June 6, 2024

BlackSky Secures One-Year Extension for NRO Imagery Contract (Source: Space Daily)
BlackSky Technology received a one-year extension contract from the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to continue its Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) subscription for high-frequency Gen-2 imagery services. (6/6)

SaveRGV Announces Plan to Sue SpaceX (Source: Valley Central)
SaveRGV announced Wednesday it has sent a letter to SpaceX with a notice of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. The announcement comes less than 24 hours before SpaceX’s expected fourth Starship test flight out of Boca Chica. SaveRGV claimed that SpaceX has violated the Clean Water Act every time it has activated its fire-suppressant system at the launch pad “by discharging wastewater without a permit.” SaveRGV said after 60 days it will file suit, seeking injunctive relief as well as civil penalties. (6/5)

NASA to Provide Asteroid Samples to JAXA (Source: NHK)
NASA is to provide its Japanese counterpart with samples it collected from an asteroid last year. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, expressed hopes that comparing samples from an asteroid its probe collected in 2019 will lead to new scientific results. The OSIRIS-REx mission, or NASA's asteroid sample return project, successfully delivered a capsule that retrieved sand and other samples from asteroid Bennu in September last year. Bennu is located between the orbits of Earth and Mars. (6/5)

Space Force Association Announces Second Annual Spacepower Conference in Orlando (Source: USSFA)
 The Space Force Association (SFA) is proud to announce the second annual SFA Spacepower Conference on December 10-12, 2024, in Orlando, FL. This exclusive event, serving as both an incubator and accelerator, brings together today's top organizations to shape tomorrow's most critical spacepower innovations. Participants will gain valuable insights into: Upcoming space missions; Emerging challenges in the space domain;  and Opportunities to ensure a safer and more secure future in space. (6/6)

Maui Council Opposes US Space Force Plan to Build New Telescopes on Haleakala Volcano (Source: KSTP)
Local officials on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Wednesday voted to oppose a U.S. military proposal to build new telescopes on the summit of Haleakala volcano, the latest observatory project to meet objection in the islands. The U.S. Space Force and Air Force want to build a new facility on the top of Haleakala, Maui’s highest peak, to track objects in space. The Maui County Council voted 9-0 to pass a resolution opposing the project. The measure said Haleakala’s summit was a sacred place used for religious ceremony, prayer and connecting to ancestors. (6/5)

Chang'e-6 Lunar Samples Rendezvous in Moon Orbit (Source: Space News)
The Chang'e-6 ascent module, carrying samples collected from the far side of the moon, has docked with the mission's orbiter. The lunar orbit rendezvous and docking was completed at 2:48 a.m. Eastern Thursday, according to the the China National Space Administration, with the transfer of samples into a reentry capsule taking place about a half-hour later. The orbiter, or service module, will remain in lunar orbit for around two weeks, awaiting a window for a return to Earth. It will release the reentry capsule for reentry and landing around June 25. (6/6)

Lockheed Martin Orders Up To 25 Firefly Launches (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin has ordered up to 25 Alpha launches from Firefly Aerospace. Firefly announced the deal Wednesday, which includes 15 launches and options for up to 10 more through 2029. The first of those launches will take place later this year on the sixth flight of Alpha. Lockheed Martin was the customer for the rocket's fourth flight in December, which suffered a problem with the rocket's upper stage that stranded a Lockheed tech demo satellite in a low orbit. Lockheed said it still managed to achieve all its objectives for that mission despite the anomaly. (6/6)

SES Tests LEO Data Relay (Source: Space News)
SES has demonstrated the ability to use its satellites to provide data relay services for spacecraft in low Earth orbit. In the test, an SES satellite in medium Earth orbit served as a link for a ground terminal simulating a LEO satellite provided by Planet. SES Space & Defense, the Luxembourg company's U.S.-based subsidiary, said the test was a success but did not provide technical details. SES is one of six companies that won NASA contracts to demonstrate commercial capabilities to replace the agency's TDRS satellite data relay network. (6/6)

Chinese Ceres-1 Launches at Jiuquan (Source: Xinhua)
A small Chinese commercial rocket launched early Thursday. A Ceres-1 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 1 a.m. Eastern, placing three satellites into orbit. The three satellites, TEE-01B and Naxing-3A and -3B, are all remote sensing spacecraft. The launch came after two Ceres-1 launches last week, one of which was from a barge. (6/6)

