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© 2026 Developments Today. All rights reserved.

MMX lifts off to Mars’s moon Phobos

MMX Launches on Mission to Sample Mars Moon Phobos

MMX launched on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on October 20.
The JAXA-led mission is expected to arrive at Mars next summer.
MMX aims to orbit Phobos, collect surface samples and return them to Earth.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 20, 2026·via esa.int

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Japan launches mission to return samples from Mars moon | Reuters (via www.reuters.com)

Japan’s MMX mission launches toward Phobos sample return

JAXA launched MMX aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima.
The mission is expected to reach Mars in August 2027 and land on Phobos no earlier than December 2028.
MMX aims to return Phobos samples to Earth in 2031, potentially clarifying the moons’ origins.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 20, 2026·via spacepolicyonline.com

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UARX Space troubleshoots anomalies on maiden OTV Flight

UARX Space Restores Contact With Maiden OTV Mission

OSSIE-D lost communications shortly after its October 1 launch.
UARX traced the blackout to a ground-station interface configuration error.
Telemetry later confirmed that commanded payload deployments occurred.
Additional satellites and hosted payloads remain aboard for future release.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 20, 2026·via spacenews.com

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Euclid discovers new comet

Euclid finds a new comet far beyond Mars

Euclid images taken in September 2026 revealed a previously unknown comet.
The Minor Planet Center confirmed the object as C/2026 S1 (Euclid) on 8 October.
The find suggests Euclid can help identify distant comets despite its deep-galaxy mission.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 19, 2026·via esa.int

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SpaceX Plans Bandwagon-5 Launch With Starfall Capsule

SpaceX Plans Bandwagon-5 Launch With Starfall Capsule

Bandwagon-5 is scheduled to carry 32 payloads from Cape Canaveral.
The flight would be the second known launch of SpaceX's uncrewed Starfall reentry capsule.
Weather officials forecast a 55% chance of acceptable launch conditions.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 18, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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Ship 40 Back At Starbase After Surprise Reentry Survival

SpaceX Returns Ship 40 to Starbase for Heatshield Analysis

Ship 40 survived its July Indian Ocean splashdown after IFT-13 and was returned to Starbase.
The vehicle is the only reported Starship to remain intact after reaching the water and tipping over.
SpaceX says it will study the flown heatshield, Raptor engines and avionics.
The recovery route included a 26-day journey to Christmas Island before return to Texas.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 17, 2026·via spacepolicyonline.com

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JAXA Prepares MMX Mission To Phobos, With NASA Contributions, Sample Return In 2031: 11 outlets compared | NewsCord (via newscord.org)

JAXA’s MMX Mission Prepares to Pursue Phobos Samples

JAXA plans to launch MMX on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima on October 20.
The mission is scheduled to reach Mars in 2027 and return Phobos samples in 2031.
NASA is providing the MEGANE spectroscopy instrument and the P-Sampler collection mechanism.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 17, 2026·via spacepolicyonline.com

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Science begins for Smile

Smile mission begins science operations after commissioning

Smile was declared ready for science operations on 23 September after commissioning.
The spacecraft launched on 19 May and reached its target science orbit on 20 June.
Its four instruments study solar activity, geomagnetic storms and auroras.
ESA says teams are working to reduce stray light seen by the X-ray imager when pointed at Earth.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 16, 2026·via esa.int

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Blue Origin Plans Florida Expansion to Raise New Glenn Flight Rate

Blue Origin Plans Florida Expansion to Raise New Glenn Flight Rate

Blue Origin plans additional Florida launch pads modeled on its LC-36 facilities.
The FAA is reviewing a request to raise LC-36A’s annual launch limit from 12 to 50.
New landing vessels, a vertical integration facility and a shared payload-processing facility are part of the expansion.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 16, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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NASA and SpaceX Launch Crew-13 Toward the ISS

NASA and SpaceX Launch Crew-13 Toward the ISS

Crew-13 launched aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Grace from Cape Canaveral.
The four-person crew is led by NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins.
Dragon was scheduled to dock with the ISS about eight hours after launch.
Falcon 9 booster B1101 flew for the third time and was assigned a return-to-launch-site landing attempt.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 16, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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SpaceX Launches Classified US Space Force Payload

