Moon hides Venus in daylight & SpaceX marks 700th Falcon launch - Space News (Sep 14, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Prezi: Create AI presentations fast - https://try.prezi.com/automated_daily - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad - Consensus: AI for Research. Get a free month - https://get.consensus.app/automated_daily Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily Today's topics: Moon hides Venus in daylight - A rare lunar occultation of Venus is visible across parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia as the crescent Moon briefly covers the bright planet in daylight. This skywatching event offers a vivid look at celestial mechanics in action. SpaceX marks 700th Falcon launch - SpaceX completed its 700th Falcon-series launch while sending the final three O3b mPOWER satellites to medium Earth orbit for SES. The mission highlights both record commercial launch cadence and the growth of global broadband infrastructure in space. ESA launches FLEX and Sentinel-3C - Europe is preparing to launch ESA’s FLEX mission alongside Copernicus Sentinel-3C on a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana. The pair will boost Earth observation by tracking vegetation health, oceans, and land conditions with new precision. Djibouti joins Artemis Accords - Djibouti has become the 72nd nation to sign the Artemis Accords, expanding international backing for rules-based lunar and deep-space cooperation. The move reflects the widening reach of space diplomacy beyond traditional space powers. NASA balloon and space policy updates - NASA’s BOOP! mission flew on a high-altitude balloon from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, testing planetary exploration tools, radiation sensors, and new camera systems. The flight shows how balloon platforms can cheaply validate technology before orbital or planetary missions. NATO and NOAA expand space roles - NATO is advancing its HALO constellation concept for allied space defense, while NOAA is adding fourteen commercial providers to strengthen weather data streams. Together, the stories show how both security and civilian agencies are relying more on space-based services. NASA budget fight heats up - Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation say they will oppose proposed cuts to NASA science funding in the White House budget plan. The dispute underscores how politics and long-term financing shape future missions in Earth science, astrophysics, and planetary exploration. APOD traces origin of elements - NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day explains how the elements in our bodies and planet were created through the Big Bang, stellar fusion, supernovae, and neutron-star mergers. It’s a compact reminder that everyday matter has a deep cosmic history. Episode Transcript Moon hides Venus in daylight We begin with a sky event that many listeners may actually be able to see. On September 14th, a thin crescent Moon passes directly in front of Venus, briefly hiding one of the brightest objects in the sky. This lunar occultation is visible from large parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and western Russia. Because Venus is so bright, the event is notable even though it happens in daylight for many locations, turning a routine orbital alignment into a memorable public astronomy moment. SpaceX marks 700th Falcon launch Next, a major commercial milestone: SpaceX has completed its 700th Falcon-series launch. The mission carried the final three O3b mPOWER satellites for SES to medium Earth orbit, closing out the initial deployment of a communications network aimed at delivering high-throughput broadband around the world. For SpaceX, the number is a symbol of how routine launch operations have become. For SES, it marks an important step toward full service from a constellation designed to connect regions that are hard to serve from the ground. ESA launches FLEX and Sentinel-3C Europe is also heading toward an important launch. ESA and the European Union’s Copernicus program are preparing to send up FLEX and Sentinel-3C together on a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana. Sentinel-3C continues a key line of Earth observation focused on oceans and land surfaces, while FLEX adds a newer capability: measuring faint fluorescence from vegetation to better understand photosynthesis, plant stress, and the links between ecosystems, water cycles, and climate. It’s a strong example of continuity and innovation flying side by side. Djibouti joins Artemis Accords On the diplomacy front, Djibouti is joining the Artemis Accords, becoming the 72nd signatory to the framework for responsible lunar and deep-space exploration. The accords emphasize transparency, interoperability, peaceful activity, and practical cooperation among participating nations. Djibouti is not a major spacefaring state today, which is exactly why this matters: it shows how widely space governance questions now reach, as more countries position themselves within the rules and norms that could shape future activity