NASA will provide live coverage of the Roman Space Telescope launch scheduled no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, is a next‑generation observatory with infrared capabilities and a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble’s. Its five‑year primary mission will study dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, galaxies, black holes and solar system objects and will operate from the second Sun‑Earth Lagrange point about one million miles from Earth. Coverage begins at 6:20 a.m. on Aug. 29 with a mission science briefing featuring NASA scientists and Caltech/IPAC representatives, followed by a prelaunch news conference at 10:30 a.m. with NASA and SpaceX officials. Administrator Jared Isaacman is expected to fly past the telescope and rocket on the launchpad, subject to weather and operational considerations. In‑person interviews are scheduled at the Kennedy Press News Center on Aug. 29. Launch coverage starts at 6:20 a.m. on Aug. 30, with liftoff at 7:26 a.m., and a postlaunch news conference at 9:30 a.m. including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and mission officials. Audio‑only coverage and virtual guest registration are available through NASA’s website and social media platforms. The mission is managed by NASA Goddard with contributions from JPL, Caltech/IPAC, the Space Telescope Science Institute and international partners ESA, JAXA, CNES and the Max Planck Institute, and is supported by industrial partners BAE Systems, L3Harris Technologies and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging. Science data will be publicly released after processing.
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SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:33 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, using a first-stage booster that has completed 37 flights, the highest number recorded for a Falcon 9 booster. The mission, designated Starlink 10-49, will deploy 29 satellites to low Earth orbit, adding to the company's constellation of more than 11,000 spacecraft. This launch may be the final Starlink flight from Cape Canaveral for the near term, as the company has no additional missions scheduled from the site. SpaceX has launched 44 of 76 Starlink missions this year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, while its Cape Canaveral workforce has been redirected toward Starship preparations. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:33 a.m. EDT, with a north‑easterly trajectory. The 45th Weather Squadron forecasts a 90 percent probability of favorable weather, though launch officials are monitoring a small chance of interference from cumulus and anvil clouds. The booster, which entered service in June 2021, will attempt a landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas about 8.5 minutes after liftoff; a successful landing would represent the 165th touchdown on the vessel and the 654th Falcon booster landing to date.
ESA said it will make specific safety adaptations to the Ariane 6 rocket for future Argonaut lunar lander missions that will carry a radioisotope power system. The first Argonaut launch is planned for 2030 and will not require those adaptations.
Argonaut is a heavy lunar lander designed to deliver up to 1,500 kilograms of cargo to the Moon’s surface. An ESA spokesperson said the baseline configuration for Argonaut missions is Ariane 64 Block 2, which includes the P160C boosters and the Vulcain Aft Bay evolution. The agency said safety modifications will be required only for missions that carry a radioisotope power system.
The adaptations concern specific safety measures for launching payloads with radioisotope power systems, the spokesperson explained. These measures will not be needed for the mission’s first flight because that lander will not carry a radioisotope system. ESA is developing European radioisotope heating and power systems through its ENDURE programme. A demonstration flight of the technology is scheduled for 2028 aboard the Rosalind Franklin Mars mission, using a European‑developed americium‑241 radioisotope heating unit on the lander.
Initial mission requirements assumed a higher‑performance Ariane 6 Block 3 configuration, and a two‑launch architecture that would refuel the lander in orbit was also considered. Subsequent system‑level assessments showed that Ariane 64 Block 2 performance meets the current mission definition, and flight data from the rocket’s early flights have increased achievable performance. As a result, the two‑launch concept is no longer being pursued.
The spokesperson said the conclusion that Ariane 64 Block 2 is sufficient is firm, though the baseline remains subject to change and uncertainties will persist. The first Argonaut mission, targeted for 2030, will carry two technology demonstrators: one to test landing‑site conditions and survive the lunar night, and another to validate robotic technologies for future European lunar missions.
NASA has deployed a roof‑mounted air sensor in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of its Multi‑Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) program to monitor fine particulate matter. The sensor measures PM2.5, particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller, including black carbon from diesel vehicles, fires and other combustion sources. Measurements reveal daily and seasonal variations, with spikes during rush‑hour traffic and holiday celebrations. According to the 2025 State of Global Air Report, fine particles are linked to about 4.9 million excess deaths worldwide each year, and black carbon is associated with low birth weight, impaired brain development, respiratory conditions and premature mortality. The findings, based on data collected by the MAIA sensors, illustrate how pollution patterns in Addis Ababa differ from those observed in other cities, including the United States. Researchers say the data can help city planners and health officials evaluate mitigation strategies. The study highlights the importance of continued monitoring of fine particulate matter in rapidly growing urban centers.