Ariane 6 Debut Planned for July 9 (Source: Space News)
The first Ariane 6 launch is now scheduled for July 9. ESA and its partners on the program announced the launch date for the inaugural flight Wednesday at the ILA Berlin air show. ESA previously said it was targeting the first two weeks of July for the launch. The launch will primarily be a demonstration mission, carrying several cubesats, hosted payloads and reentry capsules. The last major milestone before the launch is a wet dress rehearsal scheduled for mid-June. (6/6)

Astroscale Soars on Tokyo Stock Exchange (Source: Space News)
Astroscale shares soared in the company's first day of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Wednesday. Shares closed up more than 60% in the company's initial public offering, giving the company a market capitalization of about $1 billion. The company announced plans to go public in May, raising more than $100 million to support its work on satellite servicing and debris removal technologies. (6/6)

Japan's Pale Blue Raises $8.5 Million More for Satellite Thrusters (Source: Space News)
Japanese spacecraft propulsion company Pale Blue has raised additional funding. The company raised $8.5 million as an enlargement of an earlier Series B round that brought in $7.5 million in capital and loans last October. The company will use the funding to move into mass production of satellite thrusters using water vapor called Resistojet. The company successfully tested Resistojet in orbit last year on a 6U cubesat. (6/6)

SDA Disaggregated Satellite Approach Gains Momentum (Source: Space News)
The U.S. military's vision of "disaggregated" satellite networks is gaining momentum. The Space Development Agency (SDA) has led the way with development of constellations for missile tracking and data relay, and the Space Force is now looking to emulate aspects of SDA's proliferated acquisition strategy. The service is laying out plans to augment or replace the Defense Department's backbone systems like protected communications, weather monitoring, and even GPS with clusters of smaller satellites. While large satellite systems are not going away, disaggregation is increasingly taking hold across the U.S. military's space architecture, the Space Force says. (6/6)

Cosmonaut Breaks Space Record (Source: AP)
A Russian cosmonaut is the first person to spend 1,000 days in space. Oleg Kononenko achieved that milestone Tuesday on the ISS during his fifth spaceflight. Earlier this year he broke the record of 878 days in space set by another Russian cosmonaut, Gennady Padalka. If Kononenko returns as scheduled in September he will have spent 1,110 days in orbit. (6/6)

Space Force Taps Industry for Domain Awareness Tech (Source: C4ISRnet)
The US Space Force is evaluating industry proposals to enhance its space domain awareness satellites, aiming to integrate smaller, maneuverable spacecraft with advanced sensors. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to transition to a more adaptable satellite architecture, leveraging commercially available technologies. (6/5)

New AI System Hunts for Satellites Behaving Oddly in Space (Source: Axios)
A new AI system can spot satellites acting strangely in the increasingly congested orbit around Earth and that could be malfunctioning or have more nefarious purposes. Governments are increasingly investing in space-based electronic warfare tools, anti-satellite weapons and other spacecraft for national security that could be concealed in the mix. The system — called Agatha — identifies anomalous behavior in a constellation and then deduces the strategies and intentions of suspect satellites, Slingshot Aerospace says. (6/5)

Welcome to the Age of Space Scepticism – and a Growing Revolt Against Elites (Source: The Conversation)
Over the past decade, a new form of scepticism about human activities in space has emerged. It seems to be based exclusively in the western world, and centred around the idea that increasingly ambitious space plans will damage humanity and neglect the Earth. Click here. (6/5)

A Year of Record Global Heat Has Pushed Earth Closer to Dangerous Threshold (Source: Washington Post)
A streak of record-setting heat that began last summer has now persisted for an entire year across the globe, researchers announced Wednesday, pushing Earth closer to a dangerous threshold that the world’s nations have pledged not to cross. The data released by European climate scientists showed May was the 12th consecutive month during which average global temperatures surpassed all observations since 1850, and probably any extended period for more than 100,000 years.

The World Meteorological Organization said that it is highly likely that, for at least one calendar year in the next five, temperatures will exceed 1.5 degrees C above preindustrial levels once more. This unprecedented stretch of warmth, which has astonished scientists, prompted an urgent call by the United Nations to ban fossil fuel companies from advertising and encourage the public to stop using their products.

