Components to Online Store Ahead of SmallSat 2026 appeared first on SpaceNews.

The drying of the massive lake exposed playas that became the setting for feats of engineering and technological ingenuity, as well as epic tales of exploration and desperation.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 24 – Comet… 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. Comet 220P […]

The next Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite (MTG-I2) is set for liftoff on flight VA270 on an Ariane 6, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. It will complete the first family of MTG satellites, which will deliver data for weather forecasting over Europe and northern Africa in unprecedented detail. The launch will be broadcast on Thursday, 27 August, on ESA WebTV.

Houston — World Space Week Association announced today that Tory Bruno, President of National Security at Blue Origin, will serve as Honorary Chair of World Space Week 2027.   “Tory Bruno […] The post Tory Bruno Named Honorary Chair Of World Space Week 2027 appeared first on SpaceNews.

After NASA astronauts landed on the moon in 1969, their achievement bore decades’ worth of fruit, including scientific discoveries and a strategic national security advantage. Now — with plans to […] The post The Fuel for the Next Generation of Cislunar Exploration? Technology and Talent. appeared first on SpaceNews.

The European Space Agency expects to make specific safety adaptations to the Ariane 6 rocket for future launches of its Argonaut lunar landers that will carry a Radioisotope Power System. The modifications will not, however, be required for the spacecraft’s first mission. Argonaut is ESA’s planned heavy lunar lander that is designed to deliver up […] The post ESA to Adapt Ariane 6 for Nuclear-Powered Argonaut Missions appeared first on European Spaceflight.

In only a few days, Europe will complete their next-generation weather observation system, Meteosat Third Generation.

Description This map of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, shows the locations of 10 air sensors that NASA’s Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) mission is using to provide one of the most detailed looks ever at the city’s air pollution. Over the course of three years, these sensors measured particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less […]

Description This roof-mounted air sensor in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is one of 10 used by NASA’s Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) to study the city’s air quality. MAIA’s air sensors provide a detailed look at particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, also known as PM2.5, one of the world’s deadliest forms […]

SALT LAKE CITY – The Aerospace Corp. is continuing to demonstrate the viability of pancake-shaped DiskSats in the wake of their December launch on a Rocket Lab Electron. “It’s the […] The post Aerospace demonstrates DiskSats in low-Earth orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.

At the center of our solar system, the Sun influences every planet that orbits it. In two recent NASA-funded studies, scientists uncovered how ancient events in the Sun’s history may have helped create Earth’s unique climate and driven previously unexplained climatic shifts.   In new research, scientists at NASA’s SHIELD (Solar Wind with Hydrogen Ion charge Exchange and Large-Scale Dynamics) center — one of […]

Description NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture the silhouette of Phobos, one of the two Martian moons, as it crossed in front of the Sun on Aug. 12, 2026, the 1,948th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.  The animation has been tinted to simulate what a human would see if […]

The Starlink 10-49 mission is set to be the 100th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket in 2026. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 5:33 a.m. EDT (0933 UTC).

Coverage plans are ready for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope prelaunch and launch activities. Roman is NASA’s next-generation observatory designed to explore some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, including dark energy. NASA and SpaceX are targeting Roman’s liftoff for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 30, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket […]

NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman is seen in the two-seat IndyCar as he prepares for driver Conor Daly to take him on a lap ahead of the start of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

This week will see five orbital launches from China, the United States, and French Guiana.… The post Launch Preview: Falcon Heavy to launch Roman telescope, Falcon 9 to launch Starlink satellites appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss interviews Icarus Robotics CEO and co-founder Ethan Barajas at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. They discuss why astronauts have […] The post Robotics and the future of on-orbit labor appeared first on SpaceNews.

LandSpace achieved a major milestone for Chinese commercial rocketry this week when the first stage… The post LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 topples following milestone landing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

By Allison Dries-Padilla, Missions Operations Specialist at Malin Space Science Systems Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 This week of Curiosity Mars rover operations takes us back to our “regularly scheduled programming.” After taking a slight detour to investigate the “erosional surface” we are back on course to ascend Mount Sharp. As we transition […]

With a scheduled launch date of Aug. 30, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is… The post NASA’s Roman telescope nears launch, reaches final integration and rehearsal milestones appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week plus a day of August 23-30, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate […]

"The Chang’e 7 mission does not meet the conditions for launch."

