Statistics for September 2026

List of humans who were in space during this month:

Name	Flight	Spacecraft	Days in space
			Mission	Total
Jessica Meir	2nd	ISS	229	434
Andrey Fedyaev	2nd			415
Jack Hathaway	1st			229
Sophie Adenot	1st			229
Zhu Yangzhu	2nd	Tiangong	129	283
Zhang Zhiyuan	1st			129
Lai Ka-Ying	1st			129
Pyotr Dubrov	2nd	ISS	78	433
Anna Kikina	2nd			235
Anil Menon	1st			78

Population of space during this month:

Nationality				Total	Gender
CN	FR	RU	US		M	W
3	1	3	3	10	6	4

EVAs conducted during this month:

Name	EVA	Spacecraft	Duration	EVA time (cumulative)
Jessica Meir	7th	ISS	6hr 49min	49hr 22min
Sophie Adenot	3rd			19hr 42min

Orbital launches by rocket:

Rocket		Manufacturer		Country
Falcon 9	7	SpaceX	8	United States			12
Starship	1
Electron	4	Rocket Lab	4
Long March 2D	1	China Aerospace (CASC)	5	China			10
Long March 4B	1
Long March 6A	1
Long March 8A	1
Long March 12	1
Kuaizhou 11	1	CASIC	1
Kinetica 1	1	CAS Space	1
Pallas 1	1	Galactic Energy	1
Zhuque 2	1	LandSpace	1
Gravity 1	1	Orienspace	1
Spectrum	1	Isar Aerospace	1	Germany	1	Europe	2
Vega C	1	Avio	1	Italy	1
Soyuz 2.1b	2	Roscosmos	2	Russia			2
GSLV Mk. II	1	ISRO	1	India			1
Total	27

Orbital launches by launch site:

Launch site		Country
Jiuquan	5	China			10
Taiyuan	2
Wenchang	2
East China Sea	1
Vandenberg	6	United States			8
Cape Canaveral	1
Starbase Texas	1
Māhia	4	New Zealand			4
Kourou	1	France	1	Europe	2
Andøya	1	Norway	1
Satish Dhawan	1	India			1
Baikonur	1	Kazakhstan			1
Plesetsk	1	Russia			1
Total	27

No suborbital launches occurred this month, as far as the public know.

New orbital payloads by operator (some payloads may be missing or misattributed):

Operator		Country
SpaceX	107	United States			171
United States Space Force	63
BlackSky	1
Shanghai Spacecom	19	China			58
China SatNet	18
People's Liberation Army	3
StarRF	3
Northwestern Polytechnical University	2
SpaceTy	2
China Aerospace (CASC)	1
Chinese Academy of Sciences	1
Galactic Energy	1
Pengcheng Laboratory	1
Supercomputing	1
Undisclosed operators	6
SES	3	Luxembourg	3	Europe	10
European Space Agency	2	Europe	2
TU Wien	1	Austria	1
EnduroSat	1	Bulgaria	1
TU Berlin	1	Germany	1
Norwegian University of Science and Technology	1	Norway	1
University of Maribor	1	Slovenia	1
Synspective	3	Japan			3
Roscosmos	2	Russia			2
Indian Space Research Organisation	1	India			1
Total	245

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Spaceflight Daily Report, Wednesday 30th September 2026

The current crew of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA.

International Space Station Activities

Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Anil Menon prepared for tomorrow's arrival of SpaceX Crew-13 by reorganising cargo and staging supplies that could be needed when the new astronauts arrive. Sophie Adenot performed exercise research and practised a simulated Moon landing. Andrey Fedyaev continued testing the negative pressure suit to reacclimatise his body to regular gravity. Anna Kikina continued unloading the Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft while Pyotr Dubrov performed maintenance of life support systems and computers. [Source: NASA]

The weather forecast at Cape Canaveral currently shows a 55% chance of favourable conditions for the launch of Crew-13 tomorrow. [United States Space Force]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Tuesday 29th September 2026

Concept art of a future European space station. Image credit: ESA.