Carlo Buontempo, the Copernicus director, said that as remarkable as the trend is, “this string of hottest months will be remembered as comparatively cold” without action to reverse it. A separate study published by a group of 57 scientists on Wednesday found that human activities were responsible for 92 percent of the warming observed in 2023, the planet’s hottest calendar year on record. It said the rate of warming in the past decade is “unprecedented in the instrumental record.” (6/5)

Russia Company Says It Completed First Tests on Musk Starlink Rival (Source: Business Insider)
A company developing Russia's answer to Elon Musk's Starlink said it has completed its first series of tests, using a laser inter-satellite link of its own design. Bureau 1440, a project office for research on using low-earth orbit satellite systems for high-speed data transmission, shared the update in a Telegram post on Monday. (6/5)

'I Can Shoot Him Into Space?!': Woman Launches Late Husband's Ashes Into Space (Source: KOMO)
It can be an uncomfortable thing to think about what to do with a loved one's remains after they pass. There are several options these days, ranging from scattering ashes somewhere meaningful to cremation jewelry, but for some, there's an option that's literally out of this world -- space burial. Uli Corner's husband, Jeremiah, died from an aggressive autoimmune disease in 2022. Jeremiah had a lifelong love of all things space and Star Trek.

After his death, Corner faced the decision of what to do with Jeremiah's ashes. That's when she ran across a company called Celestis. "Space?! I can shoot him into space?" Corner recalled saying. (6/5)

A Strange Intermittent Radio Signal From Space Has Astronomers Puzzled (Source: Phys.org0
When astronomers turn our radio telescopes out towards space, we sometimes detect sporadic bursts of radio waves originating from across the vast expanse of the universe. We call them "radio transients": some erupt only once, never to be seen again, and others flicker on and off in predictable patterns. Meet ASKAP J1935+2148 (the numbers in the name point to its location in the sky).

This periodic radio transient was discovered using CSIRO's ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Yamaji Country in outback Western Australia. ASKAP J1935+2148 belongs to the relatively new class of long-period radio transients. Only two others have ever been found, and ASKAP J1935+2148's 53.8 minute period is by far the longest. However, the exceptionally long period is just the beginning. We have seen ASKAP J1935+2148 in three distinct states or modes. (6/5)

China's Satellite Can Lock Target 2 Million Kilometers Away, US Worried (Source: Interesting Engineering)
In an extraordinary feat of space engineering, a Chinese satellite performed a groundbreaking maneuver to avert a potential asteroid disaster. The asteroid, known as 1994 PC1, is a colossal celestial body comparable in size to San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Astronomers struggled to track the asteroid’s path accurately because of its huge distance.

However, the intervention of a Chinese Jilin-1 satellite in a near-Earth orbit turned the tide, demonstrating China’s impressive space capabilities and raising concerns among Western nations. The Jilin-1 satellite, usually pointed at Earth, made an unusual move to aim its camera into space. It began snapping photos of the 1994 PC1 every second, capturing crucial data. (6/4)

NASA Slaps Down Billionaire's Plan to Fly Up and Fix Hubble Space Telescope (Source: Futurism)
While billionaire space tourist Jared Isaacman, who already circled the Earth inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon, has offered to foot the bill for a Hubble maintenance mission — the last one took place in 2009, before the end of the Space Shuttle program — NASA has now turned him down. Basically, the agency is worried Isaacman and his collaborators may end up doing more harm than good. (6/5)

Carbon Detected in Galaxy Observed 350m Years After Big Bang (Source: The Guardian)
Astronomers have detected carbon in a galaxy observed just 350m years after the big bang, in observations that raise the possibility that the conditions for life were present almost from the dawn of time.

The observations, made by the James Webb space telescope, suggest that vast amounts of carbon were released when the first generation of stars exploded in supernovae. Carbon is known to have seeded the first planets and is a building block for life as we know it, but was previously thought to have emerged much later in cosmic history. (6/5)

'Limited Access, Insufficient Funding...': Engineer Who Helped Build Chandrayaan-3 Reveals Why ISRO Isn't Self-Sufficient (Source: Business Today)
Parth Tiwari, an aerospace scientist who worked on the Chandrayaan-3 mission has revealed why ISRO has not become self-sufficient yet. In an exclusive conversation with Tech Today, Tiwari stated that there are three major reasons ISRO is currently facing: limited access to advanced technologies, insufficient funding for R&D, and regulatory hurdles.

He stated, “Overcoming these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach: increasing investment in aerospace research, forming international partnerships for technology transfer, streamlining regulatory processes, and encouraging private sector participation to drive innovation and growth. For example, ISRO is supporting many vendors and startups in developing indigenous technology. In recent years, progress has accelerated, and we should see an Indian aerospace industry that is unrecognizably successful within the next decade.”

