spaceflight

SpaceX's Starship megarocket is set to launch to orbit for the first time ever today, September 28, with live coverage available. The flight marks a major milestone for the company's next-generation launch system, and space watchers around the world are following the attempt closely.

SpaceX has launched its Starship rocket on its first integrated orbital flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The test marks the debut flight of the most powerful rocket ever built, developed by Elon Musk's company for deep-space missions including NASA's planned lunar landings. The launch drew massive attention worldwide, with news outlets and space fans closely following every stage of the flight test.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission can approve large spaceflight projects on its own, including ventures that could visibly alter the night sky worldwide. Critics have voiced strong objections, but space law experts note there are few other regulatory avenues to challenge such approvals, making the agency's decisions effectively final.

The next crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will not take place until 2028, according to a new report. The long gap underscores ongoing setbacks for the program, which has struggled with technical problems since its first astronaut mission. The news is drawing attention among space observers tracking how Boeing's crewed spaceflight plans fit with NASA's schedules and commercial crew operations.

SpaceX's Starship completed a full-duration test flight of roughly three hours, returning through the atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. The flight marks another step in the rocket's development campaign, with observers tracking how the vehicle handled reentry and recovery. SpaceX has not detailed the outcome of every test objective, but the splashdown confirms the ship survived to its planned end point.

Spaceflight journalist Ars Technica reports that NASA is grappling with a 'Dragon dilemma' — a problem involving SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft — and, per the report, there appear to be no good answers to it. Details beyond the headline are not available, but the story concerns NASA's reliance on Dragon and the difficult choices it now faces.

NASA is reportedly confronting a difficult decision regarding SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the vehicle currently responsible for carrying NASA astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station. Ars Technica reports that the agency has a dilemma for which there appear to be no good answers, highlighting a potential problem in NASA's near-term human spaceflight plans.

Elon Musk's company SpaceX has announced that its Starship spacecraft has reached orbit for the first time. The news, reported by NPR, marks a milestone for the rocket that SpaceX is developing for missions to the Moon and Mars. Details about the flight, including its timing and outcome, remain limited to the initial report.

NASA has issued edition number 1,218 of its Spaceline Current Awareness List, dated 25 September 2026, a regular compilation of recent space life science research results. The digest summarises new studies on how living organisms respond to spaceflight, serving as a reference tool for researchers tracking developments in space biology and medicine.

SpaceX's Starship has achieved orbit, a milestone in the development of the company's next-generation heavy-lift rocket. Attention now turns to the tougher challenges ahead, including proving the vehicle can reenter, land and be reused reliably, which are key to its future missions.

Space at Smith's Jon Crocker has given a Q&A on the significance of SpaceX's Starship orbital debut, explaining what a first orbital flight of the giant rocket would mean for spaceflight. The interview breaks down the technical milestones Starship must hit and why the debut matters for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

NASA is stepping up support for Boeing's Starliner astronaut capsule as the company works to return the spacecraft to flight. The Starliner suffered so many problems during its 2024 test flight that its two pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were left stranded aboard the International Space Station for nearly a year, with NASA eventually bringing them home on a SpaceX capsule. The push to fix the troubled capsule has drawn renewed attention to Boeing's struggles in its commercial crew programme.