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission (Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev) spent today packing the Dragon spacecraft for their return to Earth. They are expected to leave a few days after the arrival of Crew-13. Anil Menon assisted with preparations for their departure. Meanwhile, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina installed a new gas analyzer in the Zvezda module for monitoring the station's air quality, then Dubrov unloaded water from Progress MS-35 and Kikina set up Earth observation equipment. [Source: NASA]

Feasibility Study for Potential European Space Station

The European Space Agency announced they have contracted two groups to conduct a feasibility study into the concept of a European orbital space station following the conclusion of the International Space Station project in the early 2030s. This does not mean Europe will actually build a space station, as it is much more likely they will instead participate in the commercial space stations being planned in the United States, but it does show ESA are interested in the concept. Europe have station-building experience, having constructed the Columbus module and various other components for the ISS. Russia also have plans for a post-ISS orbital outpost. China already have their own space station, Tiangong. [Source: ESA]

New Glenn 9x4 Joins NASA Launch Services II

NASA have announced that Blue Origin's New Glenn 9x4 rocket, the super-heavy lift variant of the New Glenn which has yet to fly, has been awarded a NASA Launch Services II contract. This means it will be part of the pool of launch vehicles that NASA can launch their missions on. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Monday 28th September 2026

Starship Flight 14 lifts off. Image credit: SpaceX.

Launch of Starship Flight 14

SpaceX launched a Starship from Starbase in Texas at 1248 UTC, or 0748 local time (CDT). This was the 14th flight of Starship, the company's fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle, though neither the booster stage nor the upper stage were due to be recovered today. This was the first Starship flight to achieve a full, non-transatmospheric orbit, despite several engine failures. The booster stage lost one engine on ascent and one engine during boostback, before making a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico and self-destructing. The upper stage "ship" also lost one engine, causing mission control to briefly call off the orbital insertion burn, but that decision was reversed and the ship achieved orbit with its five remaining engines. Once in orbit, the ship deployed Starlink Group 31-1, a batch of 26 new, larger V3 satellites for the constellation. The ship also began shedding heat shield tiles in orbit, posing a potential debris risk, and for undisclosed reasons SpaceX decided to de-orbit it after just three hours rather than the planned ten. It survived orbital re-entry and made a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean before self-destructing. [Source: SpaceX]

Juice Earth Flyby

The European Space Agency's Juice probe (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) performed a gravity assist manoeuvre around Earth today, making its closest approach at 1145 UTC at a distance of 8640km. This is the mission's second flyby of Earth, and it will encounter our planet once more in January 2029 in order to build up enough velocity to reach Jupiter in mid-2031. It will then tour the Jovian system for three years before settling into an orbit around Ganymede. [Source: ESA]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the Crew-12 mission (Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev), who are returning to Earth next week, tested specialised suits for reacclimatising their circulatory systems to Earth's gravity; this is a different suit to the one Fedyaev has been testing for the past few days, which he also continued testing today. Meir, Hathaway, and Anil Menon performed blood and medical research. Adenot performed exercise research and taught Menon how to use the new European exercise machine. Pyotr Dubrov performed semiconductor research and Anna Kikina took photographs of the Earth. [Source: NASA]

Boeing Starliner Updates

As rumoured a couple of weeks ago, NASA have provided some updates on Boeing Starliner. Four crewed missions to the International Space Station are planned using the spacecraft, though the agency has not committed to a fifth and sixth just yet. The first uncrewed test flight of Starliner since the failure of the CFT-1 mission in 2024 is expected no earlier than December 2026, and will be called Starliner-1. The following crewed mission, called Starliner-2, is aiming to launch in mid 2028 and will be commanded by NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg. The reason for the significant delay is related to certifying the redesigned thrusters for human spaceflight; the most severe and life-threatening malfunctions during the CFT-1 mission were the failures of multiple thrusters. This will be a regular ISS crew rotation rather than a test flight, with the three other crew members to be announced at a later date. Since the Atlas V rocket is no longer in production, Starliner will be certified for launch aboard United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket, though there are still a handful of Atlas V rockets in storage and one of those will be used for the Starliner-1 mission. NASA is not currently planning to extend their fleet of crewed ISS vehicles to any other companies beyond SpaceX and Boeing. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Sunday 27th September 2026

The Mengtian cargo airlock. Image credit: CMSA.

