Daily archive
What the launch manifest and the space news looked like on this day.
NASA Earth Observatory imagery looks back at an active Pacific typhoon season, including one storm with a very wide eye and another whose remnants turned extratropical and headed toward Alaska.
China has outlined more of its crewed lunar plan: two separate launches would meet in lunar orbit, pairing the Mengzhou crew ship with the Lanyue lander, with a landing targeted by 2030.
A weekly roundup of the roughly eight launches planned worldwide, highlighted by Falcon 9 flights for the U.S. Space Force and Chinese missions adding internet satellites.
NASA marks 65 years of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, comparing its early days supporting Mercury with its current role leading human spaceflight work for Artemis.
A NASA Engineering and Safety Center technical bulletin explains that instrumented hammer-tap tests remain valid even when the measured force pulse isn't a clean, ideal shape, as long as force and response are recorded accurately.
NASA's four CHAPEA volunteers have stepped outside after more than a year living in a simulated Mars habitat in Houston, ending a mission that wrapped up on Oct. 31.
NASA's November sky guide points out the Taurid and Leonid meteor showers, a close pairing of Mars and Jupiter, a supermoon, and Voyager 1 nearing one light-day from Earth.
NASA has opened media accreditation for the CRS-25 cargo mission, in which a Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL will ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 to the space station in November.
China's newly released lunar timeline aims to put astronauts on the Moon before 2030, and notably skips a crewed lunar flyby like Apollo 8 or Artemis II.
Hubble observations of 37 nearby dwarf galaxies found far less oxygen than astronomers expected, raising questions about where those galaxies' heavy elements went.
ESA plans to back European companies flying demonstrations of reusable first stages and boosters, through a new BEST!2 call issued in late October.
A SpaceNews opinion piece argues that despite record launch numbers, satellite operators still struggle to find rides, and looks at ways to widen dependable access to orbit.
Greek university CubeSat ERMIS-3 has made a laser link with a ground station, an ESA-supported test of Lithuanian-built optical terminals that shows small satellites can use laser communications.
NASA's Earth Observatory spotlights Pine Creek Gorge in north-central Pennsylvania, a deep canyon carved into the Allegheny Plateau, as seen from orbit during the autumn color season.
A weekly preview of the hearings, meetings and conferences on the U.S. space policy calendar for the first week of November, with notes on what to watch in Congress.
MDA Space of Canada will develop digital antennas for the first 66 satellites of IRIS², the European Union's planned secure communications constellation, under a deal with Thales Alenia Space reported at about €64 million. Canada and the EU are also discussing broader Canadian participation.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman discussed how Artemis III could be assembled from several launches that are checked out in sequence, the backup options NASA is weighing, and where Blue Origin fits in the agency's lunar lander plans.
Coverage of SpaceX's late-October Falcon 9 flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, which carried a batch of 27 Starlink internet satellites on the Starlink 15-18 mission.
SpaceX finished engine testing for Starship's fifteenth flight in just over a week, including three static fires on three consecutive days, as the vehicle moves toward launch.
NASA has announced its schedule for MAX POWER, a new aerospace expo and air show running November 6–8 at and around Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A new Aerospace Corporation report totals U.S. government civil space funding for fiscal year 2026 at about $42.6 billion, showing how much of that money flows through agencies other than NASA.
Industry analysts say a shortage of launch capacity for satellite operators may be worse than expected, and question whether SpaceX's Starship will be available to fly conventional customer satellites.
NASA released a new mid-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope of the Cat's Head Nebula, a region in the Carina Nebula whose shape was likely carved by radiation and winds from massive nearby stars.
Turkey is planning its first mission to the Moon for 2027: a science orbiter, to be followed later by a lander.
CAS Space's Kinetica 2 successfully launched SpaceSail Polar Group #17 from Launch Area 140 at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China, bound for a polar orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 256 worldwide in 2026.
Rocket Lab's Electron successfully launched The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 255 worldwide in 2026. Mission customer: Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 successfully launched Starlink Group 15-18 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 254 worldwide in 2026. Program: Starlink.
Indian Space Research Organization's GSLV Mk. II successfully launched IRNSS-1L (NVS-03) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India, bound for a geostationary transfer orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 253 worldwide in 2026.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 successfully launched Starlink Group 15-16 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 252 worldwide in 2026. Program: Starlink.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's Long March 8A successfully launched SatNet LEO Group 28 from Commercial LC-1 at Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 251 worldwide in 2026.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 successfully launched Starlink Group 15-15 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 250 worldwide in 2026. Program: Starlink.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's Long March 4B successfully launched Yaogan 53-07 to 09/56-19 to 21 from Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 249 worldwide in 2026.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's Long March 6A successfully launched Yaogan 50-03 from Launch Complex 9A at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 248 worldwide in 2026.
Rocket Lab's Electron successfully launched We're Not Hawking Around (3x HawkEye 360) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, bound for a sun-synchronous orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 247 worldwide in 2026. Mission customer: HawkEye 360.
Galactic Energy's Ceres-1S successfully launched Xiguang-4 01 from Rizhao offshore launch location at Haiyang Oriental Spaceport, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 246 worldwide in 2026.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 successfully launched Bandwagon 5 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA, bound for low Earth orbit. It was orbital launch attempt number 245 worldwide in 2026.
Schedules as published that day. Later changes are not reflected.
Rocket Lab has The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9) queued up on an Electron, launching from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. The target is low Earth orbit. Mission customer: Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space.
CAS Space has SpaceSail Polar Group #17 queued up on a Kinetica 2, launching from Launch Area 140 at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China. The target is a polar orbit.
Agency for Defense Development is preparing a Mir to fly Demo Flight from ADD Offshore launch platform at Sea Launch. The target is low Earth orbit.
A Long March 2C operated by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is slated to carry an undisclosed payload aloft from Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has SatNet LEO Group (details to be confirmed) queued up on a Long March 12, launching from Commercial LC-2 at Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China. The target is low Earth orbit.
A Ceres-2 operated by Galactic Energy is slated to carry an undisclosed payload aloft from Launch Area 95A at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China.
SpaceX is preparing a Falcon 9 Block 5 to fly USSF-432 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA. The target is low Earth orbit. Mission customer: United States Space Force.
SpaceX has USSF-xxx ("R-5") queued up on a Falcon 9 Block 5, launching from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA. The target is low Earth orbit. Mission customer: United States Space Force.
United Launch Alliance has Amazon Leo (LV-01) queued up on a Vulcan VC6L, launching from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA. The target is low Earth orbit. Mission customer: Amazon Leo. Program: Amazon Leo. The date is a planning target and is likely to move.
Rocket Lab is preparing an Electron to fly The Mountain God Rises (iQPS Launch 10) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. The target is low Earth orbit. Mission customer: Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space. The date is a planning target and is likely to move.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is preparing a Long March 8A to fly SatNet LEO Group (details to be confirmed) from Commercial LC-1 at Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China. The target is low Earth orbit.
An Ariane 64 Block 2 operated by Arianespace is slated to carry Amazon Leo (LE-04) aloft from Ariane Launch Area 4 at Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana. The target is low Earth orbit. Mission customer: Amazon Leo. Program: Amazon Leo. The date is a planning target and is likely to move.