Deep Space Extra

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter during the week of October 25, 2026:

Human Space Exploration

• Spacewalking astronauts unfurl upgraded solar array to boost space station power;
• Moon habitats may use layered Mylar to block extreme heat;
• How NASA’s elite recovery teams intercepts returning astronauts;
• Caltech names Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman as NASA JPL Deputy;
• Dodging bullets and firing blanks;
• Blue Origin reports on track to resume New Glenn pad ops in November;
• New MSFC Director highlights vision at 2026 von Braun Space Exploration Symposium;
• NASA’s Artemis I reveals a surprising radiation mystery near the Moon;
• Analog astronauts: How living underwater can prepare humans for space missions;
• NASA is full steam ahead on Artemis III, IV and V;
• ULA and NASA partner on next-gen Centaur upper stage for 2028 Moon mission;

Space Science

• Send your name to Titan aboard NASA’s Dragonfly mission;
• Spooky geomagnetic storm?;
• Ancient comets carried organic compounds, but they didn’t survive crashing into Earth;
• A new pal for Pluto? Rubin Observatory finds its first dwarf planet candidate;
• Hubble finds a stunning twist in how the universe emerged from darkness;
• First light: Hera resolves two asteroids instead of one;
• Revered NASA spacecraft is about to perish in flames astronomers are mourning;
• Hubble will give the Roman Space Telescope a helping hand;
• NASA’s oldest Martian spacecraft have been running for decades. Here’s how;
• ‘More missions, more often’: NASA is overhauling how it selects science missions;
• Smithsonian scientists create most detailed simulation yet of the early universe;
• Record breaker! Astronomers spot powerful cosmic explosion that lasted 27 days;
• Scientists can now spot hidden sunspots on the solar far side;
• NASA’s Swift mission ends ahead of re-entry;
• Rare lunar meteorites could fill gaps in Moon’s evolution;
• Earth’s magnetic shield is rippling unevenly scientists have uncovered the cause;

Other News

• Vietnam joins Artemis accords on space exploration;
• United Launch Alliance announces mid-November return to flight for Vulcan rocket;
• China’s secretive space plane caught on camera in incredible new photo released by U.S. military;
• Virgin Galactic’s new spaceship lands at Spaceport America;
• AFRL moves cargo through space with SpaceX demonstration;
• Cowboy Space unveils ‘Big Iron’ rocket to launch 20,000 AI data centers;
• Over 250 participants from eight countries to practice Mars space mission at Skolkovo;
• Isaacman confirms Alabama a ‘strong contender’ for U.S. Space Academy in exclusive interview;
• Space debris: Are we on track for true sustainability?;

Major Space-Related Activities for the Week

• NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is hosting a virtual session on how the agency’s competition model for space science mission selections is changing on Monday from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. EDT. A virtual link and further explanation of the changes are available online.
• The American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) annual meeting in Spokane, Washington, which got underway on Sunday will continue through Friday. The topics include the science that is to be conducted by NASA’s Artemis Moon missions.
• The American Astronautical Society’s Von Braun Space Exploration Symposium gets underway on Monday with presentations that include representatives from Blue Origin and SpaceX, the two commercial providers of lunar Human Landing Systems for NASA’s upcoming crewed Artemis missions.
• On Thursday, NASA will provide virtual public access to a spacewalk by NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk for the installation of the ISS’s seventh of eight planned Roll-Out Solar Arrays for augmenting solar power generation. Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. EDT, with viewing options available at https://www.nasa.gov/live/.
• The U.S. House and Senate remain in recess except for pro forma sessions until after the November 3 midterm elections.

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