SpaceX Launches Classified US Space Force Payload

A Falcon 9 launched the classified USSF-481 mission from Vandenberg on October 15.
The rocket flew on a southerly trajectory toward a broadly indicated high-inclination low Earth orbit.
Booster B1081 completed its 28th flight and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 16, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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An illustration of a green

Astronomers Find a White Dwarf With a Green Glow

Sodium in the white dwarf atmosphere absorbs orange light, producing a green appearance.
Research suggests white dwarfs can appear in colors beyond the usual white or pale blue.
Accreted rocky planetary material can affect a white dwarf’s atmospheric chemistry and observed color.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 16, 2026·via space.com

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A SpaceX CRS-21 Cargo Dragon spacecraft makes the first automated undocking of a U.S. supply ship from the International Space Station on Jan. 12, 2020.

SpaceX Cargo Dragon Nears ISS With CRS-35 Supplies

CRS-35 launched aboard Falcon 9 on October 13 from Cape Canaveral.
Dragon is scheduled to dock with the ISS on October 15.
The cargo includes food, provisions, research and hardware for the station crew.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 15, 2026·via space.com

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SpaceX

SpaceX seeks FAA approval for up to 456 Starship launches a year from Texas

SpaceX wants authorization for up to 456 Starship launches a year from Starbase, up from 25.
The FAA has announced a programmatic environmental impact statement and public scoping process.
The proposal follows Starship’s reported first orbital deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 15, 2026·via space.com

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How mini-constellations could more quickly bring new tech to Europe, and to orbit

Europe’s Mini-Constellations Aim for Faster Satellite Upgrades

Constellr is developing the HiVE thermal-imagery constellation for agricultural and urban-planning applications.
Space Inventor is adapting its BIG CAT 600 satellite bus as payload requirements evolve.
The modular approach is designed to let later satellites incorporate lessons and capability changes without a full redesign.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 15, 2026·via spacenews.com

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illustration of a city on mars, with four large white spaceships arrayed along its outskirts

Starship at 10: Orbit Reached, Mars Still Distant

Starship reached orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight, ten years after SpaceX unveiled its Mars concept.
The program has demonstrated controlled splashdowns, a booster catch and internal liquid-oxygen transfer.
In-space propellant transfer, reliable reuse and full lunar-mission capabilities remain key milestones.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 14, 2026·via space.com

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SpaceX Transporter-18 Carries 130 Payloads to Orbit

SpaceX Transporter-18 Carries 130 Payloads to Orbit

Transporter-18 carried 130 payloads from Vandenberg.
The manifest included AI, methane-tracking and pharmaceutical-lab projects.
Falcon 9 booster B1082 was flying for the 25th time.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 14, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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Mars moon lander set to launch on 19 October

Mars moon mission aims for first Phobos sample return

MMX is scheduled to launch on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima.
The mission aims to be the first to return samples from Phobos to Earth.
It will deploy the Idefix rover and study Phobos, Deimos and Mars.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 14, 2026·via esa.int

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SpaceX CRS-35 launches cargo and final ISS solar arrays

SpaceX CRS-35 launches cargo and final ISS solar arrays

A Falcon 9 launched NASA’s CRS-35 cargo mission from Cape Canaveral on October 13.
Cargo Dragon is carrying more than 6,300 pounds of science and supplies to the ISS.
The mission includes the fourth and final pair of Roll-Out Solar Arrays for the station.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 13, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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selfie taken by a mars rover, showing the wheeled robot in a red desert landsacpe

Perseverance Sets New Off-World Driving Distance Record

Perseverance reached 28.10 miles, or 45.22 kilometers, on Mars on October 11.
The milestone surpasses Opportunity’s previous distance record of 28.06 miles.
The rover has reached the mark in about 5.5 years and remains in good health, according to the mission team.
NASA engineers believe Perseverance could ultimately travel up to 100 kilometers.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Oct 13, 2026·via space.com

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