Destined for Mars and beyond, NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom will be humanity’s first fission-powered spacecraft to travel outside Earth’s orbit. Announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event, this mission will demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion in deep space, and progress is underway on its key element: the nuclear power module. To expedite development of the spacecraft, NASA […]
Nine rockets are set to launch this week from California, Florida, New Zealand, Japan, and…
The post Launch Preview: H3, Falcon 9, Electron, and others to launch during busy week appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
Underground caverns could offer lunar explorers their first true shelter, if a buried tunnel system actually exists beneath the volcanic landscape where NASA is about to look.
The post Astronauts on the Moon could shelter from radiation, micrometeoroids and extreme temperatures inside a lava tube, and NASA is sending a suite called GIMLI to scan beneath the Marius Hills Pit to see whether the pit opens into one appeared first on Space Daily.
NASA researchers are developing the future of flight on Mars, laying the groundwork for helicopters with the ability to fly higher and farther while conducting science on the Red Planet. Using high-fidelity computer simulations and wind tunnel tests, engineers are reimagining the rotorcraft blades that could carry the next generation of Mars flyers.
As NASA works to build the Moon Base, crewed and robotic lunar rovers will play a crucial role during early development through technology demonstrations, astronaut transport, terrain mapping, scientific investigations, and resource prospecting. Data from these early missions will inform future mobility systems and infrastructure needed for astronauts to live and work on the Moon. […]
A full-scale drop test of the European Space Agency’s Space Rider spaceplane ended abruptly after the test model’s parafoil failed to deploy as expected. This marks the second time this year that a Space Rider drop test has been interrupted by an anomaly, following an aborted attempt in May. The incident occurred during the vehicle’s […]
The post Space Rider test model lost following failed drop test appeared first on European Spaceflight.
An image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released on Oct. 6, 2026, reveals a cauldron of cosmic creation. 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. Learn more about this region – and tour it in […]
The Republic of Uzbekistan became the 77th signatory of the Artemis Accords during a ceremony in Samarkand on Monday, committing to the practical principles that guide safe, transparent, and responsible civil space exploration. “Uzbekistan joins the Artemis Accords at a pivotal moment,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. “President Trump has directed NASA to build […]
LOS ANGELES — October 20, 2026 AnySignal, a leading provider of software-defined radios and space-based networking, today announced an agreement with Reflect Orbital to deliver space-to-earth communications for Reflect Orbital’s inaugural […]
The post AnySignal to Deliver Space-to-Earth Communications for Three Reflect Orbital Missions appeared first on SpaceNews.
French lawmakers have proposed allocating a symbolic €1 for Dassault Aviation’s VORTEX spaceplane programme in an effort to compel the government to clarify its financial commitments to the project. In a 16 October amendment to France’s proposed 2027 budget, 71 MPs from the La France Insoumise party proposed creating a dedicated budget line for VORTEX […]
The post French MPs propose symbolic €1 budget line for VORTEX spaceplane appeared first on European Spaceflight.
Twelve Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites will join the current fleet in the coming years. They will deliver unprecedented positioning, navigation and timing capabilities thanks to an array of new features, including a new signal generation module, the ‘brain' of the spacecraft.
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 20 – An… 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. An Anticrepuscular […]
Written by Alex Innanen, Atmospheric Scientist at York University Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 Happy New Mars Year! We mark the start of a new year on Mars at the beginning of the northern hemisphere spring, or the vernal equinox. We then keep track of the seasons by counting degrees of solar longitude […]
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launch the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission this afternoon EDT. MMX will not land on Mars, but instead explore its two moons, Phobos and […]
Rockets vibrate, shake, and flex intensely as they climb into space, and spacecraft packed with delicate scientific instruments must survive those forces. Before any rocket leaves the ground, NASA engineers work to predict how those stresses will affect every part of a spacecraft. To do that, engineers in the Dynamic Environments Group with NASA’s Launch […]
Research teams at NASA’s Glenn Research Center are involved in developing theory and software to predict the noise from aircraft engines. This software helps engineers to design and analyze new and improved aircraft propulsion systems. Copies of our software can be requested from NASA’s Software Catalog. JeNo Development of jet noise prediction codes is multifaceted. […]
Research teams at the NASA Glenn Research Center perform experiments in world-class facilities such as the 9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel (9 x15 LSWT), the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL), the Small Hot Jet Acoustic Rig (SHJAR), the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig (NATR), the DGEN AeroPropulsion Research Turbofan (DART), and the Acoustical Testing Laboratory (ATL). […]
The four crew members in NASA’s simulated Mars mission have spent the past year living and working in isolation in a confined habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
John Young's hidden corned beef sandwich on Gemini III reached NASA's budget hearings, where James Webb called it an inadequate performance and Robert Gilruth defended the crew.
The post In 1965 an astronaut smuggled a corned beef sandwich into orbit, and NASA’s chief asked if he should be disciplined appeared first on Space Daily.
