Top Stories

Shenzhou-23 Docks at Tiangong; One Crew Member Targeting Full Year in Orbit

Three Chinese astronauts arrived at Tiangong aboard Shenzhou-23 on Sunday, May 24. One crew member is expected to remain aboard for approximately one year — the first time a Chinese astronaut will have stayed in orbit that long. The crew also includes Hong Kong’s first astronaut.

Tiangong has been continuously occupied since June 5, 2022. China is using extended-duration missions to build experience ahead of its stated 2030 lunar landing goal. You can track Tiangong in real time on KeepTrack.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

NASA Expanding SpaceX Commercial Crew Contract as Boeing Starliner Certification Stays Uncertain

NASA is adding missions to its existing commercial crew contract with SpaceX. The move hedges against the possibility that Boeing’s Starliner never receives certification for ISS crew rotation flights.

No specific number of additional missions has been publicly confirmed, but the decision reflects NASA’s assessment that Starliner’s path to operational status is not guaranteed. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon remains the only currently certified vehicle for commercial crew transport to the station.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Shenzhou-23 Crew Includes Hong Kong’s First Astronaut

China named its Shenzhou-23 crew ahead of Sunday’s launch. Among the three is an astronaut representing Hong Kong — the first time the territory has had a crew member fly to orbit. The crew launched May 24 and docked with Tiangong the same day.

Read the full story: Space.com

SpaceX Hits 60 Orbital Launches in 2026 With Starlink 10-47 Mission

SpaceX launched 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with liftoff scheduled at 7:41 a.m. EDT on May 24. This was the company’s 60th orbital flight of 2026 — 59 Falcon 9s and one Falcon Heavy.

At that pace, SpaceX is on track to exceed its 2025 launch total. The Starlink 10-47 satellites will join the existing Shell 10 constellation in low Earth orbit.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

Expedition 74 Recap: Vehicle Traffic, Science, and Maintenance Defined April Aboard ISS

The Expedition 74 crew on the International Space Station had a dense April, handling multiple vehicle arrivals alongside science operations and maintenance work. The NASASpaceFlight roundup covers what kept the crew occupied across the month.

For users tracking ISS activity, vehicle docking and undocking events affect the station’s radar cross-section and can shift its orbital parameters slightly. You can track the ISS live.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight

Shenzhou-23 Launch: Technical Overview of the Mission Profile

NASASpaceFlight’s mission coverage details the Shenzhou-23 launch sequence and approach to Tiangong. Tiangong has maintained continuous human presence since June 2022, and crew rotation cadence has been consistent across Shenzhou missions throughout that period.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight

Satellite of the Day

Ekspress AM33

Ekspress AM33 is a Russian communications satellite operated by KHRR (Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center), one of Russia’s leading space organizations. Launched in November 2006 aboard a Proton-M/Briz-M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, this satellite was designed to provide fixed and mobile satellite communications services across a wide coverage area. With a launch mass of nearly 12 metric tons, Ekspress AM33 represents the substantial engineering required for high-capacity communication platforms in geostationary orbit.

The satellite’s torus-shaped design is characteristic of large communications satellites built to house multiple transponders and communication payloads. Operating from geostationary orbit, Ekspress AM33 maintains a fixed position over a designated region, allowing it to serve ground stations across Russia and neighboring territories with continuous, reliable service. Its 51.3° inclination orbit is notable—suggesting either an intermediate orbit during its operational history or specific mission requirements—making it an interesting case study in how communication satellites can be deployed for regional coverage optimization.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track Ekspress AM33

Upcoming Space Launches

May 25

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-47 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (11:41 UTC) 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

May 26

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-37 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 7A:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Pad 201, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (16:08 UTC) Payload details are currently unavailable.

May 29

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-53 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (11:52 UTC) 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

• United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551:

  • Amazon Leo (LA-07) from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (23:33 UTC) A batch of 29 Amazon Kuiper broadband internet satellites will be delivered to low Earth orbit as part of Amazon’s constellation aimed at providing high-speed, low-latency connectivity to underserved and remote areas globally. This is one of the final missions Amazon booked aboard the Atlas V, an expendable rocket powered by a Russian-built RD-180 first stage engine and an RL10-powered Centaur upper stage. Watch Live

May 30

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-41 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

May 31

• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • The Grain Goddess Provides (iQPS Launch 7) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (TBD) A synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS. Electron is a small-lift vehicle powered by electric-pump-fed Rutherford engines, designed to deliver small satellites to low Earth orbit and sun-synchronous orbit.

June 1

• Agency for Defense Development South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV:
  • Demo Flight from ADD Offshore Launch Platform, Sea Launch (05:00 UTC) Demonstration test flight of South Korea’s solid-fuel small launch vehicle developed by the Agency for Defense Development. Launch Preview

June 2

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-47 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

June 3

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-43 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (08:02 UTC) 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

Schedule Changes

• Long March 2F/G | Shenzhou 23: Status updated from Go for Launch to Launch Successful. This mission has been removed from the upcoming launch calendar.

Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.