Space News

Star Trails

This long-duration image shows star trails above Earth and the blue lights of fishing boats and the yellow lights of Indonesian cities stretching below the International Space Station as it orbited 258 miles above the Banda Sea on Sept. 20, 2026. Image credit: NASA/Anil Menon

So what's happening with Russia's new, long-delayed crewed spacecraft?

Russia says it has a "promising, reusable manned transport spacecraft."

Starship makes orbit, Flight 15 preps in full swing

SpaceX made significant strides in the Starship program during Flight 14. Booster 21, despite losing…

NaviGate successfully demonstrates onboard precise orbit determination aboard D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier

ROME, 30/09/2026 – NaviGate, an Italian space technology company spun out of Sapienza University of Rome, has successfully completed the in-orbit demonstration (IoD) of NaviCode Caravel, its autonomous onboard precise […]

Shaping Europe’s future in low Earth orbit

For more than 25 years, the Internation Space Station (ISS) has been humankind's home in space. It has enabled scientists to conduct research in weightlessness, helped astronauts learn how to live and work in orbit and provided engineers with experience that is shaping future exploration.

Quantum Space Executes Launch Processing Agreement with All Points Logistics for Prime Mission

ROCKVILLE, Md. and MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — September 30, 2026 — Quantum Space, LLC (the “Company” or “Quantum Space”), a company developing the next generation of advanced maneuverable spacecraft for […]

ESA Selects Airbus and OHB to Lead European Space Station Studies

The European Space Agency has selected consortia led by Airbus Defence and Space and OHB to carry out parallel studies examining the feasibility of a future European-led outpost in low Earth orbit. ESA announced the two lead companies on 29 September. The agency added that six additional industrial and institutional partners will be involved in […]

Science begins for Smile

On 23 September, the European-Chinese Smile mission was declared ready to start revealing how Earth responds to the wind of charged particles from the Sun. This follows a busy in-space commissioning period since the spacecraft launched on 19 May and reached its target orbit for science operations on 20 June.

APOD: 2026 September 30 – Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries

Powerful Storms Continue to Prowl the Pacific

Hurricanes Polo and Nolo sent destructive effects ashore amid an active season in the northeastern and central Pacific.

Launch Preview: Crew-13 to launch to ISS, Falcon Heavy to launch mission for the NRO

Four orbital launches are expected this week, all by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy…

NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications

NASA’s 2027 Human Lander Challenge is seeking ideas from college and university students to help address one of the most critical needs for sustained lunar exploration: reliable communications. As NASA prepares for long-term human presence on the Moon through the Artemis and Moon Base programs, communications systems will be just as important as spacecraft and […]