ASTRONATLAS.
Aggregated dispatches from mission-control desks, orbital press pools, and independent aerospace correspondents.
House Clears FY2027 CR, Now to the President
A full month before FY2027 begins, the House today joined the Senate in passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. Both parties are eager […]
NASA Selects Blue Origin as Mars Telecommunications Network Provider
NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a next-generation communications system that will enable reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for current and future Mars missions. The firm-fixed-price contract has a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA no […]
SpaceX to launch Starlink mission from West Coast
Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is currently scheduled for 1:18 a.m. PDT (4:18 a.m. EDT / 0818 UTC).
What’s Up: September 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Brilliant Venus and a Harvest Moon Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot, spot brilliant Venus, welcome the equinox, and see the Harvest Moon near Saturn and Neptune. Skywatching Highlights Transcript The Moon joins a tea party… Venus cranks up the brightness… the seasons officially change… and the Harvest Moon meets up with […]
Launch Site and Facility Progress ahead of East Coast Starship debut
As SpaceX prepares to launch Starship Flight 14 in the coming weeks, work in Florida… The post Launch Site and Facility Progress ahead of East Coast Starship debut appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
Historic Engines Take Their Place on Artemis III
On Aug. 24, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began installing the four RS‑25 engines in the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will carry the Artemis III crew into low Earth orbit in 2027. Each RS‑25 engine has a unique serial number that records its detailed flight […]
It turns out that Orion's much-maligned heat shield performed really well
Independent safety officials also have high praise for changes by NASA leadership.
PLD Space Adds €108 million to Series C Funding Round
Spanish launch services provider PLD Space has secured an additional €108 million in funding, extending the Series C round to €288 million. The company is preparing for the inaugural flight of the Miura 5 rocket later this year. PLD Space announced that it had closed a €180 million Series C funding round in early March. […] The post PLD Space Adds €108 million to Series C Funding Round appeared first on European Spaceflight.
Private group wants to launch "cheapest possible" mission to Alpha Centauri
"We could really be facing the great filter."
Samba’s fiery farewell recorded
Yesterday, on 31 August 2026, Samba reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 21:39:38 UTC / 23:39:38 CEST as the third of the four Cluster satellites. Samba had been lined up for a special 'targeted reentry' safely over the South Pacific Ocean, the precision so high that a plane could fly out from Tonga and successfully record its demise for reentry science.
APOD: 2026 September 1 – A Plane Lunar Eclipse
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 1 – A… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. A Plane […]
Ice Island Survives Run-In With Joe Island
In summer 2026, a substantial iceberg calved from Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland and swiftly drifted into Nares Strait, colliding with an island along the way.