Talking about the funds that ISRO receives for its major space missions like Chandrayaan 3 and Mars Orbiter Mission, he noted, “India's space program consumes only around 0.25 per cent of our annual budget, with less than 10 per cent of that directed towards scientific missions like Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). (6/4)

Firefly Inks Multi-Launch Deal with Lockheed Martin for Alpha Rocket Rides (Source: Space News)
The private small satellite launcher Firefly has signed a significant new contract with aerospace and defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Under the agreement announced June 5, Firefly will provide Lockheed Martin with as many as 25 dedicated launches aboard its Alpha rocket through 2029.

The deal includes 15 firm launch reservations, as well as options for an additional 10 missions. Lockheed Martin payloads will be deployed to low-Earth orbit from Firefly’s launch pads on both U.S. coasts. The first of these missions is targeted to occur later this year aboard the sixth flight of Firefly’s Alpha rocket, which will lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. (6/5)

NASA Selects Industry Proposals to Advance Technologies for Habitable Worlds Observatory (Source: Space Daily)
NASA selected three industry proposals to help develop technologies for future large space telescopes and plan for the agency's Habitable Worlds Observatory mission concept, which could be the first space telescope designed to search for life outside our solar system. The mission aims to directly image Earth-like planets around stars similar to our Sun and study their atmospheres for the chemical signatures of life, as well as enable other investigations about our solar system and universe. Click here. (6/1)

Europe's Long-Delayed Ariane 6 Rocket Set for July 9 Launch (Source: Space Daily)
The next-generation Ariane 6 rocket, a crucial programme for Europe's space ambitions, is due to lift off on July 9 following years of delays, the European Space Agency said Wednesday. The launch will take place in Europe's spacesport in Kourou, French Guiana, which borders Brazil. (6/5)

Two Terran Orbital Space Vehicles Added to NASA's $6 Billion Rapid IV Contract (Source: Space Daily)
Terran Orbital has expanded its offerings under NASA's multi-participant Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV (Rapid IV) Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract. NASA has added two additional space vehicle platforms, positioning Terran Orbital as a key partner for the space agency with a broader range of solutions for various missions.

Terran Orbital has been part of this contract since 2020 through its Tyvak Nano-Satellite subsidiary, with two space vehicles already eligible for NASA task orders. The Rapid IV awards have a potential shared ceiling of $6 billion among all selected contractors. Terran Orbital adds its Nebula and Ambassador micro space vehicle platforms to the existing 6U Triumph and 12U Renegade CubeSats under the Rapid IV On-Ramp III contract. (6/5)

ESA Invites Launch Providers for European Launcher Challenge (Source: Space Daily)
ESA has launched a Request for Information (RFI) aimed at European launch service providers in preparation for the European Launcher Challenge. This initiative, unveiled in Seville, Spain, in November 2023, aims to enhance Europe's space access by promoting a variety of launch options and boosting the competitiveness of European launch services.

The European Launcher Challenge, to be funded and finalized by ESA Member States at the ESA Ministerial Council in 2025, encourages competition among European launch service providers to meet European institutional launch demands. The winners will receive ESA support to demonstrate their launch service capabilities and will have the opportunity to bid for institutional launch service contracts.

ESA is currently inviting European launch service providers to respond to the RFI by promoting their service projects and sharing their perspectives on the future of European space access. (6/5)

More Space Debris? NC Resident Suspects Space Object Crashed Into House (Source: WLOS)
A May 23, News 13 report showcasing a large piece of debris, possibly from space, found along a remote trail in Canton caused a stir on social media. This debris was thought to just be a mystery in the mountains until Franklin resident Mike Wooten contacted the newsroom with images of strikingly similar object.

"We heard a thump on the roof right above me and I came outside to see what might have hit," Wooten said. "I looked out in the yard and saw this piece laying in the yard and at first glance it looked like a dead crow had flown into my house and fell there. But I came down and I took a stick to poke it and I realized it wasn't a crow of course."

