Spaceflight Daily Report, Saturday 31st October 2026

China's lunar landing plan. Image credit: @观星的质量点 on Weibo.

Launch of Starlink Group 15-18

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0404 UTC, or 2104 local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-18, the latest batch of 27 Starlink v2-mini satellites for the SpaceX's internet constellation. This was the 701st flight of the Falcon 9, and the 18th flight of booster B1093, which successfully landed aboard the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

CMSA Detail Lunar Plans

At the 7th Human Space Symposium in Beijing today, CMSA lunar chief designer Wang Xiang reaffirmed China's goal of landing two taikonauts on the Moon before 2030 and provided some details on the plan for doing so. The mission will launch on two Long March 10 rockets, one carrying the Mengzhou spacecraft with three taikonauts, and the other carrying the Lanyue lunar lander. The two spacecraft will rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit, then two taikonauts will descend to the surface for a three-day stay before re-docking and returning to Earth on Mengzhou. Preceding this there will be a standalone test of the Lanyue module, which is currently soliciting payloads, then a dress rehearsal of the whole mission without crew. Once they have the capability to land crew on the Moon, China have ambitions to develop the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) alongside Russia and other partners. [Source: Global Times]

Other notes

• ION SCV Absolute Andreas, launched on Transporter-18, deployed Planet Labs' Flock 4J-11 Earth observation satellite at some point in the past few days. [Source: Space-Track.org]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Tuesday 27th October 2026

China's spaceplane. Image credit: Maxar.

Launch of Starlink Group 15-16

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0725 UTC, or 0025 local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-16, the latest batch of 27 Starlink v2-mini satellites for the company's internet constellation. This was the 700th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 26th flight of booster B1082, which successfully landed aboard the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina (both MS-29, Roscosmos) set up Earth observation equipment. Sergey Teteryatnikov (Crew-13, Roscosmos) used the European robotic arm to inspect the exterior of the nadir port of the Rassvet module ahead of the docking of Progress MS-36 next month. Anil Menon (MS-29, NASA) and Joshua Kutryk (Crew-13, CSA) continued preparing for their spacewalk on Thursday by organising tools and printing off the procedure checklists they will keep on their spacesuit cuffs. Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney (both Crew-13, NASA) also reviewed procedures for their parts in assisting the spacewalkers. The pair also packed a malfunctioning joint removed from Canadarm2 during June's spacewalk into the CRS-35 cargo spacecraft to be returned to Earth for analysis. Watkins additionally set up a camera to film thunderstorms, while Delaney prepared an investigation into plant diseases. [Source: NASA]

New Dwarf Planet Candidate

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has announced the observation of a new dwarf planet candidate in the outer Solar System, provisionally designated 2026 ED₁₃₈, orbiting at a distance of 46 AU from the Sun compared to Pluto's 40 AU. It was discovered on 13th October by astronomer Matthew Holman. Its size has not been determined, but astronomers estimate from its brightness that it could be between 600 km and 1500 km in diameter; comparable to Ceres. [Source: Rubin Observatory]

Cowboy Space to Enter Launch Market

Space data centre startup Cowboy Space Corp. have announced they are throwing their hat in the ring (a Stetson, one presumes) and planning to enter the launch market with a rocket called "Big Iron". According to the company it will have an 18 tonne payload capacity to LEO, a reusable first stage powered by nine metholox-burning "Clydesdale" engines, and a second stage powered by one engine which will itself act as a data centre satellite rather than de-orbiting. The company have very optimistically set the first launch for Q4 2028; judging by the time it's taken other companies to build similar rockets, this will almost certainly slip by several years. [Source: Cowboy Space Corp.]

Other notes

• Amid other pre-launch activity, Ship 42 (the upper stage for the upcoming Starship Flight 15) has conducted two static fire tests; a single-engine test and an all-engine test. [Source: NSF]
• Virgin Galactic plan to fly their new Delta-class SpaceShip from their factory in Arizona to their spaceport in New Mexico tomorrow. They will also announce the result of the public naming vote. [Source: Virgin Galactic]
• The US Defense Intelligence Agency have released a report on space security, including the first quality photograph of China's highly secretive experimental military spaceplane. [Source: DIA - see p. 53]
• ESA's Hera spacecraft has taken its first photograph of its destination, Didymos and Dimorphos, where both objects are visible separately. The spacecraft will arrive at the pair of asteroids in November. [Source: ESA]
• NASA's UVEX ultraviolet space telescope has passed its final review and the agency is now committed to launching it by 2031. [Source: NASA]
• ION SCV Absolute Andreas, launched on Transporter-18, deployed Planet Labs' Flock 4J-10 Earth observation satellite on or around 21st October. [Source: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Friday 23rd October 2026

Artemis IV Blue Moon CONOPS. Image credit: NASA.

