June 9, 2026

Electra Unveils Turbo-Electric Airliner Concept Under NASA Technology Program (Source: AeroTime)
Electra has unveiled a turbo-electric airliner concept developed under NASA’s Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050 program, showing a future 100-plus-seat aircraft that uses a double-bubble fuselage and electrically driven tail fans.

The Manassas, Virginia-based company said the concept could deliver up to a 17% efficiency improvement beyond gains expected by 2050 from advances in structures, engines and aerodynamics. The aircraft is a research concept intended to study how electrification, advanced aerodynamics and improved integration between the airframe and propulsion systems could shape future commercial aircraft. (6/8)

BryceTech Crowns Its First Start-Up Space Winner (Source: Aerospace America)
Finalists of BryceTech’s first-ever Start-Up Space Pitch Competition took the ASCEND stage twice – first to pitch their technology and market strategy before a panel of space and technology investors and then to share their vision with the broader ASCEND community. The winning firm was Exobiosphere, a Houston and Luxembourg-based space bio company that automates biological research in space. Exobiosphere aims to change how lifesaving therapies are discovered both on Earth and in orbit.

Its automated, high-throughput miniaturized laboratory can run up to 2,000 experiments at once on human-rated platforms and free flyers, giving scientists the statistical power they need to uncover new treatments faster and with greater confidence. Exobiosphere’s early customers – leading academics and hospitals like Cedars-Sinai – are using the platform to push the frontiers of space-based research, from stem cell studies to organoid models. (6/8)

Drug Development is Heading to Lower Earth Orbit (Source: CNBC)
Last year, space and defense technology company Redwire formed a dedicated subsidiary, SpaceMD, to commercialize pharmaceutical products developed in space. It has spent years developing orbital bioprinting but sees its most commercial opportunity in creating ways to administer drugs to patients. The most successful technology is the PIL-BOX, a new drug formulation technology. SpaceMD has already flown 54 PIL-BOX units – specialized, automated micro-laboratories designed to crystallize proteins in orbit – and has tested 37 drug compounds.

Space pharma originated with Merck. In 2014, it conducted crystal growth experiments on the ISS to better understand how the lack of gravity influences medicines, including its best-selling cancer drug Keytruda. Varda is betting on continuous orbital production and has developed 300-kilogram autonomous manufacturing satellites equipped with specialized re-entry pods. The active ingredients in drugs are so highly concentrated that Varda can generate significant value from relatively small loads.

BioOrbit is exploring a scalable system for crystallizing and manufacturing complex biologic drugs in space to enable at-home cancer treatments. It recently poached two high-level executives from Redwire. The aerospace industry established a robust supply chain for going to space, but only a narrow, expensive chain for returning. Existing spacecraft built for human re-entry, like SpaceX’s Dragon, are high-end, expensive vehicles engineered for safety. They are not economically viable for high-cadence, low-cost commercial manufacturing logistics. (6/9)

Users, Not Hardware, Will Drive Growth for the Next Era of Space Healthcare (Source: Aerospace America)
The center of gravity in the space economy is shifting from hardware to users. That was the message from Voyager Technologies’ director of International and Science Development, Manwei Chan. Chan argued that after decades focused on rockets, satellites, and space stations, the next era will be defined by who uses that infrastructure and why – especially in healthcare, where microgravity can unlock new science and business models.

“The next generation of space utilization is about the users, as opposed to the infrastructure,” Chan said, describing Voyager’s push to build a global science park network that lowers barriers for researchers and startups to access space-enabled R&D. The session brought together founders, economists, and investors to explore how to turn space-based health research into a scalable market – spotlighting pioneering start-ups, new commercial stations, and a healthcare investor intent on answering the question at the heart of adoption: who will pay, and for what? (6/8)

Eutelsat and Voimatel Partner to Expand LEO Satellite Connectivity Across Finland (Source: SatNews)
Global satellite operator Eutelsat Group has formalized a strategic distribution partnership with Finnish network infrastructure and service provider Voimatel to deploy low Earth orbit satellite connectivity services throughout Finland. This collaboration marks a significant expansion of high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband availability across the Nordic region, particularly targeting underserved corporate, industrial, and public sector organizations operating in geographically remote environments. (6/8)

