China CAS Space Lijian-1 Commercial Rocket Launches 5 Satellites to Orbit

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Commercial Rocket Launches 5 Satellites to Orbit

China successfully launched five satellites aboard the Lijian-1 Y15 carrier rocket at 7:33am Beijing time on July 24, 2026, from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China. 

The five satellites, including an orbital data center demonstrator and a weather satellite, were placed into their preset sun-synchronous orbits. This mission marks the 15th flight of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket.

Satellite list: Tianyi-48, Gande-1-01, Xiguang-2-03, Jitianxing-A-04, and Yinglong Fengguang-1

Tianyi-48, developed by Spacety, adds another member to the company's remote sensing satellite constellation. Gande-1-01 is a scientific experiment satellite, while Xiguang-2-03 serves optical remote sensing purposes. Jitianxing-A-04 and Yinglong Fengguang-1 are dedicated to Earth observation and scientific experiments in their respective domains. Four out of five customer payloads delivered from Dongfeng have a form of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for operational use or trials.

Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) is CAS Space’s first launch vehicle and consists of four stages, all burning solid fuel. CAS Space offers the ability to launch a single satellite to utilize all of the rocket’s payload capacity, however more ‘rideshare’ missions occur for multiple satellites to be delivered in one launch.

The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is:

2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit

1,500 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit

The first-stage is powered by a solid rocket booster that burns an unspecified solid fuel, generating 200 tons of thrust. The second-stage is also powered by a solid rocket booster, producing 110 tons of thrust with the same unidentified propellant. The-third stage, also using the undisclosed propellant, generates 45 tons of thrust. Finally, the fourth-stage is powered by another solid rocket booster, providing 8 tons of thrust with the same solid propellant.

On its launch pad, Lijian-1 stands at 30 meters tall. The first two stages have a diameter of 2.65 meters, the fairing has a diameter of either 2.65 or 3.35 meters. When prepared for launch Lijian-1 weighs a believed 135,000 kilograms.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Image Credit: CAS Space

Text Credit: Jack C.
Date: July 24, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y15Rocket #Lijian1Y15 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #CGSTL #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #CAS #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Commercial Rocket Launches 5 Satellites to Orbit

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Commercial Rocket Launches 5 Satellites to Orbit

China successfully launched five satellites aboard the Lijian-1 Y15 carrier rocket at 7:33am Beijing time on July 24, 2026, from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China. 

The five satellites, including an orbital data center demonstrator and a weather satellite, were placed into their preset sun-synchronous orbits. This mission marks the 15th flight of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket.

Satellite list: Tianyi-48, Gande-1-01, Xiguang-2-03, Jitianxing-A-04, and Yinglong Fengguang-1

Tianyi-48, developed by Spacety, adds another member to the company's remote sensing satellite constellation. Gande-1-01 is a scientific experiment satellite, while Xiguang-2-03 serves optical remote sensing purposes. Jitianxing-A-04 and Yinglong Fengguang-1 are dedicated to Earth observation and scientific experiments in their respective domains. Four out of five customer payloads delivered from Dongfeng have a form of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for operational use or trials.

Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) is CAS Space’s first launch vehicle and consists of four stages, all burning solid fuel. CAS Space offers the ability to launch a single satellite to utilize all of the rocket’s payload capacity, however more ‘rideshare’ missions occur for multiple satellites to be delivered in one launch.

The payload capacity of the launch vehicle is:

2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit

1,500 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit

The first-stage is powered by a solid rocket booster that burns an unspecified solid fuel, generating 200 tons of thrust. The second-stage is also powered by a solid rocket booster, producing 110 tons of thrust with the same unidentified propellant. The-third stage, also using the undisclosed propellant, generates 45 tons of thrust. Finally, the fourth-stage is powered by another solid rocket booster, providing 8 tons of thrust with the same solid propellant.

On its launch pad, Lijian-1 stands at 30 meters tall. The first two stages have a diameter of 2.65 meters, the fairing has a diameter of either 2.65 or 3.35 meters. When prepared for launch Lijian-1 weighs a believed 135,000 kilograms.

CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Video Credit: CCTV

Text Credit: Jack C.
Duration: 29 seconds
Date: July 24, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y15Rocket #Lijian1Y15 #LaunchVehicles #SolidFuelRockets #CGSTL #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Long March 3B Rocket Survives Lightning Strike to Deliver Satellite to Orbit

China Long March 3B Rocket Survives Lightning Strike to Deliver Satellite to Orbit

[amateur video] A China Long March 3B/E rocket was struck by lightning about 30 seconds after liftoff on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan province. Nevertheless, the rocket successfully delivered the Tianlian-2-06 relay satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit to expand the China Space Station's communications capacity.

Video Credit: Cosmic Peguin

Duration: 51 seconds
Date: July 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #China #中国 #RocketLaunches #LongMarchRockets #LongMarch3BE #CZ3E #LightningStrikes #CALT #中国运载火箭技术研究院 #Tianlian206 #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #CAST #通信技术试验卫星二十五号 #XSLC #西昌卫星发射中心 #SichuanProvince #四川 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Starship & Super Heavy Booster at Sunset: Drone views | Starbase Texas

SpaceX Starship & Super Heavy Booster at Sunset: Drone views | Starbase Texas

The thirteenth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as early as Friday, July 24, 2026. The 90-minute launch window will open at 5:45 p.m. CT. The upcoming flight will aim to complete similar objectives targeted on the previous flight test that debuted the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, while also carrying next-generation Starlink V3 satellites for the first time.

A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff that you can watch here: https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13

The booster’s primary test objective will be executing a successful launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn at an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America. There have been several modifications to hardware and software to address issues seen on the previous flight.

At stage separation on Flight 12, slight differences in engine startup on the ship caused the directional flip of the booster to be off by approximately 90 degrees. The startup sequence has been modified to be more robust to timing variability and more reliably flip in the desired direction, which is done to increase overall performance. After stage separation and the flip, the Super Heavy booster attempted its boostback burn. Five of its 33 engines experienced issues when attempting to re-light causing the boostback burn to end early. The Super Heavy on this upcoming flight has hardware modifications to improve re-light reliability along with updates to engine alarms and aborts to match the conditions seen in the multi-engine flight environment.

The Starship upper stage’s primary objectives include the deployment of 20 Starlink V3 satellites, a relight of a single Raptor engine while in space, and another controlled entry, descent, and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. There have also been several modifications to Starship’s propulsion system to address the engine out issue experienced on the previous flight.

Approximately 40 seconds after stage separation, Starship lost one of its three Raptor vacuum optimized engines. The vehicle was able to demonstrate its engine out capability and reach its planned suborbital trajectory. Several hardware and operational modifications have been made to address the interconnected causes with additional reliability improvements planned in upcoming versions of the Raptor engine.

For the first time, Starship will carry V3 Starlink satellites to space, which aim to greatly expand the network's capacity and user speeds. As part of this initial test, Starship is planned to deploy 20 satellites which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers. The Starlink satellites will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment.

Six of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test.

Several upgrades and experiments related to Starship’s heatshield will also be tested to continue iteration towards a fully and rapidly reusable design. Multiple tiles will be attached to the metallic side of Starship’s aft flaps along with modified tiles and attachment mechanisms in the heatshield covering the aft skirt to gather flight data on different attachment options. Finally, Starship’s heatshield will have load sensing tiles to take measurements as the vehicle experiences higher dynamic pressure on ascent than previous flights, putting added stress on the tile attachments in exchange for increased payload to orbit capability.

NASA plans to use a lunar lander version of Starship to deliver astronauts and cargo to the Moon during the Artemis IV mission and beyond through the Human Landing System (HLS) Program.