Launch of "We're Not Hawking Around"

Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Māhia in New Zealand at 0711 UTC, or 2011 local time (NZDT). This mission, named "We're Not Hawking Around", was carrying HawkEye 360 Cluster 16, a batch of three Sun-synchronous radio surveillance satellites for the American company HawkEye 360. This was the 98th flight of Electron. [Source: Rocket Lab]

Launch of Yaogan-50-03

SAST, a subsidiary of China Aerospace (CASC), launched a Long March 6A (Chang Zheng 6A) from Taiyuan in Shanxi at 1015 UTC, or 1815 local time (CST). This was carrying Yaogan-50-03, a military reconnaissance satellite of unclear purpose. Like the previous Yaogan-50 satellites, it launched into a retrograde low-Earth orbit, orbiting in the opposite direction to most satellites. This was the 28th flight of the Long March 6A, and the 45th flight of the Long March 6 family. [Source: SAST]

Launch of 6x Yaogan

SAST launched a Long March 4B (Chang Zheng 4B) from Jiuquan in Gansu at 1925 UTC, or 0325 Saturday morning local time (CST). This was carrying six more Yaogan satellites; Yaogan-53-07, 08, and 09, and Yaogan-56-19, 20, and 21. These are all low-Earth orbit military reconnaissance satellites of unclear purpose. This was the 59th flight of the Long March 4B, and the 120th flight of the Long March 4 family. [Source: SAST]

Launch of Starlink Group 15-15

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 2248 UTC, or 1548 local time (PDT). The mission was delayed three times due to bad weather. It was carrying Starlink Group 15-15, the latest batch of 27 Starlink v2-mini satellites for the constellation. It was the 699th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 36th flight of booster B1063, which successfully landed aboard the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

Pyotr Dubrov (MS-29, Roscosmos), Anna Kikina (MS-29, Roscosmos), and Sergey Teteryatnikov (Crew-13, Roscosmos) studied plasma crystals, serviced radiation detection equipment, carried out AI research, and took blood pressure readings. Jessica Watkins (Crew-13, NASA) tested water quality detectors and a gas flow controller. Luke Delaney (Crew-13, NASA) and Anil Menon (MS-29, NASA) continued their blood vessel bio-printing research. Joshua Kutryk (Crew-13, CSA) swapped research samples in a furnace. The four Western astronauts also held a conference with engineers on the ground regarding their two upcoming spacewalks. [Source: NASA]

Artemis Updates

NASA held a press conference announcing several updates and details regarding the Artemis programme. Artemis III will see the crew of an Orion spacecraft test rendezvous operations in low-Earth orbit with the two candidate Human Landing System (HLS) Moon landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. NASA revealed the following concept of operations:

• Before Day 0: Blue Moon launches on New Glenn and loiters in orbit.
• Day 0: Orion launches on SLS.
• Day 3: Orion docks with Blue Moon.
• Day 6: Orion undocks from Blue Moon.
• Day 6: Starship launches.
• Day 8: Orion docks with Starship. Undocks after around two hours.
• Day 14: Orion returns to Earth.

Additionally, NASA shared concepts of operations for the Starship propellant transfer demo planned for early 2027, and two potential versions of Artemis IV in 2028; one with SpaceX's Starship HLS, and one with Blue Origin's Blue Moon HLS. In the SpaceX plan, Starship will get to the Moon by refuelling at an orbital depot, to be fuelled by other Starships, and will itself act as the transfer stage for Orion following a rendezvous in Earth orbit. In the Blue Origin plan, Blue Moon will get to the Moon by attaching to a multi-stage transfer stack, and Orion will make its own way to the Moon and rendezvous with it in Lunar orbit. In both plans, two astronauts will descend to the Lunar surface on the HLS while two others will remain aboard Orion in Lunar orbit. [Source: NASA]

Starshield Speed Limit Apparently Not Lifted

Last week, soldiers in Ukraine began reporting that SpaceX's military Starshield service, used to control drones and bolster front line communications, was cutting out when the terminal exceeded 100 mph. US president Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk both denied responsibility for the restriction, though it came amid a public disagreement between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy over Russian oil exports. Despite Trump's subsequent claim that restrictions have been lifted, Ukrainian drone operators are still reporting speed limits. LEO satellite internet services have become vital infrastructure in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with SpaceX cutting Russian access to Starlink back in February and both Europe and Russia scrambling to establish their own independent constellations. [Source: BBC]

SpaceX Declines US Government Contracts

SpaceX have reportedly declined three missions for the US Space Force as they phase out the Falcon 9 in favour of Starship, which will focus on the company's in-house projects rather than external contracts. American institutions have allowed SpaceX's dominance of the launch market to become a monopoly, with their competitors nowhere near ready to pick up the slack. Falcon 9 is currently the only rocket keeping US launch capacity ahead of that of China. [Source: Politico]

Other notes

• ESA's Hera probe has performed a braking manoeuvre ahead of its arrival at asteroid 65803 Didymos. Orbital insertion is scheduled for November. [Source: ESA]
• ArianeGroup's Themis hop test vehicle may not fly until 2027, further delaying ESA's already slow development of a reusable successor to the Ariane 6. [Source: European Spaceflight]
• ICEYE and Nokia have signed a letter of intent with Ukraine to bolster the country's sovereign satellite communications amid the Russian invasion. [Source: ICEYE]
• Firefly Aerospace have completed the preliminary design review for their Elytra spacecraft that will deliver NASA's MoonFall mission to the Lunar south pole no earlier than late 2028. [Source: Firefly Aerospace]
• The launches of Starlink Group 15-16 and Group 15-18 aboard Falcon 9 rockets have both been pushed back a day, to the 27th and 30th of October respectively. [Source: SpaceX]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Tuesday 20th October 2026

Bandwagon-5 prepares for launch. Image credit: SpaceX.

