Daily archive
What the launch manifest and the space news looked like on this day.
PLD Space says it has passed an explosive test of the flight termination system on its MIURA 5 rocket, a safety milestone before the Spanish launcher's first flight, now targeted for the first half of 2027.
A NASA Earth Observatory image taken from orbit shows the U.S. Midwest glowing with city lights on a nearly cloudless night before sunrise.
Belgium's Simera Sense and the Czech firm Spacemanic are partnering on a compact dual-use satellite package meant to rival larger, heavier spacecraft, built around Simera's xScape200 imager.
Ars Technica profiles a space company building its business around water as a spacecraft propellant, arguing that its wide availability could make in-space refueling far easier.
A NASA photo shows Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk during the Oct. 29 spacewalk, when he and NASA's Anil Menon installed a new roll-out solar array on the International Space Station high above the South Atlantic.
NASA's Engineering and Safety Center issued a technical bulletin on rare cracking found in thick-film chip resistors on circuit boards during thermal cycling that followed vibration testing.
Swiss startup Stellar Alpina has revealed plans for a lunar lander called Morpho and an orbital transfer vehicle called Monarch, both to use its rotating detonation rocket engine, with Monarch coming first.
For National STEM Day, NASA is hosting a live call linking students nationwide with astronaut Anil Menon aboard the space station and science creator Mark Rober.
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which studied gamma-ray bursts for over 20 years, was predicted to re-enter the atmosphere early Wednesday, Nov. 4, over a mostly ocean-covered band near the equator.
Airbus is pitching DETUMBLER, a passive device meant to keep satellites from tumbling if they fail suddenly, which would make dead spacecraft easier to capture or remove later.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman weighed in on Hubble's future, favoring a boost to a higher orbit that would avoid an uncontrolled re-entry while keeping the telescope's science going.
ESA's Hera planetary defense mission reaches its target asteroid system this month to study the aftermath of NASA's DART impact, and the agency highlights ten scientific puzzles it hopes to solve.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
SpaceX has USSF-627 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.
A Falcon 9 Block 5 operated by SpaceX is slated to carry USSF-317 aloft 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.
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.
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) has Progress MS-36 (97P) queued up on a Soyuz 2.1b, launching from 31/6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan. The target is low Earth orbit. Program: International Space Station.
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.