NASA Readies 'Swift Boost' Servicing Mission

1 June 2026National

NASA prepared the first-of-its-kind Swift Boost mission to raise the orbit of the ageing Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, using a robotic servicer named LINK (by Katalyst Space) for the roughly $30 million orbit-raising rescue.

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ISRO Launches EOS-05, India's First Geosynchronous Imaging Satellite, Aboard GSLV-F17

On 4 September 2026, ISRO launched the 2,367 kg EOS-05 Earth observation satellite aboard the 51.7-metre GSLV-F17 from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh). EOS-05 is India's first-ever imaging satellite in geosynchronous orbit, capable of continuous large-area monitoring using visible, infrared, multispectral and hyperspectral imaging for agriculture and disaster management. The three-stage GSLV-F17, with a 420.5-tonne lift-off mass and an indigenous cryogenic upper stage, placed it in a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a perigee of 171 km, apogee of 31,260 km and inclination of 19.28 degrees, to be raised to about 36,000 km.

GK ByteISRO was founded on 15 August 1969 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka; its chairman is V. Narayanan | Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota is India's only orbital launch site, named after ISRO's second chairman | Geosynchronous orbit lies at roughly 36,000 km altitude, where a satellite's orbital period matches Earth's rotation

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Turkiye Becomes the 71st Country to Sign the Artemis Accords

The Republic of Turkiye became the 71st signatory of the Artemis Accords on 31 August 2026 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir signed for Turkiye, with Turkish Space Agency President Yusuf Kirac present and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hosting. Turkiye is the seventh Middle Eastern signatory after the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan and Israel. NASA cited Turkiye's recent milestones, including astronaut Alper Gezeravci's Axiom Mission 3 flight to the ISS in 2024. Turkiye is preparing AYAP-1, its first lunar mission, targeting a hybrid-propelled spacecraft to the Moon in early 2027.

GK ByteArtemis Accords launched in 2020 by NASA and the US State Department as non-binding principles for civil space activity | Core principles cover transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance to astronauts, registration of space objects and protection of outer-space heritage sites | India signed the Artemis Accords in June 2023, becoming the 27th signatory

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ESA's Sophie Adenot Becomes First French Woman to Perform a Spacewalk

European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk on 18 August 2026, carrying out US Spacewalk 97 outside the International Space Station with NASA's Anil Menon over 6 hours and 23 minutes. The pair set out to replace a failed Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT) on the ISS Z1 truss, which carries high-speed data between the station and Mission Control in Houston. Stuck bolts and electrical cabling forced them to secure the failed unit with a tie-down instead. It was the 282nd spacewalk in ISS history; EVA-98 is scheduled for 25 August 2026 to finish the installation.

GK ByteThe International Space Station is run jointly by NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA, and has been continuously crewed since November 2000 | Canadarm2, the ISS robotic arm, was contributed by Canada | ESA, founded in 1975, is headquartered in Paris, France

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China's Chang'e-7 Lunar Mission Set for 24 August Launch to Moon's South Pole

China scheduled its Chang'e-7 lunar mission for launch on 24 August 2026 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan aboard a Long March 5 Y14 rocket. The China National Space Administration describes the spacecraft as a "four-in-one" system combining an orbiter, lander, rover and a hopping probe, all aimed at the lunar south pole. The lander will attempt a touchdown near the edge of Shackleton Crater to hunt for water ice, while the hopping probe uses active shock-absorption to leap into permanently shadowed craters and analyse water molecules. Six payloads from six countries ride along, relayed by the Queqiao-2 satellite launched in March 2024.

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