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The latest launches, missions, science and industry headlines — aggregated and updated continuously.

APOD: 2026 October 20 – An Anticrepuscular Rainbow Fan

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 20 – An… 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. An Anticrepuscular […]

NASA·4h ago

The Human Fingerprint on Earth’s Water Cycle

Human activities have become intertwined with how water is distributed across the continents. A new study brings their effects into sharper focus.

NASA·5h ago

Curiosity Blog, Sols 5036-5042: Watching the Clouds Go By

Written by Alex Innanen, Atmospheric Scientist at York University Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 Happy New Mars Year! We mark the start of a new year on Mars at the beginning of the northern hemisphere spring, or the vernal equinox. We then keep track of the seasons by counting degrees of solar longitude […]

NASA·7h ago

Rocket Lab@RocketLab

Production of the new carbon composite forward dome for Neutron’s Stage 1 propellant tank is underway. Our automated fiber placement (AFP) machine follows a computer-controlled course to lay down thousands of strands of carbon fiber - each thinner than a human hair - at speeds of up to 100 meters per minute to create Stage 1’s structures on custom molds. Once the AFP machine is finished with the new forward dome it will be rolled out, inspected, then prepared for the curing process to harden the carbon composite.

Oct 20, 2026, 12:50 AM

Rocket LabElectron small-sat launches and reusable Neutron

JAXA’s MMX Enroute to Mars To Return Samples of Phobos

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launch the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission this afternoon EDT. MMX will not land on Mars, but instead explore its two moons, Phobos and […]

SpacePolicyOnline.com·8h ago

H3-24 | Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)H3-24 · MHIOct 19, 2026Success

Rocket Lab@RocketLab

Wet Dress Rehearsal DONE ✅ Electron is ready for its 98th launch and latest mission from Launch Complex 1. 'We're Not Hawking Around' will deploy 3x HAWK satellites to a 520km LEO for @hawkeye360 to expand their RF-sensing constellation that collects signal data for maritime tracking, radar monitoring, and more. The launch window opens tomorrow, Oct 21: 🚀8:00pm NZDT 🚀07:00 UTC 🚀3:00 am EDT 🚀00:00 am PDT

Oct 19, 2026, 10:21 PM

Electron | We're Not Hawking Around (3x HawkEye 360)Electron · RLOct 21, 2026

The Chemistry in Stellar Nurseries is Complex, and a New 3D Model Highlights It

Young stars form in molecular clouds, and once they're turned on, they begin to shape their natal clouds with radiation. Researchers developed a new 3D model of one feature of the Orion Nebula star-forming region called the Orion Bar. Their model matches JWST observations, and explains how the uneven structure in stellar nurseries creates shadowed regions that alters the astrochemistry in the clouds.

Universe Today·10h ago

Webb Captures This Golden Galaxy Cluster in All it's Glory

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features the brilliant golden galaxies belonging to the MACS J0454.1-0300 galaxy cluster.

Universe Today·11h ago

The ESA's Euclid Space Telescope Has Discovered A New Comet

The ESA's Euclid space telescope was launched in July, 2026, and its mission is to observe billions of galaxies. The goal is to measure their redshifts over 10 billion years of Universal expansion, to better understand dark matter and dark energy. Surprisingly, the telescope has discovered a brand new comet, now named C/2026 S1 (Euclid).

Universe Today·13h ago

Japan launches historic MMX sample-return mission to Mars' moon Phobos (video)

Japan's groundbreaking mission to Mars is officially underway, headed to the Red Planet's mysterious moons Phobos and Deimos for a historic sample-return attempt. The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission launched today (Oct. 19) from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, riding an H3 rocket that lifted off from Pad-2 at Tanegashima's Yoshinobu Launch Complex at 3:41 p.m. EDT (1941 GMT; 4:41 a.m. local time in Japan on Oct. 20). The JAXA ( Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency )-led MMX mission is bound for Mars orbit, where it will study the planet's two moons, Phobos and Deimos. If everything…

Space.com·13h ago