Crew · October 8, 2026
Crew-12 returns safely to Earth after eight months on the space station
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of California, concluding a 237-day mission for four astronauts.
This week in space
Issue 2026-W41. Updated October 11, 2026.
Four stories and a dozen briefs, drawn from the newsrooms of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the trade press. Every story lists the dated items it was written from, so any claim in it can be checked against the announcement it came from.
Leading this week
Also this week
Milestone · October 7, 2026
European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft arrives at binary asteroid system
Hera and its two companion CubeSats have reached Didymos and Dimorphos to begin exploring asteroid defense dynamics.
Upcoming · October 9, 2026
NASA issues final proposals for commercial space stations in low Earth orbit
The agency is inviting industry plans to develop next generation orbital outposts led by commercial operators.
Discovery · October 8, 2026
Solar Orbiter traces origin of magnetic switchbacks to the surface of the Sun
Measurements inside an S-shaped kink in the solar wind reveal how surface magnetic features drive space weather.
Briefs
- NASA releases full lunar science dataset and images from Artemis II missionNASA / Artemis · October 7, 2026
- Juice spacecraft skims Earth atmosphere to refine route toward JupiterESA / Science · September 28, 2026
- Joint European and Chinese Smile mission begins science operations in orbitESA / Science · September 30, 2026
- Crew-13 astronauts launch aboard SpaceX Dragon to begin six-month ISS staySpaceflight Now · October 1, 2026
- Canadarm2 releases Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft from the space stationNASA / Science · October 9, 2026
- NASA previews scientific contributions to Japan's Martian Moons eXploration missionNASA · October 8, 2026
- Copernicus Sentinel-3C returns first Earth observation data following launchESA · October 8, 2026
- Falcon Heavy launches classified NROL-97 payload for US reconnaissance agencySpaceflight Now · October 1, 2026
- NASA tests experimental heat shield capsules deployed from departing cargo shipNASA · October 9, 2026
- SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare mission delivers 130 payloads to orbitSpaceflight Now · October 1, 2026
- Mars begins a new orbit around the Sun as Red Planet New Year commencesESA / Science · September 30, 2026
- Modeling indicates cosmic dust and sulfuric acid form the haze layer on VenusArs Technica · October 1, 2026
- SpaceX launches 21 data satellites for Space Development Agency constellationSpaceflight Now · October 9, 2026
- NASA stacks solid rocket booster segments for upcoming Artemis III missionNASASpaceflight · October 6, 2026