Possible dwarf planet beyond Pluto & Sun’s magnetic field mapped - Space News (Oct 29, 2026)

A large, icy world may have been hiding beyond Pluto, and one of the newest observatories on Earth found it while still showing what it can do. Whether it earns the title of dwarf planet now depends on measurements that will take months. Welcome to The Automated Daily, space news edition. The podcast created by generative AI. I’m TrendTeller. Today is October 29th, 2026. In this edition, we move from the distant edge of our solar system to the magnetic atmosphere of the Sun, then follow two major pieces of human spaceflight news closer to Earth.

Possible dwarf planet beyond Pluto

We begin beyond Neptune, where astronomers have identified a possible new dwarf planet. The object is provisionally called 2026 ED138, and it was found in data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. Early estimates suggest it could be between roughly six hundred and fifteen hundred kilometers wide. That range is broad, but the upper end would make this a substantial member of the outer solar system. It is currently about forty-six times farther from the Sun than Earth is. Astronomers still need a reliable measurement of its size before deciding whether gravity has shaped it into the rounded form required for dwarf-planet status. If confirmed, it would join the five dwarf planets currently recognized by the International Astronomical Union. The discovery is also an early demonstration of Rubin’s ability to expose slow-moving, faint objects that previous surveys missed.

Sun’s magnetic field mapped

Turning toward the center of our solar system, researchers have reconstructed the Sun’s outer magnetic field in three dimensions on a global scale for the first time. The work reveals both the strength and direction of the magnetic field across observed parts of the corona, the Sun’s extremely hot outer atmosphere. That matters because magnetic energy drives solar flares and eruptions that can send charged particles toward Earth. Those events can disturb satellites, radio communication and electrical systems. Scientists have long measured magnetic fields at the visible surface, but the corona has been much harder to map directly. The new approach extracts more information from existing solar observations, rather than relying on a new spacecraft. It is an early result, not yet a complete real-time forecasting system, but it offers a better way to test models of solar activity and could eventually sharpen space-weather warnings.

Artemis measures lunar radiation

New analysis from NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission is refining another environmental risk: radiation around the Moon. Thousands of small detectors traveled inside human-shaped test models aboard the Orion spacecraft. They recorded how cosmic radiation would reach different parts of an astronaut’s body during a lunar journey. The total dose near the Moon was higher than in low Earth orbit, as expected, because crews there are farther from much of Earth’s magnetic protection. The surprise was that the difference was not as dramatic as researchers might have assumed. The type and distribution of the radiation also changed, with high-energy galactic particles passing more evenly through the body. This does not make lunar radiation harmless. It does, however, give mission planners better evidence for designing shielding, setting exposure limits and judging how long crews can safely operate beyond Earth orbit.

Lucy reaches Jupiter’s Trojans

Farther out, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has reached the region occupied by Jupiter’s leading Trojan asteroids. Lucy is the first spacecraft to enter this largely unexplored population, whose members travel around the Sun in the same broad orbit as Jupiter. These objects are thought to preserve material left from the solar system’s formation, so their composition could help researchers understand how the planets assembled and moved into their current positions. Reaching the region does not mean Lucy is already close to an asteroid. The Trojans are widely separated, and the first planned close encounter will not occur until August 2027. Even so, this is an important transition after five years of travel. The mission is moving from its long cruise toward the series of flybys it was built to perform.

ISS power upgrade spacewalk

Closer to home, astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk prepared to step outside the International Space Station today for a major power upgrade. Their task is to install and unfold the station’s seventh roll-out solar array. These newer arrays sit over parts of the original power system, which has gradually lost performance after decades in orbit. A second spacewalk is planned to add the eighth and final array, completing an upgrade campaign that began in 2021. The extra electricity will support station operations, research and the equipment needed for the laboratory’s eventual controlled retirement. The outing is also notable for Canada. Kutryk is making his first spacewalk and becoming the first Canadian astronaut to work outside the station in more than seven years. For NASA, the excursion is counted as the one-hundredth spacewalk staged from the station’s Quest airlock without a space shuttle present.

Vulcan sets return flight

In launch news, United Launch Alliance has placed a new date on the return of its Vulcan rocket. The company is targeting November 13, pending range approval, after the vehicle spent nine months grounded because of a problem involving a solid rocket booster. Vulcan is expected to use an improved booster-nozzle design on the return mission, although testing and analysis are continuing. The rocket will carry forty satellites for Amazon’s Leo broadband network. The significance extends beyond that payload. Vulcan is central to United Launch Alliance’s future commercial and national-security launch schedule, so a successful flight would allow a long-delayed mission queue to begin moving again. The launch will be closely watched because the rocket is returning before investigators have publicly described one single, definitive cause for the earlier problem.

Vietnam joins Artemis Accords

Finally, Vietnam has become the seventy-eighth country to sign the Artemis Accords. The accords are a voluntary set of principles covering peaceful civil exploration of the Moon, Mars and other destinations. They address issues such as transparency, scientific data sharing, assistance to astronauts and coordination between countries operating in the same areas. Vietnam’s decision does not commit it to a particular lunar mission, but it creates a framework for wider cooperation in space science and technology. The growing number of signatories also shows how international rules and partnerships are developing alongside the hardware for future exploration. Those principles remain non-binding, and not every major spacefaring nation supports them, so debates over resources and activity on the Moon are far from settled.

That is the space news for October 29th, 2026. Today’s stories show exploration moving on several scales at once: a possible new world at the edge of the solar system, a clearer view of the Sun, better knowledge of the lunar environment and practical work to keep spacecraft operating. You’ve been listening to The Automated Daily, space news edition. I’m TrendTeller. Thanks for joining me.

Possible dwarf planet beyond Pluto & Sun’s magnetic field mapped - Space News (Oct 29, 2026)

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