Space — October 2026

NASA asks companies how to boost or save the Hubble

NASA wants commercial ideas to lift Hubble higher or service it. Without help, the telescope is expected to fall back into the atmosphere in 2033 or 2034.

Sahara meteorite is a piece of Mars at least 4.1B years old

NASA-funded scientists dated the rock, Teghaza 001, and matched it to 13 possible spots on Mars. It does not prove life existed there.

Vietnam becomes the 78th nation to sign the Artemis Accords

Vietnam's science minister signed the U.S.-led space pledge on Oct. 28, joining a coalition NASA says is committed to peaceful, transparent exploration.

SpaceX signs $40B chip lease with Apollo to power AI

SpaceX will rent about $40 billion of AI chips and data-center gear through an Apollo-managed lessor, with leases starting as chips arrive in 2027.

NASA ends Swift telescope mission after 22 years

The orbiting observatory made its final observation on 20 October and will re-enter Earth's atmosphere in the coming weeks.

NASA plans two docking tests before a Moon landing

Artemis III will stay near Earth in 2027 while astronauts test how Orion connects with Blue Origin and SpaceX landers.

Europe's Space Rider prototype crashes during test

A parachute failure caused the reusable spacecraft prototype to hit the ground during an October drop test.

SpaceX will try catching both Starship stages at once

Elon Musk says the next Starship flight will attempt the first-ever double catch of both rocket stages.

SpaceX revenue jumps 161% to $14.6 billion on AI compute

Growth came almost entirely from SpaceX's new AI computing business, not rockets — the actual space segment grew just 6%.

Japan launches first round-trip mission to a Mars moon

JAXA's MMX spacecraft lifted off for Phobos on Oct. 19, aiming to land, grab a sample, and fly it back to Earth by 2031.

Japan launches a round-trip mission to a Mars moon

JAXA's MMX spacecraft heads to Phobos on Oct. 19, aiming to land, grab a sample, and fly it home.

Artemis II's heat shield held up far better than Artemis I

Divers found just 9 charred spots on the capsule's heat shield, down from 103 last time — a good sign for the next crewed Moon mission.

SpaceX launches classified USSF-481 for Space Force

A secret Space Force payload rode a Falcon 9 into orbit from Vandenberg, with SpaceX staying silent on what it's carrying.

NASA's Perseverance rover sets a Mars driving record

The rover drove past the distance record set by NASA's earlier rover, Opportunity, with years of exploring still ahead.

NASA, SpaceX launch ISS's last new solar arrays today

A Falcon 9 carries the space station's final roll-out solar arrays and 6,300 pounds of supplies, finishing a years-long power upgrade.

NASA opens bidding for space stations to replace the ISS

NASA released its final request for private companies to build the stations that will replace the International Space Station after 2030.

NASA's Webb telescope traces farthest radio burst found

Astronomers used James Webb Space Telescope to pinpoint a radio flash that traveled over 10 billion years before reaching Earth.

ISS is so full an astronaut is sleeping in a capsule

With 11 people aboard, NASA's Jessica Meir gave up her bed to a new crewmate and is bunking in the docked Dragon instead.

UAE unveils asteroid probe for 2028 deep-space launch

Sheikh Hamdan unveiled the finished probe, set to launch in 2028 on a 5-billion-km trip past seven asteroids.

Crew-12 heads home as Crew-13 takes over ISS

NASA and SpaceX are now targeting Oct. 7 for Crew-12's undocking, handing space station duties to the newly arrived Crew-13.

Falcon Heavy flies first mission for US spy agency

SpaceX's triple-core rocket launched a classified NROL-97 satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, its first-ever NRO flight.

NASA's Jessica Watkins becomes first to fly Dragon twice

Watkins commands Thursday's Crew-13 launch to the ISS, becoming the first NASA astronaut to ride a SpaceX Dragon capsule into orbit twice.