Launch of Bandwagon-5

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 1104 UTC, or 0704 local time (EDT). This was carrying Bandwagon-5, the latest SpaceX rideshare mission carrying 32 payloads to a mid-inclination orbit for various customers, including the second flight of SpaceX's Starfall cargo re-entry system. The full launch manifest can be found beneath the "read more" break. This was the 698th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 19th flight of booster B1085, which successfully landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

Pyotr Dubrov (MS-29, Roscosmos) set up automatic cameras to photograph landmarks in Africa. Anna Kikina (MS-29, Roscosmos) unloaded water from the Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft. Anil Menon (MS-29, NASA) configured tools and inspected tethers ahead of the two upcoming spacewalks. Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney (both Crew-13, NASA) continued their cellular bio-printing study, and Delaney also carried out cancer research. Joshua Kutryk (Crew-13, CSA) performed exercise research. Sergey Teteryatnikov (Crew-13, Roscosmos) trained to operate the European Robotic Arm. [Source: NASA]

Other notes

• Starlink Group 15-15, originally scheduled to launch at 2310 UTC, was scrubbed and has been rescheduled for tomorrow. [Source: SpaceX]
• The Long March 8A originally scheduled to launch on Thursday has been pushed back to Sunday. [Source: Next Spaceflight]
• The launch of NROL-195 aboard a Falcon 9 has been scheduled for no earlier than 5th November. [Source: Next Spaceflight]
• SpaceX confirmed during their Q3 earnings report that, during Starship Flight 15, they will attempt to catch both stages of the rocket for the first time, pending FAA approval. [Source: SpaceX]
• ESA lost a test model of their Space Rider cargo spaceplane in a failed drop test earlier this month. [Source: European Spaceflight]
• NASA published progress updates and some more details about the early rover missions of their Moon Base programme, including the VIPER rover and the crewed vehicles being developed by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. [Source: NASA]
• UPDATE: NASA launched a sounding rocket from Poker Flat in Alaska on this day. See 25th October for details.

Spaceflight Daily Report, Friday 16th October 2026

The spacecraft docked to the ISS. Image credit: NASA.

Launch of USSF-481

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0001 UTC, or 1701 Thursday evening local time (PDT). This was carrying USSF-481, a classified mission for the United States Space Force, likely to be a batch of 17 Starshield-based electronic surveillance satellites. This was the 697th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 28th flight of booster B1081, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina (both MS-29, Roscosmos) finished their weeklong study with the Teledroid controller. Anil Menon (MS-29, NASA), Jessica Watkins (Crew-13, NASA), Luke Delaney (Crew-13, NASA), and Joshua Kutryk (Crew-13, CSA) spent today unpacking the Cargo Dragon (CRS-35) which arrived yesterday, starting with the time-sensitive frozen samples. Sergey Teteryatnikov (Crew-13, Roscosmos) underwent a VR balance and orientation test, inspected some hydraulics, and serviced an oxygen generator. [Source: NASA]

Other notes

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have completed a series of separation tests for the Gaganyaan crew module ahead of its planned uncrewed test flight later this year. [Source: ISRO]
• Blue Origin have provided an update on their plans to increase New Glenn's launch cadence, stating that the upper stage production facility in Florida will be completed in summer 2027 and the company is acquiring two new droneship landing barges. [Source: Blue Origin]
• UPDATE: ION SCV Absolute Andreas, launched on Transporter-18, deployed Planet Labs' Flock 4J-5, -6, and -8 Earth observation satellites today. Additionally, ION SCV Alluring Alexander deployed Indian company TakeMe2Space's MOI-1A, and German company Ethereal's OSIRIS-E. [Source: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Tuesday 13th October 2026

CRS-35 lifts off. Image credit: SpaceX.

