Space News
Latest updates from across the universe.
Cosmic House of Mirrors
Galaxies warp and multiply as if in a house of mirrors in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released on Sept. 29, 2026. The brilliant golden galaxies seen here are part of a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies bunched together on one side of the image, however, are not actually […]
Italy Explores Building an Artificial Gravity Research Platform in Orbit
The Italian Space Agency (ASI) is exploring the development of a dedicated orbital platform capable of generating artificial gravity to support scientific research and technology development. ASI announced the initiative on 8 October and expects to open a consultation with the scientific and technological community later this month to gather research requirements, ideas and potential […] The post Italy Explores Building an Artificial Gravity Research Platform in Orbit appeared first on European Spaceflight.
Rocket Report: A rare Falcon 9 scrub; is it just about Vulcan's time to shine?
"I can say we’re weeks away from launching on Vulcan."
Farewell to the Fluid Science Laboratory after 18 years in orbit
On 9 October, astronauts on the International Space Station begin supporting the final decommissioning of ESA's Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL), one of the longest-serving scientific facilities inside Europe's Columbus laboratory.
APOD: 2026 October 9 – Stickney Crater
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 9… 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. Stickney Crater Explanation: Stickney […]
Floodwaters Overwhelm Thailand
Heavy rains since mid-September have caused widespread flooding that has affected millions of people across the country.
Crew-12 Back on Earth as ISS Keeps Busy
NASA’s Crew-12 mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California this morning, bringing the 237-day mission to an end. Their replacements on Crew-13 arrived a week […]
NASA Briefing to Highlight Contributions to Martian Moons Mission
Media are invited to join NASA for a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 15, to preview the agency’s contributions to JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. The mission is scheduled to launch from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Monday, Oct. 19 EDT (Tuesday, Oct. 20 JST). […]
NASA Announces Bold Science Initiatives for America’s Golden Age Summit
NASA is launching two new science and technology initiatives to deepen scientific understanding and accelerate the innovation that will shape America’s future in space. The initiatives are announced in conjunction with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) “Golden Age Summit” in Washington on Thursday with top U.S. agency leaders. The programs […]
NASA’s SSPICY Mission to Demonstrate In-Space Inspection Technologies
A new NASA-supported spacecraft will get up close to satellites that are no longer in service, demonstrating technologies that could support future in-space repairs and reduce orbital debris. The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission launched Oct. 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission is a technology demonstration where an […]
Crew-12 Returns to Earth
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft is seen moments before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California in this Oct. 8, 2026, photograph. Aboard were NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 members NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The four spent […]
NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope Sees Menagerie of Brown Dwarfs
NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) space telescope is shedding light on brown dwarfs, celestial objects that blur the line between stars and exoplanets. New findings published in The Astrophysical Journal show that these dark and cloudy worlds have chemically rich atmospheres not unlike the giant […]
Webb Measures Distance to Farthest Fast Radio Burst, Suggesting Origin
First discovered in 2007, fast radio bursts are enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio emission from the distant universe. Their origin remains uncertain, particularly since most are seen once and never again. Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have pinpointed the host galaxy of the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) seen to date. Their […]
NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑12 Splashes Down, Sets Briefing to Discuss Mission
After more than seven months aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission safely splashed down Thursday in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles. The crew members will discuss their science mission during a news conference at 3:30 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 15, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. […]
Splashdown confirmed for Sophie Adenot
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot returned to Earth with Crew-12 after her nearly eight-month εpsilon mission to the International Space Station, splashing down off the coast of California, USA, at 15:34 GMT/17:34 CEST on 8 October 2026.
NASA, Energy Department Advance New Era of Nuclear-Powered Exploration
As the Golden Age of deep-space exploration begins, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy are advancing the development of safe, reliable, next-generation nuclear technologies for space. Together, the agencies will supercharge civil space exploration, unlock bold scientific discovery, and solidify American leadership in space nuclear power and propulsion. “We are entering the ‘Nuclear NASA-era,’ […]
NASA Advances LISA Mission Contributions With New Test Telescope
NASA has taken the next step in the process of developing a new all-glass telescope for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, a space observatory designed to detect ripples in space-time called gravitational waves. L3Harris Technologies will design, assemble, and integrate the new telescope for NASA. Called the Engineering Test Unit, this contribution represents […]
Amazon builds 1,000th satellite, is weeks away from space Internet rollout
"If this was easy, everybody else would be doing it."
The Exploration Company to Test Lunar Hopper Demonstrator in 2027
The Exploration Company has announced it will test a lunar hopper demonstrator called ONEIROS in the United Arab Emirates in 2027. ONEIROS is a privately funded initiative focused on validating technologies that could eventually support lower-cost access to the lunar surface. The company plans to build a one-tonne demonstrator that will use a throttleable methane-fuelled […] The post The Exploration Company to Test Lunar Hopper Demonstrator in 2027 appeared first on European Spaceflight.
What will it take to build a moon base?
In this episode, a panel of industry experts discuss what’s needed to build a moon base. During a live event at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, leaders Astrolab, Firefly […] The post What will it take to build a moon base? appeared first on SpaceNews.
Sentinel-3C returns its first views of Earth
Just two weeks after it was launched, the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite returned its first images and measurements from two of its key instruments – a major milestone that confirms the satellite is working well and on the road to monitoring the health of Earth’s oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere.
Solar Orbiter tracks origin of mysterious magnetic switchbacks
The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has flown through an S-shaped kink known as a ‘switchback’ in the solar wind’s magnetic field. By fingerprinting the elusive particles within the switchback, Solar Orbiter has traced its origin back to the Sun’s surface and revealed more about solar magnetism – the unruly instigator of dangerous solar storms.
The director’s take: telling Galileo’s story through film
In 2025, to celebrate thirty years of satellite navigation in Europe, the European Space Agency (ESA) commissioned a documentary to capture the history of Galileo, Europe’s satellite navigation system. Finding Our Way: Inside the Galileo Project will premiere on YouTube on 15 October 2026 at 18:30 CEST. Here, we sit down with Design & Data’s Johannes Walden, who directed the documentary.
Keeping the sky dark and quiet
For thousands of years, the night sky has inspired humanity, guided explorers and helped scientists unlock the mysteries of the Universe. As the number of satellites in orbit grows, their reflected light and radio frequency interference become a challenge for both professional astronomy and simple stargazing.
APOD: 2026 October 8 – The Saturn System Smörgåsbord
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 8 – 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 Saturn […]
Fighting Drought in Texas Cotton Country
Drought and an ailing aquifer were major topics of conversation when NASA scientists visited with farmers in the Texas High Plains.
NASA Sets Coverage for SpaceX 35th Station Resupply Launch, Arrival
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 6:33 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, Oct. 13, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment, including the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, to the space station. This is the 35th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital complex for NASA. NASA also will […]
NASA’s SpaceX 35th Commercial Resupply Mission Overview
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Oct. 13 to launch scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.