The Red Planet: a desert world with a thin CO2 atmosphere
A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage has struck the Moon near Einstein Crater at about 5,400 mph, carving a new crater and launching a dust plume. South Korea’s Danuri orbiter has photographed the site and released images. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is scheduled to image the impact next week while scientists begin analysing ejecta and crater formation.
A total solar eclipse has swept from the Arctic through Greenland and Iceland to parts of Spain and a sliver of Portugal, while much of western Europe has seen a deep partial eclipse. Crowds and tourists have flocked to the path of totality, scientific teams have livestreamed observations, and Spain has reported heavy visitor numbers and local economic benefits.
A 1991 Mars Bar found by a UK cleaner has reignited calls about shrinkflation, with comparisons showing substantial size reductions over the years. Retailers face scrutiny as online posts highlight weight differences while prices rise, fueling debates across quick-service and snack markets.
VinSpace has signed a contract with SpaceX to send its first satellites into orbit on a Transporter rideshare mission in 2027. The Hanoi-based company, part of Vietnam’s Vingroup, plans to develop and operate its satellites to test technology and support future commercial space services. The agreement aligns with Vietnam’s push to become a mid-level space power by 2030.
SpaceX has pledged $100 billion to build a 125,000‑acre Starbase in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, that it says will support thousands of Starship launches a year, add about 3,000 direct jobs and include propellant production, power generation and deep‑water shipping. Construction is scheduled to start in 2027; SpaceX targets initial launches by 2029 while state officials give a 2030 timeline.
SpaceX has announced a $100 billion plan to develop a 125,000-acre Starbase Louisiana on Pecan Island, expanding beyond Texas and Florida. The site will host methane production, power generation, deep-water shipping, vehicle processing, and potentially an on-site airport. Construction starts next year, with the first launch expected in 2029, creating more than 3,000 jobs.
President Trump has signed an executive order to begin creating a U.S. Space Academy to train astronauts, engineers and civil operators for NASA, the U.S. Space Force and the civilian spaceflight industry. A presidential commission chaired by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman will deliver proposals within 120 days; the academy’s location and funding remain undecided.
Autumn has delivered a run of visible celestial events: a partial lunar eclipse in late August that reddened much of the Moon, close pairings of the young crescent Moon with Venus and Jupiter in September, and a string of upcoming spectacles — the Pleiades, the Orionid and Leonid meteor showers, a planetary parade on 14 November and a Beaver supermoon on 24 November.
Archaeologists uncover a mastaba at Saqqara dating to Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty, built for Yunmen, a high-ranking official, and his father Ity. The site includes two chapels, painted reliefs, and a false door, with colors well-preserved after more than 4,000 years. The find supports ongoing efforts to boost Egypt’s tourism through new discoveries.
SpaceX has flown Starship into low‑Earth orbit for the first time during its 14th test flight from Starbase, Texas, and has deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. The Super Heavy booster has returned to the Gulf of Mexico; the upper stage has completed multiple orbits before a planned reentry and splashdown west of Chile during a roughly 10‑hour mission on Monday.
SpaceX has launched a four‑person Crew‑13 to the International Space Station and the team has reached orbit after an eight‑hour express transit, a US speed record. Commander Jessica Watkins has become the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. The flight includes Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, whose wife is due to give birth during the six‑month mission.
Margaret Hamilton has died at 90. The MIT computer scientist has led development of the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo program, coined the phrase "software engineering," and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Her daughter has confirmed she died on 30 September in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Japan-led MMX mission has launched to study Phobos and Deimos, with a lander and rover designed to fetch samples from Phobos and return them to Earth by 2031. The mission involves multiple international partners including NASA and ESA.
Five space agencies have launched the MMX mission to land a robotic prospector and a rover on Phobos, Mars’ moon. The spacecraft has separated, paving the way for the Idefix rover and a two-hour surface operation planned for 2028-29, with a 2031 Earth return.
SpaceX has posted a strong third quarter, reporting revenue and earnings above expectations and marking a rare profit. Wall Street is weighing aggressive capex and a potential SpaceX–Tesla merger as the company expands Starlink, AI, and data-center initiatives amid a global push into artificial intelligence.
Elon Musk has said special committees at Tesla and SpaceX are exploring a possible merger and that combining the firms "would be a good idea." He has recused himself from the committees. The proposal would require approval from at least 50% of Tesla shareholders and has sparked stock movement and renewed debate over control, AI and national-security implications.
A distant icy body in the Kuiper Belt, named 2026 ED138, has emerged as a strong candidate for a new dwarf planet. Rubin Observatory data, supported by past imagery, shows a slow-moving object whose orbit lies within Pluto’s distance from the Sun. This discovery adds to evidence that hidden worlds await in the outer solar system.