Space news

The European Space Agency’s Hera planetary defence mission team is preparing to light a fire in the sky. On the early morning of 15 October the small-car-sized spacecraft will burn its Orbit Control Thrusters in the direction of its target asteroid system for a total of 93 minutes continuously. This braking manoeuvre will bring it near to matching the orbital velocity of the Didymos binary asteroids.

From the ESA Blogs.

ESA’s Themis reusable rocket stage demonstrator successfully completed its second ‘wet dress rehearsal’ at Esrange Space Center in Sweden on 29 September, testing the vehicle and ground procedures under representative cryogenic conditions.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 7 –… 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. Supernova Remnant Pa […]

Satellite records show Arctic sea ice covering less of the ocean in both winter and summer.

After eight months aboard the International Space Station, NASA and SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission is scheduled… The post Crew-12 set to depart the ISS after eighth months in orbit appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

To date, this Atlantic tropics year has been exceptionally quiet.

Santa Rosa, CA — October 2026 — Deposition Sciences, Inc. (DSI), a leader in advanced thin film coatings, proudly announces the introduction of a new 12″ × 30″ format for […] The post Deposition Sciences, Inc. Expands Sunshade® Tape Offering with New 12″ × 30″ Format appeared first on SpaceNews.

After delivering more than 11,000 pounds of supplies, science experiments, and other cargo to the International Space Station for NASA, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft is scheduled to depart Friday, Oct. 9, as part of the company’s Commercial Resupply Services-24 mission, or Northrop Grumman CRS-24. Watch NASA’s live coverage of undocking and departure beginning at 12:30 […]

Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.

As an astronaut traverses the lunar South Pole, tribocharging from walking on the lunar surface and plasma charging from the ambient plasma generate electric charge on the spacesuit. This problem is severely compounded when entering lunar shadows and Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs). In these dark zones, the spacesuit can buildup a substantial negative potential due […]

Four Expedition 75 crew members are in their final full day aboard the International Space Station as they prepare to undock aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and return to Earth. Their departure will leave seven residents aboard the orbital outpost to continue advanced space research and lab maintenance.

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is seeking Phase 1 proposals for the design and construction of the Aerospace Power Systems Laboratory. The principal purpose of this procurement is to deliver a laboratory facility to support the testing and development of power systems, with associated site work, infrastructure, and systems. The laboratory will provide modern […]

Diligent sleuthing by astronomers uncovered a surprising chemical clue that indicates the white dwarf star HS 0209+0832 may host a second-generation planet. This artist’s concept released on Oct. 5, 2026, depicts that possible explanation. The white dwarf is the “dead” core of a star that burned through all of its nuclear fuel and lost its outer […]

"The administrator's directive is a coherent and necessary vision for the future."

A newly released panorama captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover offers the most detailed view yet of distant, wind-carved Martian cliffs, highlighting features the mission’s scientists have long been waiting to see up close. The scene was snapped at 8:30 a.m. local Mars time, showing striking blue hues in the foreground as bright morning light illuminates […]

International cooperation remained at the heart of ESA’s participation in the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye, as ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher held a series of high-level meetings with partners from around the world. The exchanges reflected ESA’s commitment to strengthening existing partnerships while broadening cooperation with both established and emerging space actors.

The European Commission has extended the deadline for the SALTO reusable launcher project to the end of 2026, giving the programme another three months to complete the first hop test of Europe’s Themis reusable rocket demonstrator. According to the European Commission’s project database, the reuSable strAtegic space Launcher Technologies & Operations (SALTO) initiative is now […] The post The EU Extends SALTO Deadline Again as Themis Hop Test Slips appeared first on European Spaceflight.

A cauldron of cosmic creation is being revealed in a new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb has unveiled numerous stars formerly hidden by clouds of dust in a stellar nursery known as NGC 7129, which resides about 3,300 light-years from Earth. Stars, the engines of elemental creation, have life cycles that begin […]

From the ESA Blogs.

NASA has stacked the center segments of both Artemis III solid rocket boosters on Mobile… The post NASA progress with SLS vehicles for upcoming Artemis missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

A research aircraft chased a sub-orbital rocket launch in Sweden to see how space agencies can better monitor and understand emissions in our atmosphere.

On 7 October 2026, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and her Crew-12 crewmates will undock from the International Space Station at around 12:05 GMT/14:05 CEST to begin their journey back to Earth.

For eight days, a Mars rover prototype travelled 220 metres across a barren landscape, following commands from a science team some 1200 kilometres away.

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 6 – 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. ESA, CAS, […]

Dissolved organic matter and suspended sediment mingle in the southernmost extent of James Bay.