The French space agency CNES is looking for an industrial partner to develop and qualify a compact optical telescope for future satellite constellations. The agency says the design must be suitable for mass production, with production volumes exceeding 1,000 units. According to a request for information (RFI) published on 18 August, the project is aimed […] The post CNES Seeks Partners to Mass-Produce Compact Optical Telescopes appeared first on European Spaceflight.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 22… 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. Mostly Perseids Explanation: Recorded […]

On Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse darkened skies over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. As the Moon covered the Sun, it briefly revealed the Sun’s wispy outer atmosphere — the corona — to those in the path of totality who were lucky enough to have clear skies. NASA researchers and photographers were along the eclipse […]

While Ship 40 is preparing to be transported back to Starbase from Christmas Island, Ship… The post Ship 41 Completes Engine Testing Ahead of Flight 14 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The Starlink 15-20 mission represents the 99th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year. Liftoff from pad 4 East is scheduled for 12:25 a.m. PDT (3:25 a.m. EDT / 0725 UTC).

Paris, France | August 2026– More than 6,500 Earth observation (EO) satellites are expected to launch by 2035, generating $155.9 billion in manufacturing revenues as governments expand sovereign intelligence, surveillance, […] The post New Novaspace forecast: 6,500+ EO satellites to launch by 2035 appeared first on SpaceNews.

HELSINKI — A Chinese startup building a constellation to detect and geolocate radio-frequency emissions from orbit has closed a funding round as China’s commercial sector expands. Tianjin-based Xingkan Jiuzhou Technology, […] The post Chinese radio-frequency intelligence startup StarRF closes new funding round appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured this Aug. 6, 2026, infrared image of part of the Carina Nebula, a star-forming region also home to the Cosmic Cliffs. This feature, called the “Treasure Chest,” is an object known as a cometary globule. A cometary globule is an isolated cloud of gas and dust with a dense, […]

For more information, contact Mark K. Leader, Glenn Research Center, mark.leader@nasa.gov Download the PDF version NASA’s Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) code is a foundational tool for propulsion system analysis. It provides equilibrium chemistry, rocket performance, shock, and detonation calculations used across NASA and the broader aerospace community. NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Activity […]

A series of heat waves in 2026 is breaking records and taking a toll in Europe.

HELSINKI — Chinese commercial launch firm Landspace is targeting a reflight of its Zhuque-3 first stage in months, following its historic successful vertical landing Aug. 18. A company representative told […] The post Landspace aims to refly recovered Zhuque-3 booster within six months appeared first on SpaceNews.

Policy documents from both the White House and the Office of Space Commerce this summer acknowledge that space is a complex system, as to which forms of adaptive governance should […] The post The COSMOSIS framework can ensure that Washington governs space with its complexity in mind. appeared first on SpaceNews.

Week in images: 17-21 August 2026

After a successful EVA-97 on Tuesday 18 August, watch ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot venture into the vacuum of space for the second time on Tuesday 25 August, during EVA-98.

President Donald J. Trump will award each of NASA’s Artemis II crew members the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 28, during a ceremony at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, […]

Europe’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission has captured a dramatic change at Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland, where a 76 sq km section of the glacier’s floating ice tongue broke away on 4 August 2026.

The White House released a new space transportation policy today, the first since 2013. The new policy has a strong emphasis on government support for the commercial space industry and […]

Muon Space has raised $250 million to fuel the small satellite specialist’s push into larger, more powerful spacecraft and constellations. The post Muon Space raises $250 million to ramp up satellite production appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

HELSINKI — China will launch a complex, multi-spacecraft mission late Sunday to study and land near the lunar south pole, including a search for evidence of water-ice. A Long March […] The post China’s Chang’e-7 lunar ice-hunting mission set for Sunday launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

Portal Space Systems has acquired a Falcon 9 to launch its first Supernova spacecraft and will offer excess capacity on the vehicle for rideshare payloads. The post Portal Space Systems to include rideshare payloads on Falcon 9 launch of Supernova appeared first on SpaceNews.

Europe’s newest eye on the health of Earth’s vegetation has taken another crucial step towards orbit – the European Space Agency’s FLEX satellite has been fuelled at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its planned launch on 15 September at 03:21 CEST (14 September at 22:21 local time).

San Diego, CA – Rock West Composites (RWC) is premiering its recently launched space-grade STRATOPultrusion™ product line at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference this August in Salt Lake City, Utah. […] The post Rock West Composites® Is Premiering Its New STRATOPultrusion™ Product Line at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA Earth science data is supporting machine-learning forecasts that inform decisions about water, power, and public safety in Washington state.

NASA astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. took 29 color photographs of the Earth with a 70mm camera as he orbited our planet during the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission in May 1963. Cooper’s view from the window of his Faith 7 spacecraft was spectacular, and he reported that he could see vehicles motoring on dirt roads, smoke-belching trains, […]

NASA has selected four university teams to help the agency transform the future of aviation through projects ranging from high-supersonic propulsion systems to low-noise routes for small aircraft flying through cities. The agency made awards through its University Leadership Initiative, which offers  student teams the opportunity to contribute to real-world flight research that advances NASA’s goals in aeronautics. […]

The European Space Agency has confirmed to European Spaceflight that it is no longer considering the Ariane 6 Block 3 evolution, saying there is “no programme need or justification” for the evolution at this time. Questions regarding the scrapping of the Block 3 upgrades arose earlier this month after SpaceScout reported that an ESA study […] The post ESA Confirms Ariane 6 Block 3 Upgrades Have Been Shelved appeared first on European Spaceflight.

