November 8, 2026

Starship Flight with Dual Catch Set for Nov. 13 From Texas (Source: Douglas Messier)
Flight 15 of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Friday, November 13, pending regulatory approval. The 75-minute launch window will open at 4:45 p.m. CT. As is the case with all launches, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change. The upcoming flight is planned to be the first to return both Starship and Super Heavy to the launch site for catch. If successful, this will mark the first full recovery of an orbital launch system and a breakthrough moment in making Starship a reliable, rapidly reusable rocket. (11/7)

NASA Opens Applications for New Astronaut Class Supporting Artemis (Source: NASA Watch)
The US space agency is recruiting U.S. citizens for its next astronaut class, the first search in two years, with applications due Dec. 3. NASA says the class will support Artemis and plans to make final selections in late 2027. (11/7)

Houston, We Have a Wardrobe Problem (Source: Washington Post)
NASA’s effort to return astronauts to the moon depends on Axiom Space, whose track record the article describes as uneven. The Houston-based startup has partnered with Prada and counts among its investors a firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner. (11/7)

Colorado's U.S. Space Academy Bid Includes Millions in Incentives (Source: Axios)
Colorado is putting serious money behind its bid to secure a new U.S. Space Academy in Colorado Springs. Landing the NASA-led school would give the state's aerospace industry a major boost after Alabama won the U.S. Space Command. It could also bring billions in federal investments to town. Gov. Jared Polis is proposing up to $50 million in tax breaks to woo the academy, with more (but so far unspecified) incentives from the private sector, local governments and higher education partners.

Editor's Note: Given President Trump's history of rewarding states that have supported him, and punishing those that haven't by withholding federal funding, Florida may be in a good position to win this Space Academy after the midterm elections. (11/6)

Very Low-Earth Orbit: How the Space Force Is Exploring Ops at Lower Altitudes (Source: Air & Space Forces)
Now, as the broader space industry begins to set its sights on even lower altitudes, known as very low-Earth orbit or VLEO, the Space Force is weighing how it, too, might operate in the regime. While the service hasn’t made any decisions about whether or when it will start launching satellites there, Deputy Chief Science Officer Gillian Bussey said the Space Force characterizes VLEO as an emerging area of interest.

“Fundamentally, when we look out to the future force, there is a place for VLEO,” Bussey said. “I can see it fitting into the overall architecture, but the question is to figure out exactly how and what.” Generally, space operators have avoided sustained operations due to the challenges of flying there. The presence of atomic oxygen makes VLEO corrosive to most satellites and components, and the density of the air contributes to extreme atmospheric drag, requiring novel propulsion solutions to maintain altitude. It also makes satellites difficult to track. (11/6)

Portugal to Simulate Mars Exploration in Évora (Source: Portugal News)
Monsaraz will simulate human exploration of Mars from 5 to 18 April, the Austrian organization promoting the initiative, led by a Portuguese national, announced in a statement. The “mission”, commanded by João Lousada, a mission manager at the European Space Agency, is being promoted by the Austrian Space Forum. In addition to João Lousada, the “mission” will involve five other analogue astronauts (people who carry out space simulations on Earth) from the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Sweden.

During their tasks, which include conducting 17 scientific experiments, the six crew members will wear a space suit simulator weighing 50kg and communicate with the operations centre in Vienna, Austria, with an intentional 10-minute delay, the average time it would take a radio signal to travel between Mars and Earth. (11/7)

Turkish Space Agency’s 2027-2029 Budget Funds Homegrown Aerospace Technologies, Somali Spaceport (Source: AA.com)
Türkiye plans to allocate more than 20 billion Turkish lira ($398.7 million) to the Turkish Space Agency to accelerate its National Space Program goals and reduce the nation's dependence on foreign aerospace technology. They will also accelerate efforts under Türkiye's lunar exploration program to achieve a hard landing on the lunar surface by next year and ensure independent access to orbit through a spaceport in Somalia. (11/6)

20-Something Brooklyn Whiz Kids Building Robots NASA Will Send to Space Next Year (Source: New York Post)
At the Brooklyn Navy Yard, two young entrepreneurs are developing first-of-their-kind robotics for NASA that may shape our ability to colonize the moon, Mars and the universe beyond. Jamie Palmer, 26, and Ethan Barajas, 23, launched Icarus Robotics in 2024 out of Newlab — an 84,000-square-foot innovation center and hardware workspace within the Navy Yard. The 11-person company is building robots that will take over the manual labor and menial tasks astronauts spend so many of their waking hours preoccupied with.

In the first months of 2027, Icarus plans to hand off their robot, JOY, to NASA. By spring, JOY will be hurtling some 17,000 miles-per-hour aboard a cargo-ship destined for the International Space Station (ISS), where she’ll spend the next 12 or so months performing the routine maintenance work and checks typically left to astronauts. (11/6)

Firefly Aerospace Signs Rocket Engine Deal Valued at More Than $1.3 Billion with AST SpaceMobile (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace announced an agreement with AST SpaceMobile for more than $1.3 billion to deliver 36 rocket engines, provide a license to the engine’s intellectual property, and offer engineering support over a three-year period for AST SpaceMobile’s new heavy-lift rocket. The agreement provides Firefly with additional funds to accelerate its existing launch vehicle production and broader technology roadmap.

Under the agreement, Firefly will deliver 27 of its Miranda engines and nine of its vacuum-variant Vira engines for AST SpaceMobile’s first three rockets, and provide the license for AST SpaceMobile to manufacture the engines. AST SpaceMobile will pay Firefly more than $1.3 billion, consisting of cash and shares of AST Class A Common Stock with the latter subject to various lock-up periods. (11/6)