Vol 45, Week 36

SPACE UPDATE

NASA & NEWSPACE

  • Blue Origin won US$700M contract to build Mars telecommunications orbiter; and broke ground at new Cape Canaveral payload processing facility that aims to support up to 16 missions annually.
  • NASA is modifying its lunar spacesuit requirements for a simpler, lighter “Sortie Suit” variant with Axiom Space to support an accelerated schedule of landing people on the Moon around 2028.
  • South Africa’s NewSpace Systems, featured in Engineering News, has launched a 5,200 m² production hub to meet growing global demand for satellite constellations.

GLOBAL REPORTS

BEYOND EARTH

MISSION MILESTONES

FEATURED EVENTS

HUMANS IN SPACE

International Space Station

Latest: Progress MS-35 cargo delivery planned Sep 9, release of Progress MS-33 on Sep 7, Crew-13 launch (Sep 12) was delayed due to oxidizer leak in Dragon. 

  • Average Altitude: 415 km
  • Current Mission: Expedition 75
  • Crew Members: Commander Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, Andrey Fedyaev, Pyotr Dubrov, Anna Kikina and Anil Menon.
  • Docked Spacecraft: Crew-12 Dragon, Soyuz MS-29, Progress 94P, Progress 95P and Cygnus-24.

Tiangong Space Station

Latest: Shenzhou 24 mission is expected to launch in less than two months with a crew that includes Pakistan’s first astronaut.

  • Average Altitude: 390 km
  • Current Mission: Shenzhou-23
  • Crew Members: Commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Lai Ka-ying.
  • Docked Spacecraft: Shenzhou 23 and Tianzhou 10.
Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches
Date Object Distance
Sat Sep 5 Amor Asteroid 2026 RF 0.026 AU
Sun Sep 6 Apollo Asteroid 2026 RD 0.006 AU
Wed Sep 9 Apollo Asteroid 2024 RV12 0.014 AU
Fri Sep 11 Apollo Asteroid 2026 OH3 0.031 AU

SPACE HISTORY

Sep 06

3rd Year in Space: X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM)

