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Monday, July 27, 2026

SpaceX Starship Liftoff—Flight Test#13: High-speed video | Starbase Texas

SpaceX Starship Liftoff—Flight Test#13: High-speed video | Starbase Texas

"High-speed video of 33 Raptor engines powering the Super Heavy booster on Flight 13."

The thirteenth flight test of Starship successfully launched Friday, July 24, 2026, at 5:51 p.m. Central Time (CT). This was the second flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles and the first Starship flight to deploy "next generation" Starlink V3 satellites.

Watch the launch broadcast and read the flight report here:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13

The flight test began with Super Heavy igniting all 33 Raptor 3 engines and ascending over the Gulf of Mexico. The successful first-stage ascent was followed by a hot-staging maneuver with Starship’s upper stage igniting its six Raptor engines to continue its flight to space.

Following stage separation, the Super Heavy booster performed a directional flip maneuver. The startup sequence was modified for this flight to be more robust to timing variability in engine startup and flip in the desired direction. This is done to increase overall performance. The booster successfully completed the high thrust portion of the boostback burn with all 33 engines, the first time with a Super Heavy V3, before ending the burn early. It attempted to relight its engines for the landing burn with a subset successfully igniting before experiencing a hard splashdown in the Gulf.

After completing a full-duration ascent burn on all six Raptor engines, Starship achieved its planned velocity and trajectory. Starship then successfully deployed all 20 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX engineers were able to successfully communicate with every satellite using radio frequency and laser links and downloaded key telemetry from the satellites. The Starlink satellites were deployed on the pre-planned trajectory and are expected to have demised upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment.

The vehicle also reignited a single Raptor engine in an in-space demonstration of a core capability for future orbital missions.

Starship re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and was able to gather critical data on the performance of its heatshield before executing a dynamic banking move to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly. Starship then guided itself using its four flaps to the pre-planned splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean. After relighting all three Raptor engines, Starship executed a landing flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown, coming to rest intact in the Indian Ocean and providing critical views of an intact heatshield for the first time.

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

Video Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Duration: 1 minute

Date: July 24, 2026

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

Chasing Solar Eclipses with NASA Supersonic Jet Pilots | NASA Goddard

Chasing Solar Eclipses with NASA Supersonic Jet Pilots | NASA Goddard

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will cross Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal. However, among the best views will come from 50,000 feet up, aboard NASA's WB-57 jet. Flying through the stratosphere, the jet’s instruments study the eclipse from above most of Earth’s atmosphere, avoiding the clouds, dust, and water vapor that can blur the view.

As the Moon's shadow races across the ground, the crew pushes the high-speed jet to stay inside totality for as long as possible, giving scientists and their instruments extra time to study the Sun.

The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas is the home of the NASA WB-57 High Altitude Research Program. Three WB-57 aircraft are based near JSC at Ellington Field. The aircraft have been flying research missions since the early 1970's, and continue to be an asset to the scientific community with service designed to meet a variety of scientific objectives.

The WB-57 is a mid-wing, long-range aircraft capable of operating for extended periods of time from sea level to altitudes in excess of 63,000 feet. The WB-57 can fly for approximately 6.5 hours, has a range of approximately 2500 miles, and can carry up to 8,800 lbs of payload.

Lear more about solar eclipses:

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/

Eclipse safety info: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety/

Video Credit: NASA
Producer: Joy Ng (eMITS)
Pilots: Tom Parent (NASA JSC), Cary Klemm (NASA JSC)
Videographers: Josh Valcarcel (NASA JSC), Charles Clendaniel (eMITS)
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: July 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Atmosphere #Ionosphere #Moon #Sun #Corona #SolarEclipses #SolarEclipse2026 #TotalSolarEclipse #WB57Aircraft #SupersonicAircraft #NASAJohnson #JSC #NASAGoddard #GSFC #Europe #UnitedStates #Russia #Greenland #Iceland #Spain #Portugal #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched to the International Space Station with Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina onboard, on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

At 1:52 p.m. EDT, their Russian Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Prichal module. At 4:30 p.m. EDT, the hatch opened between the International Space Station and the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft.

