This Week in Orbit Weekly summaries of launches, orbital events, and space weather.
Tracking 20 published posts in this series.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-09-30
NASA has announced the development of a new space telescope, PRIMA, set to launch in 2033, aiming to advance our understanding of the universe. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency (ESA) has opened a competition for a chance to witness the BepiColombo mission's arrival at Mercury.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-09-22
This week in orbit saw a variety of developments across the space sector. NASA awarded SpaceX three additional crew flights to the International Space Station, reinforcing their ongoing collaboration.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-09-13
This week in orbit saw a rich tapestry of scientific insights and celestial events. A significant development was Japan's Hayabusa2 achieving the first-ever laser ranging experiment with an asteroid, marking a milestone in space exploration.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-09-06
This week, SpaceX successfully launched 27 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, marking a continued expansion of their satellite internet constellation. The launch, which took place from Cape Canaveral, saw the Falcon 9 booster land on a drone ship at sea, adding to SpaceX's impressive reco
This Week in Orbit: 2026-08-30
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, aiming to explore the hidden universe, successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. This marks a significant milestone in cosmic exploration, focusing on dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astronomy.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-08-23
This week, the space community witnessed a diverse array of developments. NASA's Curiosity rover resumed its scientific operations on Mars, as detailed in its latest blog update covering Sols 4982–4987.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-08-16
This week in space has been marked by significant developments and intriguing discoveries. NASA has funded a new project to develop spherical 'Aerobots' designed to explore the caves of Saturn's moon Titan, potentially opening new avenues for extraterrestrial exploration.
This Week in Orbit
NASA's MAVEN mission has provided new insights into Martian auroras, revealing complex interactions between the solar wind and Mars' atmosphere. Meanwhile, a rare Mars meteorite has offered a glimpse into the planet's deep interior, preserving evidence from 1.27 billion years ago.
This Week in Orbit
This week, the James Webb Space Telescope revealed a warped structure within the protoplanetary disk of TW Hydrae, a nearby star system, providing new insights into planet formation processes. Meanwhile, the U.S.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-07-26
This week saw the safe return of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, marking the end of an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronaut Chris Williams and his crewmates were among those returning, highlighting the ongoing collaboration between international space agencies
This Week in Orbit: 2026-07-19
This week, the James Webb Space Telescope has once again captured the scientific community's attention with its latest discovery on black holes. The telescope has provided new insights into how these cosmic giants feed themselves, a finding that could reshape our understanding of galactic evolution.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-07-12
The past week in orbit has been marked by significant developments in space technology and scientific discovery. NASA's Artemis II mission has set a new streaming record, amassing 149 million views as interest in lunar exploration surges.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-07-05
This week, the focus was on planetary exploration and satellite technology. The European Space Agency's Mars Express captured a series of dust devils in a Martian valley, offering insights into the planet's atmospheric dynamics.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-06-28
This week in orbit, a 12-billion-year-old interstellar comet, older than our solar system, captured the attention of astronomers. Meanwhile, SpaceX successfully launched 24 Starlink satellites into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from California, contributing to the constellation's expansion.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-06-21
This week, the space community has been abuzz with discussions on a mysterious gamma-ray stream emanating from the Milky Way's centre, potentially linked to dark matter. Meanwhile, NASA is advancing its lunar and Martian rover capabilities, a crucial step towards future exploration missions.
This Week in Orbit
This week saw significant developments in the space sector, highlighted by SpaceX's historic initial public offering (IPO), which resulted in a nearly 20% rise in its share value. Meanwhile, NASA is refining its Artemis lunar lander plans, a critical component of its programme to return humans to th
This Week in Orbit: 2026-06-07
This week, the space community's attention was drawn to NASA's strategic decisions and operational challenges. The agency is set to select a new headquarters by the end of the year, a move that underscores its evolving administrative needs.
This Week in Orbit: 2026-08-30
NASA's Roman Space Telescope is poised for launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Florida this Sunday, marking a significant milestone for the agency's next 'great observatory'. The telescope, named after Nancy Grace Roman, the 'mother of Hubble', aims to explore dark energy, exoplanets, and in
This Week in Orbit: 10 August 2026
This week saw significant developments in the space sector, notably the failure of a Chinese Long March 7A rocket. This incident, reported by SpacePolicyOnline, adds to the challenges faced by China's space programme in maintaining its launch schedule.
This Week in Orbit
This week, the space community was abuzz with a mix of scientific discoveries and technical challenges. Notably, Blue Origin identified an engine issue that led to the New Glenn rocket explosion, marking a significant step in addressing the setback.