Space News Mission Log — Satellite Launches, Orbital Events & Analysis
Daily space news, satellite launch reports, orbital debris analysis and weekly roundups — grounded in live tracking data from our network monitoring 44 published reports.
Stars on demand: four lasers sharpen a black hole’s view
Four yellow streaks above ESO’s Very Large Telescope are artificial stars, created to correct atmospheric blur and sharpen observations of a distant galaxy’s active centre.
Exploring M83: The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
M83, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is a stunning spiral galaxy located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra, known for its brilliant star-forming regions.
A storm of new stars: Hubble reveals NGC 1792's glow
Red clouds and blue star clusters trace a burst of star formation in NGC 1792. Hubble's deeper view reveals a galaxy whose activity may be driven by its neighbour.
A beacon in swirling dust: Webb reveals Messier 77’s core
A brilliant nucleus pierces the dusty spiral arms of Messier 77 in Webb’s infrared view, revealing how black-hole activity and star formation share a galaxy.
Galactic gas makes a getaway from spiral galaxy NGC 4388
A glowing plume extends from NGC 4388 as it travels through the Virgo cluster. Hubble’s view reveals how the space between galaxies can reshape them.
Gaia: ESA’s billion-star surveyor beyond Earth
Gaia stopped observing in January 2025, but its measurements of stellar positions, distances and motions remain a foundation for mapping the Milky Way.
Witnessing the Echoes of a Stellar Cataclysm: The Vela Supernova Remnant
The Vela Supernova Remnant, a 12,000-year-old cosmic spectacle, showcases the aftermath of a stellar explosion with vivid emissions of hydrogen and oxygen.
NGC 4698: A Galaxy Spinning Out of Sync
NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy in Virgo, reveals a unique structure with its spiral arms shying away from the centre, hinting at a chaotic past.
A swirling galaxy: M83 reveals its cold star-making gas
ALMA’s view of the Southern Pinwheel reveals cold molecular gas rather than visible starlight — tracing the material from which new stars form.
Unveiling the Stellar Treasures of the Carina Nebula
The James Webb Space Telescope reveals a star-forming pillar in the Carina Nebula, showcasing young stars and cosmic phenomena.
M74: A Cosmic Masterpiece of Spiral Arms and Star Clusters
M74, a grand design spiral galaxy, offers a stunning face-on view with its bright blue star clusters and cosmic dust lanes, 32 million light-years away.
Galaxies Warped by Cosmic Mirrors: A Webb Telescope View
The James Webb Telescope captures the galaxy cluster MACS J0454.1-0300, showcasing gravitational lensing effects that reveal distant cosmic phenomena.