April 13-19, 2026 | Vol 45, Week 15 | Hawai`i Island, USA
April 13-19, 2026 | Vol 45, Week 15 | Hawai`i Island, USA
From Humans to Hardware, 2026 Moon Missions Plan Next-Gen Telescope and Hopping Probe
As Artemis II crew readjusts to life back on Earth after their unprecedented lunar-far-side flyby, robotic Moon missions for 2026 are next up. China National Space Agency expects a 5th lunar mission success with Chang’E-7 set to launch in August and land in November/December. After deploying an orbiter, Chang’E-7 will set down a lander, rover and hopping probe at ~89°S, Shackleton Crater rim. The hopper will search for water ice in permanent shadows. Chang’E-7 carries instruments from Egypt / Bahrain, Russia, Italy, Thailand, Switzerland and the nonprofit International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) of Hawai’i. Commercial Moon missions are planned in 2026 by Intuitive Machines (IM), Firefly, Blue Origin (Blue) and Astrobotic. Late this year, Firefly will introduce Ocula Moon imaging from its Elytra craft as it delivers ESA Lunar Pathfinder into orbit and takes Blue Ghost 2 lander and UAE Rashid 2 rover to the far side. IM-3 will head to Reiner Gamma in Q3 or Q4. Blue plans to test heavy-lift delivery capabilities with Blue Moon Mark 1 to the South Pole NET late 2026. Astrobotic is on-track to get Griffin-1 and its mini-rover to ~86°S this year with science instruments and primary payload Astrolab FLIP rover. FLIP already contains a digital file with Space Calendar and Space Age “Moon Messages and Names.” (Image Credits L-R Astrobotic, Astrolab, Firefly, Blue, IM, China Media Group)
TESS Exoplanet Hunter: Status and Mission Objectives After 8 Years in Space
Reaching its 8th full year in space on April 18, NASA’s Transiting-Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) remains operational in its third extended mission, managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and operated by MIT under Principal Investigator George Ricker. The spacecraft maintains a high-Earth elliptical, 2:1 lunar resonance orbit—circling Earth twice for every one lunar orbit—providing a fuel-efficient, thermally stable environment outside the Van Allen radiation belts. Despite entering safe-mode briefly, related to solar panel orientation and battery discharge, TESS continues high-precision observations, and every 13.7 days (at perigee) transmits accumulated data to Earth. Recent highlights include observation of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS and confirmation of TESS Object of Interest (TOI) 1080-b as a temperate planet slightly larger than Earth orbiting an M-dwarf star. TESS has confirmed 769 exoplanets of a NASA total of 6,150+ and identified 7,913 candidates (TOIs). Transits are the main clue for discovery. A current objective is to identify 50 small-but-measurable rocky worlds to serve as benchmark targets for the James Webb Space Telescope’s probe of atmospheric composition and habitability. Originally a US$287 million mission, TESS has generated 2800+ peer-reviewed studies and adds to a catalog of rocky worlds for the next generation of deep-space spectroscopy. (Image Credits: MIT-George Ricker Jr, SpaceX, NASA)
Humans in Space
☆ International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 74 seven members are working to unpack supplies from Cygnus NG-24 XL cargo craft scheduled to launch Saturday, taking hearing tests, measuring internal eye pressure, using the TUSK experimental robotic arm, and participating in a relaxation study to promote calmness, reduce stress and improve sleep quality; the 3 Cosmonauts tested AI tools and ship-to-ship communications with the docked Progress 93 resupply craft and worked with ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot on vein scans; last Tuesday the ISS crew was able to speak with Artemis II crew after their lunar flyby.
☆ Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou-21 three-member crew posted 80 pieces of student art work, from 15,000+ hand-painted submissions, for this 5th year of the Sky Art Exhibition; Pioneers and Role Models in My Heart is this year’s theme; the crew praised lofty aspirations of the youth, seeing they depicted the pioneering spirit, dedication and perseverance of those who pressed forward against the odds; they continue their experiments with fluid physics and combustion science, a study related to trust and collaboration, physical exercise and cardiac testing, and daily maintenance and monitoring of the station environment.
◐ Lunar Enterprise News: The Artemis II four Astronauts safely entered Earth atmosphere in the Orion capsule (which was heated to ~ 1,650° C), from which a smaller crew module detached and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California using parachute deployments at 17:07:27 Pacific Daylight Time on April 10, a mission time of 9 days, 1 hour, 32;15—a historic, international, inter-global, Moon mission SUCCESS!
Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches – Mon Apr 13: Apollo Asteroid 2026 FV6 (0.019 AU); Tue Apr 14: Aten Asteroid 2013 GM3 (0.001 AU); Sat Apr 18: Apollo Asteroid 2026 FJ6 (0.040 AU)
First Woman Lands on the Moon …
NET (no earlier than)
Loading Moon data for your location...
Loading planet data...
Land your name on the Moon!
Have your name sent to the Moon for FREE on the ILO-1 lunar mission via Astrolab FLEX rover (NET 2027). You will automatically be signed up for our weekly Space Calendar.
Events
-
-
Space Generation Fusion Forum SGFF 2026
Colorado Springs CO, USAHeld annually in conjunction with the Space Symposium, SGFF is a multi-day, high-intensity, fast-paced professional development and networking event focused on the global space industry. Students and young professionals from around the world, who are working and participating in all facets of the space community, apply to attend SGFF each […]
-
AIAA Region I Student Conference
College Park MD, USAResearch papers are presented in a formal technical meeting atmosphere, and ideas are exchanged and programs discussed. Cash prizes given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place papers in each category. At University of Maryland.
-
Registration Due: Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Spring Meeting
Online23:59 EDT | 03:59 UTC April 14. No cost for Online attendance; US$150-220 for in-person (Laurel MD, USA). Theme Accelerate the Pace: Touch Down, Power Up, and Explore! focuses on urgency for lunar infrastructure technology efforts, inviting discussions on how we can accelerate progress together. With the incredible momentum set […]
US$1 – US$220 -
ASCE Earth & Space 2026 Conference
College Station TX, USA20th International Conference on Engineering, Science, Construction and Operations in Challenging Environments: ASCE Earth & Space 2026
-
41st Space Foundation Space Symposium
Colorado Springs CO, USATheme: Building Capacity Through Innovation and Collaboration. Expecting 10,000+ registrants, 247 exhibitors, 24 space agencies, 1500+ organizations. At The Broadmoor Hotel & Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Access to specific Track Programming ONLY available at US$425 for tracks: Space Law & Regulation, Space Science & Exploration, Space Finance & Investment, Game Changers: […]
Free -
Satellite Building Workshop
SingaporeFor undergraduates in STEM-related courses. At Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
-
UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee (LSC) Meeting
Vienna, Austria65th session of the UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee (LSC). Informal meetings and consultations are expected to take place on April 13-14 and April 23-24, surrounding the main session dates. Key lunar issues to be addressed include resources and information-sharing. Sessions focus is on international space governance, including space safety, sustainability, […]
-
Launch Vehicle Avionics Systems Design and Applications – Online Short Course
OnlineGeorge N. Andrew, with 46+ years of experience relating to launch vehicle, spacecraft / instrument avionics architecture, design, manufacturing, integration / testing / program management, convenes this course Tuesdays / Thursdays through April 30 at 13:00–15:30 EDT | 17:00-19:30 UTC | 09:00-11:30 HST (6 Classes, 15 Total Hours). All sessions […]
US$495 – US$1095 -
Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-24
SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USALaunch window 02:13-06:13 EDT | 20:13 Apr 13 - 00:13 Apr 14 HST, for 29 internet satellites. Booster B1080 planned to land on ASDS JRTI after this 26th launch.
-
Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-27
SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USALaunch window 19:00-23:00 PDT | 16:00-20:00 HST, for 25 internet satellites. Booster B1082 expected to land on ASDS OCISLY after this 21st flight.