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Duration: 28 seconds

Release Date: July 23, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #FlightTest13 #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavy #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Preparing for SpaceX Starship's 13th Flight Test | Starbase Texas

Preparing for SpaceX Starship's 13th Flight Test | Starbase Texas

The thirteenth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as early as Thursday, July 23, 2026. The 90-minute launch window will open at 5:45 p.m. CT. The upcoming flight will aim to complete similar objectives targeted on the previous flight test that debuted the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, while also carrying next-generation Starlink V3 satellites for the first time.

A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff that you can watch here: https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13

The booster’s primary test objective will be executing a successful launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn at an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America. There have been several modifications to hardware and software to address issues seen on the previous flight.

At stage separation on Flight 12, slight differences in engine startup on the ship caused the directional flip of the booster to be off by approximately 90 degrees. The startup sequence has been modified to be more robust to timing variability and more reliably flip in the desired direction, which is done to increase overall performance. After stage separation and the flip, the Super Heavy booster attempted its boostback burn. Five of its 33 engines experienced issues when attempting to re-light causing the boostback burn to end early. The Super Heavy on this upcoming flight has hardware modifications to improve re-light reliability along with updates to engine alarms and aborts to match the conditions seen in the multi-engine flight environment.

The Starship upper stage’s primary objectives include the deployment of 20 Starlink V3 satellites, a relight of a single Raptor engine while in space, and another controlled entry, descent, and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. There have also been several modifications to Starship’s propulsion system to address the engine out issue experienced on the previous flight.

Approximately 40 seconds after stage separation, Starship lost one of its three Raptor vacuum optimized engines. The vehicle was able to demonstrate its engine out capability and reach its planned suborbital trajectory. Several hardware and operational modifications have been made to address the interconnected causes with additional reliability improvements planned in upcoming versions of the Raptor engine.

For the first time, Starship will carry V3 Starlink satellites to space, which aim to greatly expand the network's capacity and user speeds. As part of this initial test, Starship is planned to deploy 20 satellites which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers. The Starlink satellites will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment.

Six of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test.

Several upgrades and experiments related to Starship’s heatshield will also be tested to continue iteration towards a fully and rapidly reusable design. Multiple tiles will be attached to the metallic side of Starship’s aft flaps along with modified tiles and attachment mechanisms in the heatshield covering the aft skirt to gather flight data on different attachment options. Finally, Starship’s heatshield will have load sensing tiles to take measurements as the vehicle experiences higher dynamic pressure on ascent than previous flights, putting added stress on the tile attachments in exchange for increased payload to orbit capability.

NASA plans to use a lunar lander version of Starship to deliver astronauts and cargo to the Moon during the Artemis IV mission and beyond through the Human Landing System (HLS) Program.

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Release Dates: July 19-23, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #FlightTest13 #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavy #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: July 19-23, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: July 19-23, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4958

Mars 2020 - sol 1927

Mars 2020 - sol 1927

MSL - sol 4961

MSL - sol 4961

MSL - sol 4954

MSL - sol 4959

MSL - sol 4958

Note: The circles are a result of using the Dust Removal Tool (DRT) tool, a spinning metal brush.

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Celebrating 13+ Years on Mars (2012-2025)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 5+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Release Dates: July 19-23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

China's Orienspace Developing Larger Liquid-Fueled Gravity-2 Commercial Rocket

China's Orienspace Developing Larger Liquid-Fueled Gravity-2 Commercial Rocket

China on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, successfully sent a Gravity-1 carrier rocket into space from waters off the coast of Shanghai in east China, marking a complete success for this flight test mission.

The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the commercial rocket at 10:54 (Beijing Time), placing nine satellites into their designated orbits. The mission was the third flight of the Gravity-1 rocket.

This flight marks Gravity-1's first open-sea launch and China's first commercial sea-based launch in the East China Sea off the Yangtze River Delta.

After three flights, the rocket's overall reliability has been validated, and it is now transitioning from the trial phase into scaled commercial operations.

"With this launch accomplished, the next rocket will be used for the deployment of China's low‑orbit Internet satellite constellation. The fifth and sixth launches are scheduled for the third quarter of this year," said Xu Guoguang, chief designer and commander of the Gravity-1 rocket.