Launch of Starlink Group 15-25

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0028 UTC, or 1728 Monday afternoon local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-25, the latest batch of 27 Starlink v2-mini satellites for the constellation. It was the 695th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 20th flight of booster B1088, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Launch of SpaceX CRS-35

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 1033 UTC, or 0633 local time (EDT). This was carrying SpaceX CRS-35, a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Cargo Dragon being used for the mission is C211, on its 4th flight, which was previously used for CRS-26, 29, and 33. The 2867 kg of cargo includes a fourth pair of iROSA roll-out solar arrays to supplement the station's ageing power supply, which will be installed during a future spacewalk, as well as a new toilet. CRS-35 is expected to dock with the zenith port of the Harmony module on Thursday, and will remain at the station for a few weeks before returning to Earth. This was the 696th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 8th flight of booster B1096, which performed a boostback burn and successfully landed at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 40. [Source: SpaceX, NASA]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station performed routine research and maintenance while they wait for the arrival of CRS-35. Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina practised with the Teledroid controller. Jessica Watkins serviced 3D printing hardware and the Astrobee robot. Luke Delaney serviced a spacesuit jetpack and set up an ultrasound scanner for remote servicing by engineers on the ground. Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk cleaned and inspected a science freezer. Watkins, Delaney, and Menon also underwent eye checks. Sergey Teteryatnikov cleaned smoke detectors. [Source: NASA]

(Missed) Missile Tests

In addition to last week's French missile test, there have been two other missile tests in recent days which reached heights great enough to qualify as suborbital spaceflights:

• On 2nd October, North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile from Wonsan towards the Sea of Japan at 2136 UTC, or 0636 local time (KST). It achieved a maximum altitude of around 90 km. [Source: Japanese Ministry of Defense]
• On the morning of 9th October, the United States Air Force launched a Minotaur I missile from Vandenberg in California. It was carrying an unarmed Mk21A re-entry vehicle. [Source: Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center]
• Two missiles launched by North Korea on 12th October probably did not exceed an altitute of 80 km, so won't be counted as spaceflights in this month's statistics. [Source: Japanese Ministry of Defense]

Other notes

• Voyager Technology's Griffin-1 lander has completed several critical tests. Next, it will be integrated with Astrolab's FLIP rover and prepared for launch later this year under the mission designation Moon Base I. [Source: NASA]
• Astronaut Christina Koch has taken on the role of NASA's deputy chief engineer. With this promotion, none of the Artemis II crew remain on the roster for future missions; Jeremy Hansen left the CSA in July, and Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover became emeriti in September. [Source: NASA]
• NASA have completed stacking for the boosters of the SLS rocket aiming to launch the Artemis III mission next year. There is still a great deal more work to be done before the rocket is ready for launch. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Saturday 10th October 2026

Falcon launch. Image credit: SpaceX.

Launch of Tranche 1 Transport Layer A

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0739 UTC, or 0039 local time (PDT), delayed multiple times from its initial launch window on Monday. It was carrying Tranche 1 Transport Layer A, the 4th batch of 21 military communication satellites for the United States Space Force's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation, manufactured by Northrop Grumman. This was the 694th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 6th flight of booster B1103, which performed a boostback burn and successfully landed at Vandenberg's Landing Zone 4. [Source: SpaceX]

Other notes

• UPDATE: ION SCV Absolute Andreas, launched on Transporter-18, deployed Planet Labs' Flock 4J-1 Earth observation satellite today. [Source: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Thursday 1st October 2026

Crew-13 aboard Grace. Image credit: NASA

Launch of SpaceX Crew-13

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 1510 UTC, or 1110 local time (EDT). This was carrying SpaceX Crew-13, a Crew Dragon spacecraft (Grace) carrying two Americans, one Canadian, and one Russian to the International Space Station. The spacecraft docked to the forward port of the Harmony module at 2305 UTC, just eight hours after launch, which is a new record for a US spacecraft. Hatch opening will occur after midnight UTC and will be covered in tomorrow's report. This was the 692nd flight of the Falcon 9, the 2nd flight of Crew Dragon Grace, and the 3rd flight of booster B1101, which performed a boostback burn and successfully landed at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 40. [Source: SpaceX]

The crew will join Expedition 75, and are expected to remain on the station for around five months. The mission commander is NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, a geologist who got her start at NASA working on various robotic Mars missions. This is her second spaceflight; she previously flew on SpaceX Crew-4 back in 2022, when she became the first Black woman to serve on a long-duration ISS mission, and as of today she is the first person to fly on two different Crew Dragon missions. The mission's pilot is NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, who became a test pilot for NASA after retiring from the Marine Corps. This is his first spaceflight. The first of the two mission specialists is Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk. He joined the CSA after a career as a test pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force. This is also his first spaceflight. And finally, the second mission specialist is Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Before being selected as a cosmonaut, he worked as a submarine engineer for the Russian Navy. This is his first spaceflight as well. The three first-timers are jointly the 649th people to achieve orbit, the 744th people to fly above 100km (the FAI definition of space), and the 785th people to fly above 50mi (the US definition of space). There are now 14 people in orbit: five Americans, four Russians, three Chinese, one Canadian, and one French. There are also currently five women in orbit, matching the record first set in 2022. [Source: NASA]

