Space News

Mars Europe Moon Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation Space Exploration & Science Missions Asia-Pacific (APAC) NASA

Space.com • Mike Wall

Japan launches MMX mission to Phobos, aiming to return samples from Mars’ moon

JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration mission launched aboard an H3 rocket to study Phobos and Deimos, with a plan to collect material from Phobos and return it to Earth. The mission could also capture dust originating from Mars, offering clues to the moons’ origins and the Red Planet’s history.

NASA Spaceflight • Justin Davenport

Japanese MMX mission launches to study Martian moons

SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

Japan launches sample-return mission to Martian moon Phobos

Also: Space.com, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Space Policy Online, douglasmmessier.substack.com, ScienceNews, RTE, english.kyodonews.net, san.com, Scientific American, lemonde.fr, global.jaxa.jp and 20 more

63 Sources

2026-10-19T03:05:22.649023-07:00

Europe ESA Moon

Via Satellite • Mark Holmes

OHB Wins ESA Study Deal for Lunar Infrastructure

By Via Satellite: OHB has won a new lunar infrastructure deal from the European Space Agency (ESA).

1 Source

2026-10-19T13:55:19.293196-07:00

ESA Space Exploration & Science Missions

Universe Today • Evan Gough

The ESA's Euclid Space Telescope Has Discovered A New Comet

By Universe Today: The ESA's Euclid space telescope was launched in July, 2026, and its mission is to observe billions of galaxies. The goal is to measure their redshifts over 10 billion years of Universal expansion, to better understand dark matter and dark energy.

4 Sources

2026-10-19T13:05:06.336092-07:00

Via Satellite • Rachel Jewett

FCC Authorizes Globalstar’s C-3 Constellation for Direct-to-Device

By Via Satellite: The FCC has granted Globalstar authority to operate its third-generation satellite constellation, referred to as the C-3 constellation. This constellation will operate in mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum and provide direct-to-device services to smart phones.

1 Source

2026-10-19T13:05:14.835970-07:00

defense Space Force Middle East Space Defense & Militarization Defense Policy

SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Space Force eyes fivefold expansion of Middle East command

By SpaceNews.com: WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force’s Middle East command could expand fivefold over the next several years as the Space Force expands its role in military operations.

1 Source

2026-10-19T14:00:39.623382-07:00

Satellite Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation Commercial Space

Space Intel Report • Peter B. de Selding

Infinite Orbits' precious asset: Four firm launch contracts with Impulse Space OTV on Falcon 9 rockets to 2029

By Space Intel Report: LA PLATA, Maryland — French space startup Infinite Orbits, specializing in in-orbit services including geostationary-orbit rendezvous, proximity and docking, has raised 52 million euros ($58.4 million) in two financing rounds — not bad for a company founded in 2017.

1 Source

2026-10-19T12:55:15.350264-07:00

Moon Space Exploration & Science Missions NASA

Space.com • Chelsea Gohd

The moon is shrinking. 10,000 cracks on the lunar surface reveal by how much

By Space.com: The moon is shrinking, and scientists are narrowing in on exactly how much our natural satellite has dwindled over the years.

2 Sources

2026-10-19T12:05:14.246174-07:00

China Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation Space Debris & Traffic Management

Ars Technica • Stephen Clark

A Chinese rocket deorbited over Minnesota and left this in a farmer's cornfield

By Ars Technica: All the evidence points to the debris being part of a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket.

1 Source

2026-10-19T08:05:11.474418-07:00

Japan launches MMX mission to Phobos, aiming to return samples from Mars’ moon

Japanese MMX mission launches to study Martian moons

Japan launches sample-return mission to Martian moon Phobos

OHB Wins ESA Study Deal for Lunar Infrastructure

The ESA's Euclid Space Telescope Has Discovered A New Comet

FCC Authorizes Globalstar’s C-3 Constellation for Direct-to-Device

Space Force eyes fivefold expansion of Middle East command

Infinite Orbits' precious asset: Four firm launch contracts with Impulse Space OTV on Falcon 9 rockets to 2029

The moon is shrinking. 10,000 cracks on the lunar surface reveal by how much

A Chinese rocket deorbited over Minnesota and left this in a farmer's cornfield

Space Force eyes fivefold expansion of Middle East command

OHB Wins ESA Study Deal for Lunar Infrastructure

The ESA's Euclid Space Telescope Has Discovered A New Comet

FCC Authorizes Globalstar’s C-3 Constellation for Direct-to-Device

Infinite Orbits' precious asset: Four firm launch contracts with Impulse Space OTV on Falcon 9 rockets to 2029

The moon is shrinking. 10,000 cracks on the lunar surface reveal by how much

Textron Aviation secures FAA approval for Gogo Galileo HDX connectivity

UARX Space troubleshoots anomalies on maiden OTV Flight

US political uncertainty complicates long-term Artemis commitments, Polish minister says

European telecom groups mull bid for mobile satellite spectrum

Japan’s MMX mission aims to resolve the origins of Mars’ moons with a sample return

Starlink restrictions constrain Ukraine’s military communications and drone interception

SpaceX targets November Starship Flight 15, December Flight 16

SpaceX Falcon 9 set to launch 32 payloads on Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission

The day’s aerospace signal, in one email.

More in Space

Studies confirm performance of Artemis 2 heat shield

'They're kind of goth': NASA spacecraft gives mysterious brown dwarfs a close-up

PLD Space begins system-level testing of Miura 5 as first three vehicles take shape

SpaceX, Tesla earnings to test Musk's AI spending ambitions as merger talk grows

WarpWare Closes Pre-Seed to Bring Agentic Tools to Flight Software

Elon Musk says he'll give a SpaceX share to every child in America next year

Lithuania suspects Russian sabotage after attempt to burn Starlink site in Vilnius

13 months before ITU WRC-27, satellite & terrestrial operators are far from agreement on rules for D2D at national borders