A jacket decorated with Artemis I and II mission patches, along with other NASA patches hangs on the back of a chair on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, inside the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a terminal countdown simulation for the Artemis III mission. NASA’s Exploration Ground […]

Huntsville, AL — Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B) announces a significant expansion at its Huntsville, AL facility that now includes a new secure Hypersonic/Interceptor Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) lab. It is […] The post Moog Highlights Huntsville Expansion and New Hardware-in-the-Loop Lab During Space and Missile Defense Symposium  appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode, SpaceNews correspondent Debra Werner leads a panel of experts to discuss the role of ISR in space and what comes next. This session was recorded in May […] The post What’s next for ISR in space appeared first on SpaceNews.

SmallSat 2026 Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth # 635, 835, 641, and 940) for Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Agenda below. MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 9:00 – 10:00 AM WelcomeJose NunezBryceTech’s Smallsats by the Numbers: 2026Fletcher FranklinSupply Chain ObservationsBruce YostTechnology Shortfall Rudy de RoseeSPARCS Camera and Early Science ObservationsKaitlyn AshcroftJPL: SkyfallTim CanhamSWIFT LINK ReboostBo NaaszFlight […]

Arianespace hasn’t publicly disclosed the cost for an Ariane 6 launch.

The new round of STRATFIs were awarded to Agile Space Industries, Antares Nuclear, EO Solutions, Hydrosat, Kall Morris, Method Security, Muon Space, Scout Space, Sedaro, Star Catcher Industries and ThinkOrbital The post SpaceWERX selects 11 firms to scale technologies for military space appeared first on SpaceNews.

SAN FRANCISCO – California startup Elve has qualified its 100-watt millimeter-wave Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier platform for spaceflight. With U.S. Space Force Small Business Innovation Research funding, Elve “didn’t just […] The post Elve qualifies millimeter-wave amplifiers for spaceflight appeared first on SpaceNews.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 20 – The… 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. The Elephant’s […]

The Starlink 10-39 mission includes the 2,000th Starlink satellite to fly this year. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled at 11:38 a.m. EDT (1538 UTC).

Rocket Lab launched another satellite for Japanese radar-imaging company iQPS on Aug. 20. The post Rocket Lab launches 9th satellite for iQPS appeared first on SpaceNews.

The White House released a new space transportation policy Aug. 20 with an emphasis on enabling a sharp increase in the number of launches and reentries. The post New space transportation policy focuses on increased launch rates appeared first on SpaceNews.

Guetlein joins North Dakota senators in making the case for the missile defense program The post Golden Dome chief touts progress as funding questions loom appeared first on SpaceNews.

LOS ANGELES, CA, September 8th, 2026. Proteus Space, a dual-use aerospace company delivering rapid, end-to-end access to space, today announced it has been selected by The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, […] The post Draper Selects Proteus Space for Advanced On-Orbit Mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

SAN FRANCISCO / PERTH, 20 AUGUST 2026: LatConnect 60 (LC60) has signed a commercial contract with Transcelestial for an optical communications terminal on its SWIRSAT-1 mission, plus access to Transcelestial’s […] The post LatConnect 60 selects Transcelestial’s Space Optical Network for SWIRSAT imaging constellation appeared first on SpaceNews.

America’s space economy is scaling faster than its industrial base can support. Commercial constellations are proliferating, national security architectures are becoming more distributed and resilient and civil missions are growing […] The post The space industry’s next challenge: supply chain resilience appeared first on SpaceNews.

Zhuque-3’s second flight marked a major milestone for LandSpace as the methalox rocket lifted off… The post Zhuque-3 Completes Second Flight with Successful First-Stage Landing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 19 – The… 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. To view […]

Photographers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have documented some of the most defining moments in human spaceflight.  From astronaut training and engineering tests to mission control operations and milestone celebrations, their images preserve the history of exploration while capturing the people and teams behind the missions shaping the next era.   Meet the photographers behind the lens and explore the […]

ESA’s Mars Express takes us on another mesmerising flight, this time around one of the biggest craters on Mars. 

Firefly Aerospace will fly a payload from Zeno Power on an upcoming lunar lander mission to test a radioisotope heat source to enable future missions to survive the lunar night. The post Firefly Aerospace to fly Zeno Power radioisotope heating unit on lunar lander mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

What does a mechanic do? Machines and engines are all around us. They power everything from cars and boats to airplanes and even rockets. Mechanics are experts who know how machinery works, especially engines, and how to fix them. When you think of a mechanic, you might picture someone working on cars. But mechanics can […]

Will Cocos succeeds Susanne Hake as executive vice president and general manager of the the Earth intelligence company’s government business The post Vantor names new head of U.S. government business appeared first on SpaceNews.

