Space

SpaceX is attempting the first-ever orbital launch of its Starship megarocket today, September 28, with the mission available to watch live. The test flight from Texas marks a major milestone for the vehicle that SpaceX intends to use for missions to the Moon and Mars. Space enthusiasts and industry watchers are closely following coverage of the attempt and its outcome.

SpaceX conducted the fourteenth test flight of its Starship rocket, launching from Starbase, Texas, with the Super Heavy booster returning to a splashdown over the ocean. Live coverage of the launch and booster splashdown drew large audiences, with space enthusiasts following the vehicle's performance and progress toward future reusable flight goals.

The BBC reports that the UK military has been jamming satellites belonging to other nations as a defensive measure. The disclosure offers a rare glimpse into Britain's offensive and defensive space warfare capabilities. It is likely to raise questions about escalation risks in orbit and the rules governing interference with other countries' space assets.

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on Flight 14, and the full sequence of events, from liftoff to the test's outcome, is being recapped in a condensed 15-minute rundown. The flight drew wide attention, with more than a million people engaging with coverage summarizing what happened during the mission.

SpaceX is flying its Starship rocket on its 14th test flight, with live coverage showing the vehicle heading toward orbit from its launch site in Texas. Viewers around the world are following the mission, which is part of the company's ongoing campaign to prove out the massive rocket for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Attention is focused on whether the flight meets its test objectives.

SpaceX is conducting Flight 14 of its Starship rocket, described as the vehicle's first orbital launch, with a live broadcast from mission control drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers. The launch is another step in SpaceX's campaign to prove out the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage for future deep-space missions.

SpaceX's Starship, the rocket developed under Elon Musk, completed its first-ever orbit of Earth but ended its flight earlier than planned. The test flight marks a major milestone for the reusable spacecraft, though the early finish has drawn attention to questions about what caused the mission to cut short. Coverage is focused on what the results mean for future Starship launches.

SpaceX is reportedly targeting an unusually rapid launch cadence for its Starship program, with three flights planned within roughly five weeks. The plan would mark a significant step up in pace for the reusable rocket system as SpaceX pushes to iterate quickly on successive test flights. Space industry watchers are debating whether the schedule is realistic given range availability, hardware readiness and regulatory approvals.

SpaceX carried out its Transporter-18 mission, the latest in its series of dedicated smallsat rideshare flights that carry dozens of satellites from multiple customers into sun-synchronous orbit on a single Falcon 9 launch. The Transporter missions have become a staple of the small satellite industry, and the new flight drew attention from space watchers tracking payloads and launch cadence.

The United States' departure from Iraq is set to leave a power vacuum, with regional and global players expected to compete for influence over the country's future. Analysts warn that Iran, Gulf states and other powers may seek to fill the space left by American forces, reshaping Iraq's politics and security dynamics.

India's space sector is opening to private companies, and startups are now playing a growing role in launches, satellites and space services alongside the state space agency. DW News examines whether these young firms can help turn India into a global space power, a question drawing wide attention as the country's commercial space ambitions accelerate.

French news programme 24H Pujadas on LCI is covering a US alert about Russia allegedly developing or deploying nuclear weapons in orbit. The report examines warnings from American officials about a possible space-based nuclear capability, a scenario that would violate the Outer Space Treaty and raise major security concerns for Western allies.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition asking 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 ignored the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy when it cleared the plan, and are pushing the regulator to reconsider.

The Canadarm2, the large robotic arm on the International Space Station, has stopped working, according to a report by Ars Technica. The arm is essential for capturing cargo spacecraft, moving equipment and supporting spacewalks outside the station. Engineers are reportedly working to diagnose the fault, and the outage raises questions about operations aboard the ageing orbital outpost until the arm can be restored.

New reporting highlights recent developments in United Kingdom and European space policy alongside broader industrial strategy questions. The coverage points to ongoing efforts to define how the UK and EU position their space sectors, from regulation and funding to industrial capacity. No specific decisions or announcements are detailed in the current coverage.

Google has announced Project Suncatcher, a research initiative exploring the placement of machine learning compute infrastructure, including TPUs, on satellites in orbit to harness near-continuous solar power. The company says early tests will launch prototype satellites in partnership with SpaceX by early 2027. Commenters are debating the engineering and economic feasibility of space-based data centers, thermal challenges, launch costs, and whether the concept could realistically scale.

SpaceX has released its first-ever earnings report, revealing that revenue grew but the company remains unprofitable. The disclosure offers a rare financial glimpse into Elon Musk's privately held rocket and satellite company, and is drawing attention to how its Starship and Starlink ventures balance heavy spending against rising income.

The US Air Force secretary has publicly acknowledged that the United States has weapons in space, a rare official confirmation of the country's orbital military capabilities. The statement is drawing attention to the growing militarisation of space and to how openly the Pentagon is now discussing systems long kept classified.

Experts, including former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, warn that while being struck by falling space debris remains far less likely than a lightning strike, the odds are shifting as more objects reenter the atmosphere. They argue governments and companies should be required to use materials that fully burn up on reentry, amid growing concern over the environmental and safety risks of an increasingly crowded orbit.

Dr M G Suresh Kumar discusses ISRO's move to open up to the private sector, in an interview given in Malayalam to the Bijumohan channel. The conversation covers what greater private participation means for India's space programme, from satellite launches to the role of new space startups, and why the space agency is encouraging private players to take on a bigger share of the work.

Japan is converting disused golf courses into large-scale solar farms, as the mountainous, densely populated country has little other open land suitable for renewable energy projects. The approach is being discussed as a practical answer to Japan's land scarcity while the country pushes to expand solar capacity and meet its renewable energy targets.

SpaceX has launched its Starship into orbit for the first time, a milestone in the development of the giant rocket designed for deep space missions. The flight was cut short before completion, but the company and observers are treating the launch itself as a major step forward in getting the vehicle off the ground and into space.

NVIDIA has announced an open platform aimed at securing AI agents across their full lifecycle, from testing through to production deployment. The initiative, revealed through the company's newsroom, is designed to help developers evaluate and safeguard autonomous agents before they go live. Details on partners and tooling remain limited, but the move signals NVIDIA's push into AI safety infrastructure as agentic systems see rapid adoption across enterprise software.