First Pass

60 stories from 15 sources

The week in Science

Starship reaches orbit, but reuse remains unproven

October 2026

Week’s Recap

Click on a headline to see stories that shaped it.

Threads

Stories that evolved over the week.

5 threads

Defined the week

Starship reaches orbit, recovery remains unresolved

Starship reached orbit on successive reports but suffered an engine failure and ended in a fiery splashdown. The milestone advances the program while leaving controlled reentry, recovery, and repeatable reuse unproven.

9 stories, Sep 28 to 29
Defined the week

Swiss glaciers lose critical reserves

Swiss glaciers lost about 5% of their volume in one year, following sustained recent declines. The accelerating loss threatens freshwater reserves and weakens the glaciers' ability to buffer future heat and drought.

3 stories, Sep 30 to Oct 1
Major

Commercial crew systems diverge

NASA's commercial crew picture split between Starliner, whose next crewed flight slipped to 2028 after a mishap, and SpaceX, which delivered astronauts to the ISS in a record-fast trip. Coverage of Crew-13 also pointed to continued pressure for faster ISS transportation.

6 stories, Sep 28 to Oct 1
Major

Ocean heat exposure is underestimated

Researchers found that standard marine-heatwave measurements often capture only the most intense phase of longer warm periods. Total ocean heat exposure exceeded those measurements by more than 150% on average, potentially distorting ecological risk assessments.

1 story, Sep 30
Notable

Australian moth swarms draw scrutiny

Moth swarms became a recurring Australian science story, moving from recognition that the event was good news to questions about why endangered moths were gathering along the east coast.

2 stories, Sep 30 to Oct 1

Day’s Recap

Dive deeper into the days that shaped this week