The commercial company LandSpace safely landed the first stage booster of their Zhuque-3 rocket on August 19th.

On Wednesday 19 August, media representatives were invited to a media briefing ahead of the launch of the next Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite (MTG-I2). The satellite is set to be launched on an Ariane 6 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, on 27 August. 

East Aurora, NY — Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B), a worldwide designer, manufacturer and systems integrator of high-performance precision motion and fluid controls and control systems announces a new, […] The post Moog Inc. Expands METEORITE Satellite Bus Capacity for High-Maneuverability Missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA has awarded approximately $10.5 million to seven institutions to help strengthen and streamline state-based pathways for students into skilled technical jobs in the aerospace industry. The awards were made through the new NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs initiative, or NASA State Hubs. This investment in state ecosystems is designed to accelerate the development […]

This artist’s concept, released on Aug. 17, 2026, depicts a collision between our Milky Way galaxy and a dwarf galaxy known as LKH that happened about 12 billion years ago. A study of data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy, shows definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young […]

Lee esta historia en español aquí. Some of Earth’s microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in the shaded nooks and crannies of the Moon’s South Pole region, NASA scientists say.  Published on Aug. 19, 2026, in Science Advances, these findings highlight a need to better understand microbial persistence […]

Due to an ongoing commercial spacecraft attitude control issue, NASA and Katalyst Space announced Wednesday the LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost an agency satellite to a higher altitude to extend its science mission as planned. However, LINK still will attempt to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to […]

Katalyst Space and NASA have called off plans to use the company’s Link spacecraft to raise the orbit of the agency’s Swift gamma-ray observatory, citing attitude-control problems with the spacecraft. The post Katalyst Space and NASA abandon plans for Swift reboost appeared first on SpaceNews.

German space logistics company ATMOS Space Cargo has completed an early-stage design study for its reusable Phoenix 3 spacecraft. The announcement comes just two months after the company pushed the launch of its Phoenix 2 spacecraft from the second half of 2026 to early 2027. Work on the Phoenix 3 study was conducted with the […] The post ATMOS Moves Forward with Phoenix 3 as Phoenix 2 Launch Slips appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 11:39 a.m. EST Saturday, Dec. 5, for the launch of its 21st commercial resupply services (CRS-21) mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CRS-21 will deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment for NASA and is the first […]

The Orbital Clarity Challenge — the sixth in the NASA TechLeap Prize series — is a collaborative effort between NASA’s Heliophysics Division, Flight Opportunities program, and Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation. The Heliophysics Division studies space weather, including how it heats and expands Earth’s outer atmosphere during intense solar activity, creating orbital drag through atmospheric density changes. The […]

Katalyst Space and NASA concluded today that reboosting the Swift Observatory with Katalyst’s LINK spacecraft will not be possible due to attitude control problems.  They still plan to conduct some […]

The August 19 landing of its ZhuQue-3 rocket marked the first landing of a Chinese-made rocket using landing legs as well.

While Starship is grabbing headlines, another fully reusable vehicle is advancing towards a potential 2026… The post Stoke Space conducts second stage fit checks, completes first stage engines ahead of Nova debut appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The Administration is requesting $71 billion for the U.S. Space Force in FY2027, more than twice what it has now. An analysis by the Aerospace Corporation concludes it is the […]

SAN FRANCISCO – Risk-management firm IN2 will have access to Eartheye Space multi-sensor satellite tasking and analytics through a memorandum of understanding signed Aug. 19. IN2 will include Eartheye satellite […] The post Eartheye Space forges strategic partnership with IN2 appeared first on SpaceNews.

Company founded by former SpaceX executives aims to produce a low-cost hypersonic weapon and a broader portfolio of longer-range strike and missile defense weapons The post Hypersonic missile startup Castelion raises $1 billion  appeared first on SpaceNews.

HELSINKI — Landspace successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket Tuesday following the second launch of the rocket from the Gobi Desert. The second Zhuque-3 rocket lifted off […] The post China’s Landspace recovers booster with second orbital launch of Zhuque-3 rocket appeared first on SpaceNews.

While space nuclear programs are “having a moment,” industry officials say they face near-term challenges as well as longer-term concerns. The post Space nuclear programs face near- and long-term challenges appeared first on SpaceNews.

Between Aug. 11 and 12, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured a series of images of a new crater on the Moon. The crater formed on Aug. 5, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacted the surface following its January 2025 launch of the Firefly Blue Ghost 1 mission. To capture imagery of the […]