Launch of Transporter-18

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 1832 UTC, or 1132 local time (PDT). This was Transporter-18, the latest SpaceX rideshare mission carrying a reported 130 payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit, including satellites for communication, Earth observation, medical manufacturing, technology demonstrations, orbital servicing, and orbital transfers. The full launch manifest can be found beneath the "read more" break. 71 objects were deployed during today's deployment sequence. This was the 693rd flight of the Falcon 9, and the 25th flight of booster B1082, which performed a boostback burn and successfully landed at Vandenberg's Landing Zone 4. [Source: SpaceX]

UPDATE: Today, in addition to the objects deployed directly from Transporter-18 (see full launch manifest below), OSSIE deployed NIS-PQ for the Greek company Libre Space Foundation, and ION SCV Alluring Alexander deployed SanoSat-3 for Nepali company Orion Space. The deployment of the rest of the tugs' payloads will follow in the coming days. [Source: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT]

Other notes

UPDATE: An RK-IM suborbital spaceflight took place on this day. See 6th October 2026 for details.

Spaceflight Daily Report, Saturday 26th September 2026

An Electron launches from Māhia. Image credit: Rocket Lab.

Launch of "Owlright, Owlright, Owlright"

Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Māhia in New Zealand at 0039 UTC, or 1239 local time (NZST). The mission was named "Owlright, Owlright, Owlright". It was carrying StriX-12 for the constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites operated by the Japanese private company Synspective. This was the 13th StriX satellite launched by Rocket Lab, and Synspective have bought a further 14 launches. This was the 97th flight of the Electron. [Source: Rocket Lab]

Launch of USSF-385

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 1400 UTC, or 0700 local time (PDT). This was carrying USSF-385, a classified mission carrying an unknown number of small satellites for the United States Space Force. More information about the number of satellites should become available in the coming days. This was the 691st flight of the Falcon 9, and the 10th flight of booster B1100, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

UPDATE: There were 23 payloads aboard this launch. [Source: Space-Track.org]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Sunday 20th September 2026

Image credit: CAS Space

Launch of Starlink Group 15-27

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 0147 UTC, or 1847 Saturday evening local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-27, a batch of 27 satellites for the constellation. It was the 690th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 17th flight of booster B1093, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Launch of Kinetica 1 Rideshare

CAS Space launched a Kinetica 1 (Lijian 1) from Jiuquan in Gansu at 0403 UTC, or 1203 local time (CST). This was a rideshare mission carrying nine satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit; the Chaozhisuan-1 computation demonstration satellite for Chaozhisuan Beijing Technology, the Qinling-01 and 02 ecological monitoring satellites for Northwestern Polytechnical University, the Yunxiao Pathfinder Satellite of unclear purpose for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Diting-1A, B and C electromagnetic monitoring satellites for Tianjin Xingkan Jiuzhou Technology, the Peng Cheng-SUSTech 1 (PEGA-SUS 1) communications and computation satellite for Peng Cheng Laboratory, and the Pujiang-4 greenhouse gas monitoring satellite for the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). This was the 16th flight of Kinetica 1. [Source: CAS Space]

Tiangong Activities

CMSA's Tiangong TV vlog is back after a hiatus following last month's spacewalk, which means we finally have an update on what the taikonauts aboard the Tiangong space station have been up to. Zhu Yangzhu, Lai Ka-Ying, and Zhang Zhiyuan performed research into the immune system, replaced test samples, tested water faucets for microbes, cleaned and maintained the station's living area, and undertook regular medical examinations and exercise. [Source: CMSA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Thursday 17th September 2026

Image credit: Roscosmos

Launch of Guowang Group 25

CASC/SAST launched a Long March 12 (Chang Zheng 12) from Wenchang in Hainan at 0032 UTC, or 0832 local time (CST). This was carrying SatNet LEO (Guowang) Group 25, a batch of nine satellites for the China Satellite Network Group's internet constellation. This was the 8th flight of the Long March 12, and the 10th flight of the Long March 12 family. [Source: SAST]

Launch of USSF-259

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0107 UTC, or 1807 Wednesday evening local time (PDT), delayed from yesterday. This was carrying USSF-259, a classified mission carrying an unknown number of small satellites for the United States Space Force. More information about the number of satellites should become available in the coming days. This was the 689th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 13th flight of booster B1097, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

UPDATE: The number of skipped IDs in the US Space Force's publicly available satellite catelogue indicates there were at most 17 payloads aboard this flight. [Source: Space-Track.org]

Launch of SpaceTY-51 and 52

ExPace, a subsidiary of CASIC, launched a Kuaizhou-11 from Jiuquan in Gansu at 0240 UTC, or 1040 local time (CST). This was carrying Tianyi-51 and 52, a pair of synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the company SpaceTY. This was the 7th flight of the Kuaizhou-11. [Source: ExPace]

Unknown Launch from Plesetsk

Roscosmos launched a rocket from Plesetsk in Arkangelsk at approximately 1650 UTC, or 1950 local time (MSK), according to residents in the Volga district who were able to photograph its exhaust trail. It is likely to be a Soyuz rocket carrying a GLONASS navigation satellite, but there is no official confirmation yet. More details about this launch should become available in the coming days. [Source: afec7032]

UPDATE: Roscosmos have confirmed a Soyuz 2.1b was launched from Plesetsk but haven't provided a launch time or any information about the payload. The US Space Force is tracking a single payload. This was the 210th flight of the Soyuz-2 family of rockets, and the 88th flight of the 2.1b variant. [Source: Roscosmos]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance while the Progress cargo resupply spacecraft continues its three day journey to the station. Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway cleaned and inspected spacesuit cooling systems. Andrey Fedyaev serviced laptop computers. Sophie Adenot performed stress, sleep, and exercise research, and assisted Hathaway in preparing the cupola's windows for cleaning. Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina tested the backup remote control system for the incoming Progress spacecraft, performed blood pressure research, and practised operating a simulation of the Teledroid robot that will be delivered to the station soon. Anil Menon continued soldering research aiming to increase the number of electrical repairs that can be conducted in space. [Source: NASA]

VSS Unity Glide Flight

Virgin Galactic carried out a low-altitude glide flight of VSS Unity yesterday to provide their pilots with practice ahead of the debut flight of the company's new suborbital spaceship, which is meant to be beginning its glide test campaign soon ahead of the start of commercial spaceflights in 2027. In their last investor report the company claimed that test flights of the new spaceship would begin in October 2026. [Source: Virgin Galactic]

NASA to Order More Starliners

According to Ars Technica, NASA will soon announce it has ordered two more crewed spaceflights on Boeing Starliner, as well as supporting its certification to be launched on a new rocket once the Atlas V is retired. It has become clear in recent months that SpaceX intends to stop operating its Crew Dragon spacecraft in the early 2030s to focus on Starship development. Boeing Starliner, despite its issues, represents the best chance for the United States to retain a vehicle suitable for low Earth orbit crewed missions into the 2030s. [Source: Ars Technica]

Further Delay to Starship Flight 14

The launch of Starship Flight 14, the first orbital launch attempt of SpaceX's fully reusable rocket, has been delayed by a further six days and is now aiming to launch on Monday 28th September. [Source: SpaceX]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Sunday 13th September 2026

Image credit: KazTAG

Launch of O3b mPOWER 11, 12, and 13

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 1849 UTC, or 1449 local time (EDT). This was carrying O3b mPOWER 11, 12, and 13 to medium Earth orbit. This is part of a constellation of communications satellites for the Luxembourgish company SES. They use an array of individually steered spot beams to connect with ground terminals. It was the 688th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 29th flight of booster B1080, which successfully landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Progress MS-35 Rescheduled

The Soyuz 2.1b rocket that will carry the Progress MS-35 cargo mission to the International Space Station has returned to the launch pad at Baikonur. The mission was originally scheduled to launch last Wednesday (9th September) but the rocket was returned to the assembly building to address a problem with the third stage. The mission is now aiming to launch this coming Wednesday (16th September). SpaceX Crew-13, the other delayed ISS flight, has yet to receive a new launch date. [Source: KazTAG]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Thursday 10th September 2026

Image credit: The Exploration Company

Launch of 6x Yaogan

CASC/SAST launched a Long March 4B (Chang Zheng 4B) from Jiuquan in Gansu at 0900 UTC, or 1700 local time (CST). This was carrying six Chinese military satellites of unknown purpose, designated Yaogan 53-01 to 03 and Yaogan 56-01 to 03. This was the 119th launch of the Long March 4 family of rockets, and the 58th launch of the 4B configuration. [Source: SAST]

Launch of USSF-153

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 1542 UTC, or 0842 local time (PDT). This was carrying USSF-153, a classified mission for the US Space Force. Further information about the number of payloads launched on this rocket should be available in the coming days. It was the 687th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 27th flight of booster B1081, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

UPDATE: There were 23 payloads on this launch, designated USA 644 to USA 666. [Source: Jonathan McDowell]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance. Sophie Adenot and Pyotr Dubrov both filmed documentary footage today, including a series of tours of the station which we can expect to see soon. [Source: NASA]

International Space Summit

The International Space Summit in Paris, which began yesterday, concluded today. The following is a summary of the major announcements made over both days of the event:

• ESA announced they have awarded a €760 million contract to The Exploration Company (TEC) to develop and fly their Nyx cargo spacecraft, in order to provide Europe with independent access to a cargo vehicle. This is part of what was previously called the LCRS project (LEO Cargo Return Service), which has been renamed to the rather contrived acronym ALADDIN (Autonomous LEO Accelerated Demo Docking to ISS Node). The vehicle will launch on an Ariane 6 rocket. [Source: ESA]
• Vast Space (United States) announced that the third crew member of Private Astronaut Mission 6 to the International Space Station will be ESA astronaut Adrianos Golemis. He will become the first Greek citizen in space when it launches in 2027. Also on the mission are Thomas Pesquez of France, Aleš Svoboda of Czechia, and an unannounced fourth crew member. [Source: Vast Space]
• Arianespace (France) announced several new Ariane 6 contracts, including two launches for Eutelsat's OneWeb, six launches for Amazon Leo (United States), one launch for a South Korean geostationary communication satellite, and the aforementioned maiden flight of the Nyx cargo spacecraft. They also signed memoranda of understanding with EnduroSat (Bulgaria) and ICEYE (Finland), indicating future launches for those organisations. Arianespace subsidiary MaiaSpace announced a launch contract for iQPS (Japan). [Source: Élysée Palace]
• Eutelsat (France) announced they have awarded Airbus a contract to develop the first layer of at least 66 satellites for the European Union's IRIS² satellite internet constellation. [Source: Airbus]

A variety of other announcements were made at the summit. A summary of the various contracts and MoUs is available on the website of the French presidency.

