April 13, 2026 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
I have also scheduled it earlier in the day because I am presently asleep, recovering from knee surgery.
- Artemis-2 Orion capsule being examined by NASA engineers
The video really shows nothing of note, as the capsule is sitting on the heat shield so it can’t really be seen in any detail.
- India’s space agency ISRO completes tests of landing engine to be used on its Chandrayaan-5 lunar lander
The mission includes a Japanese-built rover, and is supposed to launch in 2028.
- Details about Chang’e-7’s mini-hopper probe designed to go into the permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole and drill for water-ice
If China gets any reliable evidence of ice back from this hopper it will be a real coup. It is scheduled to launch later this year.
- Roscosmos head tells Putin an “enemy attempted to attack the Plesetsk cosmodrome with drones”
Apparently the attack — likely from the Ukraine — occurred during the scrubbed first attempt to launch the first 16 satellites of Russia’s Russvet internet constellation in March.
- Starlink production is apparently moving from California to Texas
We know this because SpaceX is looking to hire someone to direct the new Texas operations. It is unclear if the company intends to shut down its California operations, though no one should be surprised if it does.
- Virgin Atlantic will begin making Starlink available on its planes sooner, in May
The original plan was July or later.
- On this day in 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space
He completed one orbit in his Vostok capsule.
- 45 years ago today, the space shuttle Columbia launched on its first orbital spaceflight
It flew 28 missions before being destroyed in 2003 during re-entry because falling foam from the external tank at launch damaged its thermal protection system.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
I have also scheduled it earlier in the day because I am presently asleep, recovering from knee surgery.
- Artemis-2 Orion capsule being examined by NASA engineers
The video really shows nothing of note, as the capsule is sitting on the heat shield so it can’t really be seen in any detail.
- India’s space agency ISRO completes tests of landing engine to be used on its Chandrayaan-5 lunar lander
The mission includes a Japanese-built rover, and is supposed to launch in 2028.
- Details about Chang’e-7’s mini-hopper probe designed to go into the permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole and drill for water-ice
If China gets any reliable evidence of ice back from this hopper it will be a real coup. It is scheduled to launch later this year.
- Roscosmos head tells Putin an “enemy attempted to attack the Plesetsk cosmodrome with drones”
Apparently the attack — likely from the Ukraine — occurred during the scrubbed first attempt to launch the first 16 satellites of Russia’s Russvet internet constellation in March.
- Starlink production is apparently moving from California to Texas
We know this because SpaceX is looking to hire someone to direct the new Texas operations. It is unclear if the company intends to shut down its California operations, though no one should be surprised if it does.
- Virgin Atlantic will begin making Starlink available on its planes sooner, in May
The original plan was July or later.
- On this day in 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space
He completed one orbit in his Vostok capsule.
- 45 years ago today, the space shuttle Columbia launched on its first orbital spaceflight
It flew 28 missions before being destroyed in 2003 during re-entry because falling foam from the external tank at launch damaged its thermal protection system.
