[Space & Future Tech] Starship aims for orbit on Tuesday
Eight years ago, BepiColombo left Earth heading for Mercury. This fortnight, it finally shed its engine and started the last stretch. Meanwhile, SpaceX is about to try something it has never done: put Starship into orbit.
The Big 3
BepiColombo sheds its engine. Mercury is 11 weeks away.
On 3 September, ESA's Mercury Transfer Module separated from the two BepiColombo science orbiters after eight years and nine gravity assists. The spacecraft is now in its final approach, with orbit insertion around Mercury scheduled for 21 November 2026. BepiColombo carries 16 instruments across two orbiters (one ESA, one JAXA), more than double what NASA's MESSENGER carried when it orbited Mercury from 2011 to 2015.
Why it matters: Mercury is the least explored rocky planet in the inner solar system, and its extreme conditions mirror those of billions of exoplanets orbiting close to their host stars. What we learn here applies far beyond one small planet.
Read more on Future Technology
Starship Flight 14: the first orbital attempt
SpaceX filed with the FCC naming 15 September 2026 as the target date for Starship's first orbital flight. The payload is roughly 20 Starlink V3 satellites, each rated for about 1 Tbps of downlink capacity. V3 satellites are physically too large for Falcon 9's fairing, which is the entire reason Starship exists. Both stages completed static fire testing at Boca Chica, with Booster 21 firing all 33 Raptor engines.
Why it matters: If Starship can reach orbit reliably, it puts 100 to 150 tonnes in low Earth orbit per flight. Falcon 9 manages 23. That is not an upgrade. It is a new category of capability.
Read more on Future Technology
SpaceX hits 700 Falcon launches. The number that matters is 29.
The 700th Falcon mission launched on 13 September, carrying the final three SES O3b mPOWER communications satellites to medium Earth orbit. The booster, B1080, was flying its 29th mission. Its career includes ISS cargo runs, ESA's Euclid observatory, and 22 Starlink batches. It landed safely on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas.
Why it matters: Twenty-nine flights from a single first stage. A decade ago, zero boosters had ever flown twice. Reusability is no longer a talking point; it is the reason SpaceX can undercut every other launch provider on the planet.
Read more on Future Technology
Quick Hits
International Space Summit in Paris. Dozens of countries signed three declarations on sustainable use of outer space at the first International Space Summit (9-10 September), hosted by France. The language reaffirmed the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the UN's role in space governance but avoided hard positions on debris mitigation targets or military activity. Some of the biggest space powers declined to sign. Source
NASA Crew-13 delayed. SpaceX and NASA pushed back the Crew-13 ISS rotation mission after finding an oxidiser leak in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system during prelaunch preparations. No new date announced yet. Source
Artemis III engines fully installed. All four RS-25 engines are now bolted underneath the Space Launch System core stage for the Artemis III Moon mission. The four-person crew visited the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center last week. Source
Relativity Space joins NASA's launch roster. NASA awarded a NLS II contract to Relativity Space, expanding the agency's pool of certified launch providers for science and exploration missions. Source
Future Watch
BepiColombo orbit insertion: 21 November 2026
The separation was the first step. The real test comes on 21 November, when BepiColombo fires its thrusters to enter orbit around Mercury. If that burn works, the two orbiters will separate in early December and science operations begin in April 2027. Follow updates on ESA's BepiColombo mission page.
What to watch for: A successful orbit insertion would make BepiColombo only the second spacecraft ever to orbit Mercury, after NASA's MESSENGER.
If you want to follow this fortnight's launches with your own eyes, a decent pair of astronomy binoculars is the best first investment. You do not need a telescope to see the ISS, bright satellites, or the planets.
The Long View
This fortnight, the same company launched its 700th routine rocket and is about to attempt something it has never done before. Meanwhile, a European spacecraft that left Earth in 2018 is finally close enough to Mercury to start the last chapter. Three timescales, three definitions of progress, all happening at once. Space is not moving at one speed. It is moving at every speed simultaneously, and the most interesting things happen where those speeds cross.
Forwarded this? Get your own space briefing.
Ad astra.
Nath, Future Technology
Some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links. We only recommend products we genuinely think are worth your time.