Space News Today

Story 1 — Roman Space Telescope Arrives at Kennedy NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived at Kennedy Space Center on June 21, 2026, beginning a 70-day prelaunch campaign inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Launch is targeted no earlier than August 30, 2026, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Launch Complex 39A — eight months ahead of the previous schedule. The observatory's 300-megapixel camera offers a field of view 100× wider than Hubble's. Sources: • NASA Science Blog — 'NASA's Next Generation Telescope Arrives in Florida Ahead of Launch' (June 21, 2026): science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman • Spaceflight Now — 'NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrives in Florida' (June 22, 2026): spaceflightnow.com • Discover Magazine — 'NASA's Roman Space Telescope Arrives in Florida Ahead of Late-Summer 2026 Launch' (June 22, 2026) Story 2 — Shenlong Spaceplane Mystery Object At 02:30 UTC on June 22, 2026, commercial space surveillance firm LeoLabs detected an unknown object near China's Shenlong reusable spaceplane, first tracked by the Kiwi Space Radar in New Zealand. LeoLabs assessed with high confidence it was released from the spaceplane — consistent with sub-satellite deployments on previous missions. Shenlong is on its fourth mission, launched February 6, 2026. Sources: • Space.com — 'China's space plane appears to have released a mystery object in orbit' (June 23, 2026) • SpaceNews — 'Chinese spaceplane releases object into orbit, according to commercial space surveillance' (June 23, 2026) • LeoLabs post on X — @LeoLabs_Space (June 22, 2026) Story 3 — NASA Cold Atom Lab Final Upgrade NASA's upgraded Cold Atom Lab aboard the ISS resumed operations in mid-June 2026 following its fourth and final hardware overhaul. The new SM-3X science module, installed by astronaut Jessica Meir on May 8 and activated June 16, creates Bose-Einstein condensates five times larger than before. A White House executive order signed June 22 directed NASA to submit a five-year quantum space plan within 120 days. Sources: • NASA JPL — 'NASA's Quantum Lab Aboard Space Station Gets Chilly Upgrade' (June 16, 2026): jpl.nasa.gov • ScienceDaily — 'NASA's Cold Atom Lab is creating one of the weirdest forms of matter in space' (June 23, 2026) • SpaceNews — 'Trump signs executive order to accelerate quantum space infrastructure' (June 23, 2026) Story 4 — Boeing Starliner-1 Update During an Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel public meeting on June 23, 2026, NASA confirmed that the Starliner-1 uncrewed cargo mission launch target remains under review. Work continues to close propulsion system issues including overheating in the thruster doghouse structures. 22 of 28 implied anomalies from the 2024 Crew Flight Test have been resolved. A February 2026 report classified the CFT as a Type A mishap. Sources: • Spaceflight Now — 'NASA, Boeing committed to Starliner-1 launch despite unclear timeline' (June 23, 2026) • Wikipedia — Boeing Starliner-1 (updated June 2026) Story 5 — SpaceX Starfall Update SpaceX's Starfall reentry capsule launched June 23, 2026 at 6:52 a.m. EDT from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral. Orbital deployment confirmed at 10:01 a.m. EDT. As of June 24, the capsule remains in low Earth orbit. No reentry date has been announced. The disc-shaped capsule is 3.1m across, weighs ~2,100 kg and can carry up to 1,000 kg of payload. Pacific Ocean splashdown ~1,300 km off the US West Coast planned. Sources: • Space.com — 'SpaceX launches its 1st Starfall reentry capsule in early morning Falcon 9 liftoff' (June 23, 2026) • Spaceflight Now — 'SpaceX launches reentry capsule demo mission called Starfall' (June 23, 2026) • TechTimes — 'SpaceX Starfall Reaches Orbit: Disk Capsule Targets Market No Return Vehicle Has Cracked' (June 23, 2026) Story 6 — REBELS-25 Cold Molecular Gas Reservoir Astronomers led from Leiden University discovered a vast reservoir of cold molecular gas — direct fuel for star formation — in the galaxy REBELS-25, seen when the universe was approximately 700 million years old (~5% of its current age). The finding was published June 23, 2026 via Universe Today. Sources: • Universe Today — 'Astronomers discover cold molecular gas reservoir in REBELS-25' (June 23, 2026): universetoday.com





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SpaceTime Series 29 Episode 75 The Moon’s oldest and largest impact crater A new study suggests the Moon’s oldest and largest impact crater – the two and a half thousand kilometre wide South Pole-Aitken basin -- could have excavated material so deep it included parts of the lunar mantle. New clues to how the red planet Mars evolved Scientists have discovered the mineral garnet in a Martian meteorite which may reveal how the red planet evolved billions of years ago. Mission to boost Swift space telescope’s orbit NASA is about to launch a new mission designed to extend the life of a half billion dollar spacecraft by boosting it into a higher orbit. The Science Report New report shows ocean temperatures reached a new record high in 2025. The brain changes within a month of a first psychedelic experience from magic mushrooms. Discovery that humans were using fire between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago. Claims artificial intelligence becomes more moral the larger and more complex it gets. Alex on Tech : Lithium Titanate batteries.