Phoenix, AZ — August 24, 2026 — Spirit Electronics announced that space‑grade and high‑reliability components from Texas Instruments and Microchip Technology are now available through its online store, spiritelectronics.com, coinciding with the SmallSat Conference in Salt Lake City. The offering includes radiation‑hardened power solutions, space‑grade microcontrollers, high‑reliability analog devices, precision timing components and other integrated circuits designed for low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit, geostationary orbit, highly elliptical orbit and deep‑space missions. Spirit provides on‑shore testing, screening, qualification and assembly support, enabling satellite manufacturers, research institutions and New Space developers to source and prepare components for deployment through a single procurement pathway. Marti McCurdy, CEO of Spirit Electronics, said the addition makes mission‑ready parts more accessible and supports quicker integration of screening and qualification services for engineers working on orbital and space applications. Spirit plans to continue expanding its space‑grade inventory throughout 2026 to serve commercial satellite manufacturers, government programs and academic missions, reinforcing its role as a provider of U.S.-sourced high‑reliability electronics for aerospace and defense.
NASA’s Perseverance rover used its Mastcam‑Z camera to capture the silhouette of Phobos as it passed in front of the Sun on August 12, 2026, the 1,948th sol of the mission. The image was presented as a simulated view through protective solar eclipse glasses. Perseverance has recorded multiple Phobos transits since its landing at Jezero Crater in February 2021, providing data that help refine the moon’s orbital parameters. By comparing successive recordings, researchers can monitor changes in Phobos’s trajectory and predict its eventual descent toward the Martian surface. Operations for Mastcam‑Z are led by Arizona State University, in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems of San Diego and the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, which design, fabricate, test, and supply calibration targets. The Perseverance rover and its instruments are built and operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California. Further observations are expected to continue improving orbital models as the rover’s mission proceeds.
SpaceX will launch the Roman Space Telescope on a Falcon Heavy rocket and a batch of Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 in August 2026.
SpaceX will launch the Roman Space Telescope on a Falcon Heavy rocket and a batch of Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 in August 2026. The Roman Space Telescope, a NASA astrophysics observatory designed to investigate dark energy and exoplanet atmospheres, is slated for a heliocentric trajectory aboard the heavy-lift vehicle. The Falcon 9, SpaceX's medium-lift launcher, is scheduled to deliver the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit as part of the company's ongoing broadband constellation deployment. NASA has outlined the scientific objectives of the Roman mission, which include mapping the distribution of dark matter and measuring the expansion of the universe. SpaceX has indicated that the Falcon Heavy launch will occur no earlier than August 2026, pending range clearance and weather conditions. The Falcon 9 Starlink mission is expected to follow later in the same launch window, with the exact date to be confirmed. Both launches represent milestones for commercial and government space activities in the coming year. The launches will expand observational capabilities in astronomy and add to the growing number of satellites in Earth orbit, though the timing remains subject to further review.
NASA-funded studies indicate that ancient variations in the Sun’s environment may have influenced Earth’s climate, including periods of ice age and the Faint Young Sun paradox. The Sun’s heliosphere, a bubble of solar wind that envelops the solar system, moves through the Milky Way galaxy; its trajectory may have altered Earth’s atmospheric conditions. Researchers at NASA’s SHIELD center used computer models to reconstruct the heliosphere’s path over billions of years and identified three intervals when it passed through dense interstellar clouds approximately 2–3 million, 6–7 million, and 13–14 million years ago, causing the heliosphere to shrink below Earth’s orbit. Geologic evidence shows that elements from interstellar dust appear in deep‑sea sediment cores, Antarctic snow, and lunar samples during those times. Simulations suggest that exposure to these cold clouds increased water vapor and shifted upper‑atmospheric dynamics, potentially contributing to cooling and ice age cycles. In a separate study, NASA scientist Vladimir Airapetian and colleagues investigated how the early Sun, which was about 70 percent as bright as today, could have warmed early Earth. Observations from the Kepler space telescope show that young Sun‑like stars emit frequent superflares that release high‑energy particles. Laboratory experiments that simulated an early Earth atmosphere bombarded with protons produced nitrous oxide, a strong greenhouse gas about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Even if only about 10 percent of the nitrous oxide survived the young Sun’s ultraviolet radiation, climate models indicated that it could raise equatorial temperatures to roughly 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), above the freezing point of water, and may have facilitated prebiotic chemical reactions. Together, the studies suggest that solar activity and heliospheric interactions have had measurable effects on Earth’s climate and habitability. Further research is needed to determine the magnitude of these influences.
