Space News

Monthly Preview • October 2026

RAG Space News

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

Looking Back

September 2026 - The Headlines

Starship reached orbit for the first time
SpaceX’s Flight 14 lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on 28 September and achieved Starship’s first full orbital insertion. The vehicle deployed 26 operational Starlink V3 satellites, another major first for the programme, while Super Heavy completed its planned boostback and landing burn over the Gulf. One Starship engine shut down early during ascent, but the remaining engines completed orbital insertion. Controllers then shortened the planned ten-hour mission as a precaution. Starship made a controlled deorbit after nearly two circuits of Earth and splashed down in the northern Pacific about three hours after launch. The flight ended earlier than planned, but reaching orbit and deploying working payloads marked Starship’s most important test milestone so far.

Roman’s commissioning made a strong start
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope deployed its high-gain antenna and visor-like sunshade, powered up its Coronagraph Instrument and activated the 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument. A very accurate first course correction and other fuel savings are expected to more than double the observatory’s potential operational lifetime as it travels towards the Sun-Earth L2 region.

Hubble completed its 200,000th orbit
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope passed the milestone on 19 September after more than 36 years in space. It has now travelled over five billion miles around Earth and made more than 1.7 million observations.

NASA selected its next far-infrared observatory
PRIMA, the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics, advanced to its next development phase. If confirmed, the 2033 mission will investigate how planets, stars, galaxies and black holes form and evolve, with contributions from the UK Space Agency and other international partners.

JUICE completed its Earth gravity assist
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer passed 8,640km above the Indian Ocean on 28 September. Earth’s gravity turned its course by 20 degrees and increased its speed by 3.5km/s while using very little propellant, keeping JUICE on track for another Earth flyby in 2029 and arrival at Jupiter in 2031.

Blue Origin won a Mars communications contract
NASA selected Blue Origin to develop a high-capacity telecommunications orbiter for Mars. The spacecraft is due for delivery by the end of 2028, with the network expected to support science, imagery and navigation services at Mars from 2030.

What’s Launching

October 2026 - Missions and Spaceflight to Watch

Roman and Blue Origin
Roman will remain in its cruise and commissioning phase, while Blue Origin continues rebuilding Launch Complex 36 for a planned New Glenn return to flight later in 2026. SpaceX’s Falcon launch programme will also continue at a high cadence. Launch dates can move, so check mission pages before watching.

For Observers

What’s in the Sky - October 2026

October brings properly dark evenings back to the UK. Saturn is the month’s outstanding telescopic target, the Draconids benefit from a nearly moonless sky, and New Moon opens a useful window for autumn deep-sky observing.

Date	Event	Notes
4 October	Saturn at opposition	Saturn is opposite the Sun, rising around sunset and remaining visible all night. A small telescope will show the rings, now gradually opening after their edge-on appearance in 2025.
5 October	Moon near Mars	Look southeast before dawn for the waning crescent Moon close to Mars, with bright Jupiter lower nearby. The grouping is well suited to binoculars and wide-field photographs.
8-9 October	Draconid meteor shower	Watch from nightfall rather than waiting until after midnight. Rates vary greatly from year to year, but the thin waning Moon means the sky should be dark.
10 October	New Moon	The best dark-sky period of the month. Try M31, the Double Cluster, the Veil Nebula, the North America Nebula and the Milky Way through Cygnus.
12 October	Mercury at greatest eastern elongation	Mercury is farthest east of the Sun, but remains low in the evening twilight for UK observers. Seek a clear southwest horizon and wait until the Sun has completely set before using binoculars.
18 October	First Quarter Moon	An excellent evening phase for examining lunar craters and mountain shadows along the terminator.
21-22 October	Orionid meteor shower	Halley’s Comet debris produces fast meteors, best after midnight. A bright waxing gibbous Moon will hide many fainter trails, so place the Moon behind a building or tree.
24 October	Moon near Saturn	The bright Moon passes close to Saturn, making the pair easy to identify in the evening sky and a straightforward target for a telephoto lens.
25 October	British Summer Time ends	Clocks go back one hour. Darkness arrives earlier, but remember that observing plans and published event times may switch from BST to GMT.
26 October	Full Moon - Hunter’s Moon	The bright Full Moon dominates the night. It is a good target for short exposures, though its glare will wash out faint galaxies and nebulae.

Through the Lens

Astrophotography - October Targets

Saturn at its best
Opposition provides the year’s best opportunity for planetary imaging. Capture plenty of short video clips, keep only the sharpest frames and combine them in stacking software to reveal the rings and subtle cloud bands.

Andromeda and Triangulum
M31 is high and prominent during the evening, while M33 rewards darker skies and longer integration. Both suit small refractors; wider lenses can frame M31 with its satellite galaxies M32 and M110.

The Double Cluster and Heart and Soul
Perseus and Cassiopeia are climbing well. The Double Cluster is attractive in broadband colour, while the nearby Heart and Soul nebulae are strong wide-field targets for dual-band or narrowband imaging.

Orion returns late
By the end of October, Orion rises before midnight. The Orion Nebula, Horsehead region and Barnard’s Loop become practical targets for observers prepared to work into the early hours.

On the Horizon

Further Ahead

November opens with Saturn still well placed in the evening and Jupiter becoming increasingly prominent before dawn. New Moon falls on 9 November, providing the month’s best deep-sky window, while the Leonid meteor shower peaks on 17-18 November with more favourable moonlight than the October Orionids.

Mercury reaches greatest western elongation on 20 November, offering a morning appearance, and the Full Moon follows on 24 November. Roman should continue commissioning on its journey to L2, while NASA, SpaceX, ESA and other operators refine late-2026 launch schedules. Check official mission pages before making viewing plans.

Sources

RAG Space News • October 2026 • Updated 2 October 2026