The trio joined NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrey Fedyaev of Russia.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission was his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

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.

Credit: Roscosmos/S. Kud-Sverchkov

Date: July 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: July 23-27, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: July 23-27, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4961

Mars 2020 - sol 1931

MSL - sol 4962

MSL - sol 4963

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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 23-27, 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

Shenzhou-23 Crew Conducts Biology & Microgravity Research | China Space Station

Shenzhou-23 Crew Conducts Biology & Microgravity Research | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-23 spaceflight mission's three-member crew has stayed at China's Tiangong Space Station for five weeks, carrying out a series of scientific experiments in orbit.

According to the video footage released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Sunday, mission commander Zhu Yangzhu and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying conducted experiments on microbiota and nutrient metabolism using a space Raman spectrometer. By detecting metabolic components in urine samples, the experiments aim to study changes in gut microbiota under long-term flight conditions and their impact on nutrient metabolism.

The mission crew used relevant equipment and experimental software to conduct force control tests, and the data obtained will be used to study the changing patterns and adaptive learning mechanisms of astronauts' fine motor control during long-term orbital flights.

The crew also conducted several in-orbit electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, and the results will help elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying changes in astronauts' cognitive abilities during long-duration spaceflight.

In the field of space microgravity physics, the crew replaced the internal burner of the gas experiment module in the combustion science experimental cabinet, replaced the experimental samples in the online maintenance and adjustment control cabinet, and completed tasks, such as cleaning the sample in the containerless cabinet experimental chamber, maintaining the electrodes of the central mechanism, and cleaning and replacing the viewing window cover lens.

In addition to scientific research, the trio inspected and maintained the space station's life support system, adjusted the sleeping areas, and continued daily exercise to help reduce bone and muscle loss caused by prolonged exposure to microgravity.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)

Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 35 seconds
Release Date: July 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhuYangzhu #ZhangZhiyuan #LiJiaying #LaiKaying #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy PGC 29388 in Ursa Major: Stealing the Show | Hubble

Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy PGC 29388 in Ursa Major: Stealing the Show | Hubble

As beautiful as the surrounding space may be, the sparkling galaxy in the foreground of this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope undeniably steals the show.

This spotlight-hogging galaxy, seen set against a backdrop of more distant galaxies of all shapes and sizes, is known as PGC 29388. Although it dominates in this image, this galaxy is a small player on the cosmic stage, and is known as a dwarf elliptical galaxy. As the “dwarf” moniker suggests, the galaxy is on the smaller side, and boasts a “mere” 100 million to a few billion stars—a very small number indeed when compared to the Milky Way's population of around 250 to 400 billion stellar residents.

Elliptical galaxies are smooth, ellipsoidal galaxies dominated by older stars with minimal gas and star formation. They are often found at the centers of galaxy clusters.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, T. Armandroff
Release Date: April 20, 2020

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #DwarfGalaxies #EllipticalGalaxies #PGC29388 #UrsaMajorConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Comet 10P/Tempel2 Grows Brighter: View from California

Comet 10P/Tempel2 Grows Brighter: View from California

Astrophotographer Dan Bartlett: "Comet 10P/Tempel2 has a spaghettified dust tail, and it's brightening. Twisting brownish-yellow dust trail appears as a 'jet' streaming out of the central condesation (over exposed). The dust tail still envelopes the post orbital dust trail but has brightened and broadened from the previous night. Orbital dust trail still obvious, as well as the dust tail jet, on individual 4 minute subs . . ."

Comet 10P/Tempel, also known as Tempel 2, is a large Jupiter-family comet roughly 10 km in diameter with a 5.36 year orbit around the Sun. Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) are short-period comets with orbital periods under 20 years, whose orbits are strongly influenced by planet Jupiter’s immense gravity. 10P/Tempel was discovered on July 4, 1873 by Wilhelm Tempel. At perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) passage on August 2, 2026, the solar elongation will be 164 degrees at a magnitude of approximately 8–10 with a declination of –24. The closest approach to Earth will be the next day on August 3, 2026, at a distance of 0.414 AU (61.9 million km). The comet should then be visible with binoculars.

