Space news

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 […]

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

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.

The Expedition 75 crew members are coming off a busy period that saw four spacewalks take place in one month outside of the International Space Station. The orbital septet cleaned spacesuits, conducted cargo operations, and relaxed throughout Wednesday.

"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 […]

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

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.

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

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.

From the ESA Blogs.

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.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station at 3:29 p.m. EDT.

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 […]

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.

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 […]

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

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot began a spacewalk at 8:40 a.m. EDT outside the International Space Station to replace a retroflector, install jumper cables, prepare the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future maintenance, and replace a high-definition camera.

NASA is streaming live coverage as two astronauts prepare for a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. EDT and last about six and a half hours. Watch online at: https://www.nasa.gov/live

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.

"We could really be facing the great filter."

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.

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 […]

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.

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 […]

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.

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

Astronauts Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) and Jessica Meir of NASA will exit the International Space Station after setting their spacesuits to battery power at 7:30 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 1, signifying the beginning of their spacewalk. NASA+ and a variety of other platforms will stream live spacewalk coverage beginning at 6 a.m.

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.

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 […]

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 […]

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.