Gravity-1, a solid‑fuel rocket, has a maximum payload capacity of 6.5 tons. Given the capacity limitations of solid‑fuel designs, the team is pushing ahead with Gravity-2—a much larger, recoverable liquid‑fuel rocket with a low‑Earth orbit payload of 21.5 tons and a 500‑km sun‑synchronous orbit payload of 15 tons. The new rocket is scheduled to make its first flight in the fourth quarter of this year.

"The exploration of solid-fuel rocket launches at sea is also paving the way for future liquid-fuel rocket launches from the ocean. For liquid rockets, we are also considering alternative approaches, such as launching from a drilling platform. These methods are all on the table and will require further exploration," said Xu.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute
Date: July 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #OrienSpace #东方空间 #SeaLaunch #EastChinaSea #RocketLaunch #Gravity2Rockets #LiquidFuelRockets #Gravity1Rockets #引力1号 #Gravity1Y4Rocket #SolidFuelRockets #CommercialSpace #ChinaSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #AerospaceEngineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Astronaut Chris Williams: Thinking Like a Scientist

NASA Astronaut Chris Williams: Thinking Like a Scientist

NASA astronaut Chris Williams is set to return to Earth after an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station. During his assignment, Williams conducted a variety of research that informs new technologies, improves healthcare on Earth, and paves the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars.  

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of Russia are nearing the end of their mission that began with a launch from Kazakhstan aboard their Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft on Nov. 27, 2025. The trio will undock from the Rassvet module in the Soyuz MS-28 over the weekend signifying the beginning of Expedition 75. They will take a short ride back to Earth for a parachute-assisted landing in Kazakhstan inside the Soyuz. 

Here’s a look at his scientific mission: https://go.nasa.gov/4gOF65a 

[0:34] European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D)
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=8035

[0:40] Cold Stowage
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cold-stowage-brochure-sept-2022.pdf

[0:44] Human Research
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/the-human-body-in-space/

[0:46] Veg-06
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=8301

[0:54] Germicidal Ultraviolet Light Biofilm Inhibition (GULBI)
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=9305

[0:59] Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) Infection of Cardiac Tissue (MVP Cell-09)
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=9160

[1:03] Zero Boil-Off Tank Noncondensables
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=8190
(ZBOT-NC) h[1:10] Spacewalks 

https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-spacewalks/

[1:24] Test facility for lab-aUtomation System in Kibo (TUSK)
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/facility/#id=9404

[1:27] MOCHII 
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/facility/#id=7657

[1:30] Neutralino Space ISS Surveyor (ISS Surveyor) 
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=9034

[1:35] UniSQ iLaunch Plants (Project Rapunzel)
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=9518

[1:37] Megakaryocyte Flying-One (MeF1) 
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/#id=9116

[1:39] Japanese Experiment Module - Exposed Facility (JEM-EF)
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/facility/#id=134

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams, Anil Menon

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: July 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis III Solid Rocket Booster Stacking | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III Solid Rocket Booster Stacking | Kennedy Space Center

Artemis III crew members, NASA astronauts Randy Bresnick (left) and Andre Douglas, view the right-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segment of the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, July 10, 2026. The astronauts met with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems teams and got a close look at the work underway for their upcoming mission. Bresnick, Douglas, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, and the European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano will launch on the Artemis III mission to conduct critical rendezvous and docking tests with lunar lander systems in low Earth orbit, advancing the capabilities needed before astronauts return to the lunar surface on Artemis IV.

Technicians use a massive crane to lift the right-hand forward center assembly solid rocket booster segment for the Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket inside the Rotation, Processing, and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

The right-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segment for NASA’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket arrives at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, July 9, 2026, ahead of stacking on top of the mobile launcher for the Artemis III mission.

The left-hand and right-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are secured to the mobile launcher at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, July 11, 2026.

