Space Tech Digest — 2026-05-13
SpaceX is gearing up for Starship Flight 12 on May 19, while a Falcon 9 carrying ~6,500 pounds of cargo to the ISS launched today from Cape Canaveral. On the science front, NASA's Psyche spacecraft is days away from a Mars gravity-assist flyby, and the James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a stunning new image of the Whirlpool Galaxy alongside a landmark direct study of an exoplanet's surface.
Space Tech Digest — 2026-05-13
Launch & Mission Updates
SpaceX Starship Flight 12
- Vehicle: Starship / Super Heavy (new version)
- Status: Scheduled — May 19, 2026
- Details: SpaceX will debut a new version of its Starship megarocket for its 12th flight test, lifting off from Starbase in South Texas. Recovery plans for Booster 19 have not yet been disclosed. The flight marks a continuation of SpaceX's rapid iteration cadence on the fully reusable two-stage vehicle.
SpaceX CRS-34 — ISS Cargo Resupply
- Vehicle: Falcon 9 / Dragon cargo capsule
- Status: Launched — May 13, 2026 (6:50 p.m. ET)
- Details: SpaceX launched approximately 6,500 pounds of science experiments, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station for NASA's 34th commercial resupply mission. After a scrub on May 12, the Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral's LC-40. The Dragon capsule is expected to arrive at the station within two days of launch.
SpaceX Globalstar Satellite Launch
- Vehicle: Falcon 9
- Status: Scheduled — May 17, 2026
- Details: SpaceX will wrap up a busy week with a commercial communications launch for Globalstar, carrying nine new LEO satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral at 8:50 a.m. EDT. The mission will expand Globalstar's constellation supporting direct-to-device satellite services.
Launch Previews: Worldwide launch manifest quiet as 2026 begins - NASASpaceFlight.com
Launch Preview: SpaceX and Chinese missions fill busy launch manifest - NASASpaceFlight.com
Launch Previews: International launches fill manifest during last full week of 2025 - NASASpaceFligh
Launch Preview: three launches — a calm before the storm? - NASASpaceFlight.com
Space Science in 2026: New lunar explorers, Mars missions, and space telescopes - NASASpaceFlight.co
Commercial Space
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SpaceX: The company is heading into one of its most eventful weeks of 2026, combining the CRS-34 ISS cargo mission (May 13), a Globalstar satellite deployment (May 17), and the pivotal Starship Flight 12 (May 19) — all within a single seven-day stretch. The simultaneous cadence across Falcon 9 and Starship underscores SpaceX's unprecedented multi-vehicle operations and its push to prove Starship's launch regularity ahead of commercial and NASA contracts.
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Relativity Space: The company remains on track for the first flight of its fully reusable Terran R rocket in 2026, as it ramps up production to meet its flight rate targets. Relativity is positioning Terran R to capture share in the growing satellite mega-constellation, lunar, and defense launch markets.
Science & Discovery
- NASA Psyche — Mars Gravity-Assist Flyby: NASA's Psyche spacecraft will skim just ~2,800–3,000 miles above Mars on May 15, using the Red Planet's gravity to slingshot itself toward asteroid 16 Psyche at roughly 12,000 mph. The maneuver conserves propellant and gives mission scientists a rare opportunity to image Mars from a novel angle. Psyche is en route to study the metal-rich asteroid, which scientists believe could be the exposed iron-nickel core of an ancient planetesimal — a window into how rocky planets form.
- James Webb Space Telescope — Whirlpool Galaxy Imaged: JWST has released a breathtaking new image of M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, as today's space photo of the day. The telescope's infrared vision pierces dust lanes to reveal star-forming regions and intricate spiral structure in unprecedented detail, offering researchers fresh data on galactic interactions — M51 is in the process of merging with its smaller companion NGC 5195.
- James Webb Space Telescope — First Direct Exoplanet Surface Study: In a landmark result published within the past week, astronomers used JWST to directly analyze the surface of a distant super-Earth for the first time. The team described it as "a dark, hot, barren rock" — an airless, Mercury-like world devoid of atmosphere. The finding demonstrates JWST's power to characterize rocky exoplanet surfaces directly, setting the stage for studies of more Earth-like candidates.
- Asteroid 2026 JH2 — Very Close Earth Flyby on May 18: A newly discovered asteroid, 2026 JH2, will safely pass just 90,000 km above Earth on May 18 — roughly one-quarter the distance to the Moon. While posing no impact threat, the close approach offers astronomers an exceptional opportunity for detailed observations of a near-Earth object in near-real time.
Upcoming Launch Schedule
| Date | Vehicle | Payload | Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2026 | Falcon 9 | Dragon CRS-34 (ISS cargo) | Cape Canaveral, SLC-40 |
| May 15, 2026 | — | Psyche Mars gravity-assist flyby | Mars (space event) |
| May 17, 2026 | Falcon 9 | Globalstar (9 LEO satellites) | Cape Canaveral, SLC-40 |
| May 18, 2026 | — | Asteroid 2026 JH2 Earth flyby | Earth (90,000 km) |
| May 19, 2026 | Starship / Super Heavy | Flight 12 test | Starbase, South Texas |
What to Watch This Week
- Starship Flight 12 (May 19): SpaceX's debut of an updated Starship variant will be one of the most-watched space events of 2026. Recovery details for Booster 19 are still undisclosed — watch for any last-minute announcements on catch attempts or splashdown plans.
- NASA Psyche Mars Flyby (May 15): The spacecraft will perform a high-speed 2,800-mile gravity-assist pass of Mars. NASA may release near-encounter imagery in the days following; this is the last planetary encounter before Psyche reaches asteroid 16 Psyche in 2029.
- Asteroid 2026 JH2 Flyby (May 18): The newly discovered asteroid's 90,000 km close pass gives amateur and professional astronomers a narrow observation window — track planetary defense updates from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.
Sources compiled from SpaceNews, NASASpaceFlight, Spaceflight Now, and real-time news feeds.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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