PLD Space Announce Miura 9 Rocket

Spanish company PLD Space, who are developing the yet-to-fly Miura 5 small-lift reusable rocket, have announced that the larger future version of the rocket will be named Miura 9 (previously designated Miura 5 Block 1.2). It will have around three times the payload capacity of the Miura 5, making it a medium-lift vehicle. PLD Space is using the funding from ESA's European Launcher Challenge programme to help develop the larger rocket. [Source: PLD Space]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Sunday 6th September 2026

Image credit: SpaceX

Launch of Starlink Group 15-24

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 1426 UTC, or 0726 local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-24, a batch of 27 satellites for the constellation. It was the 686th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 19th flight of booster B1088, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

China Announces Lunar CubeSat Missions

On Friday, The International Deep Space Exploration Association (IDSEA) and CNSA's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory announced plans to launch of a fleet of 30 CubeSats into a 1:3 Earth-Moon resonant orbit to monitor and perform scientific research in cislunar space. The satellites will be developed by various countries, including Thailand, Serbia, Egypt, Senegal, and Indonesia, most of which are members of the Chinese and Russian led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project. [Source: Xinhua]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Wednesday 2nd September 2026

Source: Sierra Space

Launch of Starlink Group 15-23

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 0842 UTC, or 0142 local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-23, a batch of 27 satellites for the constellation. It was the 685th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 35th flight of booster B1063, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Launch of "Owl Around The World"

Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Māhia in New Zealand at 1201 UTC, or 0001 Thursday morning local time (NZST). The mission was named "Owl Around The World". It was carrying StriX-9, part of Synspective's StriX constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites. This was the 11th StriX satellite launched by Rocket Lab, and Synspective has bought a further 16 launches. This was the 94th flight of the Electron. [Source: Rocket Lab]

Sierra Space Secures Dream Chaser Contracts

Sierra Space, a subsidiary of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, claims to have secured contracts for national security and commercial payloads to fly aboard the inaugural flight of Dream Chaser, a reusable uncrewed spaceplane that has been in development since 2004. The press release does not go into any further detail about these payloads and does not suggest a target launch date. [Source: Sierra Space]

Dragonfly Landing Area Gets New Name

The International Astronomical Union have approved a name suggested for the location on Saturn's moon Titan where NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft will land in 2034. The dune field is now called "Ahmakiq Undae", after a Mayan wind spirit. By convention, dune fields are usually named after gods and spirits associated with wind. [Source: NASA]

International Space Station Activities

NASA published their daily blog post on the crew's activities aboard the International Space Station. The NASA and ESA astronauts took part in a post-spacewalk conference following yesterday's spacewalk. The crew performed routine maintenance and research, and worked to move cargo around ahead of the departure of the Progress MS-33 cargo vehicle later this month. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Wednesday 26th August 2026

Image credit: NASA/Jessica Meir

Launch of Starlink Group 15-22

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 0935 UTC, or 0235 local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-22, a batch of 27 satellites for the constellation. It was the 684th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 24th flight of booster B1082, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Ship 40 Recovery Operations

Ship 40, the upper stage used on SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 which unexpectedly survived its soft water landing in the Indian Ocean, has been recovered by a semi-submersible heavy transport ship named Forte just off the coast of Kiritimati (Christmas Island). Forte will now deliver Ship 40 all the way back to Starbase in Texas, which is expected to take around a month. [Source: NSF]

International Space Station Activities

NASA published their daily blog post on the crew's activities aboard the International Space Station. Activities included cleaning up the Quest airlock after yesterday's spacewalk and beginning to prepare the spacesuits for next Tuesday's spacewalk, along with routine research and maintenance. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Tuesday 25th August 2026

Image credit: NASA

US Spacewalk 98

American astronaut Anil Menon and French astronaut Sophie Adenot performed a spacewalk today from the International Space Station, supported from inside the station by fellow astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, and supported from the ground by Steven Zentner and Anne McClain. The spacewalk began at 1227 UTC and concluded at 1857 UTC, lasting 6 hours 30 minutes. The duo succeeded in installing the replacement space-to-ground antenna that they didn't have time to install during their previous spacewalk last week. This was Anil Menon's 3rd spacewalk, bringing him up to 19 hours 20 minutes of EVA time, and it was Sophie Adenot's 2nd spacewalk, bringing her up to 12 hours 53 minutes of EVA time. It was the 3rd spacewalk of Expedition 75 and overall the 283rd spacewalk from the International Space Station. [Source: NASA]