Written by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 1, 2026 The majority of Curiosity plans involve mosaics from Mastcam and ChemCam, chemistry analyses from ChemCam and APXS, images from MAHLI and MARDI, and systematic measurements from REMS, RAD, and DAN. It is only when we stop to drill that we […]

Written by Alex Jones, Ph.D. candidate at Imperial College London Sept. 29, 2026 After spending the last six months exploring “Lac de Charmes,” a region of ancient rock beyond Jezero crater’s western rim, Perseverance has stumbled upon a vast field of light-toned rocks peppering the Martian surface.  Light-colored rocks are a strange sight on Mars, […]

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 8:05 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station, pending weather conditions. An Oct. 7 undock puts NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev […]

On the heels of an impactful few days of launches from SpaceX, this week shapes… The post Launch Preview: Flights from South Korea, China, USA planned for this week appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Amazon wants more than 5,000 satellites in orbit. Blue Origin has proposed another 5,400. Chinese companies have filed plans encompassing vastly more. Elon Musk has talked about a constellation numbering […] The post Resource competition intensifies with surge in megaconstellations appeared first on SpaceNews.

Stronger European capabilities and deeper international cooperation were at the heart of ESA’s first day at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye. From exploration to the contribution of space to society, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher underlined the importance of Europe becoming a stronger and more capable partner in a rapidly changing space environment.

NASA astronaut and mission specialist of the agency’s Artemis II mission, Christina Koch, leads the fans in singing the Eagles Fight Song from the field at an NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Philadelphia. NASA’s engagement at NFL games is […]

Expedition 75 is in the middle of a crew swap aboard the International Space Station as four new crew members get used to life in microgravity and another quartet prepares for its return to Earth. The 11 crew members have been busy packing and unpacking the two SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the orbital outpost’s Harmony module and preparing for upcoming cargo mission activities.

NASA is leveraging its expertise and enhancing its test facilities to help address a rare but persistent aviation hazard: icing that occurs when aircraft encounter unusually large, very cold water droplets in clouds.   The problem, known as “supercooled large droplet icing,” occurs when aircraft fly through clouds containing unusually large drops of water that are […]

New analysis of archival Hubble data points to the possibility of “dead” white dwarf stars hosting second-generation planetary systems.

By Mail: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center Hampton, VA  23681-2199 By Phone: Operator: (757) 864-1000 Public & Media Inquiries: larc-dl-public-inquiries@mail.nasa.gov Partnerships:larc-partnerships@mail.nasa.gov Educational Inquiries:Langley Office of Education (757) 864-6300 See also: NASA Learning Resources Visitors Center: Virginia Air & Space Science Center Telephone: (757) 727-0900

German launch startup HyImpulse has pushed the second flight of its SR75 suborbital rocket into spring 2027. On 1 October, HyImpulse announced that it had secured a launch operator licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to operate its SR75 rocket from SaxaVord in Scotland. With the announcement, the company said the rocket’s first […] The post Second HyImpulse Suborbital SR75 Flight Slips to 2027 appeared first on European Spaceflight.

DURANGO, Colo., Oct. 5, 2026 — Agile Space Industries today announced that Jonathan Baliff has joined its Board of Directors, bringing extensive experience in aerospace, finance, and corporate leadership. His […] The post Agile Space Industries Strengthens Board and Corporate Development to Support Continued Growth appeared first on SpaceNews.

Presentations at Industry Space Days

This video was published on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot with the following caption:

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 5 – M104:… 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. M104: The […]

A bright lens of anorthosite, a rock type prevalent on the lunar surface, is cradled within sheared rocks in the country’s south.

Following its launch in May and a multi-month commissioning period, the joint European Space Agency… The post ESA, CAS release first images from SMILE; officially begin science operations appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Written by Lucy Thompson, Senior Research Scientist, University of New Brunswick, Canada Earth planning date: Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 Before we landed, the area of Gale crater that we planned to explore was divided up into rectangular parcels with designated names. The names were chosen after small towns associated with significant geological features. Our selected […]

The Tranche 1 Transporter Layer A mission is the fourth flight supporting the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture constellation. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 1:17 a.m. PDT (4:17 a.m. EDT / 0817 UTC).

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 4-10, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess […]

“I want to be able to look at a rocket launch and say, ‘I touched a piece of this.’” That’s how Richard Spolzino describes the thing he’s chasing. Not a title, not a specific mission, not even NASA itself, just the ability to point at something real and know his work made it possible. At […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 4 –… 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. Supernumerary Rainbows over […]

The European Space Agency (ESA) recently started investigating options for a European-led space station. The… The post ESA to pursue crew transport and space stations as European launchers come online appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.