September 10, 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.
- Russian official offers India the use of Russian hardware, such as spacesuits and cosmonaut seats
He also reiterated Russia’s desire to do joint flights to the Russian and Indian space stations. As Jay notes with sarcasm, “Russia is still looking for a date.”
- The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) — which builds China’s Long March rockets — vows to strengthen quality control, review programs & management & “hold personnel accountable”.
This vow is in reference it appears to recent launch failures of its Long March 3B and 7A rockets. It also appears this might be part of an overall crackdown by the Chinese government on all its many space pseudo-companies that appears to be occurring.
- Chinese pseudo-company Hspace claims it will launch its Houyi-1 rocket by the end of the year
We shall see.
- A hydraulics issue apparently caused the cancellation of Russia’s Progress freighter launch this week
The issue appears to have been resolved and the launch rescheduled for September 16, 2026.
- On September 10, 2011 NASA’s twin GRAIL lunar orbiters were launched by ULA’s Delta-2 rocket
The two orbiters, dubbed Ebb and Flow, remained in orbit for about a year to create a precise gravity map of the Moon, necessary for correctly planning future orbital missions.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

Children’s Lunar TV show:
“What time is it, kids?!
It’s time for the Moon Show! With your hosts, Rover Flip, and Rover Flex!”
On how to x-ray reactors:
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-kind-ray-imaging-tool-nuclear.html
This tool allows inspection of housings without the need to open them up. As Raptor engines become more compact, such an x-ray set-up will be useful there as well.
Ancient iridescence secrets unveiled
https://phys.org/news/2026-09-unveiling-nanoparticles-iridescence-ancient-ceramics.html
If nothing else, this finding might make for good paint for models of the Enterprise from Star Trek: The Motion Picture
I am thinking the chemistry might also have actual in-space uses.