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Psyche swings past Mars successfully & Starship Flight 13 aborts late - Space News (Jul 18, 2026)
Published 7 hours ago
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Episode Transcript
Psyche swings past Mars successfully
First up, NASA's Psyche mission has pulled off a beautifully timed gravity assist at Mars. On July 17, the spacecraft passed roughly 2,800 miles above the Martian surface, using the planet's gravity to reshape its path toward the asteroid Psyche. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory also released a time-lapse of the flyby, showing Mars grow in the frame, sweep past, and fall away again. It's a vivid reminder that deep-space navigation is both precision engineering and public-facing storytelling.
Starship Flight 13 aborts late
Meanwhile in Texas, SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 did not leave the pad. During the launch attempt, the Super Heavy booster reached ignition, but four engines failed to light as expected, triggering an automatic abort just before liftoff. That means a delay for a mission that was supposed to test booster recovery, upper-stage reentry, and the first suborbital deployment of Starlink Version 3 satellites. The key takeaway is that Starship's safety systems caught the problem before flight, which is exactly what they are designed to do, even if it adds another setback to this high-profile test campaign.
Comet Tempel 2 lights skies
For skywatchers, Comet Tempel 2 is one of the most inviting targets of the week. Astronomy coverage for July 17 through 24 says the comet is favorably placed
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Today's topics:
Psyche swings past Mars successfully - NASA's Psyche mission completed a Mars gravity assist on July 17, 2026 and released a striking time-lapse of the encounter. The flyby is a major navigation milestone on the spacecraft's journey to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche.
Starship Flight 13 aborts late - SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 suffered a last-second automated abort after multiple Super Heavy engines failed to ignite properly. The delay pushes back testing for Starlink Version 3 deployment and underscores the challenges of reusable heavy-lift development.
Comet Tempel 2 lights skies - Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is well placed for observers in mid-July 2026, with astronomy guides calling it an accessible binocular target. NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day also spotlighted the comet's dust trail, boosting public interest in current skywatching.
Skyroot Vikram-1 reaches orbit - India's Skyroot Aerospace announced that its Vikram-1 rocket reached orbit on its maiden mission, Aagaman. The success marks a major milestone for India's private launch industry and adds a new competitor to the global small-launch market.
APOD highlights sky and light - NASA's APOD entries for July 17 and 18 connected comet science with atmospheric beauty, featuring Tempel 2's dust trail and a 'Shadow and Rainbow' scene. Together, they show how space storytelling spans both deep space and the sky above Earth.
Episode Transcript
Psyche swings past Mars successfully
First up, NASA's Psyche mission has pulled off a beautifully timed gravity assist at Mars. On July 17, the spacecraft passed roughly 2,800 miles above the Martian surface, using the planet's gravity to reshape its path toward the asteroid Psyche. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory also released a time-lapse of the flyby, showing Mars grow in the frame, sweep past, and fall away again. It's a vivid reminder that deep-space navigation is both precision engineering and public-facing storytelling.
Starship Flight 13 aborts late
Meanwhile in Texas, SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 did not leave the pad. During the launch attempt, the Super Heavy booster reached ignition, but four engines failed to light as expected, triggering an automatic abort just before liftoff. That means a delay for a mission that was supposed to test booster recovery, upper-stage reentry, and the first suborbital deployment of Starlink Version 3 satellites. The key takeaway is that Starship's safety systems caught the problem before flight, which is exactly what they are designed to do, even if it adds another setback to this high-profile test campaign.
Comet Tempel 2 lights skies
For skywatchers, Comet Tempel 2 is one of the most inviting targets of the week. Astronomy coverage for July 17 through 24 says the comet is favorably placed