What's Happening in Space: October 2026
- 5th Oct 2026
- Author: Emma Mosley
A summary of space events through the month
Events
4th to 10th October - World Space Week
It's that time of year again! World space week is back celebrating global science and technology and their contribution tot he betterment of the human condition. The UN General Assembly declared the week to start on the 4th October as that is the anniversary of Sputnik 1 launching in 1957. Then it finishes on 10th October as the signing of the Treaty of principles governing the activities of states in the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies was in 1967. To take part or find out more, here's their website.
In important news, ESA has sent Pikachu to the ISS for world space week!
Stargazing Challenges
Our Stargazing challenge this month is courtesy of Ed Kellond-Turner. Can you spot the Keyston Asterism? Find out more in Ed's blog here.
Upcoming Launches
1st October - SpaceX Crew-13 16:10 BST
This is the 13th crewed SpaceX mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and had been delayed previously from a leak in the oxidiser tank. The crew is composed of NASA astronauts commander Jessica Watkins and pilot Luke Delaney, and mission specialists Joshua Kutryk of CSA and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia's Roscosmos. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in preparation for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
1st October - SpaceX Transporter -18 19:08 BST
This is one of two rideshare launches by SpaceX with Exolaunch being the third party providing deployment technology to support payloads up to 1,000 kgs. Onboard are 45 satellites from different private companies and space agencies heading into a Sun Synchronous Orbit. Taiwan are sending their first Gamma-ray Transients Monitor onboard a Formosat-8B making it their first astronomical telescope. UARX are sending an orbital transfer vehicle called OSSIE, making it the first fully developed in Spain.
7th October - KARI(Korea Aerospace Research Institute) Nuri (KSLV-2) 04:23 BST
This launch will send 15 satellites, five primary loads and ten secondary loads, into a Sun Synchronous Orbit. It is the fifth Nuri (KSLB-2) launch and the largest amount of satellites on this type of rocket to be launched. These satellites range from ultra-small satellite constellation for national security and disaster response to space medicine, weather observation, optical communication and technology demonstrations.
13th October - SpaceX CRS-35 Time TBC
This is the 35th commercial resupply mission to the ISS delivering science, supplies and hardware.
15th - 20th October launch window - ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) NSV-03 Time and date TBC
The NVS-03 is the next satellite in India's second generation NavIC navigation constellation. The previous satellite NVS-02 failed to get into its Geostationary orbit due to an anomaly in the spacecrafts pyro system.
19th October - JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) MMX 20:41 BST
If there's any launch to be excited about this month, this is the one! MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) is led by JAXA working with NASA, ESA, CNES (French Space Agency), and DLR (German Aerospace Centre). It is a 5-year mission with the aim to characterise and determine the origin of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos. There will also be a rover called Idefix and will be deployed just before MMX lands on Phobos. Idefix will explore the surface of Phobos while the main spacecraft will collect a sample and return it to earth using a Sample Return Capsule similar to Hayabusa2. Keep your eyes peeled in 2031 for the sample return capsule to land in Australia and this will be the first time any mission has brought back any material from the Martian region. So exciting!
Launch Dates TBC
October - CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation) Flight 2 Date and time TBC
There is still no publicly available information about the payload for the second flight of Long March 12A. If this launch goes ahead it will be exciting as this will be the second attempt to land the first stage booster which is similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Long March 12A was first launched in December 2025, successfully delivering its payload into orbit but it failed to land in one piece.
October - ISRO AayulSAT-1A Time and date TBC
This is a technology demonstration by OrbitAID Aerospace with the aim of performing an in-orbit refueling demonstration. Information about the rest of the payload has not been released.
October - SpaceX Bandwagon 5 Time and date TBC
This is the second rideshare with Exolaunch and will have 23 satellites onboard.
October - SpaceX Starship 15
There are plans for this be launched on 19th October but is yet to be confirmed. The flight will be similar to Flight 14 with the Ship to have a multi-hour mission, hopefully completing more orbits in Low Earth Orbit this time. It is hoped that both the upper stage and the booster is to be caught using the towers making it the first time both have been recovered simultaneously.
In The Night Sky
4th October - Saturn at Opposition
Opposition happens when Earth is parked between the Sun and Saturn putting Saturn opposite the Sun in our sky. It is one of the best times to observe Saturn as it will be slightly brighter by 0.3 magnitude and slightly bigger due to Earth being closer. We will also be able to see the Cassini divisions in the rings of Saturn and depending on your telescope, some of Saturn's Moons.
8th and 9th October - Draconid Meteor Shower
The Draconids are active between the 6th and the 10th of October with the peak being overnight of the 8th to the 9th. Current weather predictions are not favourable but try to find somewhere dark, give yourself 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness and enjoy! To find out more about the Draconids, here's Dhara's blog from last year.
10th October - New Moon
The new moon will not be visible this times as it will rise and set with the Sun. The lack of moonlight interfering at night provides a great time to try and view faint deep sky objects (especially with the aid of binoculars and telescopes). We have a blog on Moon phases written by Mike Darch on the National Space Centre's Education team.
12th October - Mercury at Greatest Elongation East
With Mercury being the closest planet to the Sun, it appears close to the Sun in the sky making it difficult to observe. The best time to observe Mercury is when it is at it's furthest from the Sun called Greatest Elongation. These occur roughly every four months with greatest elongation west when Mercury is farthest from the Sun in the morning and greatest elongation east when Mercury is farthest in the evening. Unfortunately Mercury sets not long after sunset so if you are careful you may get a peak just before sunset by looking a little above the Moon. As a reminder, please never use binoculars or a telescope when the Sun is up without any proper protection.
21st and 22nd October - Orionid Meteor Shower
The Orionids meteor shower peaks overnight on the 21st and into the morning of the 22nd October. There is a bright waxing gibbous Moon which can block out the fainter meteors but it will set at about 3am leaving the sky much darker. To watch them, find a dark location where the Moon is either behind you, blocked from view or has set. These meteors are left over debris trailed by Halley's comet and will look as if they come from the constellation of Orion but they can also come from any direction. Here's Dhara's blog from last year if you'd like to find out more.
26th October - Hunter's Moon
October's full Moon is traditionally known as the Hunter's Moon as it's around the time when farmers have finished harvesting the fields making it easier for hunters to spot and catch animals. It will peak at 04:11 in the morning of the 26th appearing in the West between Pleiades and the constellation Aries.
27th and 28th October - Moon and Pleiades
Overnight as the Moon moves across the night sky, it will cross the path of Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters). Pleiades is a famous star cluster which can be seen across the globe with the naked eye and with a telescope. The Moon starts to meet Pleiades at around 9.30pm and uncovers them at around 03.30am the next morning. A good one to get the camera out for!
Please note: As this summary is created at the end of the month before, dates (especially launch dates) can often change or be updated, so this content may become outdated - we always recommend checking on the relevant organisation's pages.