April 19, 2026

Pentagon Disturbed as Its Fleet of Drones Is Left Bobbing in the Ocean When Starlink Fails (Source: Futurism)
Two dozen unmanned surface vessels — autonomous boat drones, basically — were left floating in the Pacific ocean after a massive outage of SpaceX’s Starlink internet service left them adrift. That event, first reported by Reuters, left the experimental robots disconnected and bobbing in the ocean for nearly an hour off the coast of California.

It was one of several Pentagon experiments disrupted by the Starlink blackout, according to Reuters. That global outage left millions of Starlink customers in the dark back in August of 2025, dealing a blow to the company’s image as an always-on satellite internet provider. While service was eventually restored, the incident left customers frustrated and analysts concerned. (4/17)

Third New Glenn Launch Suffers Upper Stage Malfunction, Succeeds with First Stage Landing (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin’s third New Glenn launch on Sunday was a partial success. After a successful liftoff, the first stage landed safely on the company's drone ship downrange. However, the mission suffered a malfunction of its second stage, stranding its payload in an “off-nominal” orbit and dealing the company a setback as it seeks to increase its flight rate. (4/19)

Report Accuses Trump of Illegally Cutting NASA Funding (Source: Douglas Messier)
A new minority staff report, Mission Aborted: How NASA Illegally Implemented the President’s Budget Request Without Congressional Approval, accuses the Trump Administration of implementing cuts proposed in the president’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request without required Congressional approval.

“Without authorization or direction from Congress, and in violation of the basic separation-of-powers framework set forth by the Constitution, NASA put into effect an executive branch proposal as if it were the law of the land. The consequences of that decision – for the agency, its workforce, and American leadership in science and space – were adverse to the agency’s mission,” the report said.

Under the Constitution, the president submits a budget proposal to Congress, which then passes it with suggested changes. The president must sign the budget into law before any action is taken to implement it. (4/18)

SpaceX Settles Lawsuit Accusing California Agency of Retaliation (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX has agreed to settle a lawsuit in U.S. federal court that alleged a California agency illegally cracked down on the ​company's rocket launches in the state in retaliation for Musk’s political views. SpaceX ‌and the California Coastal Commission on Friday asked U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld in Los Angeles to dismiss the lawsuit.

The terms of the settlement have not yet been publicly disclosed. SpaceX and the ​commission asked Blumenfeld to retain power to enforce the agreement, including any ​future disputes over its provisions. (4/19)