-
Online Seminar on Power and Propulsion Systems
OnlineWith Tim Lieuwen of Georgia Institute of Technology, 13:00-14:00 EDT | 07:00-08:00 HST, spanning from fundamentals to current applications and unsolved problems at the intersection of combustion, fluid mechanics, and flow stability, offering insights for industry, researchers, and students alike. Full title of seminar: Patterns and Structure in the Fury […]
-
CubeSat Developers Workshop 2026 (CDW26)
San Luis Obispo CA, USAAt Cal Poly campus building number 06, Performing Arts Center (PAC). Workshop sessions include: Core Hardware / Mechanisms, Radiation & Reliability, Comm Systems, Payloads, Deployment, Software / Autonomy, Flight Demos. There is a Career Fair at the end of the workshops, and a Farmer's Market in the late afternoon. 3 […]
US$100 – US$700 -
26th Integrated Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference
Washington DC, USAAddressing technology and policy advances in CNS research, development and implementation programs, and policies related to CNS/ATM capabilities and applications. Includes a workshop on interaction between launches and the air traffic system. ICNS Conference assembles leaders from government, industry, and academia, as well as senior technical experts to address important […]
US$550 -
Abstracts Due for International Space Development Conference (ISDC 2026)
Online44th annual ISDC to be held Jun 4 - Jun 7 in McLean VA, USA, to bring together visionaries in spaceflight, the NewSpace economy, and space settlement for 4 days of groundbreaking discussions and insights. International Space Development Conference (ISDC) 2026: Space For Us All
-
NASA Partnership Days
Edwards CA, USAAt NASA Armstrong flight Research Center, for companies, government agencies and organization to explore collaboration opportunities in advanced research and technology development with NASA. 08:00-16:00 PDT on Wednesday, April 15, and 10:30-17:00 PDT or Thursday, April 16. Registration required.
-
AIAA Defense Forum 2026
Laurel MD, USAAIAA secret / NOFORN event covering the strategic, programmatic, and technical topics and policy issues pertaining to the aerospace and defense community.
-
ICGAC2026: 2nd International Conference on Gravitation, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Paris, FranceThemes include Beyond Gravity and Cosmic Understanding, as described by conference Chair Carlo Viberti of SpaceLand Italy.
-
30th Annual Design / Build / Fly Competition
Wichita KS, USAApplied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Design Engineering and Flight Test Technical Committees of AIAA all pitch in to call forth enthusiastic creativity from the next generation. College-student teams will design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio-controlled aircraft which can best meet the specified mission profile. […]
-
Launch Long March 2D / Unknown Payload
Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, ChinaLaunch window 12:10-12:24 China Time | 18:10-18:24 Apr 16 HST of 2-stage rocket used for taking satellites to LEO and SSO. This would be the 97th successful launch of a Long March 2D, out of 98 attempts.
-
From Earth to the Universe: At Robinson Planetarium
Adrian MI, USAIn honor of Astronomy Month, celebrated around the Earth, this full-dome planetarium program takes the audience out to the colorful birthplaces and burial grounds of stars, and still further out beyond the Milky Way to the unimaginable immensity of myriad galaxies. Along the way, the audience will learn about the […]
-
8 Years in Space: Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)
High Earth Orbit (HEO)Space telescope for NASA Explorers program reaches 8th full year in space today, designed to search for exoplanets using the transit method in an area 400 times larger than that covered by Kepler / K2 mission; launched April 18, 2018.
-
Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-22
SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USALaunch window 07:00-11:00 PDT | 04:00-08:00 HST for 25 internet satellites. Booster B1097 expected to land on ASDS OCISLY after this 8th flight.
-
Launch New Glenn / BlueBird Block 2 #2
SLC-36A, Cape Canaveral SFS FL, ~28°N, USALaunch window 06:45-09:43 EDT | 00:45-03:43 HST for one AST Space Mobile satellite for cellular broadband, which features ~223-square-meter communications array making it the largest commercial deployment in LEO. Booster GS1-SN002 expected to land on ASDS Jacklyn after this 2nd flight.
-
Planetary Society’s Day of Action
Washington DC, USAAnnual advocacy event that connects space advocates with their members of Congress in Washington D.C. Training 13:00-17:00 Sunday Apr 19. Congressional meetings Monday Apr 20. Anyone age 18+ with USA address can register, under 18 must be accompanied by parent / guardian; Planetary Society membership required (can be added at […]
US$30 – US$54 -
Launch Falcon 9 / GPS III SV10
SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USALaunch window open 02:48-04:05 EST | HST is 20:48-22:05 on Apr 19; 10th of 10 navigation satellites to MEO; 1st stage booster planned to land on autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) in Atlantic Ocean.