Clean energy investment rose sharply in the second quarter of 2026, increasing 45 percent from the prior quarter and 21 percent from the same period in 2025, according to the Rhodium Group. US power consumption is projected to grow 39 percent by 2035, driven by expanding data center demand and the electrification of homes and transportation, a trend noted by ICF. Solar and wind projects can be built in less than two years, compared with at least three years for new gas plants, said RMI, and developers can break even at $38 per megawatt-hour for solar and $37 for wind, compared with $48 for gas, according to Lazard. Electricity prices are expected to rise 40 to 120 percent after the Inflation Reduction Act subsidies expire, potentially boosting developer revenues. “Candidly, it’s a good time to be a developer,” said Ethan Zindler, head of country and policy research at BloombergNEF, adding that data centers need power “basically yesterday.” A district court judge in Oregon ordered the Pentagon to stop blocking onshore wind development, and courts have also halted five administration attempts to halt offshore wind projects on the East Coast. Developers have sought direct advocacy with administration officials, arguing that new projects will not replace fossil fuel generation. “The administration is pragmatic on the permit side,” said Cliff Graham, chief executive of Avantus, noting available land in the Reno‑Tucson‑Barstow corridor for solar‑plus‑storage projects. The growth has been influenced by extreme weather events and heightened fuel prices linked to the Iran war.
Comet 220P, a periodic comet with a five‑year orbit between Mars and Jupiter, appeared unusually bright on August 24, 2026, as captured in a long‑duration exposure taken from South Africa ten days earlier. The comet, normally too faint to be seen without a telescope, was about 20,000 times brighter than usual and became visible with binoculars. Two outbursts earlier in the year produced similar increases in brightness. The outburst may have resulted from the release of built‑up subsurface gas or from comet quakes, but the exact cause has not been determined. The comet will pass roughly one astronomical unit from Earth in October before returning to the outer region of its orbit, where it is expected to dim quickly. NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) published the image and description.
NASA's Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) mission deployed 10 ground‑based sensors across Addis Ababa to measure fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for three years, delivering one of the most detailed air‑quality maps of the Ethiopian capital. Black carbon, a component of PM2.5, originates from diesel vehicles, open fires and other combustion sources; researchers have linked exposure to low birth weight, impaired brain development, respiratory disease and premature death. The sensors recorded concentrations ranging from 20 to 40 micrograms per cubic meter, with darker red areas indicating higher pollution. Measurements show daily peaks during rush‑hour traffic and spikes around holiday celebrations, illustrating how urban activity and seasonal events affect air quality. While the study focused on Addis Ababa, the methodology is applicable to other cities, including those in the United States. MAIA's broader research program includes ground sensor networks and a space‑based observatory with a camera developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, scheduled for launch by the Italian Space Agency no earlier than late 2027. The camera is designed to distinguish aerosol types by their light‑reflection properties, enabling concentration mapping across a dozen global regions such as Los Angeles, Atlanta and Boston. The resulting dataset is expected to refine air‑quality models and support public‑health assessments in urban environments worldwide.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a May press conference that the United States will pursue cislunar exploration to support a growing economy, advance scientific knowledge, and maintain strategic advantage as it prepares for missions to the moon and Mars.
Cislunar exploration requires spacecraft capable of operating beyond low Earth orbit, demanding experience and specialized engineering.
John Troeltzsch, Exploration Architect at BAE Systems, said the company has a history of supporting space missions, including work on the Deep Impact probe, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Kepler telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
He added that BAE Systems is developing the Ascent spacecraft, part of its Elevation product line, which can perform refueling and high‑thrust maneuvers and carry multiple rideshare payloads.