The left-hand and right-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are secured to the mobile launcher at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, July 11, 2026.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) lowered and secured the left-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segment for NASA’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the mobile launcher at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems lowered and secured the left-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segment for NASA’s Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the mobile launcher at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

Boeing employees, from left to right, Adam Shaffer, Electrical Ground Systems equipment and technical lead engineer; Anna Fischer, Space Launch System electrical engineering intern; Ethan Minvielle, Space Launch System electrical engineering intern; and Joseph Colangelo, Space Launch System Test and evaluation engineering intern, pose for a photograph following left-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segment for NASA’s Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) was secured to the mobile launcher at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

The twin solid rocket boosters (SRBs), manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, will provide more than 75 percent of the SLS rocket’s total thrust at launch. Planned to launch in 2027, the Artemis III Mission will launch astronauts in the Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities in low Earth orbit between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.

On future missions, including Artemis IV in 2028, landers will bring astronauts to the lunar surface. While Artemis III will not land on the Moon, it will test the complex capabilities NASA needs to return—this time to stay.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Image Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky/Kim Shiflett/Frank Michaux
Dates: July 9-14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIIIMission #LunarLanders #HLS #NASASLS #SRBs #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #Italy #Italia #Europe #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #VAB #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

New Expedition 74 Crew Photos: July 2026 | International Space Station

New Expedition 74 Crew Photos: July 2026 | International Space Station

All ten International Space Station crew members gather inside the Unity module for a portrait during dinnertime, showing off gourmet food packages from the European Space Agency (ESA). Clockwise from bottom left are Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (Russia); NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway; Roscosmos cosmonauts Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, and Pyotr Dubrov of Russia; European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot; NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Chris Williams; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev of Russia.

From left, Expedition 74 flight engineers Anna Kikina and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos, and Anil Menon of NASA pose for a portrait while holding a cake celebrating their recent arrival aboard the International Space Station. The trio launched aboard their Soyuz MS‑29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 14, 2026, and docked to the orbital outpost’s Rassvet module the same day, beginning an eight‑and‑a‑half‑month space research mission.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev of Russia poses for a portrait while holding a cake celebrating the recent arrival of three new crewmates aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Anil Menon is pictured inside the International Space Station's Unity module familiarizing himself with lab hardware and systems during his second day in space.

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Anil Menon spent a day learning about the Life Sciences Glovebox from fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir.

After spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Chris Williams is scheduled to is return to Earth on July 26.

Expedition 74 emblem

Three Expedition 74 crew members are packing up cargo and handing over their responsibilities with less than one week to go before returning to Earth. Meanwhile, the International Space Station’s three newest crewmates are already in the second week of their mission getting used to life on orbit and researching how microgravity affects the human body.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of Russia are nearing the end of their mission that began with a launch from Kazakhstan aboard their Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft on Nov. 27, 2025. The trio will undock from the Rassvet module in the Soyuz MS-28 over the weekend signifying the beginning of Expedition 75. They will take a short ride back to Earth for a parachute-assisted landing in Kazakhstan inside the Soyuz. 

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams, Anil Menon

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credits: NASA's Johnson Space Center/Chris Williams, European Space Agency
Dates: July 15-July 22, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoyuzMS29CrewSpacecraft #Astronauts #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Canadian Wildfire Smoke over Atlantic Ocean | International Space Station

Canadian Wildfire Smoke over Atlantic Ocean | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir shared these photos and commented: "My thoughts are with all of those affected by the Canadian wildfires. This weekend I spotted their smoke drifting out across the Atlantic Ocean (the hazy, grayer layer among the clouds seen here)."

"Stay safe, Earthlings!"

Dr. Jessica Meir is also a scientist that grew up in the American state of Maine that borders Canada.

