April 5, 2026

Chinese Scientists Bioengineering Plants With Firefly Genes to Glow, in Effort to Light Cities at Night (Source: Futurism)
A shortcut to sprucing up any dreary urban locale is by throwing in some beautiful greenery. Now, Chinese scientists have unveiled new genetically engineered plants that can glow in the dark, which they say could be a compelling draw for tourism and even help light cities at night.

The bioluminescent flora were created by splicing genes from fireflies and glowing fungi into the plant cells, allowing them to emit a soft glow. Using these techniques, the scientists have modified over twenty species to glow in the dark, including orchids, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums. Editor's Note: Researchers at UF are doing similar things for future space-based greenhouses, allowing plants to express through light when they are distressed. (4/4)

Planet Labs, Iridium Communications, Intuitive Machines, and Other Space Stocks Skyrocketed This Week (Source: Motley Fool)
Shares of multiple space-focused companies surged this past week, driven by acquisition rumors and anticipation of a long-awaited initial public offering (IPO). Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR), was up 37%; Iridium Communications (NASDAQ: IRDM), was up 18%; and Planet Labs (NYSE: PL), was up 16%. (4/3)

How Much More Elbow Room Does Artemis II's Orion Have Than Apollo? (Source: USA Today)
The Orion spacecraft that’s taking the four Artemis II astronauts around the moon and back is the largest crewed capsule ever sent beyond low Earth orbit – with habitable space roughly equal to that of two minivans combined, NASA says. With an interior space of 330 cubic feet, is nearly 60% larger than its Apollo command module predecessor and much bigger than the early Mercury and Gemini capsules of the 1960s. That's a long way from the days of Mercury astronauts, described by “The Right Stuff” author Tom Wolfe as “spam in a can.” (4/5)

Gen Z Fled California for Texas and Florida. Now They’re Turning ‘Welcomer Cities’ Into the Next Big Tech Towns (Source: Fortune)
It started with a pandemic exodus, as workers moved to be closer to their families or to pursue a different lifestyle; then they steadily drifted toward Texas and Florida, where jobs were plentiful and rent was more manageable. A new report from real estate and investment management firm JLL shows there’s a third chapter in San Francisco’s migration script in which younger generations are moving to “welcomer cities” like Nashville and Orlando.

JLL now defines Nashville and Orlando as welcomers because they still offer plenty of corporate job opportunities, but are more affordable than large cities. These cities are now legitimate contenders in the innovation economy, according to JLL, which tracks talent migration, office market dynamics, and corporate investment across 135 cities globally. It started with a pandemic exodus, as workers moved to be closer to their families or to pursue a different lifestyle; then they steadily drifted toward Texas and Florida, where jobs were plentiful and rent was more manageable. I

Especially in the past few years, Gen Z has been flocking to more affordable cities just to get by during the cost-of-living crisis. Aside from places like Texas and Florida, many have made moves to the Midwest, where homes are about 30% cheaper than on the coasts. Apartments.com shows the cost of living in San Francisco is 80.6% higher than in Orlando, and housing prices are 226.2% higher. (4/2)

Astronomers Confirm for the First Time the Existence of a Giant Volcanic Cave on Venus (Source: EcoNews)
For the first time, scientists have strong evidence that a huge volcanic cave lies beneath the surface of Venus. By reanalyzing radar images from NASA’s Magellan mission, a team from University of Trento has identified what appears to be a giant lava tube under the volcano Nyx Mons. The work, published in the journal Nature Communications, marks the first direct radar evidence of a subsurface conduit on our neighboring world. (4/3)

Do Gravitational Waves Redshift Like Light Does? (Source: Big Think)
The relative motion of the emitting source and the receiving observer, the changes in the gravitational field that the traveling signal experiences during its journey, and the effects of either expansion or contraction of the spacetime through which the signal travels. These three effects can lead to redshifts or blueshifts, depending on which direction they occur in, and it was long expected that they’d affect all waves, not just light waves, in a similar fashion.

Any effect that causes a shift in the frequency of electromagnetic waves due to an interaction with matter — whether neutral matter, ionized matter, or an electromagnetic field generated by matter — cannot also apply to gravitational waves. As their name implies, gravitational waves (or gravitational radiation) is a purely gravitational phenomenon, and so it should only be subject to purely gravitational effects.