Irish Company Secures €1 Million Contract with European Space Agency (Source: Irish Times)
Irish company Pilot Photonics has secured a €1 million contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for “space-proofing” satellite infrastructure. Pilot Photonics is a spin-out company of Dublin City University (DCU), headquartered in their Glasnevin campus with a team of 25 employees. Enterprise Ireland are shareholders in the company and have invested in their most recent round. The company develops integrated photonic chips, which use light rather than electrical signals to generate and carry information. (6/8)

USSF Seeking Small, Medium-Launch Providers At Vandenberg (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Space Force is looking for launch providers that are interested in using a proposed Space Launch Complex-9 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Space Force is opening up an undeveloped site at its Western Range to support small- and medium-lift launch missions as the line to hitch a ride to space continues to lengthen. The service released a request for information (RFI) on June 8 to gauge interest from providers to develop the facility. (6/8)

Virgin Galactic’s Shares Take Wild Ride (Source: Orange County Business Journal)
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic, which aims to restart commercial flights later this year, saw its stock price swing wildly during a two-week stretch. After the shares closed at $2.47 on May 20, the craziness began over the next nine trading sessions, culminating in a more than threefold increase to $8.90 on June 1. Trading volume that day reached 286 million shares, about 15 times the daily average.

By June 3, shares of the company had plunged 50% to $4.29 for a market cap of $448 million. The trigger for the rise may have been news that Rich Huang’s RichRich Capital had taken a 5.3% stake in the company. Huang is an American investor whose company is based in Miami, according to filings.

Another trigger for the climb may have been the infamous short squeeze, in which traders who had bet the stock would fall scrambled to cover their positions when it rose. A reason for the sudden drop may be the Virgin Galactic filing on June 2 that it would issue new common stock to noteholders, diluting existing shareholders. The drop could also be linked to the industry becoming overheated, as evidenced by the Procure Space EFT Index doubling over the past year.  (6/8)

How Elon Musk’s Friendship With the FCC Smooths the Way for SpaceX’s IPO (Source: New York Times)
In the past year, Brendan Carr, the Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has approved thousands of satellite launches for SpaceX’s broadband satellite business, Starlink. Elon Musk recommended Mr. Carr to Mr. Trump as an ideal leader for the agency. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Carr got the job. Since then, the F.C.C. chairman has lavished praise on Mr. Musk, repeatedly expressing his admiration for the tech mogul. He has greenlighted a satellite request from SpaceX and changed some of the agency’s rules to benefit the company.

Mr. Carr’s stance on SpaceX and Mr. Musk stands out from his behavior with other companies that the F.C.C. oversees. He started an investigation into the satellite company EchoStar, a SpaceX rival, after Mr. Musk’s company complained about it. He targeted the television networks ABC and NBC over their coverage of Mr. Trump, threatening to take away their broadcast licenses. And he threatened to block media and telecom deals over their diversity, equity and inclusion policies, opening investigations into Disney and Comcast. (6/8)

Texas Changed the Rules. SpaceX's Investors May Pay the Price (Source: Austin American-Statesman)
Ahead of SpaceX’s hotly anticipated initial public offering slated for Friday, the coverage has mostly focused on Elon Musk, his supervoting shares and the company’s record valuation. But dual-class voting and trillion-dollar valuations are commonplace on Wall Street. What is novel sits in SpaceX’s bylaws — a document almost no one reads — and it would rewrite the bargain between a public company and its shareholders. Article X of SpaceX’s bylaws bars investors who believe the company has misled them from suing as a group.

There are no class actions: every claim must be brought alone. And for the securities fraud claims that matter most, Article X forces investors out of open court and into private arbitration, where the bar to class actions is hardest to challenge. Remove investors’ ability to band together, and meritorious fraud claims never get filed. SpaceX’s IPO filing concedes this point: for smaller claims, it warns, the costs of arbitrating without a class action “could exceed the potential recovery.”