NASA Astronaut/Dr. Jessica Meir's Biography:
https://www.nasa.gov/people/jessica-u-meir/

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams, Anil Menon

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/J. Meir
Release Date: July 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #AtlanticOcean #Canada #Wildfires #SmokePlumes #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #AstronautPhotography #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Close-up: Long Distance Galactic Gravitational Lensing | Hubble

Close-up: Long Distance Galactic Gravitational Lensing | Hubble Space Telescope

This intriguing observation from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope shows a gravitationally lensed galaxy with the long-winded identification SGAS J143845+145407. Gravitational lensing has resulted in a mirror image of the galaxy at the center of this image, creating a captivating centerpiece.

Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body—such as a galaxy cluster—causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime for the path of light around it to be visibly bent, as if by a lens. Appropriately, the body causing the light to curve is called a gravitational lens, and the distorted background object is referred to as being "lensed". Gravitational lensing can result in multiple images of the original galaxy, as seen in this image, or in the background object appearing as a distorted arc or even a ring. Another important consequence of this lensing distortion is magnification, allowing astronomers to observe objects that would otherwise be too far away or too faint to be seen.

Hubble has a special flair for detecting lensed galaxies. The telescope's sensitivity and crystal-clear vision allow it to see faint and distant gravitational lenses that cannot be detected with ground-based telescopes because of the blurring effect of Earth's atmosphere. Hubble was the first telescope to resolve details within lensed images of galaxies, and is capable of imaging both their shape and internal structure.

This particular lensed galaxy is from a set of Hubble observations that take advantage of gravitational lensing to peer inside galaxies in the early Universe. The lensing reveals details of distant galaxies that would otherwise be unobtainable, and this allows astronomers to determine star formation in early galaxies. This in turn gives scientists a better insight into how the overall evolution of galaxies has unfolded.  

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, J. Rigby
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: July 18, 2022

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Hubble #GravitationalLensing #Galaxies #SGASJ143845145407 #BootesConstellation #Astrophysics #Physics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

New ‘Exomoon’ Detection in Columba Star System Challenges Cosmic Labels | ESO

New ‘Exomoon’ Detection in Columba Star System Challenges Cosmic Labels | ESO

Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found an object in another planetary system that challenges astronomical labels. The object resembles a moon in that it orbits another object that in turn orbits a star. However, the newly found ‘moon’ is itself as massive as a planet, and the object it orbits is neither a planet nor a star. This video summarizes the discovery.

Observations made with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) have revealed evidence for a moon-like object in the CD-35 2722 system. Unlike moons in our Solar System, the newly found object does not orbit a planet, raising questions about what to name it. Instead, it circles a brown dwarf, an object larger than a planet, that orbits the CD-35 2722 star. If confirmed, this could be the first ‘moon’ discovered outside our Solar System. CD-35 2722 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a M-type star. Its mass is 29.5 Jupiters, it takes 867.6 years to complete one orbit of its star, and is 67 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2011.

Kevin Hoy, an ESO student in Chile and lead author of the study published today in Nature, describes the system he spent months analyzing as “super weird” compared to our own. The biggest and most massive object in this young system is the star CD-35 2722 that has about half the mass of the Sun. The star is being orbited by a brown dwarf, an object too massive to be a planet but too small to be a star. The newly discovered object orbits this brown dwarf.

“This system is somewhat hard to define using Solar-System-based words like ‘planet’ and ‘moon’,” states Hoy, who is also affiliated with the Universidad Diego Portales and the Millennium Nucleus of Young Exoplanets and their Moons (YEMS) in Chile. The new object the team calls an exosatellite is at least as massive as Jupiter while the brown dwarf has more than 30 times the mass of Jupiter. “The exosatellite is clearly massive enough to be a planet, but it does not orbit a star, though it orbits an object that orbits a star," says Hoy. "Being the third wheel in this system makes us want to call it a moon, even if it is nothing like the small, rocky moons we have in our system.”

This exosatellite or ‘exomoon’, a natural satellite outside our Solar System, is difficult to label, given the differences in this system compared to our own. Alice Zurlo, YEMS Director and collaborator on the study explains: “The satellite we report is a giant gaseous body orbiting a highly massive companion, itself several times the mass of Jupiter.”