There's no wavelength-dependent absorption, emission, or scattering for gravitational waves, and no deflection, reflection, or refraction of gravitational waves as they pass through a medium. For gravitational waves, if the inspiral-and-merger of black holes is from a system that recedes from you, the wavelength that you’ll see is going to be redshifted by that exact factor — dictated by the Doppler shift’s velocity — of the relative motion of that source to you, the observer. (4/3)

Satellite Firm Planet Labs to Indefinitely Withhold Iran War Images (Source: Reuters)
Satellite imaging firm Planet Labs said on Saturday it will indefinitely withhold ‌visuals of Iran and the region of conflict in the Middle East to comply with a request from the U.S. government. The U.S. government has asked all satellite imagery providers to indefinitely ​withhold images of the conflict region. (4/4)

An Aerobot With ISRU Capabilities Could Explore Venus' Atmosphere for Years (Source: Universe Today)
Aerial robotic platforms (aerobots) that can operate for years may be an ideal choice for exploring Earth's "Sister Planet." While prototypes have been built in response to NASA's strategic plans, these designs lack a method for replenishing buoyant gases, limiting their lifetimes. According to a new proposal led by MIT researchers, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) could extend the lifetime of aerobots by using electrolysis to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into buoyant gas products and an energy source. (4/3)

African Market for Satellite Services Offers Pent Up Demand (Source: Via Satellite)
With a large landmass of 11.7 million square miles, Africa has been a challenging place to set up satellite services. But that is changing. As of September, 2025, more than 21 African countries have established space programs and 18 have launched at least one satellite, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Now the real work of digital inclusion, enterprise application, and national development connecting millions of Africans begins, industry experts shared during SATShow Week.

Africa is one of the fastest growing satellite markets in the world with limited terrestrial infrastructure and growing demand for connectivity. African nations and companies have launched a combined total of 65 satellites, with over 120 additional satellites in development and expected to be launched by 2030. (4/3)

Gravitics Receives Strategic Funding Increase From SpaceWERX (Source: Via Satellite)
Gravitics has received a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract from SpaceWERX, the U.S. Space Force’s innovation arm, to accelerate development and demonstration of its Orbital Carrier architecture, the company said. Under the contract, Gravitics will flight-demonstrate a pathfinder Orbital Carrier on a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) rideshare mission and a Viper orbital transfer vehicle. The Viper demonstration includes plans to deploy a third-party payload to a high-energy orbit. (4/3)

Why Is NASA Bothering To Go Back to the Moon if We’ve Already Been There? (Source: Ars Technica)
The first time NASA launched humans toward the Moon, in December 1968, the United States was a deeply fractured nation. The historic flight of three people into the unknown brought a measure of solace to a country riven by assassinations, riots, political discord, and a deeply unpopular foreign war. If history does not repeat itself, it certainly rhymes. Today, four humans are on the way to the Moon, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. They do so, once again, amid a troubled world. Will Artemis II have a similar impact? Does it even matter?

Artemis II was not a global event. The world of today is, of course, incredibly different from that of the 1960s, especially the landscape of media competing for public attention. Just three US television networks graced the airwaves then, compared to hundreds today and a bazillion more online through viewing options like YouTube and social media. And increasingly, younger generations are as interested in creating content as they are in consuming it. The world population in 1968 was about 3.5 billion people, or a little less than half of today’s. Yet an estimated one-quarter of them watched broadcasts from the Moon. (4/2)

Insurance is Commercial Space Nuclear’s Biggest Headache (Source: Payload)
There are no good neighbors for the commercial space nuclear power business. Lots of challenges face commercial space nuclear missions—but experts at an industry seminar on Thursday only called one a “show stopper”—insurance. Entrepreneurs believe they can safely launch radioactive material into orbit without creating an accident of atomic proportions, but insurance companies are still balking at the word “nuclear,” according to company leaders.

“Insurance is a fundamentally conservative and reactionary industry,” said Stewart Forbes, an energy attorney with Hogan Lovells. “People still think Chernobyl or Fukushima or Three Mile Island, but that’s not the world we live in anymore.”

