October brings big space launches, from SpaceX Starship and Amazon’s Kuiper satellites to Blue Origin’s lunar lander and Mars probes. VCG via Getty Images
With the first weeks of the fall season underway, October is already shaping up to be an eventful month in space. Alongside satellite launches from Amazon, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA), this month will also see milestones in NASA’s Artemis program—a series of lunar missions designed to prepare for eventual human journeys to Mars—with contributions from SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Overseas, China and Japan are also slated to launch their respective flights to space stations. China will send a mission to its Tiangong space station, and Japan will conduct its first launch of a cargo resupply vehicle to the International Space Station.
Here are eight space missions to watch in October:
Oct. 3 and Oct. 6: SpaceX to launch two batches of Starlink satellites. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch two batches of 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit—one from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Oct. 3 and another from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Oct. 6.
Oct. 9: Amazon launches 24 Kuiper satellites. Amazon will send up a batch of 24 Kuiper satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This marks SpaceX’s third and final Kuiper launch for Amazon’s planned internet megaconstellation, which is expected to include 3,236 satellites eventually. In late September, JetBlue announced it would be the first airline to partner with Amazon to use Kuiper satellites for in-flight Wi-Fi.
Oct. 13: SpaceX conducts 11th Starship test flight. SpaceX plans to carry out the final Starship V2 test flight of the year. The mission will stress-test “vulnerable areas” of the vehicle and further evaluate its massive reusable Super Heavy booster. It will be the second time SpaceX reuses a Super Heavy booster flown on a previous mission.
Oct. 20: Japan launches its first HTV-X cargo vehicle to the ISS. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will use their H3 rocket to deliver an HTV-X cargo resupply craft to the ISS—the first of its kind. The HTV-X succeeds the H-II Transfer Vehicle, which flew its last mission in May 2020.
Oct. 24: China launches Shenzhou 21 mission. China will send three astronauts to the Tiangong space station aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The crew, whose names have not yet been released, will stay on Tiangong for about six months, departing once the Shenzhou 22 crew arrives in 2026.
TBD: Blue Origin launches Blue Moon Mark 1 mission. Blue Origin is expected to launch its Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander for the first time. The lander, capable of delivering up to three metric tons to the lunar surface, will carry a NASA rover to the Moon’s South Pole, a region of interest for its water deposits and unique craters. The mission will use Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, marking only the rocket’s second flight.
TBD: Blue Origin launches twin Mars probes.
Later this month, Blue Origin is also expected to launch its New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral, carrying twin satellites named Blue and Gold. The probes will embark on a nearly year-long journey to Mars, where they will study the planet’s magnetosphere and plasma dynamics from orbit. The mission has been delayed multiple times—from mid-August to late September, and most recently from Oct. 13, 2025.
TBD: Blue Origin launches twin probes to Mars. Blue Origin is expected to launch its New Glenn Rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station later this month, carrying twin satellites. Named Blue and Gold, the two satellites will make a nearly year-long journey to Mars, where they will conduct a science mission orbiting the Red Planet, studying its magnetosphere and plasma dynamics. The mission has been delayed three times, from mid-August to late September and most recently from Oct. 13, 2025.