California is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south.

Image Credit: Dan Bartlett
Location: June Lake, California, United States

Dan's website: https://app.astrobin.com/i/tjxe54?r=0
Date: July 23, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Comets #Comet10PTempel #CometTemple2 #JupiterFamilyClass #JFC #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #DanBartlett #Astrophotographers #JuneLake #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

The Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft is seen as it performs a parachute-assisted landing in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, with Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia aboard. The Russian spacecraft touched down at 5:27a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m. local time), July 26, 2026. Notice the retro-rockets firing on the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft just before touchdown to help protect the crew.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of Russia wrapped up a 241‑day mission as members of Expeditions 73 and 74 aboard the International Space Station, orbiting Earth 3,856 times and traveling more than 102 million miles. Soyuz MS‑28 launched and docked with the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2025. This flight marked the first mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud‑Sverchkov.

After routine post‑landing medical checks, recovery teams will fly the crew by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Williams then will board a NASA aircraft bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Follow Expedition 75:

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

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

Video Credit: NASA/Roscosmos
Duration: 24 seconds
Date: July 26, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoyuzMS28 #CrewSpacecraft #SpacecraftLanding #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #SergeiMikaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 74: The Russian Matryoshka Doll Crew Collection | Johnson Space Center

Expedition 74: The Russian Matryoshka Doll Crew Collection | Johnson Space Center

In this close-up photo, matryoshka dolls depicting Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia, right, are seen as NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Recovery Forces met at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 25, 2026, to discuss the readiness for the landing of the trio from the International Space Station.

Traditional Russian matryoshka dolls depicting Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia were provided as gifts by the Russian search and recovery team and Roscosmos officials shortly after the crew landed. The Russian Soyuz MS‑28 spacecraft touched down at 5:27a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m. local time), July 26, 2026, completing a parachute‑assisted landing on the Kazakh steppe southeast of Dzhezkazgan.

Matryoshka dolls (Russian: матрёшка), also known as stacking dolls, nesting dolls, Russian tea dolls, or Russian dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. A set of matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure, which separates at the middle, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside that has in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on.

The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890 by woodturning craftsman and wood carver Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by folk crafts painter Sergey Malyutin.

Follow Expedition 75:

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

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 25, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoyuzMS28 #CrewSpacecraft #SpacecraftLanding #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #SergeiMikaev #MatryoshkaDolls #матрёшка #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Expedition 74 Crew Receives Matryoshka Dolls after Landing in Kazakhstan

Expedition 74 Crew Receives Matryoshka Dolls after Landing in Kazakhstan

Traditional Russian matryoshka dolls depicting Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia were provided as gifts by the Russian search and recovery team and Roscosmos officials. The Russian Soyuz MS‑28 spacecraft touched down at 5:27a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m. local time), July 26, 2026, completing a parachute‑assisted landing on the Kazakh steppe southeast of Dzhezkazgan.

The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890 by woodturning craftsman and wood carver Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by folk crafts painter Sergey Malyutin.

Follow Expedition 75:

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

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

Video Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Duration: 12 seconds
Date: July 26, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoyuzMS28 #CrewSpacecraft #SpacecraftLanding #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #SergeiMikaev #MatryoshkaDolls #матрёшка #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, with Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev aboard, Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Note: Notice the retro-rockets firing on the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft just before touchdown to help protect the crew.

Expedition 74 emblem

Follow Expedition 75:

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

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 26, 2026

Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

NASA astronaut Chris Williams is seen outside the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft after he landed with Expedition 74 Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Russia is seen outside the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev of Russia is seen outside the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams, left, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (Russia), center, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev (Russia) are seen inside the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft after they landed.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Russia is helped out of the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft

NASA astronaut Chris Williams is helped out of the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev of Russia is helped out of the Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.

The Russian Soyuz MS‑28 spacecraft touched down at 5:27a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m. local time), July 26, 2026, completing a parachute‑assisted landing on the Kazakh steppe southeast of Dzhezkazgan.