The other piece, nearly four-feet tall and too heavy to lift, was discovered more than 40 miles away, but the similarities including what appears to be carbon fiber weaving and burnt titanium are obvious. Wooten believes the two pieces go together. The debris seems consistent with the Crew-7 Dragon's trunk. (6/3)

Revolv Space Seeks to Expand Satellite Duty Cycles (Source: Space News)
Startup Revolv Space, based in the Netherlands and Italy, seeks to carve out a niche for itself as a small satellite power-generation specialist. After raising 2.6 million euros ($2.83 million) in a recent investment round and space qualifying its first product, Revolv Space is “looking into innovative ways of generating power” like flexible solar arrays and rollout arrays, said Filippo Oggionni, Revolv co-founder and chief commercial officer. (6/4)

First of 2 Unarmed Minuteman III Test Launches This Week Lifts Off From Vandenberg SFB (Source: KSBY)
The first of two scheduled unarmed Minuteman III test launches this week from Vandenberg Space Force Base took place overnight. Space Force officials say the unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile lifted off at 12:56 a.m. Tuesday and “showcases the readiness of U.S. Nuclear Force’s safe, effective deterrent.” The second test launch window is Thursday, June 6, from 12:01 a.m. to 6:01 p.m. (6/4)

New 'Sugar World' Discovered in Kuiper Belt (Source: Newsweek)
Arrokoth, a distant object in the Kuiper Belt, contains significant amounts of organic molecules, including complex sugars, giving it the new nickname "Sugar World," a study has reported. The study provides new insights into the chemical processes that took place in the early solar system and possibly on early Earth. (6/3)

Astronauts Soar to ISS on Boeing's Starliner and ULA's Atlas (Source: New York Times)
After two trips to the launchpad that did not end up going to space, two NASA astronauts finally headed to orbit on Wednesday in a vehicle built by Boeing, the aerospace giant. The 15-foot-wide capsule, Starliner, provides NASA with an additional option for flying crews to and from the International Space Station, more than a decade after the space shuttles were retired. The launch is the latest step in NASA’s efforts to rely more heavily on the private sector for its human spaceflight program.

Starliner’s first trip with astronauts on board comes four years and six days after SpaceX, the other company that NASA has hired to provide astronaut rides, launched its first mission with astronauts aboard. A series of costly delays repeatedly kept astronauts from flying on the Boeing vehicle, while SpaceX, once seen as an upstart, has since flown 13 crews to orbit. (6/5)

Sea Level Rise Makes Florida ‘Beach Renourishment’ Projects More Frequent and Expensive (Source: Florida Phoenix)
The barrier islands keep moving, which we foolish humans label “beach erosion.” We keep trying to bend nature to our will by trucking in lots of sand from somewhere else for millions of dollars. The people who pay for it often don’t live anywhere near the water. The Army Corps of Engineers always claims they’re “saving” the beach from disappearing. They aren’t, says Orrin Pilkey, an expert on beaches and barrier islands.

“We’re just saving a lot of people’s investments,” he told me. It’s not cheap, either — especially these days, when our elected leaders keep calling in the Army to recreate a beach that just washed away. You’d be amazed at how many Florida politicians who call themselves fiscal conservatives suddenly turn into fans of free-spending, big-government programs when the subject is beach renourishment.

More than half of Florida’s 825 miles of beaches are now classified as “critically eroded,” thus making them eligible for renourishment, said Emma Haydocy of the environmental group Surfrider Foundation. Meanwhile Florida's The governor and Legislature have not only deleted the words “climate change” from most of the places they appeared in state law. They’ve also blocked local governments from trying to keep people from rebuilding in the exact same spot as the homes and stores that were washed away in prior storms. (5/30)

We Need to Take Satellite Ground Station Security Seriously (Source: Space News)
The escalating trends of commercial and defense collaboration in space, and the increasing usage of remote access, are opening up new risks and avenues for cyberattacks against space-based critical infrastructure. While major strides are being made to protect in-orbit payloads, the ground stations that control those satellites and collect telemetry from them may be woefully undersecured. (6/4)

China Lunar Craft Leaves Flag, Words on Moon's Far Side (Source: Bloomberg)
A Chinese spacecraft has lifted off from the far side of the moon but not before marking the historic visit with a bit of patriotic graffiti. Chang’e-6, the first sample-retrieval mission to the far side of the moon, blasted off on its journey back to Earth Tuesday after leaving a mark on the lunar surface that resembled the Chinese character ‘Zhong,’ state media reported. (6/4)

Mars is More Prone to Devastating Asteroid Impacts Than We Thought (Source: Space.com)
Mars may face more than twice as many close encounters with potentially dangerous asteroids as Earth does, according to a new study. This could imperil exploratory missions to the Red Planet, but also provide insight into how the inner solar system formed. (6/4)

Max Space Is Revolutionizing Balloon-Like Scalable Space Habitats for a New Era in Space Exploration (Source: Yanko Design)
Isn’t it ironic when we say space is infinite, yet it has the same housing problem we face on Earth of not having enough room? The challenge for builders of space habitats is not the vastness of space itself but the constraints of shipping capacity. Despite the increased frequency and reduced cost of rocket launches, the amount of building material that can be sent into orbit remains limited.