The class action also does something arbitration cannot. A securities class action airs a company’s alleged misconduct in open court. Article X is possible only because SpaceX reincorporated from Delaware to Texas in 2024. The SEC removed the federal check on arbitration provisions last fall. But Delaware, where most public companies are incorporated, still bars forced shareholder arbitration. Texas does not. Competition among states for corporate charters, once an academic concern, now decides what protections an ordinary investor gets. (6/9)

SpaceX's 'Puny Free Float' is Sparking Concerns About Greater Stock Volatility (Source: Business Insider)
SpaceX will make its trading debut on Friday following what's expected to be the biggest IPO ever by a long shot. The company is aiming to raise $75 billion by selling stock at $135 a share, taking its valuation to around $1.75 trillion. But for an IPO with such eye-popping numbers being tossed around, SpaceX is issuing a relatively tiny amount of stock to the public this week.

That small "float"—which describes the portion of shares available to trade, with the rest being held by early investors and insiders—has prompted concerns about intense volatility in early trades. Most companies that trade on major indexes have about 80% of their stock available for public trading, according to Nasdaq. SpaceX's free float is projected to be dramatically lower, with roughly 4% of shares doled out to investors. Recent IPOs before SpaceX have also trended lower, with nearly a third of companies that went public in 2025 having free float lower than 30%. (6/8)

Falcon 9 Booster Breaks Reuse Record (Source: Ars Technica)
A little more than five years ago, a shiny white Falcon 9 rocket made its debut flight, boosting a Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Over the next year, it would launch a pair of astronaut missions and a handful of commercial spacecraft.

But since then, this first stage booster, designated B 1067, has mostly flown Starlink missions. It has launched them one after another, always returning safely to a drone ship before undergoing refurbishment and flying again. Sometimes it has flown twice in a single month. On Monday morning, B 1067 once again took to the skies, launching 29 Starlink Internet satellites into low-Earth orbit from Florida. Upon landing on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the vehicle completed its 35th mission overall, retaining its title as fleet leader for SpaceX.

The successful launch brings SpaceX closer to its most recently stated goal of qualifying its Falcon 9 first stage vehicles to support 40 missions each. Since that goal was outlined more than two years ago and the company has continued flying its experienced boosters safely across dozens of missions, SpaceX may be intending to push past 40 missions. (6/8)

Iceye Raises $1.6 Billion (Source: Space News)
Iceye, a Finnish company that builds and operates radar imaging satellites, announced Tuesday a funding round worth more than one billion euros ($1.16 billion). The company announced a Series F funding round Tuesday that includes 450 million euros in primary placements with several investors, with the rest coming from secondary placements of stock. The new round values the company at more than 10 billion euros. The company operates a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellites and also sells satellites to governments. Iceye said the funding will allow it to scale up work with other governments worldwide while doubling satellite production to 100 per year. (6/9)

Germany's Isar Aerospace Raises $312 Million for Spectrum Rockets and Launch Sites (Source: Space News)
German launch company Isar Aerospace raised 270 million euros, also for global expansion. The company plans to use the funding to expand production of its Spectrum small launch vehicle while working to launch the rocket from new sites worldwide. The company launches from Andøya in Norway and announced a letter of intent last month to consider launching from a Canadian site. Isar also said it has rescheduled the second launch of Spectrum to between June 15 to 21 after technical and range issues postponed launch attempts earlier this year. (6/9)

BlackSky Wins NRO Contract Modification for Wide-Area Imaging Sat (Source: Space News)
BlackSky won a modification to an NRO contract to accelerate development of broad-area imaging satellites. The company said Tuesday it received the modification that puts the company on a "direct path" toward a multi-spectral, large-area mapping spacecraft in 2028. BlackSky announced in 2025 plans for satellites called AROS that would take imagery over wide areas, complementing its Gen-3 high-resolution imaging satellites. BlackSky did not disclose the value of the NRO contract modification, nor is the company saying how many AROS satellites it plans to deploy. (6/9)

China Picks Four Launchers for Commercial Cargo Program (Source: Space News)
The Chinese government has selected four Chinese launch companies for a commercial cargo transportation program. Launch firms Galactic Energy, CAS Space, OrienSpace and Landspace were shortlisted to launch the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, following the launch of a prototype of the supply vessel in March. The full-scale Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, one of two low-cost space station resupply spacecraft being developed to support the Tiangong space station, is tentatively scheduled for launch in January 2027. The announcement of the shortlisted companies did not disclose when a final provider for the launch would be announced. (6/9)

NASA May Seek Artemis Funding Bump (Source: Politico)
NASA may be looking for additional funding for Artemis. NASA has reportedly been in talks with congressional staff about supplemental funding, perhaps through a budget reconciliation bill, that could provide the agency with up to several billion dollars. The money would support accelerating the development of crewed lunar landers needed for Artemis by Blue Origin and SpaceX, an effort complicated by the New Glenn explosion. Congressional sources, though, noted doubts that a supplemental spending bill could pass in the coming months. (6/9)

Czech Astronaut Added to Vast ISS Mission (Source: Vast)
A Czech astronaut will go to the International Space Station on a Vast private astronaut mission. Vast said Monday it will work with the European Space Agency to send Aleš Svoboda to the ISS as the pilot on Vast's private astronaut mission in 2027. Svoboda is one of 12 reserve astronauts selected by ESA in 2022 for short-term flight opportunities such as this. Vast announced last week that veteran ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet of France will command that mission. (6/9)

Meteorite That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs Also Created Hydrothermal System (Source: Scientific American)
The meteorite which caused the extinction of the dinosaurs also created an underground environment suited to supporting new life, and new research suggests it lasted for millions of years longer than previously suspected. The finding has surprised the international team of researchers behind it, who came to their conclusions by pairing sophisticated new analysis of samples taken from the Chicxulub crater in Mexico with computer modelling of the geological effects of the meteorite 66 million years ago.

The research casts new light on how life may have first been incubated in hydrothermal systems in the earliest chapters of the Earth’s history, and could help direct the search for life on other planets. The immense heat brought together fractured rocks and hot water underground, creating a hydrothermal system beneath the crater. The researchers provide evidence that the system persisted for at least eight million years, around four times longer than previous estimates. (6/9)

What the ‘Dean of Valuation’ Thinks Elon Musk’s SpaceX Is Really Worth (Source: Wall Street Journal)
NYU Stern School of Business professor Aswath Damodaran, widely known as “Dean of Valuation,” breaks down SpaceX’s mega IPO and its three businesses. SpaceX aims to sell shares in its anticipated public offering this week at a valuation of around $1.77 trillion. That value could go even higher once it begins trading. The question investors will have to answer for themselves: Is it really worth that much? NYU’s Aswath Damodaran is skeptical of the outlook for the company’s artificial-intelligence unit. (6/7)

How SpaceX Became Embedded in America’s War Machine (Source: Wall Street Journal)
SpaceX’s years of courting the national-security establishment are paying off. The U.S. government is SpaceX’s largest single client, which the 24-year-old company identified as “Customer A” in securities filings ahead of its planned initial public offering. Revenue from the government, which totaled around $4 billion in 2025, is set to sharply climb over the next few years. Pledges to quickly deploy technology and ties cultivated with Pentagon have helped land new contracts totaling billions of dollars. (6/7)

Quantum Space to Go Public Via SPAC Merger with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. (Source: Quantum Space)
Quantum Space, a company building the next generation of advanced maneuverable spacecraft to disrupt the orbital economy, and Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VI, a special purpose acquisition company, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement under which Quantum Space will become a publicly traded company. (6/7)   

WRC-27: the Next Arena for U.S.-China Space Competition (Sources: Space News, Via Satellite)
For anyone who wasn’t sure whether China was in it to win the space race and dominate the rapidly growing space economy, its filings in December for 200,000 more satellites should dispel all doubts. Beijing is seeking to position itself as a leader in low Earth orbit satellite constellations, electronic warfare and the space race more broadly. But the next battleground in this race is a regulatory conference, not the launchpad.

WRC-27, a quadrennial global telecom regulatory summit, will be hosted by the Chinese government in Shanghai. The U.S. delegation, which includes both multiple federal agencies and a large private sector contingent, has a lot of work to do to develop a national position, win over allies, and push for reform of the WRC process itself. In the lead-up to WRC-27, the U.S. needs to get moving on developing national positions on key agenda items, said Kim Baum at Astranis.

The location of WRC-27 in Shanghai, China, is already posing barriers to U.S. participation, given fears about American visitors potentially falling victim to hacking, said Baum. She said U.S. participation at previous regional preparatory meetings had been “incredibly limited” by security concerns. (6/8)

Yesterday’s Future: Space Settlement and Castles in the Sky (Source: Space Review)
Fifty years ago this month, an issue of National Geographic introduced many people to the concept of space settlements. Dwayne Day examines what it predicted for the faraway future of 2026 and why those visions fell short. Click here. (6/9)
 
America’s Most Exposed Power Projection Platforms: Why United States Space Force Installations Must Be Treated as Warfighting Infrastructure (Source: Space Review)
Unlike other military services, the Space Force largely operates from permanent bases in the United States and allied nations rather than having forward-deployed bases. David Hanson argues that this means the military needs to pay more attention to securing those bases from cyber and physical attacks. Click here. (6/9)
 
The Vagueness of the Outer Space Treaty Was a Strategically Calculated Move (Source: Space Review)
One of the complaints about the Outer Space Treaty is that many of its provisions are vague and subject to wide-ranging interpretations. Aditya Raj discusses why that was intentional. Click here. (6/9)
 
The First Alien Intelligence May Not Be Alive (Source: Space Review)
Astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence have largely focused on biological life. David Falls explains why the first evidence of intelligence we might detect beyond Earth may not be biological in nature. Click here. (6/9)

NASA Astronauts Will Drive These New Electric Rovers On The Moon (Source: Autoblog)
The two finalists for the lunar rover contracts are Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, which were awarded $219 million and $220 million, respectively, to build and deliver the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTVs). Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover and Astrolab’s CLV-1 (Crewed Lunar Vehicle) look similar as both clearly take inspiration from side-by-side vehicles. Each vehicle tips the scales at around a ton—not that light for our planet, but light enough on the Moon where 1 ton feels like 333 pounds—and is designed to carry two astronauts.

The rest of the specs won’t blow anyone away, as the top speed is 6 miles per hour for the Pegasus and 9 miles per hour for the CLV-1 on a flat lunar surface, and the rovers can tackle 20-degree inclines on the surface of the Moon. As you can imagine, both rovers are all-electric and can be driven either by astronauts onboard or remotely operated from Earth; if need be, they can also navigate autonomously.

There are some differences between them. Astrolab’s CLV-1, which is adapted from the company’s FLEX architecture, can transport astronauts, carry supplies, and support remote operations. It also comes in a compact stowed configuration that helps NASA save space during transportation. Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus, which is a lighter, mission-ready evolution of its Eagle rover designed to meet NASA’s updated crewed LTV requirements, incorporates Apollo‑heritage technologies and is powered by GM batteries that enable a driving range of 560 miles. (6/9)

Strange Stars Look Suspiciously Like They've Been Eating Planets (Source: Science Alert)
If someone turns up with crumbs on their chin, it's natural to wonder where the cookies went. Astronomers have found themselves asking that same question about a handful of very strange stars. Among thousands of stars studied by astronomers, six red dwarfs stood out for carrying traces of a strange element in their atmospheres.

In normal circumstances, this element should long ago have been annihilated deep within the stars' interiors. Its presence here suggests that these six stars have been raiding the cookie jar – if the cookie jar were full of Earth-like planets. (6/8)

Air Force, Space Force Seek to Hire Thousands of Civilian Employees, Reversing DOGE Cuts (Source: Dayton Daily News)
The Air Force and the Space Force are back in hiring mode. The Air Force fiscal year 2027 budget request funds an increase of 4,115 civilian “full time equivalents” job positions, while the Space Force FY27 budget request funds about 1,912 additional civilian positions. Some 70% of the requested civilian positions in the budget request seek to fill vacancies created by DOGE, which sought to cut waste across the federal government. (6/8)

RTX Invests $100M to Upgrade R.I. Missile Defense Facility (Source: Defense Post)
RTX has committed $100 million to expand its Raytheon facility in Rhode Island, responding to the increasing need for advanced air and missile defense systems. This significant investment is aimed at accelerating both radar testing and missile interceptor production, ensuring that the US Army and allies can receive these critical defense technologies more rapidly. (6/9)

NYC Pensions Boss Says SpaceX’s Disregard for Shareholders Has ‘No Precedent’ (Source: Bloomberg)
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine says the unprecedented control that Elon Musk will have over SpaceX represents a new level of disregard for regular shareholders’ rights. “I understand that we are in an era of founders wanting more control,” Levine said in an interview. But what Musk is planning with SpaceX “is way beyond what we’ve seen.” Levine oversees about $300 billion in both actively and passively managed portfolios in New York city’s public pension funds.

