Sam's News — space — 2026-08-21¶
Space¶
8 NASA engineers develop power system rework to extend Voyager spacecraft missions into early 2030s¶
NASA is implementing a reworking of the power systems aboard the nearly 50-year-old Voyager spacecraft to extend their exploration of interstellar space beyond current projections.
Sources: The New York Times Web Search Update to: NASA Engineers Extend Voyager Spacecraft Operations into 2030s with Power System Rework
8 NASA's Voyager 2 probe reaches interstellar space after 49 years¶
NASA's Voyager 2 probe, launched August 20, 1977, has reached interstellar space after 49 years of travel. The spacecraft is the only probe to visit all four outer gas giants and is NASA's longest-lived mission, now traveling at 34,000 mph approximately 13.2 billion miles from Earth.
- Launch date: August 20, 1977; entered interstellar space 49 years later
- Only spacecraft to visit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
- Mission cost exceeded $865 million; originally designed for 4 years
- As of November 2026: 13.2 billion miles from Earth at 34,000 mph
- Loses ~4 watts annually; NASA installed lower-power devices August 2026
- Twin Voyager 1 expected 16 billion miles away by November 2026
Sources: Business Insider AI Web Searched
7.5 China launches Chang'e 7 lunar mission to south pole on most ambitious lunar campaign¶
China plans to launch its Chang'e 7 moon mission on August 24 to deploy a lander, rover, hopper, and scientific instruments to the lunar south pole.
- Launch date: August 24, 2026 on Long March 5 Y14
- Lander landing targeted end of 2026 with 100-meter accuracy
- Rover equipped with high-resolution mapping camera and hyperspectral imager
- Lander will drill to analyze water ice deposits
- International instruments from Russia, Italy, Bahrain, Egypt, Thailand, Switzerland, Hawaii
- Supports China's planned crewed lunar landing in 2030
Sources: Space.com RSS, UA.NEWS AI Web Searched, BGR AI Web Searched, Phys.org RSS
7.5 SpaceX Completes Engine Test of Starship Ahead of First Orbital Flight¶
SpaceX conducted a single-engine test-fire of Starship in preparation for the megarocket's first orbital test flight.
Sources: Space.com RSS
7.5 Japan unveils MMX spacecraft for Mars moon sample-return mission launching October 19¶
Japan revealed its MMX spacecraft ahead of its October 19 launch to collect samples from Phobos and return them to Earth.
Sources: Space.com RSS
6.5 SpaceX targets first-ever Starship tower catch within several months¶
SpaceX will likely attempt to catch its Starship upper stage on deployment arms in a few months, according to Elon Musk.
Sources: Space.com RSS
6.5 NASA Spacewalk: Failed ISS Antenna Removal Completed, Replacement Postponed¶
Astronaut Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot successfully removed a failed ISS antenna during a 6-hour, 23-minute spacewalk, but did not have time to complete the replacement.
Sources: Space Web Search
Policy¶
7.5 U.S. national space policy targets 1,000+ rocket launches annually by 2030¶
The United States is updating its spaceflights policy with the goal of supporting more than 1,000 rocket launches per year by 2030.
Sources: Space.com RSS
Astronomy¶
7 'Dark Stars' May Be Seeds of Supermassive Black Holes, Gravitational Wave Evidence Suggests¶
Scientists propose that hypothetical 'dark stars' could serve as seeds for the first supermassive black holes, supported by gravitational wave signatures.
Sources: Space.com RSS
Physics¶
6.5 Dark Photons May Explain Dark Matter Composition¶
New research suggests that dark matter could be composed of dark photons, which would not have heated the early cosmos as previously thought.
Sources: Space.com RSS