Space News · February 18, 2026 · 6:10

Moon Occults Mercury Today & Artemis 2 Critical Test Underway - Space News (Feb 18, 2026)

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Moon Occults Mercury Today & Artemis 2 Critical Test Underway - Space News (Feb 18, 2026)
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Today's Space News Topics

  1. 01

    Moon Occults Mercury Today

    — The crescent Moon passes directly in front of Mercury today, a rare celestial event visible from parts of North America with keywords: lunar occultation, Mercury visibility, celestial mechanics.
  2. 02

    Artemis 2 Critical Test Underway

    — NASA's second Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal is underway after initial hydrogen leak issues, with fueling scheduled for February 19 to test systems before lunar launch, keywords: Space Launch System, rocket testing, moon mission preparation.
  3. 03

    SpaceX Continues Starlink Expansion

    — SpaceX launched additional Starlink satellites on February 14 and 16, continuing rapid deployment of its broadband megaconstellation now exceeding 9,600 active spacecraft, keywords: Starlink deployment, satellite internet, SpaceX operations.
  4. 04

    Crew-12 Begins ISS Science Mission

    — Four astronauts from Crew-12 docked at the ISS on February 14 and are now conducting advanced scientific investigations including cancer research and plant biology in microgravity, keywords: International Space Station, human spaceflight, orbital research.
  5. 05

    JWST Tracks Potentially Hazardous Asteroid

    — NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is monitoring asteroid 2024 YR4 with a 4.1 percent chance of impacting the Moon in 2032, gathering precise trajectory data through spectroscopy, keywords: asteroid tracking, planetary defense, JWST observations.
  6. 06

    Planetary Parade Coming Late February

    — Six planets will align in the evening sky on February 28, with Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Uranus, and Neptune all visible after sunset for skywatchers worldwide, keywords: planetary alignment, February 2026 astronomy, evening sky observation.