Space Intelligence Briefing: April 1, 2026

Daily briefing for April 1, 2026.

Top 5 Space News

March of the Harmattan

Strong winds in March 2026 carried Saharan dust across northwestern Africa and toward the Canary Islands. This reduced visibility and prompted alerts.

Source: NASA

Live coverage: NASA to launch Artemis 2, its first Moon-bound mission with astronauts since 1972

NASA is set to launch Artemis 2 with four astronauts on board. The mission will last more than nine days and aim to break the distance record set by Apollo 13.

Source: Spaceflight Now

Virgin Galactic expects commercial suborbital flights to resume late this year

Virgin Galactic plans to resume commercial suborbital flights by the end of 2026. Their next-generation spaceplane is nearing completion.

Source: SpaceNews

Cast your vote for the best sci-fi spaceship and then watch debaters duke it out at Space Symposium

Voting for the best sci-fi spaceship ends April 14. Participants can watch debates at the upcoming Space Symposium.

Source: SpaceNews

Christine Klein takes up duty as acting Director of Controlling, Finance and Operational Procurement

Christine Klein has assumed the role of acting Director of Controlling, Finance and Operational Procurement at the European Space Agency. She will lead the newly established directorate.

Source: ESA

Cosmic Curiosity

The Claw and Bubble Nebulae

Today's image resembles an abstract painting showing the Claw and Bubble Nebulae. The colors indicate the presence of hydrogen and oxygen ionized by massive stars.

Source: NASA APOD

Why These Sources

This briefing uses public source data from space news feeds, NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, and NASA's near-Earth object feed.