Tiangong Activities

CMSA published their weekly video on the activities of the three taikonauts aboard the Tiangong space station. This week, Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Lai Ka-Ying used the Mengtian module's cargo airlock to expose a series of experiments to the vacuum of space, as well as swapping out refrigerated experimental samples inside the station. They performed maintenance on the life support system, replacing old components. They also continued research into the effects of weightlessness on the human body, including mass perception tests, emergency decision-making assessments, exercise research, and regular medical checks, and celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival aboard the station. The video did not feature any mooncakes; perhaps they are saving those for the lunar surface. [Source: CMSA]

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, Friday 25th September 2026

Cygnus NG-24 fires its thrusters during a previous reboost. Image credit: NASA.

International Space Station Activities

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft (NG-24), which is berthed to the nadir port of the International Space Station's Unity module, fired its thrusters for 18 minutes to raise the station's apogee by 2.5km and its perigee by 1.3km. [Source: NASA]

Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev, the four space travellers belonging to the SpaceX Crew-12 mission, continued to pack their personal belongings for their return to Earth after Crew-13 arrives next week to replace them. They rehearsed re-entry procedures with ground control, and Fedyaev continued testing the negative pressure suit for reacclimatising to Earth's gravity with help from fellow cosmonaut Anna Kikina. Meir and Adenot also took and stored blood and saliva samples. Pyotr Dubrov continued unpacking the Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft. Anil Menon worked on assembling and testing a new cooling system for the Destiny module and practised operating the Canadarm2 robotic arm. [Source: NASA]

Swift Resumes Automatic GRB Observations

NASA have reactivated all of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory's instruments following the failure of the mission to reboost the space telescope. It's too late to organise a second rescue mission, so Swift has instead resumed its science mission to detect and turn to observe distant gamma ray bursts. It is expected to re-enter the atmosphere and be destroyed in a month or so. The failed LINK spacecraft de-orbited today. [Source: NASA]

San Marino Signs Artemis Accords

For the third time in as many days, a new country have signed the Artemis Accords. San Marino have become the 76th country to sign the Accords, a United States led set of agreements regarding mineral rights and other arrangements for international cooperation in space exploration. The microstate of 30,000 people does not have a space programme. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Thursday 24th September 2026

The crew of SpaceX Crew-14 pose for a group portrait. Image credit: SpaceX

Launch of Yaogan 40 Group 04

SAST, a subsidiary of China Aerospace (CASC), launched a Long March 6A (Chang Zheng 6A) from Taiyuan in Shanxi at 0846 UTC, or 1646 local time (CST). This was carrying Yaogan 40 Group 04, a batch of three military satellites of unclear purpose. Most spacecraft with the Yaogan designation are reconnaissance satellites for the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Forces. This was the 27th flight of the Long March 6A, and the 44th flight of the Long March 6 family. [Source: SAST]

International Space Station Activities

Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway continued practising ultrasound scans. Sophie Adenot carried out exercise research. Anil Menon continued immune system research. Adenot and Menon also continued taking inventory of cargo in the Cygnus cargo vehicle, while Andrey Fedyaev, Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina continued unpacking the recently arrived Progress MS-35 cargo vehicle, among some other routine maintenance. [Source: NASA]

Crew of SpaceX Crew-14 Announced

NASA have announced the crew for the SpaceX Crew-14 mission to the International Space Station, aiming to launch around March 2027. American astronaut Kayla Barron will be mission commander, on her second spaceflight, while the other three members of the crew will all be on their first spaceflight. American astronaut Chris Birch will be the pilot. Japanese astronaut Makoto Suwa will be one of the two mission specialists. The other mission specialist will be Russian cosmonaut Arutyun Kiviryan, as part of an ongoing arrangement where the United States and Russia swap a crew member with each other to ensure both countries retain access to space in the event that either Dragon or Soyuz is grounded. [Source: NASA]

Starship Flight 14 Wet Dress Rehearsal

SpaceX carried out a wet dress rehearsal for the launch of Starship Flight 14, the first orbital test flight of the company's fully reusable super-heavy rocket, currently aiming to launch on Monday. The company have also posted NOTAMs that optimistically suggest two further Starship launches in October. [Source: NSF]

Côte d’Ivoire Sign Artemis Accords

Côte d’Ivoire have become the 75th country to sign the Artemis Accords, a United States led set of agreements regarding mineral rights and other arrangements for international cooperation in space exploration. The country founded their national space agency in 2025. They have yet to put a satellite in orbit. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Wednesday 23rd September 2026