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S05E121 | Monday, 22 June 2026 Hosts: Anna & Avery | astronomydaily.io | @AstroDailyPod


Story 1 — Dark Matter Is Hugging Our Galaxy's Black Hole • Virginia Tech researchers used 'echo mapping' — light reverberations around active black holes — to detect dark matter signatures • Supermassive black holes including Sgr A* (Milky Way) appear surrounded by dense dark matter clusters • Lead researcher Mayank Sharma: 'The observational evidence for dark matter is simply undeniable' • Published in Physical Review D, June 11, 2026 • Provides a new tool for probing dark matter in the most extreme gravitational environments Story 2 — Swift Rescue Mission: Launch Date Confirmed • NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory launched 2004; has been losing altitude due to atmospheric drag — no thrusters to compensate • Katalyst Space Technologies built LINK — a robotic servicer with 3 robotic arms and xenon Hall-effect thrusters • Northrop Grumman's Stargazer aircraft departed Wallops Flight Facility June 18 carrying Pegasus XL + LINK • Launch from Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands: confirmed for June 27, 2026 • LINK must chase down Swift, inspect it, and latch on — a first-of-its-kind robotic capture mission • Critical altitude threshold: if Swift drops below 185 miles (300 km), rescue becomes impossible • Success would give Swift another ~22 years of science at its original 600 km altitude Story 3 — Chandra Spots a Supernova Near the Galactic Centre • NASA Chandra, ESA XMM-Newton, and MeerKAT (South Africa) detected a 'blue blob' of X-ray emission in Sagittarius C • Sagittarius C is a star-forming region ~26,000 light-years from Earth, a few dozen light-years from Sgr A* • Estimated age: ~1,700 years — light from the explosion would have reached Earth around 300 AD • Expansion speed: approximately 2 million miles per hour • Published in The Astrophysical Journal (Zhu et al., June 11); NASA APOD June 18 • If confirmed, one of the closest supernova remnants ever found to the Milky Way's central black hole Story 4 — MAVEN: The Eulogy • MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) launched November 2013; arrived Mars September 2014 • Original mission: 1 year. Actual mission: 11+ years — ended June 3, 2026 • Last contact: December 6, 2025 — entered fast spin, batteries drained, unrecoverable • Key discoveries: atmospheric escape rates, solar storm acceleration of Mars atmosphere loss, atmospheric sputtering (first observed at any planet), new types of Martian aurora • Also served as communications relay for Curiosity and Perseverance rovers • PI Shannon Curry's epitaph: 'Best Mars mission ever.' — 800+ scientific publications • MAVEN will remain in Mars orbit 50–100 years before eventually entering the Martian atmosphere Story 5 — Operation Period: First-Ever Space Menstruation Study • Non-profit Operation Period, led by Manju Bangalore and Priya Abiram, announced OP-01 mission on June 19 • First dedicated scientific study of menstruation in microgravity — despite 100+ women having flown to space • Current practice: astronauts typically suppress menstruation during spaceflight with hormones — due to lack of data, not proven necessity • OP-01: suborbital Virgin Galactic flight in 2027; researchers will conduct the study on themselves • Research wing: Operation Period's 'Redshift Lab' • Data vital for longer missions — Moon, Mars — where menstrual health management matters more Story 6 — Isar Aerospace's Spectrum Rocket: Europe Keeps Trying • Isar Aerospace (Ottobrunn, Germany): Europe's most advanced commercial small launch startup — 800M+ euros raised • Spectrum rocket: 28m tall, up to 1,000 kg to LEO, 700 kg to SSO; 10 engines • First flight (March 2025): failed after 30 seconds — vent valve opened unexpectedly, rocket lost attitude control • Second flight 'Onward and Upward': carrying 5 university cubesats + 1 experiment; backed by ESA Boost! programme • 2026 scrubs: January (pressurisation valve), March (fuel temp/fishing vessel), April (pressure vessel), June 15 (fluid system anomaly) • Current status: no new launch date; Andøya window reportedly closed; Isar analysing data • Context: part of ESA's European Launcher Challenge — must achieve orbital flight by 2027 to qualify for up to €205M





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SpaceTime Series 29 Episode 74 Why Venus spins backwards A new study suggests that the strange retrograde spin of the planet Venus is the result of a massive impact event. Could Dark Matter explain what’s happening at the centre of our galaxy A new study has failed to rule out Dark Matter as the source of the so called Galactic Center Excess at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. Trying to solve a meteor cold case Last month astronomers detected a small near Earth meteoroid on a collision course with our planet. The Science Report The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu detected on the Australian mainland for the first time. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has officially declared an El Niño. The risk of suicide among males can persist for years following a relationship break up. Research continues on nuclear diamond batteries that could last thousands of years. A new species of shark discovered in the tropical Pacific, north of Australia. Skeptics guide to five lessons on misinformation from the ancients. Our Guests This Week: Dr Hadrien Devillepoix from Curtin University NASA Swift scientists Brad Cenko and Regina Caputo Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee Katalyst LINK lead Kieran Wilson And our regular guests: Alex Zaharov-Reutt from techadvice.life Tim Mendham from Australian Skeptics 🌏 Get Our Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.bitesz.com/nordvpn (http://www.bitesz.com/nordvpn) . The discounts and bonuses are incredible! And it’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌ If you’d like to support the podcast and gain access to bonus content by becoming a SpaceTime crew member, you can do just that through The Big Bang editions on Patreon, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Details on the Support page on our website https://www.bitesz.com/show/spacetime/support/ (https://www.bitesz.com/show/spacetime/support/) For more SpaceTime and show links: https://linktr.ee/biteszHQ (https://linktr.ee/biteszHQ)


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