Space Tech Digest — 2026-05-15

Launch & Mission Updates

SpaceX CRS-34 — Dragon Cargo Launch to ISS

• Vehicle: Falcon 9 / Dragon cargo spacecraft
• Status: Launched today (May 15, 2026) at 6:05 p.m. EDT
• Details: After two weather-related scrubs on May 12 and May 13 due to anvil clouds over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, NASA and SpaceX successfully targeted a third launch attempt for this evening. The mission delivers supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station. This is SpaceX's 34th commercial resupply services mission under the CRS contract.

3 sources

nasa.gov

nasa.gov

nasa.gov

NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans - NASA

nasa.gov

nasa.gov

SpaceX Starship Flight 12 — Scheduled for May 19

• Vehicle: Starship (new version) / Booster 19
• Status: Scheduled for May 19, 2026, from Starbase, South Texas
• Details: SpaceX will debut a new version of its Starship megarocket for its 12th integrated flight test. Recovery plans for Booster 19 have not yet been disclosed. The flight marks the first launch of this updated Starship configuration, continuing SpaceX's rapid iteration cadence on the program.

1 sources

usatoday.com

usatoday.com

China — Qianfan Megaconstellation Expansion & Zhuque-2E Return-to-Flight

• Vehicle: Long March 6A (Qianfan batch) / Zhuque-2E (commercial)
• Status: Both launched within the past week
• Details: China added a new batch of satellites to the Qianfan megaconstellation aboard a Long March 6A rocket, continuing its aggressive build-out of a rival broadband constellation. Simultaneously, Landspace's commercial Zhuque-2E made a return-to-flight with numerous improvements compared to earlier versions. Both missions underscore the rapid pace of Chinese commercial and government launch activity.

1 sources

spacenews.com

Landspace launches improved Zhuque-2E, Long March 6A lofts new Qianfan satellite group - SpaceNews

NASA Psyche — Mars Gravity-Assist Flyby

• Vehicle: Psyche spacecraft
• Status: Flyby executed today, May 15, 2026
• Details: NASA's Psyche spacecraft used Mars' gravity as a slingshot today, passing the Red Planet at approximately 20,000 km/h to gain velocity on its journey to the metal-rich asteroid (16) Psyche. The spacecraft is collecting scientific data during the flyby. Psyche is expected to enter orbit around its target asteroid in 2029 to study what may be the exposed metallic core of an early planetesimal.

NASA Artemis III — Preliminary Mission Plans Updated

• Vehicle: SLS / Starship HLS (lander)
• Status: Mission plans updated and clarified May 15, 2026
• Details: NASA updated its preliminary Artemis III mission planning documentation, adding clarifications to the spacer design element. Artemis III is the agency's first planned crewed lunar landing mission under the Artemis program, targeting the Moon's south polar region.

Commercial Space

• SpaceX / Globalstar: SpaceX is scheduled to launch nine new Globalstar communications satellites to low Earth orbit from SLC-40 on Sunday, May 17, at 8:50 AM EDT. The mission, a commercial comms launch, wraps what NASASpaceFlight describes as a "busy week" for the company. Globalstar provides satellite-based voice and data services and continues expanding its constellation.

• SpaceX — Starship Florida Infrastructure: SpaceX's Gigabay facility at Kennedy Space Center continues to rise ahead of planned Starship launches from Florida. The facility represents a significant investment in East Coast launch infrastructure for Starship as the company prepares for operational flights from both Texas and Florida.

Science & Discovery

• James Webb Space Telescope — Whirlpool Galaxy: JWST released a stunning new image of M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, on May 13. The image showcases the telescope's unmatched infrared resolution, revealing the intricate spiral structure and star-forming regions of this iconic interacting galaxy pair approximately 23 million light-years away. JWST continues to provide astronomers with unprecedented detail in observations that previously required significant processing.

• Asteroid 2026 JH2 — Record-Close Earth Flyby Incoming: Newly discovered asteroid 2026 JH2 will safely pass just 90,000 km above Earth on May 18 — well inside the orbit of the Moon (which averages ~384,400 km away) — offering astronomers a rare and dramatic close encounter. Despite its proximity, the flyby poses no impact risk. The discovery highlights the ongoing importance of near-Earth object survey programs that detect such objects with short lead times.

• NASA Perseverance Rover — Western Frontier Selfie: NASA's Perseverance rover snapped a new selfie in what the agency calls Mars' "Western Frontier" region. The rover continues its science operations exploring ancient Martian terrain, gathering rock samples and conducting geological surveys in support of a future Mars Sample Return mission.

3 sources

nasa.gov

nasa.gov

nasa.gov

NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans - NASA

nasa.gov

nasa.gov

Upcoming Launch Schedule

What to Watch This Week

• Starship Flight 12 (May 19): SpaceX debuts a new Starship version with Booster 19 — the first flight of this updated configuration. Recovery plans for the booster remain undisclosed, making this one of the most closely watched events in the launch calendar this month.
• Asteroid 2026 JH2 flyby (May 18): The newly discovered asteroid makes an unusually close pass at just 90,000 km — closer than the Moon. Amateur and professional astronomers worldwide are expected to track this rare event in real time.
• CRS-34 ISS docking: Following today's launch, Dragon will approach and dock with the International Space Station; NASA is expected to provide coverage of the arrival event in coming days.

Sources compiled from SpaceNews, NASASpaceflight, Spaceflight Now, and real-time news feeds.