NASA's Perseverance rover is tackling its toughest mission yet, climbing the Jezero Crater rim on Mars to collect rock samples for analysis of potential past life. Concurrently, NASA's Mars Odyssey Orbiter celebrates a major milestone, and updates on Boeing's Starliner at the ISS are forthcoming.

Intelsat's IS-33e satellite suffered a power loss on October 19, breaking apart and disrupting services in Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. The U.S. Space Force is tracking 20 debris pieces, with no immediate threat to other spacecraft; Intelsat is rerouting customers to minimize service interruptions.

A groundbreaking study from The University of Manchester has dated the Moon's South Pole-Aitken basin to over 4.32 billion years old, making it the Moon's oldest confirmed impact site. Analyzed from a lunar meteorite, these findings challenge previous timelines and highlight the need for future missions to validate this significant discovery.

On October 21, 2024, Doritos unveiled its first space-filmed ad featuring astronauts enjoying 'Zero Gravity Cool Ranch' chips aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The ad coincided with the Polaris Dawn mission, which included the first private spacewalk and raised $585,000 for St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

The SpaceX Crew-8 mission's splashdown has been delayed due to Hurricane Milton, which impacted Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm. NASA announced the earliest possible splashdown off the Florida coast is now set for October 22, pending improved weather conditions.

Boeing's Starliner returned empty to Earth after a test flight revealed critical thruster issues, forcing NASA to rely solely on SpaceX for its 2025 Commercial Crew Program. This setback delays Starliner's certification and shifts astronauts to future SpaceX missions, with NASA awaiting a thorough review to determine Starliner's fate.

China's Chang Zheng 6 rocket is set for its 50th launch of 2024 today, marking a milestone despite an unspecified payload. Meanwhile, Blue Origin's NS-27 mission aims to test its new human-rated New Shepard capsule on October 23, part of a busy week that also includes significant launches from SpaceX and Japan's H3 rocket.

MIT astronomers, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, have discovered surprising environments for ancient quasars over 13 billion years old. Some are isolated in low-density regions, challenging existing theories on black hole growth and suggesting a potential role for dark matter in their formation.

SpaceX is transforming space travel into a routine activity with its reusable rocket technology, marking a significant shift from costly, single-use rockets. The company's latest achievement, catching a rocket booster using a 'chopsticks' maneuver, underscores its mission to make life multiplanetary and drive advancements in various sectors like aerospace and green technology.

NASA has selected the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA), led by University of Kansas professor Elisabeth Mills, for initial funding and evaluation. This $1 billion mission aims to study black holes, galaxies, and planetary atmospheres, with a potential launch in the 2030s.

Michael Bloomberg criticized NASA's Artemis program, advocating for SpaceX's Starship as a more efficient alternative for lunar missions. Meanwhile, SpaceX sued the California Coastal Commission over launch frequency limits, and Canadian startup Wyvern raised $6 million to expand into the U.S. defense market.

Astronomers have discovered that microquasars in our galaxy can emit powerful gamma radiation, challenging the belief that supernova remnants were the primary source of high-energy cosmic rays. Dr. Sabrina Casanova's team detected gamma photons from microquasar V4641 Sagittarii, revealing its jets appear to travel nine times the speed of light due to relativistic effects, underscoring the significance of nearby cosmic sources.

The Australian Government has greenlit Southern Launch and Varda Space Industries for spacecraft re-entries at Koonibba Test Range, marking a milestone under the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018. This approval bolsters Australia's space sector, with upcoming missions set to enhance global collaboration and technological growth.

SpaceX's Starship marked a milestone on October 13, 2024, successfully demonstrating the recovery of the Super Heavy first stage and near orbital velocity of the second stage. This achievement underscores Starship's potential for rapid reusability and highlights NASA's $4 billion investment for future Artemis missions, aiming to revolutionize space exploration.

Axiom Space has partnered with Prada to develop the AxEMU spacesuit for NASA's Artemis lunar missions, debuting with Artemis III in 2026. The suit, featuring advanced tech and improved comfort, is currently undergoing rigorous testing.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a remarkable timelapse of the binary star system R Aquarii, showcasing explosive outbursts and gas ejections extending 248 billion miles into space. These observations, compiled by the European Space Agency, highlight the dynamic interactions between an aging red giant and a white dwarf, offering critical insights into cosmic element recycling.

NASA has signed nearly 25% of the world's nations to the Artemis Accords, promoting peaceful and sustainable space exploration. This surge, driven by increasing global interest and diplomatic efforts, aims to support ambitious lunar and Mars missions, despite concerns over China's and Russia's absence.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro forecasts up to 300 annual launches due to rising space-based service demand. This rapid increase, with SpaceX and ULA leading, raises concerns about resource strain at the Space Center.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has passed centrifuge tests at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, simulating launch conditions of up to 7 Gs. This milestone ensures the telescope's Outer Barrel Assembly, crucial for protection and temperature regulation, will perform reliably during its 2027 mission to explore exoplanets and dark energy.