Sep 14

Tentative Term End for Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell

01 - 03 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Edinburgh, Scotland
Sixth annual workshop, this year is themed "Expanding Information Sharing to Drive Practical Standards, Best Practices, and Metrics". Building on the progress made since...
03 Sep 2026
  • Launch
Satish Dhawan Space Center, ~14°N, Sriharikota, India
India to launch GISAT-1A (GEO Imaging Satellite) Earth observation satellite to geostationary orbit to facilitate continuous observation of Indian sub-continent, quick monitoring of natural...
04 Sep 2026
  • Launch
Andøya Spaceport, ~63°N, Norway
2nd test flight of Isar Spectrum launch vehicle, to carry 5 cubesats to SSO, and ESA "Boost!" experiment: * CyBEEsat (TU Berlin) * TriSat-S...
06 Sep 2026
  • Observation / Anniversary
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Japan's X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), studying galactic plasma, surpasses another full year in space today at ~550-km LEO, having launched 2023.
06 - 11 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
The Hague, The Netherlands
A major European meeting on planetary science. Originally known as the European Planetary Science Congress, the first EPSC was held in Berlin in 2006....
07 Sep 2026
  • Mission Milestone
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
At 15:15 UTC, Roscosmos Progress-33 (94P) resupply craft loaded with waste will undock from ISS and burn up upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Coverage...
08 Sep - 09 Nov 2026
  • Launch
Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, China
Unknown payload to launch on Long March 2D with YZ-3 upper stage variant.
08 - 10 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
At Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC); Chair is Saeed Al Mansoori of MBRSC; Co-Chair is Gerard Galet of CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales)...
08 - 11 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Seville, Spain
To tackle one of the space sector’s most pressing challenges. 3rd Zero Debris Future Symposium (September 8-9) and the Zero Debris Technical Sessions (September...
09 Sep 2026
  • Launch
Baikonur Cosmodrome, ~46°N, Kazakhstan
Resupply mission to launch to ISS and arrive within 3.5 hours.
09 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Online
6:00-7:30 pm ET, featuring Shatel Bhakta — Principal Systems Engineer for Moon Base, NASA; Wes Fuhrman — Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative, Johns Hopkins University...
11 - 13 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Online
Inaugural event to convene researchers, policymakers and practitioners to advance understanding of self-sufficient structures in extreme environments, including the Moon. Begins September 11 at...
11 - 12 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Denver CO, USA
Industry tour of Denver space companies Friday 08:30-12:00; Astronauts Eileen Collins and Scott Kelly present at the Saturday event, 17:00-20:30. At Inverness Denver Hilton...
12 - 13 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Online
The conference will again be virtual, and will be held at times to accommodate attendees worldwide on at least one of the two days.
14 Sep 2026
  • Observation / Anniversary
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Campbell was first appointed in September 2020. She was reappointed for an additional year, 14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2026. It is rare that...
14 Sep 2026
  • Launch
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, ~5°N, French Guiana
Launch to SSO for 3rd satellite in the Sentinel-3 constellation for optical, radar and altimetry data and for Fluorescence Explorer ("FLEX") of ESA Earth...
14 - 17 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Paris, France
In conjunction with The Space Innovation Summit (September 16) and the Space Defense & Security Summit (September 15-16). The summit consists of the Summit...
15 Sep 2026
  • Launch
Launch Complex 1, ~39°S, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
(Estimated Date) Planned demonstration of in-space cryogenic storage and transferal by Eta Space and funded by NASA Tipping Point. Expected to be in orbit...
15 - 16 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Cleveland OH, USA
At Cleveland State University; Topics to be discussed include Exploration Architecture, Artemis program, Space Traffic Management, Space Nuclear Power, Navigation and Communications and more!
15 - 18 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Maui HI, USA
27th year of this top scientific conference in the USA devoted to Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) expects 1,000+ in-person...
15 - 17 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
West Lafayette, Indiana
Planning for 2.5 days of hybrid oral sessions and an in-person poster session. There will be no registration fee. Some travel support will be...
15 - 19 Sep 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Cleveland OH, USA
Ohio Space Week celebrates the state’s deep-rooted contributions to the aeronautics and space industries, highlighting the people, institutions, and businesses that continue to shape...
01 - 03 Sep 2026
Sixth annual workshop, this year is themed "Expanding Information Sharing to Drive Practical Standards, Best...
Edinburgh, Scotland
03 Sep 2026
India to launch GISAT-1A (GEO Imaging Satellite) Earth observation satellite to geostationary orbit to facilitate...
Satish Dhawan Space Center, ~14°N, Sriharikota, India
04 Sep 2026
2nd test flight of Isar Spectrum launch vehicle, to carry 5 cubesats to SSO, and...
Andøya Spaceport, ~63°N, Norway
06 Sep 2026
Japan's X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), studying galactic plasma, surpasses another full year in...
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
06 - 11 Sep 2026
A major European meeting on planetary science. Originally known as the European Planetary Science Congress,...
The Hague, The Netherlands
07 Sep 2026
At 15:15 UTC, Roscosmos Progress-33 (94P) resupply craft loaded with waste will undock from ISS...
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
08 Sep - 09 Nov 2026
Unknown payload to launch on Long March 2D with YZ-3 upper stage variant.
Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, China
08 - 10 Sep 2026
At Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC); Chair is Saeed Al Mansoori of MBRSC; Co-Chair...
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
08 - 11 Sep 2026
To tackle one of the space sector’s most pressing challenges. 3rd Zero Debris Future Symposium...
Seville, Spain
09 Sep 2026
Resupply mission to launch to ISS and arrive within 3.5 hours.
Baikonur Cosmodrome, ~46°N, Kazakhstan
09 Sep 2026
6:00-7:30 pm ET, featuring Shatel Bhakta — Principal Systems Engineer for Moon Base, NASA; Wes...
Online
11 - 13 Sep 2026
Inaugural event to convene researchers, policymakers and practitioners to advance understanding of self-sufficient structures in...
Online
11 - 12 Sep 2026
Industry tour of Denver space companies Friday 08:30-12:00; Astronauts Eileen Collins and Scott Kelly present...
Denver CO, USA
12 - 13 Sep 2026
The conference will again be virtual, and will be held at times to accommodate attendees...
Online
14 Sep 2026
Campbell was first appointed in September 2020. She was reappointed for an additional year, 14...
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada