Space News

Leadership Moon NASA

New York Times • Kenneth Chang

Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman to become JPL deputy director

Reid Wiseman, a retired emeritus astronaut, will become deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the agency’s premier center for deep-space robotic missions. The appointment moves an astronaut with a human-spaceflight background into a senior leadership role at NASA’s robotic-exploration center.

1 Source

2026-10-28T23:28:07.263988-07:00

defense China Space Policy & International Cooperation

Bloomberg • Bruce Einhorn, Josh Xiao

China and the US Are Competing for Space Dominance

By Bloomberg: Over the past 25 years, China has made major strides closing the gap with the US in space. The pace will pick up in the next 25 years as it aims not just to match the US but to surpass it.

1 Source

2026-10-28T22:04:45.995808-07:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation Human Spaceflight & Space Stations Commercial Space

SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

Virgin Galactic rolls out new suborbital spaceplane

By SpaceNews.com: Virgin Galactic’s newest suborbital spaceplane arrived at its New Mexico spaceport for flight tests as its first commercial flights slip further into 2027.

Spaceflight Now

United Launch Alliance announces mid-November return to flight for Vulcan rocket

Universe Today

Virgin Galactic Flies Next-Gen Space Plane to New Home With New Name

Also: human-spaceflight.blogspot.com, cosmiclog.com and defenceagenda.com

7 Sources

2026-10-28T20:15:58.515355-07:00

Moon

Universe Today • Laurence Tognetti

Moon Habitats May Use Layered Mylar to Block Extreme Heat

By Universe Today: Living on the Moon, with either trained astronauts or regular civilians, could become a regular occurrence in the near future.

1 Source

2026-10-28T19:55:13.223923-07:00

Space Exploration & Science Missions NASA

Universe Today • Evan Gough

NASA's New UV Space Telescope Will Launch in 2031

By Universe Today: NASA has committed to launching a new, more powerful UV space telescope. Named UVEX, the UltraViolet EXplorer, it will launch in 2031. It's about 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, GALEX, whose mission ended in 2013.

4 Sources

2026-10-28T15:15:18.916397-07:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation Commercial Space Space Policy & International Cooperation

NASA Spaceflight • Joe Kangas

How Starbase’s Construction Timeline Compares With Kennedy Space Center

By NASA Spaceflight: In the world of spaceflight, launch infrastructure is critical for rocket launches. For agencies and companies wanting to move quickly from a rocket’s inception to its first flight, everything from launch pads to vehicle integration facilities to support infrastructure has to be constructed.

2 Sources

2026-10-28T14:15:31.572649-07:00

Satellite Europe Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation

Space.com • Hanneke Weitering, Tariq Malik

On this day in space! Oct. 28, 1971: Britain launches its 1st satellite Prospero into space on a Black Arrow rocket

By Space.com: On Oct. 28, 1971, the United Kingdom launched its first satellite. Here's why it mattered.

1 Source

2026-10-28T16:19:14.648968-07:00

defense Satellite Commercial Space Space Policy & International Cooperation Space Defense & Militarization Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact Defense Policy

The Atlantic • Isaac Stanley-Becker, Simon Shuster

2026-10-28T15:43:41.298719-07:00

Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman to become JPL deputy director

China and the US Are Competing for Space Dominance

Virgin Galactic rolls out new suborbital spaceplane

United Launch Alliance announces mid-November return to flight for Vulcan rocket

Virgin Galactic Flies Next-Gen Space Plane to New Home With New Name

Moon Habitats May Use Layered Mylar to Block Extreme Heat

NASA's New UV Space Telescope Will Launch in 2031

How Starbase’s Construction Timeline Compares With Kennedy Space Center

On this day in space! Oct. 28, 1971: Britain launches its 1st satellite Prospero into space on a Black Arrow rocket

How Elon Musk Turned on Ukraine

Pentagon watchdog tells lawmakers it won't investigate Starlink slowdowns to Ukraine

Pentagon Watchdog Declines to Probe Ukraine Intel, Starlink Cuts

After Flying Past the Moon, an Artemis II Astronaut Lands in California

China and the US Are Competing for Space Dominance

Virgin Galactic rolls out new suborbital spaceplane

Moon Habitats May Use Layered Mylar to Block Extreme Heat

On this day in space! Oct. 28, 1971: Britain launches its 1st satellite Prospero into space on a Black Arrow rocket

How Elon Musk Turned on Ukraine

The last, best hope for space tourism just rolled onto a runway in Arizona

5 days beneath the waves: What it's like to live in an underwater 'space station'

Space Force missile-tracking satellite launch slips to 2027 as SDA reassesses acquisition approach

Putin salutes Musk's genius as Russia plays catch-up with Starlink

easyJet selects Starlink for its Airbus fleet, with Wi-Fi installations due to begin in 2027

Musk says SpaceX closed $40 billion debt deal to buy GPUs for AI ambitions

NASA shifts Artemis III docking test to 2027 as it targets crewed Moon landing in 2028

FCC approves Amazon Leo’s $11.5 billion acquisition of Globalstar

The day’s aerospace signal, in one email.

More in Space

ISS astronaut will conduct Canada's 1st spacewalk in 7 years on Oct. 29: Watch it live

Canadian MSS Operator Terrestar Joins With Equatys for D2D

Vulcan to return to flight in mid-November with first Amazon Leo mission

Astronomers found a mysterious object beyond Neptune, and it could be a new dwarf planet

Every small satellite launch vehicle should have the Korean Kompsat-6 story in its sales pitch

NASA rover detects ultrafine dust particles on Mars

Exclusive: Rendezvous Robotics Raises $20M to Develop Self-Assembling Spacecraft

Glowing Salt Crystals Tracked Radiation Aboard Artemis I