“We have a clear delineation between the planets and the Sun in the Solar System, so defining things like moons is simple. In the CD-35 2722 system, where we are blurring the lines between stars, planets, and moons, the whole thing becomes more complicated to describe,” adds Zurlo, who is also an astrophysicist at Universidad Diego Portales.

Regardless of what to call this object, astronomers have been trying to detect satellites outside our Solar System for years, but none has yet been confidently detected. Therefore, despite the over 6,000 exoplanets discovered to date, only a few exomoon candidates have been spotted and the evidence to support them is limited.

For the CD-35 2722 observations, Hoy, Zurlo and their team used the CRIRES+ instrument on ESO’s VLT, employing the method that was used to find the first exoplanet around a Sun-like star. They applied this radial velocity method to detect small wobbles on the brown dwarf caused by the object orbiting it, finding what the team believe to be strong evidence for this ‘moon’. “As exotic as it is, this system is truly unique and represents a breakthrough: the first plausible detection of an exosatellite,” says Zurlo.

Credit: ESO
Written by: M. Lopes
Edited by: V. González
Footage and photos: ESO, L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser, C. Malin, B. Tafreshi
Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds
Date: July 22, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Planets #Exoplanets #CD352722b #Exomoons #CD352722System #ColumbaConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #CRIRES #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Behind the Scenes: China Launches Nine Satellites for Gravity-1 Rocket Mission

Behind the Scenes: China Launches Nine Satellites for Gravity-1 Rocket Mission

China launched nine satellites aboard an Orienspace Gravity-1 carrier rocket from waters east of Shanghai on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. This mission marks the first far-sea launch for the Gravity-1 carrier rocket.

It was also the first far-sea launch mission for a private commercial rocket carried out in the East China Sea waters of the Yangtze River Delta region in China.

The rocket lifted off at 10:54am Beijing time, carrying six Dongpo satellites, along with Xiguang-2 01, Tianyi-49 and Zidingxiang-3.

The Dongpo satellites are designed for all-weather and all-time Earth observation. Xiguang-2 01 and Tianyi-49 are intended to support applications including mineral exploration, agriculture and forestry, environmental monitoring and urban planning, while Zidingxiang-3 will test an ultra-flat satellite design and attitude-control technologies.

This mission was the third flight of the Gravity-1 rocket.

Video Credit: SMG/Xinhua
Duration: 33 seconds
Date: July 22, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #OrienSpace #东方空间 #SeaLaunch #EastChinaSea #RocketLaunch #Gravity1Rocket #引力1号 #Gravity1Y4Rocket #SolidFuelRockets #CommercialSpace #ChinaSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #AerospaceEngineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Launches Nine Satellites in First Far-sea Gravity-1 Rocket Mission

China Launches Nine Satellites in First Far-sea Gravity-1 Rocket Mission

China successfully launched nine satellites into their preset orbits aboard an Orienspace Gravity-1 carrier rocket from waters east of Shanghai on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. This mission marks the first far-sea launch for the Gravity-1 carrier rocket.

It was also the first far-sea launch mission for a private commercial rocket carried out in the East China Sea waters of the Yangtze River Delta region in China.

The rocket lifted off at 10:54am Beijing time, carrying six Dongpo satellites, along with Xiguang-2 01, Tianyi-49 and Zidingxiang-3.

The Dongpo satellites are designed for all-weather and all-time Earth observation. Xiguang-2 01 and Tianyi-49 are intended to support applications including mineral exploration, agriculture and forestry, environmental monitoring and urban planning, while Zidingxiang-3 will test an ultra-flat satellite design and attitude-control technologies.

This mission was the third flight of the Gravity-1 rocket.

Image Credits: Orienspace, CGTN
Date: July 22, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #OrienSpace #东方空间 #SeaLaunch #EastChinaSea #RocketLaunch #Gravity1Rocket #引力1号 #Gravity1Y4Rocket #SolidFuelRockets #CommercialSpace #ChinaSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #AerospaceEngineering #STEM #Education