NASA announced that a new astrophysics observatory is under development. The PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics) space telescope, if fully confirmed, would survey the Universe at far-infrared wavelengths that can help reveal the chemistry of planetary building blocks around other stars, as well as the makeup and evolution of distant galaxies. It is the first in a new class of NASA astrophysics missions called Probe Explorers. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Boeing’s Starliner won’t fly astronauts to the ISS until at least 2028. In a press conference this week, NASA and Boeing announced that the spacecraft would fly an uncrewed cargo mission no earlier than December of this year, then perhaps a routine crew exchange mission in 2028. Starliner’s Crew Flight Test in 2024 experienced several problems and was later classified by NASA as a “Type-A mishap,” the agency’s most serious designation of that kind.

More than 75 countries have signed on to the Artemis Accords. With Albania, Croatia, Côte d’Ivoire, and San Marino all joining the Accords over the past several weeks, the group now has 76 participants. The Accords are a non-binding set of principles for how countries explore space and develop infrastructure beyond Earth.

Sunday marks the start of World Space Week. The largest annual space event on Earth is meant to inspire the next generation and bring people together, as Dennis Stone, president and co-founder of the World Space Week Association, said on Planetary Radio last month. If you missed it, check out his conversation with host Sarah Al-Ahmed to hear how you can get involved this Oct. 4 through 10.

NASA is looking into tethered drones and flying spheres to explore the Solar System. On this week’s Planetary Radio, host Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with several scientists behind bold, early-stage ideas for space exploration at the 2026 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium, hosted by Wichita State University. Ideas include flying spheres to explore caves beneath Titan’s surface, a fiber-tethered drone that could enter caves on the Moon, and tiny probes meant to survive in the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters. Image credit: Stone Aerospace, Inc.

Tune into a fireside chat on the search for life beyond Earth. In August, Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Jonathan Lunine, chief scientist of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, headlined an in-person livestream with a discussion of the main missions shaping the search for extraterrestrial life. Watch a recording of their conversation, now available here.