Nuclear reactors would remain inert, with controls engaged to keep them from going critical, until they enter orbit. The real—but small—risk would be a reactor that somehow re-enters Earth’s atmosphere after activation. (4/3)

Atlas V Launches its Heaviest-Ever Payload Saturday, Sending 29 Amazon Internet Satellites to Orbit From Florida (Source: Space.com)
A ULA Atlas V rocket launched its heaviest-ever payload on Saturday morning from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, carrying 29 satellites for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation to orbit. Together, those spacecraft weigh 18 tons, according to ULA. The Atlas V successfully deployed all 29 into their target orbit, according to ULA. (4/4)

The US Has Declared ‘Space Superiority’ Over Iran. What Does That Mean? (Source: Defense One)
The U.S. military declared space superiority over Iran this week, but defense experts question what that means given the country’s inchoate military space program and heavy reliance on space-based intelligence from other nations. It’s not clear if the country is still actively jamming or spoofing U.S. assets, and it’s highly unlikely that the U.S. Space Force has physically destroyed the country’s handful of satellites. (4/2)

Chandra Donelson Departs as Space Force CDAO (Source: Defense Scoop)
Chandra Donelson has announced that she is leaving her position as the Space Force’s chief data and artificial intelligence officer. Donelson was appointed as the Space Force CDAO in 2023, a role where she oversaw the data, AI and software integration for the Pentagon’s youngest service. She was notably involved in the Department of the Air Force’s broad experimentation with generative AI capabilities, and most recently led the Space Force’s adoption of GenAI.mil. (4/3)

JAA Selects RS&H to Guide Cecil Spaceport Re-Entry License Application (Source: Jax Daily Record)
Jacksonville-based architectural and engineering firm RS&H is tapped to help the Jacksonville Aviation Authority pursue a re-entry license at Cecil Airport, a step toward transforming the former naval air station from a one-way launch site into a two-way spaceport logistics hub. The re-entry license request for qualifications attracted 10 interested firms. According to the RFQ, the contract is expected to be executed this month. (4/3)

Smooth Sailing for Artemis Crew So Far (Source: Space Policy Online)
The Artemis II crew continues on a smooth course to the Moon today. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are now about halfway to their destination, with a loop around the Moon on Monday. (4/3)

India's Protoplanet Supports ISRO Astronaut Training (Source: India Today)
India’s ambitious human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, is steadily moving closer to reality, and a key player behind the scenes is Protoplanet, which is helping prepare astronauts for the extreme realities of space. Through its collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization, Protoplanet is spearheading a new generation of analog missions, Earth-based simulations designed to mimic the physical and psychological challenges of spaceflight. (4/3)

ISRO's Human Space Flight Centers (HSFC) along with Protoplanet began Mission Mitra in Ladakh on Thursday. Mitra or the Mapping of Interoperable Traits and Reliability Assessment is a high-altitude analog mission conducted in Ladakh. The harsh terrain and thin atmosphere of the region provide a near-space-like environment, allowing researchers to study how astronauts adapt to isolation, hypoxia and operational constraints. (4/4)

White House Seeks $5.6 Billion Cut to NASA Budget in 2027 (Source: Reuters)
The White ​House on ‌Friday proposed a $5.6 billion ​cut ​to NASA's budget ⁠for 2027, ​including a $3.4 ​billion cut to the space ​agency's ​science unit, a 23% ‌cut ⁠as NASA's new chief plans ​an ​array ⁠of new ​missions under ​the ⁠flagship U.S. moon ⁠program. (4/3)

White House Pitches Dramatic Space Force Budget Jump In 2027 (Source: Aviation Week)
The Trump administration wants to fund the U.S. Space Force’s request for a larger budget in fiscal 2027, and then some. The service could see a 430% increase in total procurement funding over 2026 under the proposed budget request, from $3.6 billion to $19.1 billion, according to documents released last week. (4/3)

From Artemis to ULA, Space Force Has Hands Full with 6 Different Rockets this Year (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA’s Artemis II mission got the limelight this week, but U.S. Space Force has an arsenal of other space-bound hardware muscling onto Florida’s launch pads this year. This year’s schedule from either Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station already features six different rockets. Vying for many of the same support assets are two from SpaceX, two from United Launch Alliance, one from Blue Origin plus NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Those launches require a juggling act, as they all need some of the same supplies, facilities and staff, said Space Launch Delta 45 commander Col. Brian Chatman. For example, many of the spacecraft operators want gaseous nitrogen (GN2) on hand during launches. The inert gas keeps their rocket hardware safe by pushing out more volatile propellants in the case of a scrub. A lot of that comes from a plant on Merritt Island, and NASA got first dibs on it last week. (4/4)