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Space

🚀 Space Pulse · 2026-10-04 22:00 UTC

SPACE PULSE

Sunday, October 4, 2026 — Evening Edition

⚡ TL;DR

Earth's magnetic field is under sustained assault today, with NOAA tracking a G1-to-G2 geomagnetic storm that has been escalating since early morning and is not expected to subside until October 5 at 0300 UTC. [1] [2] [3] A relatively quiet launch calendar rounds out an otherwise space-weather-dominated Sunday.

🚀 LAUNCHES

UPCOMING: IRNSS-1L (NVS-03)

  • ISRO plans to launch its GSLV Mk II rocket carrying navigation satellite IRNSS-1L, a replacement node for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, no earlier than October 31, 2026. [4]
  • The NVS-03 spacecraft will occupy geosynchronous orbit and bolster India's indigenous GPS alternative for both military and civilian users. [4]

UPCOMING: Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cygnus CRS-2 NG-25

  • SpaceX will launch the 25th Cygnus uncrewed cargo spacecraft, marking the vehicle's 24th ISS resupply run under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, currently targeting November 30, 2026. [5]

UPCOMING: LVM-3 | Gaganyaan-1

  • ISRO's LVM-3 rocket is slated to carry the first uncrewed orbital test flight of the Gaganyaan crew capsule, also currently listed no earlier than November 30, 2026. [6]
  • The mission is a critical pathfinder before India attempts its first crewed spaceflight. [6]

🛰️ MISSIONS

SPACE STATION RESUPPLY PIPELINE

  • With Cygnus NG-25 on the manifest for late November, NASA's ISS logistics cadence continues; no date has been confirmed beyond a TBD placeholder. [5]

INDIA HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM

  • Two major ISRO missions, Gaganyaan-1 and NVS-03, are both in the late-2026 queue, signalling a busy final quarter for the agency. [4] [6]

☀️ SPACE WEATHER

TODAY'S STORM SUMMARY — ACTIVE NOW

  • NOAA SWPC confirmed a G1 Minor geomagnetic storm (Kp 5) at 1839 UTC today, October 4, with active warnings still in effect. [1]
  • A G2 Moderate warning (Kp 6 expected) was issued at 1847 UTC October 4, valid through 2359 UTC tonight; satellite operators and high-frequency radio users in affected latitudes should remain alert. [2]
  • The G1 warning has been formally extended through October 5 at 0300 UTC, meaning disturbed conditions persist overnight. [7] [3]
  • Earlier in the day, a Kp 4 alert fired at 0757 UTC and a Kp 5 alert followed at 1122 UTC, showing the storm has been building steadily for over 14 hours. [8] [9]
  • A second Kp 5 alert was confirmed in the 1200-1500 UTC synoptic window, further demonstrating sustained geomagnetic activity throughout the full day. [10]
  • Kp 4 and Kp 5 warnings had already been issued on September 15, indicating the Sun has been producing elevated activity across recent solar rotations.
  • G1 conditions can cause weak power grid fluctuations, minor satellite orientation anomalies, and aurora visible at high latitudes such as northern Canada and Scandinavia. [1]
  • G2 conditions elevate those risks modestly; transformer stress at high-latitude power grids and degraded HF radio propagation at higher latitudes are the primary concerns. [2]

📄 RESEARCH

No arXiv astro-ph papers were included in today's data feed. The Research section is omitted for this edition.

EDITOR'S NOTE

  • Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day features supernumerary rainbows photographed over New Jersey, an optical phenomenon caused by quantum interference of light waves inside small, uniform water droplets.
  • No ESO, NRAO, JAXA, or arXiv items were available in today's feed; the Discoveries and Research sections have been omitted accordingly.

That is your Space Pulse for October 4, 2026. Stay aurora-aware tonight if you are above 50 degrees latitude. Back tomorrow at 0600 UTC.

📎 Sources

  1. Space Weather Message Code: ALTK05 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
  2. Space Weather Message Code: WARK06 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
  3. Space Weather Message Code: WARK05 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
  4. GSLV Mk II | IRNSS-1L (NVS-03) — Launch Library 2
  5. Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cygnus CRS-2 NG-25 — Launch Library 2
  6. LVM-3 | Gaganyaan-1 — Launch Library 2
  7. Space Weather Message Code: WARK04 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
  8. Space Weather Message Code: ALTK04 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
  9. Space Weather Message Code: ALTK05 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
  10. Space Weather Message Code: ALTK05 — NOAA SWPC Alerts

Curated from official sources — NASA/ESA/JAXA/ESO/NOAA/arXiv/Launch Library. Informational only.
Serial 20261004-22-v100 · 2026-10-04 22:00 UTC · pulse.uzylab.com

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