Earth orbit

SpaceX has launched its enormous Starship into orbit for the first time, successfully delivering the newest and most advanced Starlink satellites yet. However, flight controllers brought the spacecraft back to Earth early on Monday rather than completing six full laps around the planet as planned. The milestone flight is being closely watched as a major step for the rocket programme.

Researchers report a new type of satellite propulsion that scoops the thin air in low Earth orbit and uses it as propellant, potentially letting satellites keep their altitude indefinitely without carrying finite fuel. The concept could cut the cost of missions that constantly fight atmospheric drag and extend the working life of Earth-observation spacecraft. Discussion is focused on how the engine works and how practical it would be in practice.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday urging the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup's plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth. The groups argue the agency failed to consider the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy, reopening debate over regulating commercial uses of orbit and reflecting growing scrutiny of space-based ventures.

An astronomer is monitoring the gradual orbital decay of Starlink satellites, using how quickly they sink toward Earth as a kind of 'planetary barometer' for upper-atmosphere density. The approach could turn thousands of decommissioning satellites into a large-scale measuring instrument for space weather and atmospheric conditions, a novel reuse of the Starlink constellation that has caught the attention of the science community.

SpaceX has launched its Starship rocket on a roughly 10-hour test flight, with the spacecraft set to circle the Earth six times before the mission concludes. The long-duration flight is intended to test the vehicle's endurance and reentry capabilities as SpaceX develops the system for future deep-space missions. Coverage is focused on how the extended flight plan marks a step up from earlier, shorter Starship tests.

Northrop Grumman has delivered 21 data-relay satellites for a US military constellation, according to SpaceNews. The spacecraft are designed to relay data between military platforms, supporting communications and missile-tracking efforts in orbit. The delivery marks a significant production milestone in the Pentagon's push to build proliferated low-Earth-orbit satellite networks for resilient battlefield connectivity.

Europe and the United Arab Emirates are planning a $1 billion data center in orbit, built around 50 connected satellite computers. A central 'LLM store' would let users choose which open source AI model to run on data gathered by satellite sensors, processing information in space rather than beaming it all back to Earth. The project highlights growing interest in orbital computing for space-based data processing.

NASA says work aboard the International Space Station opened the week with advanced health research, while the orbital outpost waits for the arrival of the upcoming Crew-13 mission. Experiments underway are focused on how the human body responds to extended time in space, findings that could benefit astronauts on longer missions and improve healthcare on Earth.

SpaceNews reports that SpaceComputer's first mission will travel from low-Earth orbit to geostationary orbit. The plan marks an ambitious trajectory for the company's debut mission, since most spacecraft launch directly into their operating orbit or start in geostationary transfer orbit. Few details beyond the orbital plan have been released so far, and reactions from the space industry remain limited.

SpaceX's Starship completed Flight 14, reaching Earth's orbit before the vehicle's reentry ended in an explosion over the Pacific Ocean. The test flight is part of SpaceX's iterative development program for the giant rocket, in which destruction during reentry or descent phases is an anticipated outcome providing engineering data. No injuries were reported.

SpaceX's Starship returned to Earth ahead of schedule, ending its orbital test mission with a fiery splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The early return came after the spacecraft abandoned part of its planned orbit, but the vehicle survived reentry and hit the water intact enough to conclude the flight. The splashdown marks another step in SpaceX's campaign to prove Starship is ready for future lunar and Mars missions.

Google is moving to put AI data centers in outer space, aiming to run computing infrastructure in orbit rather than on the ground. The announcement puts the company ahead in the intensifying race among tech giants to scale AI computing capacity, where power and land constraints on Earth are becoming major bottlenecks. The project, reported by the New York Times, signals a bold bet that space-based data centers could become commercially viable.

Venus is drawing nearer to Earth, with the distance between the two planets falling to roughly 53.3 million kilometres as of September 29, a decrease of about 6.5 million kilometres in a week. Light from Venus now takes just under three minutes to reach us, while its orbital speed ticks up slightly as it swings along its faster inner orbit.

The European Space Agency has published a detailed overview of the Zero Debris Charter, its initiative to tackle the growing problem of space junk. The charter commits signatories to concrete steps toward debris-free space operations by 2030. Coverage is focused on explaining what the charter involves, who can join, and how it aims to shape responsible behaviour in Earth's increasingly crowded orbits.

The German-French channel ARTE is airing a documentary tonight at 22:20 on the environmental price of Elon Musk's Mars ambitions. It argues the space industry fuels dangerous illusions about escaping to other worlds while cluttering Earth's orbit with thousands of satellites. Viewers are sharing the broadcast as part of ARTE's environment programming.