Christie Bertels, Director of Civil Space Business Development at BAE Systems, noted that future lunar and Martian operations will need autonomy, advanced computing, and reliable communications.
Troeltzsch said high‑demand skills include machine learning, software development, engineering, and astrodynamics, and that the industry must recruit talent from diverse sectors such as automotive.
BAE Systems is expanding hiring efforts and offering training, mentorship, and a mission‑focused culture to attract engineers, scientists, business professionals, and communications staff.
The company said its combined heritage and new capabilities position it to support missions that will place hardware on the lunar surface, including instruments for the University of Colorado’s L‑CIRiS and NASA’s LunarVISE programs.
The outlook remains focused on building the technical foundation and workforce needed for sustained cislunar activity.
World Space Week Association announced on October 4, 2026, that Tory Bruno, president of National Security at Blue Origin, will serve as Honorary Chair of World Space Week 2027.
Association President Dennis Stone said the appointment aligns with the 2027 theme, To the Moon, which focuses on lunar exploration. Stone noted that Bruno’s career has contributed to launch capabilities supporting that effort.
Bruno said the role honors the work of advancing lunar missions and said the goal is to create a lasting presence on the Moon that enables people to live, work, explore and innovate beyond Earth.
Association Executive Director Alma Okpalefe said World Space Week 2027 will highlight missions, technologies and international collaborations that bring humanity back to the Moon while inspiring students, educators and communities worldwide.
World Space Week is observed from October 4 to October 10 each year and is UN‑declared. The 2026 event, themed The Rocket Revolution, was chaired by John Elbon, former CEO of United Launch Alliance. The Association encourages organizers worldwide to register their events at www.worldspaceweek.org.
The Association, founded in 1982, coordinates the global celebration and receives voluntary contributions from sponsors including Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance, Texas Instruments, Firefly Aerospace, L3 Harris, Black Sky, Airbus, Cesium Astro, Space Foundation, Gaia Horizons, Bae Systems and Space News.
Space launch on December 2025 carried four DiskSat units from Aerospace Corp. to a 550‑kilometer orbit aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The 17‑kilogram satellites are descending at roughly two kilometers per month due to atmospheric drag while engineers commission Enpulsion Nano Field Emission Electric Propulsion systems intended to lower the satellites to orbits below 300 kilometers.
Darren Rowen, mission chief engineer, said the development represents a significant advancement in containerized satellites since the introduction of cubesats in the early 2000s. Principal investigator Catherine Venturini added that propulsive lowering and sustainment at lower altitude is forthcoming.
The DiskSat bus measures 1 meter in diameter and 2.5 centimeters in depth, featuring carbon fiber composite facesheets bonded to an aluminum‑honeycomb core. Because of this form factor, engineers modified power management, communications, attitude control and thermal subsystems.
The early‑orbit phase involved numerous first‑time operations, including the bus, dispenser, S‑band radio and ground network, creating a steep learning curve, according to a paper presented at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference. Thermal control proved challenging because thrusters, payloads, star trackers and other components were mounted on the exterior.
The custom dispenser, essential for deployment, carried high risk; its failure would end the mission, Rowen said. Once in orbit, engineers identified stray light affecting star trackers and corrected the issue by revising the concept of operations. Battery heater imbalances caused two batteries on DiskSat C and one on DiskSat A to become permanently disabled after a software fix, the paper reported. Rowen described the outcome as a painful lesson but noted that the mission remains on track to achieve its objectives.
During the demonstration, Aerospace Corp. transferred DiskSat technology through commercial licensing agreements with Neumann Space, Orbotic Systems and Satlyt, with additional companies showing interest. Venturini said the demonstration’s value lies not only in proving the concept but also in fostering an industrial base for future DiskSat production.
A 2026 study by Squires et al. examined online postings for mummified human and animal remains and found that some listings displayed visible fungal colonization, raising health concerns. The research surveyed public posts on Facebook, Instagram, brick‑and‑mortar store websites, a Dutch e‑commerce platform, and online auction sites, collecting 128 anonymized entries, of which 24 came from non‑Meta platforms. The items offered included body parts such as hands, feet, heads, or complete bodies, with six animal specimens including a cat, a falcon, an ibis, a perch, and a primate skull; only one seller listed a complete human body. Most sellers described the legal restrictions in the regions where shipments were prohibited and omitted detailed descriptions of the contents to avoid seizure. The analysis noted that 13 posts showed fungal growth such as yellow, white, black, or pink spots, indicating possible improper storage, and that the growth may be difficult to detect without close inspection. According to the study, sellers were aware of legal issues but did not consistently address health and safety implications in their postings. Clearer shipping guidelines are needed to prevent misinterpretation of policies and to protect buyers and sellers from health risks. The authors call for more prominent regulations to address the potential health hazards associated with the online trade of mummified remains.
At the 2026 Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, SpaceNews’ "Space Minds" podcast featured an interview with Icarus Robotics CEO and co‑founder Ethan Barajas about the potential for robotic systems to support on‑orbit labor. Barajas said astronauts often compare space missions to warehouse work, where tasks are repetitive; recent advances aim to replace such tasks with autonomous robots. Barajas explained that current prototypes can perform routine maintenance, equipment handling, and material transport in microgravity, and early orbital test results have demonstrated basic functionality. He noted that fully autonomous labor could reduce crew workload and increase mission efficiency, but technical challenges such as reliability and cost remain. Barajas added that the transition to hybrid human‑robot teams will likely depend on further testing and regulatory approval. The episode suggests that on‑orbit labor may evolve from human‑centric operations to hybrid human‑robot teams, but the timeline for widespread adoption is uncertain.
Europe’s Meteosat Third Generation Imager‑2 satellite will launch on August 27 aboard an Ariane 62 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. The mission will replenish Europe’s geostationary weather observation system and maintain continuity of data for forecasters and climatologists.
The Meteosat program, operated by Eumetsat and the European Space Agency, has provided full‑disk images of Europe, North Africa and the adjacent oceans since 1977. The first generation, launched between 1977 and 1997, delivered images every two hours. The second generation, launched from 2002 to 2015, increased imaging frequency to every 15 minutes for the full disk and every five minutes for Europe, and added a radiation‑budget instrument.
The third generation, planned since 2000, will consist of six satellites launched between 2022 and 2036. Each batch contains two Imager satellites and one Sounder satellite, with the first batch scheduled for launch between 2022 and 2026 and the second between 2032 and 2036.
The Imager satellite carries a Flexible Combined Imager that can produce a full‑disk image every 10 minutes or a focused Europe view every 2.5 minutes, with 16 spectral bands. The Lightning Imager captures lightning activity at 1,000 frames per second over most of the visible disc. Both instruments provide data at a 10‑kilometre resolution.
Project Manager James Champion said the launch marks the culmination of more than 15 years of development and that the satellite will continue the long‑term record of European weather observations.
The launch will be streamed on the European Space Agency YouTube channel. Liftoff is set for 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time (1:10 p.m. Pacific Time) on August 27.
The European Space Agency will launch the Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite (MTG-I2) on an Ariane 6 rocket from French Guiana on 27 August 2026. The launch will be broadcast live on ESA WebTV beginning at 21:42 CEST, with streaming also available on ESA’s YouTube channel. Liftoff is planned for 22:10 CEST (17:10 local time) within a 2.5‑hour launch window.
MTG-I2, the third satellite in the Meteosat Third Generation constellation, will complete the first family of MTG spacecraft designed to provide high‑resolution weather imagery for Europe and northern Africa. The satellite carries a Lightning Imager that continuously monitors lightning activity and a Flexible Combined Imager that scans the Earth’s surface every 10 minutes and can cover Europe and North Africa every 2.5 minutes. These instruments are intended to improve nowcasting of severe weather events and support weather forecasting services.
Ariane 6 will use two P120C solid‑propellant boosters and a Vulcain 2.1 engine to place MTG‑I2 into a geostationary transfer orbit. This mission marks the ninth flight of the Ariane 6 launcher and the first time the rocket will travel to a geostationary orbit. ESA manages the Ariane 6 program, while Arianespace provides launch services for flight VA270.
The mission is expected to enhance the detail and timeliness of weather data supplied to European meteorological agencies, supporting more accurate predictions of rapidly changing weather conditions.
NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander of Artemis II, rode in a two‑seat IndyCar as driver Conor Daly completed a lap ahead of the start of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., on August 23, 2026. NASA released a photograph of the moment on August 24, 2026, crediting Joel Kowsky.