Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 21, 2026 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Elon Musk and his SpaceX Corporation have a great deal riding on the now twice-delayed May 21 (6:30pm EST) launch of their two-stage Starship V3, that at 5,300 metric tons (11.7 million pounds) fully fueled will be the largest ever space launch vehicle (SLV). A […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 17, 2026 Excerpts from weekly Astronomy.com report. Sunday, May 17 The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit, at 9:44 A.M. EDT. At that time, our satellite will be 222,498 miles (358,076 kilometers) away. Springtime viewing of the zodiacal light will soon come to an end — so […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 10, 2026 Excerpts from weekly Astronomy.com report. Sunday, May 10 Although still best for experienced observers with larger scopes, Comet 10P/Tempel (also called Tempel 2) is quickly brightening. Glowing at roughly magnitude 15, Tempel 2 is currently in Aquila the Eagle, rising late in the evening and gaining altitude overnight. The best […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 6, 2026 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher While the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is trying to extend the retirement schedule of the International Space Station (ISS) from 2030 to September 2032, China is confirming plans to double the size of its Tiangong small space station. Currently, the 450 metric ton […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 4, 2026 Excerpts from weekly Astronomy.com report. Sunday, May 3 Venus officially passes 7° north of Aldebaran at 3 A.M. EDT this morning. But the bigger story occurs late tonight, as the Moon rises around 10:30 P.M. local daylight time in northwestern Scorpius and passes 0.5° south of Alpha (α) Scorpii, better […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 26, 2026 Excerpts from weekly Astronomy.com report. Sunday, April 26 Let’s look north this evening to examine a strange star: Gamma (γ) Cassiopeiae, which sits at the central peak of the famous W in Cassiopeia the Queen. Shining at magnitude 2.2, although it is quite bright, this sun has no official name […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 24, 2026 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher On April 22 Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) revealed the names of two Pakistani pilots chosen to go to China for advanced astronaut training following on a Feb. 28, 2025 agreement between SUPARCO and the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), to […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 19, 2026 Excerpts from weekly Astronomy.com report. Sunday, April 19 The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit, at 2:56 A.M. EDT. At that time, our satellite will be 224,707 miles (361,631 kilometers) from Earth. The Moon passes 5° north of Venus at 5 A.M. EDT, then passes […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 15, 2026 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher A recent Chinese engineering journal article provides more insights into China’s “Lanyue” manned Moon landing, which uses a specific Russian-inspired design that could in some circumstances prove hazardous to future residents of the lunar South Pole. This is important because both the United States and […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 12, 2026 Excerpts from weekly Astronomy.com report. Sunday, April 12 While Comets Wierzchoś and Tempel 2 are faint, there’s a breakout star in the early-morning sky that’s cracked naked-eye visibility: Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS). Recently recorded at mid-5th magnitude, although this interplanetary fuzzball is technically within reach of naked eyes, your best […]