The International Space Station (ISS), for example, required over 40 flights and cost more than $100 billion to construct. In contrast, Max Space is giving more in less! A bargain that can never go wrong. It is a company revolutionizing space habitation by offering equivalent cubic volume to the ISS for just $200 million, including launch, slashing costs by over a hundred-fold. (5/31)

The China Factor in the U.S. Space Station Race to Replace the ISS (Source: CNBC)
I'd be surprised if most Americans know that there are not one, but two crewed space stations in orbit currently. I'd like to think the International Space Station is common knowledge, but is Tiangong? One industry expert estimated there could be two flying for half the ISS' $4 billion a year operating cost. And they argued that "you'll be able to unleash a lot of potential opportunity" by running it like a business that's looking to facilitate R&D and materials science in a commercial way.

There's a variety of different stations vying to be the ISS' successor, whether Axiom, Starlab, Vast or Orbital Reef. But as the future of NASA's CLD program evolves, and companies look for more backing, I won't be surprised to hear the don't-cede-LEO-to-China argument grow louder from those in D.C. (5/4)

Astronauts Test European Module for Lunar Space Station (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Gateway is expected to be deployed by the time of the Artemis IV mission in 2028. As part of the Artemis program, the Gateway will serve multiple roles, from supporting lunar surface missions to conducting scientific research in lunar orbit. The European Space Agency (ESA), a Gateway partner, is building the Lunar I-Hab, a European habitat in lunar orbit.

Before this space station module becomes a reality, several crucial tests need to be conducted on Earth to ensure its suitability for human habitation. Extensive testing was recently performed on a prototype version of the module to assess and improve the living conditions for humans within the space module. (6/3)

No, New Measurements Can't Relax the Hubble Tension (Source: Big Think)
There’s a big puzzle when it comes to the expanding Universe: a puzzle so large that many have declared there’s a crisis in cosmology. That puzzle is known as the Hubble tension, as two different classes of approaches to measure how fast the Universe is expanding lead to different, incompatible results.

The “early relic” method, which relies on cosmic signals imprinted during the hot Big Bang that persist even as the Universe ages, leads to ~67 km/s/Mpc, with an uncertainty of just 1 km/s/Mpc. Meanwhile, the “distance ladder” method, which involves determining the distance to progressively farther away objects, leads to a value of ~73 km/s/Mpc, with again an uncertainty of just 1 km/s/Mpc. (6/4)

NASA Satellite Swarm Does Things No Other Satellite Swarm Has Done Before, More to Come (Source: AutoEvolution)
Unlike individual satellites and spacecraft, which rely heavily on orders received from Earth through a generally lengthy communication process, autonomous swarms could work somewhat independently: they could make their own way through space, handle scientific experiments without interference, and even respond to changes in their environment on their own.

And that's exactly what the Starling CubeSat spacecraft set out to do ten months ago, using a series of onboard pieces of hardware. Now, after all of them have been put through their paces, NASA says the mission "successfully demonstrated its primary […] key objectives," making history in the process. (6/3)

Europe Seeks to Launch Into Clearing Skies (Source: Space News)
Avio, prime contractor of the Vega C rocket, successfully tested a redesigned solid rocket motor, a step towards returning that vehicle to flight by the end of the year. Josef Aschbacher, director general of ESA, says "This was very important. We can see we are on track towards the return the flight by the end of the year. This test today was the most important milestone: we have another firing test in October, but the one today confirms that the redesign of the nozzle with the new carbon-carbon inserts is good." (6/4)

Plan to Brighten Clouds and Cool the Planet is Controversial (Source: Washington Post)
A city council meeting in Alameda CA on Tuesday will take center stage in the global controversy over whether to try cool the planet by making clouds brighter. Researchers at the University of Washington are studying a concept called “marine cloud brightening,” which aims to slow climate change by spraying clouds with sea salt. Salt particles help clouds form tiny, shiny water droplets, which reflect sunlight away from the earth before it can heat the planet. Click here. (6/4)