Space.com
• Mike Wall
NASA will provide live coverage as Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Oct. 9, 2026, at 12:45 p.m. ET. The event marks the end of the spacecraft’s stay at the station; the supplied articles do not specify its cargo or mission duration.
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NASA will provide live coverage as Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Oct. 9, 2026, at 12:45 p.m. ET. The event marks the end of the spacecraft’s stay at the station; the supplied articles do not specify its cargo or mission duration.
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Türkiye used the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya to promote its space ambitions and international partnerships. Roketsan is seeking cooperation on launch systems and orbital technologies, while Turkish Aerospace Industries plans to launch its first optical Earth-observation satellite, Hursat-1, in mid-2027; ESA also held high-level meetings with partners.
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Launch coverage points to flights from SpaceX, South Korea and China, including a South Korean Earth-observation payload and a Chinese Long March 12 mission. Separately, SpaceX’s Transporter-18 carried Star Catcher’s orbital power-beaming prototype, while NASA and SpaceX targeted Crew-12’s return and NASA named the Crew-14 astronauts for a spring 2027 mission.
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NASA and SpaceX plan to undock Crew-12 from the International Space Station on Oct. 7, following an eight-month mission that included research, station work and spacewalks. Separately, the four-person Crew-13 crew has arrived at Kennedy Space Center ahead of a planned Oct. 1 launch to the orbiting outpost.
Blue Origin has unveiled a vertically deployed solar array system designed to provide more than 10 kilowatts of power for Moon Base operations at the lunar south pole. The company presented the 20-meter-tall “Power Tower” as a potential energy source for future lunar infrastructure.
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The European Space Agency is investigating options for a European-led space station and pursuing crew-transport capabilities as new European launchers come online. The effort follows member states’ endorsement of a “Call to Boost European Space Exploration,” signaling a broader push to strengthen Europe’s independent role in human spaceflight.
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A SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying four astronauts from the United States, Canada and Russia docked with the International Space Station less than eight hours after launching from Florida. The rapid transit marked the fastest journey to the ISS by a U.S. spacecraft, according to the reports.
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NASA is planning three lunar investigations to assess environmental hazards, locate underground lava tubes and search for water ice needed for a future outpost. Separately, Honda and Redwire are developing robotic systems to automate laboratory work and perform dangerous tasks alongside crews on commercial stations and deep-space missions.
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