Stories in Science
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral on October 1, 2026, carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the International Space Station.
NASA's Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA's Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos' Sergey Teteryatnikov lifted off from Florida on a Falcon 9 and Dragon, beginning a journey of about seven hours and 50 minutes to the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev were scheduled to return in early October after a mission that included research on bone loss, quantum physics and drug crystallization.
NASA reported that SpaceX's Falcon 9 first stage landed at Landing Zone 40 in Florida and the second stage shut down, with Dragon set to separate and continue to the International Space Station.
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 13, 2026 highlights a Chile sculpture set beneath the Milky Way, zodiacal light, airglow and the Small Magellanic Cloud, in a composite captured in July 2025.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station photographed the Saririaky anorthosite massif on August 28, 2026. NASA's Earth Observatory highlighted the image on October 5, noting the rock type is common on the Moon.
An engineering model of NASA's DAVINCI descent probe survived temperatures of 869 F (465 C) in a test, suggesting the design can withstand Venus's extreme heat during its descent to the surface.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says Voyager Technologies' Griffin-1 lunar lander passed thermal, vacuum, vibration and acoustic testing. The commercial lander is expected to launch later this year on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
NASA's October 2026 skywatching guide notes Saturn at opposition on Oct. 4, the Orionid meteor shower peaking Oct. 21–22, and the Moon passing near the Pleiades on Oct. 27–28.
NASA ran Icing Research Tunnel tests aimed at better measuring the unusually large, very cold water droplets that can freeze on aircraft surfaces beyond conventional ice protection.
NASA reports the SpaceX Dragon carrying four Crew-13 members docked at the International Space Station on October 1, 2026, in what it calls the fastest launch-to-docking by a U.S. spacecraft in station history.
NASA released a navigation-camera image from Perseverance's Oct. 11, 2026, drive, during which the rover's total distance surpassed Opportunity's 28.06 miles.
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