Space News

Monthly Preview • August 2026

RAG Space News

What’s happening, what’s coming up, and what to point your scope at.

Looking Back

July 2026 - The Headlines

SpaceX flies Starship Flight 13
SpaceX launched Starship’s thirteenth flight test from Starbase, Texas on 24 July. The vehicle reached several important test goals, including Starlink V3 satellite deployment and an intact Starship splashdown, although the Super Heavy booster did not complete a soft landing.

Artemis III lander testing takes shape
NASA published more detail on the revised Artemis III plan, which will use low Earth orbit to test Orion rendezvous and docking with commercial lunar lander test articles from SpaceX and Blue Origin before later Moon landing attempts.

Roman Space Telescope nears launch
NASA completed fueling of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in late July. Roman is now targeting launch no earlier than 30 August aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, and should become one of the most important astronomy missions of the decade.

ESA’s Euclid finds record-breaking quasars
ESA’s Euclid mission announced the discovery of 31 very distant quasars, including the most ancient quasar yet observed. These objects help astronomers study how the first supermassive black holes grew so quickly.

Blue Origin expands New Glenn testing
Blue Origin and NASA agreed to use the historic Stennis B-Test Complex for New Glenn upper-stage hot-fire testing, part of Blue Origin’s return-to-flight and lunar infrastructure work.

What’s Launching

August 2026 - Missions and Spaceflight to Watch

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope - no earlier than 30 August
NASA and SpaceX are targeting launch no earlier than 7:26am EDT, 12:26pm BST, on Sunday 30 August from Kennedy Space Center. Roman will survey huge areas of the sky in infrared light, studying dark energy, exoplanets and the large-scale structure of the Universe.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches
SpaceX is expected to continue a busy Falcon 9 schedule through August, including Starlink missions and other commercial or government payloads. Exact dates often move at short notice, so check the launch schedule close to the time.

Starship follow-up work
After Flight 13, attention now turns to SpaceX’s next Starship test objectives. The programme remains central to NASA’s later Artemis landing plans, but timing for the next test flight will depend on vehicle readiness, data review and regulatory approval.

Blue Origin and New Glenn
Blue Origin’s New Glenn recovery and test programme remains one to watch. The Stennis agreement gives the company another route for upper-stage testing while Launch Complex 36 work continues.

For Observers

What’s in the Sky - August 2026

August is a big month for UK observers. The nights are slowly lengthening, the Milky Way is well placed, and the New Moon arrives just in time for both the partial solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower.

Date	Event	Notes
All month	Venus in the evening	Venus remains bright after sunset and reaches greatest eastern elongation on 15 August. Look low in the west after sunset, with a clear horizon.
6 August	Last Quarter Moon	Useful for late-night and early-morning observing before the darker mid-month window.
12 August	Partial solar eclipse	A major partial eclipse is visible across the UK and Ireland. From London, first contact is about 6.17pm BST, maximum about 7.12pm, and the eclipse ends about 8.06pm. Use certified eclipse glasses or safe projection only. Download our event flyer
12 August	New Moon	Excellent dark-sky timing for the Perseids and summer deep-sky objects.
12-13 August	Perseid meteor shower peak	The Perseids peak under New Moon conditions, making 2026 a particularly favourable year. Find a dark site, look away from local lights and give your eyes time to adapt.
15 August	Venus at greatest elongation east	Venus is at its best evening separation from the Sun. A thin crescent Moon nearby around 14-15 August should make a fine wide-field target.
20 August	First Quarter Moon	Good evening lunar observing, especially along the terminator.
28 August	Full Moon and partial lunar eclipse	A large partial lunar eclipse is visible from the UK before dawn. Maximum is around 5.12am BST, with the Moon low in the west.
Late August	Saturn improving	Saturn is becoming a better late-evening and overnight telescope target as it heads toward opposition in September.

Through the Lens

Astrophotography - August Targets

The Perseids are the obvious wide-field target this month. Use a tripod, a wide lens, repeated exposures and a dark location with a broad view of the sky. The New Moon makes conditions unusually favourable in 2026.

For deep-sky imaging, Cygnus is excellent. The North America Nebula, Pelican Nebula, Veil Nebula and the wider Cygnus Milky Way all suit short focal lengths and respond well to dual-band or narrowband filters. Later in the night, Andromeda begins to return as a rewarding late-summer target.

The 12 August partial solar eclipse is also a major photographic opportunity, but only with proper solar filters fitted securely before pointing any camera, lens, binoculars or telescope at the Sun. Join us for our free event.

On the Horizon

Further Ahead

September brings Saturn to opposition, making it one of the best planetary targets of the autumn. Nights will be noticeably darker again, with Andromeda, the Double Cluster, the Veil Nebula and other autumn favourites becoming easier to enjoy from UK skies.

Spaceflight schedules remain busy but changeable. Roman’s first post-launch milestones will be worth following closely if the 30 August launch goes ahead, while Artemis III, Starship and New Glenn developments will continue to shape the next phase of lunar exploration.

Sources

RAG Space News • August 2026 • Generated 28 July 2026