Orbital Sciences Corp’s unmanned cargo ship had a successful test mission at the International Space Station, clearing the firm to begin regular cargo runs to the outpost. (Nasa)

Amateur image processor Gordan Ugarkovic pieced together images of Saturn from the Cassini spacecraft to create this stunning portrait. (Nasa)

The Earth Observatory captured this (false-colour) image of multiple lava flows streaming down Klyuchevskaya, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. (Nasa)

Extreme bursts
A X2.1 class solar flare - the second of three eruptions from our Sun detected on 25 October. (Nasa)

High ride
World View Enterprises announced its ambition to launch a near-space balloon within three years that will carry passengers to Earth's stratosphere. (Reuters)

Far, far away
Astronomers found the most distant galaxy yet, z8_GND_5296, a finding that pushes back scientists' view of the universe to about 700 million years after its creation. (Nasa)

Sun stroke
The sunlit side of Mercury, as captured by the Wide Angle Camera of the Mercury Dual Imaging System aboard Nasa's Messenger spacecraft (Nasa)

Stellar performance
Nasa astronaut Karen Nyberg, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin commander (R), and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano strike a pose on the ISS. (Nasa)

Ding dong, the witches head
Nasa’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer found the Witch Head nebula, named after its apparent resemblance to the profile of a wicked witch. (Nasa)