To measure airflow and sound, research teams at the NASA Glenn Research Center use special instrumentation like particle image velocimetry, hot wire anemometry, Raman spectroscopy, microphones in phased arrays or continuously rotating rakes. The global aviation noise reduction community relies on data from NASA GRC experiments to validate theory and noise prediction software. Rotating Rake […]
To measure airflow and sound, research teams at the NASA Glenn Research Center use special instrumentation like particle image velocimetry, hot wire anemometry, Raman spectroscopy, microphones in phased arrays or continuously rotating rakes. The global aviation noise reduction community relies on data from NASA GRC experiments to validate theory and noise prediction software. Rotating Rake […]
SAN FRANCISCO –Spanish startup UARX Space is remedying anomalies identified during the maiden flight of OSSIE-D, an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) launched Oct. 1 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission. At least […]
The post UARX Space troubleshoots anomalies on maiden OTV Flight appeared first on SpaceNews.
Spacewalk preparations kicked off the week aboard the International Space Station as two astronauts get ready to install a roll-out solar array at the end of October. Biomedical research, including portable biological sampling in microgravity and 3D cell printing, topped the science schedule for the Expedition 75 crew.
NASA’s Curiosity captures the dawn on Mars – as well as elongated ridges formed by wind erosion, or yardangs – in this close-up from a panorama released on Oct. 6, 2026. This is the most detailed view yet of distant, wind-carved Martian cliffs, highlighting features the mission’s scientists have long been waiting to see up […]
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is poised to launch a planetary probe to Mars’s…
The post Japanese MMX mission set for launch to study Martian moons appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
BepiColombo launched on 20 October 2018. This year, the anniversary is special. After eight years of travelling through the inner Solar System, the ESA/JAXA mission will arrive at Mercury on 9 December, 2026. To celebrate, mission team members were asked to describe BepiColombo in just three words.
Political and budgetary uncertainty in the United States poses a risk to long-term planning for space exploration programmes, according to a Polish government minister. In a 13 October response to a parliamentary question, Polish Deputy Minister of Development and Technology Michał Jaros said Poland remained interested in participating in NASA’s Artemis programme but raised concerns […]
The post US political uncertainty complicates long-term Artemis commitments, Polish minister says appeared first on European Spaceflight.
PLD Space has entered a new phase ahead of the first demonstration flight of its…
The post PLD Space begins system-level testing of Miura 5 as first three vehicles take shape appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
Ten years after arriving at Mars, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has grown far beyond its original ambitions. From revealing the martian atmosphere to becoming a vital communications link with the surface, the mission’s story is also one of adaptability, resilience and the people behind it.
The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has discovered its first previously unknown comet, in images taken between 16 and 24 September 2026.
Returning to the Moon is about more than reaching the surface. Before we can live and work there long-term, we need to learn how to operate safely and sustainably in the lunar environment, understand its resources and develop the technologies that future explorers will depend on.
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 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. Treble Clef: Unusual […]
Following on from the successful Transporter 18 mission at the beginning of the month, SpaceX’s…
The post Falcon 9 set to launch Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Florida appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 18-24, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess, […]
Zircon dating moves the buried Ames impact in Oklahoma to about 370 million years ago, close in time to the Late Devonian mass extinction, UT Austin researchers report.
The post A buried crater under the town of Ames, Oklahoma, that produces oil and gas was dated to the wrong era by about 100 million years, and its new age of about 370 million years puts it close to a mass extinction that wiped out much of the sea’s life appeared first on Space Daily.
This will be the second launch of SpaceX’s uncrewed reentry capsule, Starfall. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled during a one-hour window that opens at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 UTC).
SpaceX is advancing toward its next two Starship missions as the company looks to close…
The post SpaceX working through Starship Flight 15 and 16 milestones appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 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. Sonified: Eagle Nebula […]
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 17… 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. 3D 67P Explanation: Put […]
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has named Stephen Cash director of the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, effective Monday, Oct. 19. Cash, a veteran NASA engineer and aerospace executive, returns to lead the center where he began his career more than four decades ago. “Marshall contributions to NASA’s missions are historic and it’s […]
Five spacecraft are docked at the International Space Station following the arrival of a cargo-packed SpaceX Dragon on Thursday. The Expedition 75 crew members have begun unloading Dragon and are activating new science experiments to benefit life on and off the Earth.
Shortly after NASA’s Artemis II mission splashed down on April 10, 2026, U.S. Navy divers captured underwater imagery of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. In the months after, the agency measured whether the thermal protection system effectively safeguarded the crew and Orion systems as the spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere. This rigorous analysis confirmed that the […]
As the supercooled propellant flowed into the core stage, and NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket roared to life, Allison Mjoen and her family watched with awe and pride. Mjoen, NASA’s operations manager for the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems program, helped shape the systems and ground operations that will one day send humans back to […]
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is expected to award a £25 million contract for a ground-based space surveillance radar in July 2027. The call, published in late September, follows several changes to the government’s procurement plans for the installation. According to the call, the contract will cover the development and manufacture of a high-power radar […]
The post UK to Award £25M Space Surveillance Radar Contract in July 2027 appeared first on European Spaceflight.
