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The Shenzhou 21 astronauts have returned to Earth after a record-breaking 210-day mission, marking the longest crewed spaceflight in Chinese history. This achievement highlights China"s growing capabilities in space exploration and its commitment to establishing a permanent presence in low Earth orbit.
Researchers have discovered a novel technique to determine the mass of exoplanets that are too faint or embedded to observe directly, by studying the rings around young stars. This breakthrough method has been successfully tested on the PDS 70 system, located approximately 370 light-years away.
Researchers have used 3D simulations to study the formation of hub-filament systems in stellar nurseries, finding that shockwaves from dying stars play a key role in sculpting these structures. This discovery provides new insights into the complex processes that govern star formation.
On May 28, Blue Origin"s New Glenn rocket exploded during a fueling test at Launch Complex-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, causing significant damage to the launchpad and surrounding infrastructure, but fortunately resulting in no injuries. This incident is expected to impact NASA"s plans for returning astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis mission.
A static test fire of Blue Origin"s New Glenn rocket ended in an explosion on May 28, 2026, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with no injuries reported but potential implications for NASA"s Artemis program timeline. The incident occurred without the payload of 48 Amazon Leo internet satellites aboard, and its impact on the project"s progression is currently being assessed.
The German Space Agency, in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center and the University of Würzburg, is developing an innovative Mars rover concept as part of the Valles Marineris Explorer project. This novel approach aims to explore the challenging terrain of Valles Marineris on Mars using a heterogeneous robot swarm and a bio-inspired rover design.
On May 30, 2026, SpaceX successfully launched its 50th dedicated Starlink mission of the year, adding 24 more satellites to its low Earth orbit constellation. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the company and highlights its ongoing efforts to expand global broadband internet coverage.
A prelaunch test of Blue Origin"s New Glenn rocket ended in an explosion, potentially impacting NASA"s schedule for returning American astronauts to the moon by 2028. The incident has significant implications for the aerospace industry and NASA"s Artemis program.
On May 29, 2026, United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch a batch of 29 Amazon Leo broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station using its Atlas 5 rocket. This mission marks the seventh batch of production satellites launched by ULA for Amazon, contributing to the company's goal of establishing a constellation of 3,200 satellites.
The Shenzhou 21 astronauts have returned to Earth after a record-breaking 210-day mission, marking the longest crewed spaceflight in Chinese history. This achievement highlights China"s growing capabilities in space exploration and its commitment to establishing a permanent presence in low Earth orbit.
The Soviet space program, led by the visionary Sergei Korolev, achieved a series of groundbreaking firsts in space exploration, including launching the first satellite and putting the first man and woman into orbit. These accomplishments not only propelled the USSR to the forefront of the Space Race but also paved the way for significant advancements in aerospace technology.
NASA will provide an update on the agency’s Artemis III mission and announce the astronauts assigned to the test flight. Artemis III will launch four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The mission will test critical rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial human landing systems needed to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface. Building on the successful Artemis II crewed test flight in April, Artemis III will pave the way for future surface missions.
As part of its mission extension, JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft will observe S-type asteroid (98943) Torifune during a high-speed fly-by.
On 12 August 2026, a solar eclipse will be visible across parts of Europe and the north Atlantic. The path of totality will cross Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a small area of northeastern Portugal. Other parts of Europe will see a partial solar eclipse.
Third flyby of ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission on its way to the Jovian system.
Orbital insertion around Mercury of the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission.