June 10, 2026

Space Club Invites Nominations for 2026 News and Communications Awards, Plus Space Worker Hall of Fame (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee invites nominations for the 2026 Kolcum News & Communications awards, Space Worker Hall of Fame, andSpace Educator Awards. The deadline is Friday, July 10.

The Space Worker Hall of Fame Awards honor workers in space launch technology, spaceflight support, human spaceflight advancement, and spaceflight advocacy and education. The Kolcum News & Communications Awards honor news media and communications professionals for excellence in telling the space story. The Space Educator Award honors one STEM educator who has made significant contributions to inspiring students to pursue their dreams of being part of the U.S. space program in Florida through engagement, impact, and community activities. Click here. (6/10)

Federal Science Agencies Face "Generational Loss" with Workforce Cuts (Source: FNN)
Amid the Trump administration’s workforce overhauls, some federal science agencies appear to be bearing the brunt of the changes, according to new research from the Partnership for Public Service. Federal workforce reductions, cuts to resources, and plans to increase political influence in the grantmaking process are all leading to declines in scientific development and innovation, said Max Stier, the nonprofit’s president and CEO. The effects, Stier said, will be felt for decades to come. “We’re talking about a generational loss here,” Stier said. (6/9)

Can Germany and France Collaborate in Space? (Source: Space News)
Maj. Gen. Wolfgang Ohl confirmed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ recent announcement that Germany is interested in taking a leading role in creating and accelerating a European space command. Germany had already proposed a pan-European alliance, which it offered to coordinate, when it published its Space Safety and Security Strategy. And Germany is seeking alliances with other German-speaking countries — possibly already anticipating resistance from France.

Germany’s advance in space leadership signals a possible shift in the European balance of power, from France toward Germany. Brig. Gen. Jürgen Schrödl, said: “It is clear that the nations bringing the most to the table will also want to contribute ideas and help shape the discussion.” In other words, those putting the most resources expect to lead the conversation.

France’s position: Will France accept German leadership? Nicolas Moulin-Fournier, chief product officer at French startup Look Up Space, may have offered some insight during SmallSat: “The French military forces already have a complete set of assets, from telecom to military systems, and there is definitely deep expertise within the French armed forces. It makes sense to split efforts, coordinate, work together and share information. Under which leadership, I don’t know.” (6/10)

New Astroscale Initiative Looks to Improve Data for Spacecraft Reentry Studies (Source: Via Satellite)
Astroscale is leading a new initiative to improve the study of spacecraft reentry and atmospheric impact, while protecting sensitive data for commercial operators. The company will lead the Atmospheric Impact of Reentered Spacecraft (AIRS) initiative, a collaboration between industry and academia, with Planet Labs and the U.K.’s University of Southampton as founding participants. Astroscale announced ARIS on Tuesday. (6/10)

Houston's Created Its Own Problem: The Unnecessary Fight To Snatch Up The Discovery Space Shuttle Continues (Source: Jalopnik)
The story has become so much more than just moving a space shuttle from Virginia to Texas. Unfortunately embroiled in this "custody battle" is the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, home to the space shuttle Discovery for the last 15 years. The Smithsonian was a top selection and the only non-negotiable destination for one of the space shuttle orbiters when the program ended. The museum already had one of NASA's orbiters, Space Shuttle Enterprise, on display. The Enterprise would be given to another institution so that the Smithsonian could receive the Discovery.

Houston will have you believe they were a top contender for receiving one of those shuttles, even dubbing it the "Houston Shuttle Snub." But it wasn't a snub, because the official report breaking down the selection process says it was far from. Houston was ranked 10 of the 29 entries. By the final count, it landed seventh, with one of its lowest-scoring categories having to do with attracting visitors, especially internationally.

When each of the space orbiters' new homes were selected, NASA then transferred ownership to those facilities. The Smithsonian is the rightful owner and keeper of Space Shuttle Discovery. Neither Houston, nor NASA have the ability to just take it off the museum floor. And considering Discovery is 58 feet tall and 122 feet long, with a wingspan of 78 feet and a weight of 86 tons, it's not something you can just move without attracting some attention, either. The $86 million of tax payer money set aside for the move likely won't cut it as retired engineers from the program estimated the bill would be closer to the hundreds of millions of dollars. (6/9)

U.S. Using GPS to Tell Spies What to Do (Source: BoingBoing)
A roomful of smart people did the math and determined that a Russian satellite has been jamming GPS signals over Europe. But it's not the only new of orbital shenanigans to hit the wire this week. In conversation with information security expert Steven Murdoch, the folks at 404 Media discovered that the United States could be directing covert operations using data hidden inside of the GPS signals that the rest of us use to navigate to Starbucks.

He noted that the military has "specialized receivers that have the ability to have keys loaded into them" and "presumably have the ability to decrypt these special messages." Murdoch described how this "forgotten 176-bit slot in the world's most successful navigation signal turned out to be its quietest and most consequential broadcast." (6/8)

An Invisible Forever Chemical Rain is Falling Across the Planet (Source: Science Daily)
A surprising study suggests that chemicals introduced to protect the ozone layer may have unintentionally created a growing global pollution problem. Researchers found that refrigerants and certain anesthetic gases have generated more than 335,000 tonnes of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a highly persistent "forever chemical," that has been deposited across Earth's surface since 2000. The pollutant is now showing up everywhere from rainwater to remote Arctic ice, and scientists expect levels to keep rising. (6/9)

Ocean Miles Deep May Have Once Covered Region of Mars New Rover Will Land In (Source: AutoEvolution)
Europe’s first dedicated Mars rover, the Rosalind Franklin, is about two years away from departing our planet and heading over to the Red one to have a look at its mysteries. Rosalind Franklin carries the name of a British chemist who specialized in the inner workings of DNA, and, as such, it will dedicate its life to confirming the existence, past or present, of life on Mars. And it's supposed to do so by digging deeper into the planet's crust than anything before it.

That will be possible thanks to a massive drill that will allow it to punch holes 6.6 feet (two meters) deep into the planet's crust so that it can collect the samples that have been protected from radiation and extreme temperatures and thus come with the highest chance of containing proof of life's existence. The rover will collect the samples from a region of Mars called Oxia Planum, a clay-rich, ancient plain on Mars, located just north of the equator. Not just a plain, it seems, but one that some four billion years in the past might have been covered by a vast ocean measuring several miles deep. (6/8)

Bezos Challenges Musk’s Starlink in Africa with First Satellite Gateway in Kenya (Source: Business Insider Africa)
Amazon is moving to challenge Starlink in Africa by seeking approval to build its first satellite gateway in Kenya, deepening competition in the region’s fast-growing broadband market. The facility would connect Amazon’s low-Earth orbit satellite network to terrestrial internet infrastructure, improving speed and reducing latency. Kenya’s strong tech ecosystem and Starlink’s rapid growth have made the country a key battleground for satellite internet providers. (6/9)

SpaceX Coming for AT&T and Verizon Now, T-Mobile Later (Source: PhoneArena)
SpaceX may not be directly targeting AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon's wireless oligopoly just yet, but the broadband arena is a different story. For the longest time, SpaceX was viewed as something of a niche player, but the company is shedding that label now. While market share stats and subscriber numbers may not indicate that yet, the recent duress on shares of Comcast, Charter, AT&T, and Verizon tell a different story.

Analyst Peter Supino views the company as a serious threat to established players. Starlink was once seen as a last resort for rural audiences with no other options. But as the tech improves, the user base is exploding, with the company routinely doubling its subscriber count year-over-year. Musk hasn't shied away from asserting confidence in the company's ability to eventually surpass traditional internet and wireless companies. Starlink's satellites cover a large area, so the cost of adding new households is incredibly low compared to legacy internet companies that have to lay down physical infrastructure first. (6/9)

US Firm’s Reusable Launch System Goes Beyond Mach 4 Speed Twice, Key for Suborbital Missions (Source: Interesting Engineering)
A Washington-based firm has flown reusable launch system exceeding Mach 4. The rocket-free reusable launch opens path to affordable, repeatable and scalable hypersonic and suborbital missions. General Hypersonics conducted two launches exceeding Mach 4 from the same reusable launch system, with the second launch occurring approximately 90 minutes after the first.

The company claimed that the achievement sets another ram-accelerated mass-to-velocity milestone and advances the company’s goal of making high-cadence hypersonic and suborbital launch operations affordable and repeatable. “What changes the conversation is this: we took a reusable launch system beyond Mach 4 twice before lunch,” said Mark Russell.