Follow Expedition 75:

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

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 26, 2026

Saturday, July 25, 2026

Farewell 'Huggles" for Expedition 74 | International Space Station

Farewell 'Huggles" for Expedition 74 | International Space Station

All ten International Space Station crew members currently aboard. Clockwise from bottom right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (Russia), NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov (Russia), NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway; Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia), European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot; NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Chris Williams; Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Anna Kikina of Russia.

All ten International Space Station crew members. From right to left on bottom row: Roscosmos cosmonauts Anna Kikina, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia; NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov (Russia). From left to right on top row: NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway; Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Russia), European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Chris Williams

Station commander, flight engineer, and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir: "A bittersweet day on the International Space Station, as we prepare to say goodbye to the Soyuz 74S crew. Expedition 74 has been full of science, technology demonstrations and station maintenance, and most importantly, enduring friendship and 'huggles'. See you back on Earth my friends!"

Expedition 75 officially begins and Expedition 74 ends when the Soyuz departs the orbital outpost. Following MS-28's departure on Sunday, July 26, 2026, NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of Russia are scheduled to land on the steppe of Kazakhstan that same day at approximately 6:25 a.m. EDT (1025 UTC).

Follow Expedition 74:

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

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

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

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

Credit: NASA/JSC/J. Meir
Release Date: July 25, 2026

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

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Commercial Rocket Delivers AI-powered Satellites

China CAS Space Lijian-1 Commercial Rocket Delivers AI-powered Satellites

China on July 24, 2026, launched a CAS Space Lijian-1 Y15 carrier rocket, sending five satellites into space with two of them equipped with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) large models in a pioneering effort to expand AI application use in space.

The Jitian Star A-04 satellite is equipped with embodied intelligent models developed by Zhejiang Lab, a research institution based in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

The model enables the satellite to manage itself as it can autonomously complete multiple in-orbit tasks, such as monitoring the satellite's status, as well as planning and executing onboard missions for a single satellite or a satellite cluster.

The Xiguang-2 03 satellite carries three AI meteorological models that can improve efficiency and precision of forecast for sudden weather events like short-duration torrential rains and strong winds.

It typically takes conventional meteorological satellites 90 minutes to transmit weather data to ground stations after recording it. The ground team also need time to parse and correct data before releasing the forecasts, resulting in slow data refresh rates. The workflow is efficient enough for conventional weather services but falls short of the demand to issue timely forecast for abrupt weather events.

The two satellites are part of the "Three-Body Computing Constellation" project. This was initiated by the Zhejiang Lab and aims to send AI into space to achieve in-orbit data processing.

On May 14, 2025, the first batch of 12 computing satellites of the "Three-Body Computing Constellation" successfully entered orbit.

According to the plan, the constellation will reach a scale of 100 satellites by 2027.

Experts said that by strengthening coordination among satellites and equipping them with AI models, data collected across the globe can be processed more efficiently.

"Currently, there is no joint global efforts to process data in space and the real-time data transmission cannot be ensured. These can only be addressed by strengthened coordination among satellites. With the assistance of AI models, the satellites can achieve real-time process of data collected across the globe, thus pushing AI application from the ground into space," said Li Chao, chief technology engineer of the "Three-Body Computing Constellation" project.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 48 seconds
Release Date: July 25, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #JitianStarA04 #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Xiguang203 #WeatherSatellites #Earth #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Kinetica1 #Lijian1 #Lijian1Y15 #SolidFuelRockets #CGSTL #SatelliteLaunches #CommercialSpace #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Drone view: SpaceX Starship Liftoff—Flight Test#13 | Starbase Texas

Drone view: SpaceX Starship Liftoff—Flight Test#13 | Starbase Texas

Watch the launch broadcast and read the flight report here:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13

The vehicle also reignited a single Raptor engine in an in-space demonstration of a core capability for future orbital missions.

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

Video Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Duration: 19 seconds

Date: July 24, 2026

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

Liftoff: SpaceX Starship Flight Test#13 | Starbase Texas

Liftoff: SpaceX Starship Flight Test#13 | Starbase Texas

Watch the launch broadcast and read the flight report here:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13

The vehicle also reignited a single Raptor engine in an in-space demonstration of a core capability for future orbital missions.

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)

Date: July 24, 2026

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