WaperNeutron slips to 2027 as MMX prepares for its Phobos sample-return launch
Rocket Lab pushed Neutron’s debut to no earlier than 2027 because of manufacturing problems, while JAXA set October 20 for its attempt to launch a Phobos sample-return mission. NASA also confirmed Artemis II’s heat-shield performance and improved Roman Space Telescope image quality beyond predictions.
Key developments
Neutron debut delayed again
Rocket Lab delayed the first flight of Neutron to no earlier than 2027, citing carbon fibre manufacturing problems.
Customers awaiting Neutron will have to wait longer for another launch option.
Oct 16 · NASASpaceflight
MMX ready for launch
JAXA scheduled Martian Moons eXploration for launch aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima at 04:41 JST on October 20. It aims to become the first mission to collect material from Phobos and return it to Earth.
Returned material would let researchers study a Martian moon directly in laboratories.
Oct 13 · ESA Space Science
Artemis II heat shield validated
Additional NASA engineering analysis confirmed that Orion’s heat shield performed as expected during Artemis II, which carried four astronauts around the Moon and safely back to Earth.
The findings strengthen the technical basis for using Orion on future crewed lunar missions.
Oct 15 · NASA News
Final ISS solar arrays launched
SpaceX launched its 35th commercial resupply mission for NASA toward the International Space Station with the final iROSA solar arrays. Cargo also included experiments on human and plant health and drug-resistant organisms.
The cargo supports station power and research into health risks during long-duration exploration.
Oct 12 · NASA News · NASASpaceflight
Roman beats image-quality predictions
Engineers refined the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s alignment by moving a mirror one-sixteenth the width of a human hair. Its Wide Field Instrument now delivers image quality nearly 30% better than predicted.
Sharper images will help Roman resolve finer details in its future observations.
Oct 17 · Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
UK selects debris-removal provider
The UK Space Agency selected ClearSpace for the country’s first debris-removal mission.
The selection advances a commercial route to removing orbital debris.
Oct 15 · Payload
Webb catches possible early supernova
Webb detected AT 2026abck, a possible supernova in a star-forming galaxy at redshift 5.017, without gravitational lensing. Observations suggest it was caught four to 10 days after the explosion.
Observations this early could reveal how stellar explosions developed in the young universe.
Oct 13 · Astronomy News
Farside samples point to tidal heating
Findings from the first samples collected on the Moon’s farside suggest uneven heating from Earth’s gravitational pull drove enormous ancient magma flows. The mechanism could help explain the contrasting landscapes of the Moon’s two faces.
The samples connect the Moon’s differing landscapes to a specific process in its early evolution.
Oct 14 · Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
Sentinel-3C returns first observations
Sentinel-3C returned its first Earth images two weeks after launch, showing the Alps, Arctic islands and Caribbean waters. Initial measurements also showed promising results for tracking rising seas and melting ice sheets.
The early observations indicate the satellite can contribute to monitoring environmental change.
Oct 12 · Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
Possible close black hole pair
A newly detected particle jet provided evidence for a second supermassive black hole in Mrk 501. Observations suggest a 121-day orbit, with a possible merger in as little as 100 years depending on the objects’ masses.
If confirmed, the system would offer a target for studying supermassive black holes approaching merger.
Oct 18 · Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
Also this week
Mission preparations
NASA announced three lunar science payloads intended to improve understanding of surface hazards and resources. Astronomy News & Astronomical Events
Artemis III teams completed stacking both solid rocket boosters and installed all four RS-25 engines ahead of an SLS short-stack tanking test at the launch pad. NASASpaceflight
SpaceX scheduled Bandwagon-5 to carry the uncrewed Starfall reentry capsule on its second flight alongside 31 customer payloads, with a one-hour launch window opening at 6:30 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral. Spaceflight Now
Launches and business
SpaceX launched a classified U.S. Space Force payload from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 5:01 p.m. PDT on October 15. Spaceflight Now
A Falcon 9 launched 27 Starlink satellites on the Starlink 15-25 mission from California. Spaceflight Now
In Orbit Aerospace won new government contracts for onboard AI as it shifted away from reentry vehicles toward spacecraft operations that do not wait for ground control. Payload
Reflect Orbital purchased two launches from Skyroot Aerospace. Payload
BlackSky Technology signed a seven-figure agreement extending its HEO partnership for another year and adding Gen-3 imagery for space domain awareness. Payload
Blue Origin planned additional Florida launch pads, manufacturing expansion at Rocket Park and more landing barges to support a higher New Glenn flight rate. Spaceflight Now
Seraphim Space Investment Trust doubled in value in 2026, with five companies accounting for more than 75% of its portfolio all having strong years. Payload
Stars and galaxies
ALMA observations revealed a ring recording a dying star’s final outburst, with the research accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. Astronomy News
Webb observations revealed unexpectedly dense dark matter in an ancient galaxy cluster and a connection between its dark matter and scattered starlight. Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
FAST discovered a starless cloud containing nearly 500,000 solar masses of neutral hydrogen, identified in a preprint as a candidate isolated dark galaxy. Astronomy News
University of Warwick astronomers identified a white dwarf that would appear green to human eyes as part of research into the range of white dwarf colors. Astronomy News
Black hole physics
A preprint presented evidence for two actively feeding supermassive black holes separated by 175 parsecs in MG B2016+112, seen when the universe was about 2 billion years old. Astronomy News
Astronomers investigating TDE 2023mfm identified a massive black hole tearing apart a star more than 1,000 parsecs from its galaxy’s center, with the discovery described in a preprint. Astronomy News
Scientists found that black holes of very different sizes appear to launch jets according to a shared rule that could explain eruptions years after a star is consumed. Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
Chandra observations linked the Treble Clef radio formation to a likely supermassive black hole outburst followed by a galaxy cluster collision. NASA News
Planets and weather
An international team led by Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics analyzed 300 planetary systems and identified two families of known multiplanet systems tied to their host stars. Astronomy News
A cloud forming over a Martian mountain provided the first observation of a previously theoretical cloud-formation process requiring no solid seed particles. Astronomy News & Astronomical Events
Webb mapped a one-sided bulge in WASP-17b’s atmosphere using a new technique that revealed distortions linked to heat-redistributing winds. Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
Webb identified three recurring atmospheric states on a world 20 light-years away, driven by temperature changes and shifting clouds. Astronomy News -- ScienceDaily
What to watch
Watch whether MMX lifts off on October 20 at 04:41 JST aboard H3 from Tanegashima.
Watch for Bandwagon-5’s launch and the second flight of Starfall; the announced one-hour window opens at 6:30 a.m. EDT, but the supplied schedule gives no launch date.
Watch for the Artemis III SLS short-stack tanking test following booster stacking and engine installation; its timing has not been announced.
How this was made: Waper follows this topic across 15 sources every day. This week had 33 stories; the most important are picked out, each with links to the original reporting. How we pick sources and stories