Archive
This is the full list of Space Road articles, explainers and news, newest first. Independent coverage of SpaceX, Starship, ISRO and the wider space industry.
India had 56 operational satellites in February 2026, out of 135 launched, the government told Parliament. Here is the breakdown by type, what ISRO's own space report counts, and what has changed since.
NASA wants its first Artemis landing and its Moon Base near the lunar south pole. Here is why: ice hidden in craters that never see sunlight, ridges that stay lit for long stretches, and some of the oldest ground on the Moon. India's Chandrayaan-1 helped prove the ice is there.
Blue Origin's New Glenn exploded during an engine test on 28 May 2026. Here is what went wrong, how the pad is being rebuilt, when it may fly again, why NASA's Artemis III depends on it, and how it compares with Starship.
No. The 2026 Earth-Mars launch window is open now, but SpaceX has moved its focus to the Moon and says Mars cargo flights start no earlier than 2028. Here is what changed, and what has to happen first.
ISRO has not announced a launch date for Gaganyaan G1. Its chairman says the uncrewed flight is about two months away. Here is what G1 will test, the rocket it rides, and the four astronauts waiting for the crewed mission.
China plans to land two astronauts on the Moon before 2030. Two Long March 10 rockets launch a lander and a crew ship, which meet in lunar orbit. Here is the plan, step by step.
ISRO's GSLV-F18 launched from Sriharikota on the night of 30 October 2026 and placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite in a 170.3 x 38,080 km orbit. NVS-03's first orbit-raising burn worked on 31 October, ISRO said.
GSLV stands for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. What the name means, how GSLV Mk II differs from GSLV Mk III (now LVM3), and its launch record, from ISRO's own pages.
PSLV is ISRO's workhorse for lower orbits, GSLV carries 2-tonne satellites towards geostationary orbit, and LVM3 is the heavy lifter. Size, power and record compared, from ISRO's own figures.
Starship's booster flies back to its launch tower, and two giant arms catch it in mid-air. How the catch works, what has happened so far, and what SpaceX says Flight 15 will try.
NASA is targeting summer 2027 for Artemis III, a two-week crewed test flight in Earth orbit, not a Moon landing. Here are the four astronauts and what they will do.
NVS-03 is NavIC's newest satellite, launched on 30 October 2026. Its first orbit-raising burn worked on 31 October, ISRO said. NavIC is down to three satellites giving positions, and it needs four. Here's why.
NASA now targets summer 2027 for Artemis III, a crewed test with both Moon landers in Earth orbit, and a first landing in 2028. Here is the updated plan.
The booster is back about seven minutes after launch, over water. The ship returns from orbit, far faster and hotter, and must cross Mexico to reach the tower.
Besides SpaceX, Blue Origin, China's Long March 10B and LandSpace's Zhuque-3 have landed or caught orbital boosters. Only Blue Origin has reflown one.
SpaceX made $14.6 billion in revenue in Q3 2026, up 161%, and its AI business brought in more than Starlink for the first time. It also spent $19.6 billion in the quarter.
MMX is Japan's mission to land on Mars's moon Phobos and bring a sample to Earth in 2031. It launched on an H3 rocket at 4:41 a.m. JST on 20 October 2026.
Elon says Starship Flight 15 is expected next month and will try to catch both Booster 22 and Ship 42. There is no official launch date yet.
Starship has flown 14 test flights since April 2023. What each one tried, how the booster and ship did, and what changed, from Flight 1 to Flight 14.
What hot staging, boostback, Mechazilla, cryoproof, static fire, NET (no earlier than) and 36 other Starship terms mean, in plain English, with sources.
Starship is SpaceX's two-stage, fully reusable rocket for Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars. How it works, what it's for and where it stands in 2026.