Image credit: CALT

Launch of Guowang Group 26

CALT, a subsidiary of China Aerospace (CASC), launched a Long March 8A (Chang Zheng 8A) from Wenchang in Hainan at 1332 UTC, or 2132 local time (CST). This was carrying SatNet LEO (Guowang) Group 26, the latest batch of nine satellites for the China Satellite Network Group's internet constellation. This was the 11th flight of the Long March 8A, and the 18th flight of the Long March 8 family. [Source: CALT]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station prepared for the upcoming crew swap while carrying out research and maintenance. Jessica Meir and Sophie Adenot practised using ultrasound to perform medical examinations. Jack Hathaway took samples from the water dispensers to test them for microbes. The crew of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission (Meir, Hathaway, Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev) began packing their personal belongings and practised with emergency respirator masks. They are expected to depart for Earth in early October, once Crew-13 has arrived. Fedyaev also continued testing the negative pressure suit for reacclimatising to Earth's gravity. Meanwhile, the other half of the crew (Pyotr Dubrov, Anna Kikina, and Anil Menon), who arrived on Soyuz MS-29, practised evacuation procedures. Dubrov also continued unpacking the Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft that arrived on Saturday, and Menon and Kikina both processed body fluid samples for immune system research. [Source: NASA]

NASA Select PRIMA Infrared Telescope Mission

NASA have selected a 1.8m far-infrared space telescope called PRIMA (a characteristically convoluted acronym for "PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics") for Phase B development. It is the first in a new class of "Probe Explorers" missions, which are smaller than the agency's flagship exploration missions but bigger than minor science missions. It was selected over a competing proposal for an x-ray telescope. Pending a confirmation review at the conclusion of Phase B development, PRIMA is aiming to launch in 2033. [Source: NASA]

Croatia Sign Artemis Accords

Croatia have become the 74th country to sign the Artemis Accords, a United States led set of agreements regarding mineral rights and other arrangements for international cooperation in space exploration. Croatia do not have much of a space programme, but they are actively pursuing European Space Agency membership and they operate a single small satellite. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Tuesday 22nd September 2026

Image credit: SpaceX

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station carried out research and maintenance while they await the arrival of SpaceX Crew-13, now confirmed by NASA to be scheduled to launch on Thursday 1st October 2026. A few days later, the previous Crew-12 mission will depart the station. Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway reviewed undocking and re-entry procedures for their departure, and joined crewmates Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev to check the pressure suits they will wear during their return. Andrey Fedyaev, Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina continued unloading the Progress MS-35 cargo vehicle that arrived on Saturday. Anil Menon carried out blood research. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Monday 21st September 2026

Image credit: Roscosmos/Anna Kikina

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance and prepared for October's crew swap. Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway performed research into how their bodies have changed shape over the course of their mission. Hathaway also performed colloidal crystal research. Andrey Fedyaev tested the lower body negative pressure suit and set up Earth-imaging equipment. Sophie Adenot performed exercise research. Anil Menon practised procedures for monitoring an incoming Crew Dragon spacecraft ahead of the arrival of Crew-13. The American astronauts all worked on transferring cargo in and out of the Cygnus XL cargo craft, as well as beginning to pack Crew Dragon Freedom with cargo ahead of the departure of Crew-12. Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina conducted respiratory research. The three cosmonauts also worked on unloading cargo from the Progress MS-35 cargo vehicle, which arrived on Saturday. [Source: NASA]

Crew-13 Launch Date

According to the current OEM for the International Space Station, SpaceX Crew-13 is aiming to launch on Thursday 1st October 2026, before docking with the ISS a few hours later. The mission was originally scheduled to launch on 12th September but was delayed after an oxidizer leak was discovered in the propulsion system of Crew Dragon Grace. The new launch date has not been officially confirmed by NASA or SpaceX. [Source: Jay Keegan]

UPDATE: NASA have confirmed this launch date. [Source: NASA]

Albania Signs Artemis Accords

Albania have become the 73rd country to sign the Artemis Accords, a United States led set of agreements regarding mineral rights and other arrangements for international cooperation in space exploration. Albania do not have much of a space programme. Since 2023 they have operated two Argentinian-built Earth imaging satellites. [Source: NASA]

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]