The company completed both launches from the same reusable platform in approximately 90 minutes. Both launches were conducted using manual loading procedures, with automated loading systems currently under development to further improve turnaround times and increase launch cadence. General Hypersonics plans to increase automation within its launch operations and move beyond high-speed testing toward routine suborbital missions. (6/7)

Another Price Hike: Starlink Adds $10 'Monthly Kit Fee' for New Users (Source: PC Mag)
The cost of Starlink is going up for new users. The satellite internet service has quietly introduced a "monthly kit fee" that adds $ 10 per month to a Starlink Residential subscription. Users spotted the new fee on Monday. It applies to the standard Starlink dish that SpaceX sends with a new Residential subscription and appears to be rolling out globally, popping up on Starlink.com for new customers in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Australia, and Mexico. (6/9)

He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut (Source: WIRED)
In April 2025, Dan Berulis, an IT staffer at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), filed a Congressional whistleblower complaint with an extraordinary and urgent claim: Musk-led DOGE had seemingly compromised the agency’s data and appeared to be exfiltrating it out of the NLRB entirely. Additionally, Berulis claimed that mere minutes after DOGE members had accessed the agency’s data, there appeared to be login attempts from an IP address in Russia.

At the time, DOGE teams were sweeping across government, firing federal workers and accessing sensitive data and technical systems with no oversight and little transparency. After Berulis went public with his name and claims, a threatening note had been taped to his door, including photos of him walking his dog that appeared to have been taken by a drone. In a new defamation lawsuit, Berulis alleges that Musk himself made him a target of further violence by falsely stating that Berulis’ whistleblower claim against DOGE was fake.

The complaint was initially filed under seal because Berulis maintains a security clearance that requires prepublication review. Five days after the story went live, Berulis got in his car to visit to his uncle, opting to take local roads instead of the major highway nearby. Within about five minutes of leaving his house, Berulis realized something was wrong. As he approached a stop sign at an intersection, his car wouldn’t slow down. He ran off the road and into the sign. When he examined his car, he found something that terrified him: His brake lines had been cut. (6/2)

Two Companies Dominating Launch, with a Dozen Others Barely Making a Dent (Source: Douglas Messier)
As we approach the northern summer and the midpoint of the year, the global launch industry has two clear leaders and a dozen providers that have barely launched at all. The 132 orbital launches are running slight ahead of the same period in 2025. SpaceX completed 67 launches and placed 1,689 payloads into orbit through June 8. Elon Musk’s company accounted for 50.76 percent of 132 orbital attempts globally and 80.09 percent of 2,109 payloads successfully placed into orbit.

The majority of SpaceX’s launches carried the company’s own satellites. Fifty-four Falcon 9 rockets carried 1,440 Starlink satellites into orbit, which amounted to 68.28 percent of all payloads that reached space this year. SpaceX has launched 12,212 Starlink satellites since 2018. SpaceX accounted for 67 of 82 launches conducted by U.S. companies. That amounts to 81.7 percent of the total. The figures do not include SpaceX’s suborbital Starship launch in May or Rocket Lab’s two suborbital HASTE launches earlier this year.

The government-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has conducted 26 launches and orbited 144 payloads. The company accounted for 19.7 percent of all launches and 6.82 percent of all payloads this year. Rocket Lab is a distant third with seven Electron launches that orbited 16 payloads. The company accounted for 5.3 percent of launches and 0.76 percent of payloads. The company also launched two suborbital HASTE rockets. (6/9)

NASA Names Artemis III Astronauts (Source: New York Times)
NASA named on Tuesday the next four astronauts to take humans one step closer to returning to the moon as part of the Artemis III mission: Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, the mission specialists; Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, the pilot; and Randy Bresnik, the commander. Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator, told reporters that he was “extremely confident” in the Artemis program timeline. “We’re going to return to the moon before the end of 2028,” he said.

It is rare for NASA missions to feature all men. The last time there was a crew of four men for a NASA mission was in 2023. Jeremy Parsons, the Artemis program manager, offered a rosy update of the program’s progress and a description of the mission. He said the Blue Origin lander will launch first, followed by the crew in an Orion capsule on top of the Space Launch System rocket. Orion and the Blue Origin lander will dock in orbit for several days of operations while connected.

After those undock, SpaceX’s Starship will launch and dock with Orion for a day together. The mission will last about two weeks, ending with the crew splashing down in Orion. Blue Origin's New Glenn explosion damaged the only launchpad Blue Origin has available to fly New Glenn. The repairs present a problem for the accelerated timeline NASA is aiming for with its Artemis program: If New Glenn has nowhere to launch from by the time Artemis III is ready to fly, NASA could decide to push back the mission. (6/9)