Launch of Long March 6C Rideshare

SAST, a subsidiary of CASC, launched a Long March 6C (Chang Zheng 6C) from Taiyuan in Shanxi at 0321 UTC, or 1121 local time (CST). This was a rideshare mission carrying seven payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit; the Zhongke-14 and 15 synthetic aperture radar satellites for Zhongke Satellite Technology Group, Muduo-1A and 1B Earth observation satellites for Beijing Normal University, the Jing'an Mengxian student amateur radar satellite for SAST, the Bayi-04 Earth observation satellite for the Harbin Institute of Technology, and the Lingzhi-09 Thailand CubeSat Earth observation satellite for Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. This was only the 2nd flight of the Long March 6C, which first flew in 2024. It was the 43rd flight of the Long March 6 family. [Source: SAST]

Launch of Starlink Group 10-49

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 0933 UTC, or 0533 local time (EDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 10-49, a batch of 29 satellites for the constellation. It was the 683rd flight of the Falcon 9, and the 37th flight of booster B1067 (a new record), which successfully landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Notably, this is expected to be the final Falcon 9 Starlink mission launched from Cape Canaveral, with all future Starlink missions either launching from Vandenberg or launching on Starship. There will still be Falcon 9 launches of other payloads from Cape Canaveral. [Source: SpaceX]

Official Announcement of Starbase Louisiana

Following reports last month that SpaceX acquired land for a new spaceport on the coast of Louisiana, the company have now officially announced their plans to build a large launch complex at the site. It will be called Starbase, which is the same as the name of their launch site in Texas. They are aiming to begin construction in 2027 and claim it will be ready to launch its first Starship by 2029. [Source: SpaceX]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Saturday 22nd August 2026

Image credit: SpaceX

Launch of Starlink Group 15-20

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 0725 UTC, or 0025 local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 15-20, a batch of 27 satellites for the constellation. It was the 682nd flight of the Falcon 9, and the 9th flight of booster B1100, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Friday 21st August 2026

Launch of Starlink Group 10-39

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 1514 UTC, or 1114 local time (EDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 10-39, a batch of 29 satellites for the constellation. It was the 681st flight of the Falcon 9, and the 30th flight of booster B1078, which successfully landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance and prepared for Tuesday's spacewalk. [Source: NASA]

Recovered Zhuque-3 Booster Falls Over

Photographs and other evidence have emerged confirming the rumours that LandSpace's Zhuque-3 first stage, which made its first successful landing on Tuesday, has toppled over. Reports indicate that a fire weakened one of the landing legs, leading to the collapse a few hours after the landing. It is unlikely that LandSpace will be able to re-fly the damaged booster, so while the landing of the rocket was successful, full recovery has not been achieved. [Source: CNSPACE]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Wednesday 19th August 2026

Image credit: NASA

Swift Boost Mission Ends in Failure

NASA have called off the Swift Boost mission to reboost the Neils Gehrels Swift Observatory after the LINK spacecraft, built and operated by private American company Katalyst Space, lost attitude control and could not be fully recovered. LINK will still demonstrate a rendezvous with the Swift Observatory, but will not attempt to grab it and push it to a higher orbit as initially planned. Swift is expected to fall into the atmosphere and be destroyed within the next few months. [Source: NASA]

Launch of Starlink Group 17-50

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 0401 UTC, or 2101 Tuesday evening local time (PDT). This was carrying Starlink Group 17-50, a batch of 24 satellites for the constellation. It was the 680th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 12th flight of booster B1097, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station cleared up after yesterday's spacewalk and performed routine research and maintenance. [Source: NASA]

Failure of Sebit

Innospace launched a suborbital Sebit rocket from Alcântara in Maranhão, Brazil at 1930 UTC, or 1630 local time (BRT). This was the first test flight of the rocket. The launch failed and the rocket was destroyed. This is the second failure for the South Korean private company after their orbital Hanbit-Nano rocket also failed during its debut launch in 2025. [Source: Innospace]

Ship 41 Static Fire Test

Ship 41, which will fly on Starship Flight 14, the first orbital test of SpaceX's full reusable rocket, underwent a single engine static fire test today. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk indicated that Flight 14 is unlikely to involve a catch of the ship. [Source: NSF, Elon Musk]

Firefly to Land Radioisotope Demo on Moon

Firefly Aerospace have announced that their fourth Blue Ghost lunar landing mission, which was recently announced by NASA, will carry a radioisotope generator built by Zeno Power to the Moon's surface. This will demonstrate survivability during the long cold lunar night. The mission is currently aiming to launch in late 2028. Firefly became the first private company to successfully land on the Moon in 2025, and are scheduled to make their second attempt in 2027. [Source: Firefly Aerospace]