He says it would be “very complicated” to exclude SpaceX. “We’ve never divested from a single company,” he said. “We’ve done sector-based exclusion only,” so blacklisting SpaceX “would be unprecedented for us and it is not simple.” Instead, Levine says he plans to push for a more democratic corporate governance process from within. Musk can’t be allowed to “disempower” shareholders, he said, adding that investment professionals in New York have told him they want him to “keep fighting on this.” (6/9)

Indonesian ISPs and Satellite Operators Ask Regulators to Assure That Global Constellations Follow the Rules (Source: Space Intel Report)
Indonesian government and industry officials repeatedly stressed the need for sovereign space capacity as part of a development plan to 2045 that they said should include Indonesia-built telecommunications and Earth observation satellites and a domestic launch service. They also urged that a national consensus develop that requires global LEO operators to abide by the same regulations as those imposed on Indonesian companies. In telecommunications, Indonesian officials are preparing a national ecosystem to assure a domestic satellite manufacturing capability. (6/9)

Starlink India Launch Hits Security Roadblock Before SpaceX IPO (Source: Bloomberg)
India has effectively frozen approvals for Elon Musk’s space-based internet service Starlink to begin commercial operations, due to concerns over the use of its satellite terminals in the Iran war, according to people familiar with the matter.

Security agencies under India’s Ministry of Home Affairs have withheld the final clearances Starlink needs to launch, the people said, requesting not to be identified discussing information that is private. Reports that Starlink terminals were in use during the Middle East conflict despite the service not being licensed in Iran have heightened fears in New Delhi about its ability to control a US-based operator during geopolitical tensions, they said. (6/9)

Is America Ready for a Nuclear Explosion in Space? (Source: The Hill)
Gen. Stephen Whiting, the commander of U.S. Space Command, recently made waves when he publicly discussed a major threat that America’s newest military branch recently war-gamed — that of an adversary detonating a nuclear weapon in space. At first blush, the scenario seems far-fetched. In truth, though, it is a real possibility. More than a year ago, House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) raised the alarm that Russia could place a space-based nuclear device into orbit. That possibility was later confirmed by the Pentagon.

The White House grasps the danger. A December 2025 Executive Order on Space Superiority directs the country’s relevant agencies to create “a space security strategy that accounts for United States interests in, from, and to space” and “a technology plan for detecting, characterizing, and countering potential adversary placement of nuclear weapons in space.” That strategy, moreover, is expected as soon as June 16. (6/9)

Green Propulsion Deal Pairs Two European Satellite Firms for 2027 LEO Mission (Source: Journal of Space Commerce)
Arkadia Space and Reflex Aerospace have signed a commercial agreement to integrate Arkadia’s green propulsion system into an upcoming Reflex satellite mission targeting a Q2 2027 launch. Under the agreement, Arkadia Space will supply a complete hydrogen peroxide-based propulsion system to support orbital maneuvers and end-of-life deorbiting for a low Earth orbit satellite with an approximate launch mass of 440 pounds. The mission is scheduled to fly on SpaceX’s Transporter-20 rideshare program. (6/9)

Why the International Space Station Keeps Leaking (Source: Axios)
NASA's decision to order ISS astronauts to prep for a hasty departure Friday was the latest — and most dramatic — episode in a years-long saga tied to mysterious leaks in a Russian module. The ISS is nearing the end of its expected lifespan, but it's still invaluable for America's crewed spaceflight and scientific ambitions. The leak rate in the Zvezda module's transfer tunnel doubled to roughly 2 pounds of air per day.

Russian cosmonauts prepared for an extensive repair that required using a saw to access cracks blamed for the leaks. Out of concern that the sawing method could temporarily destabilize the module, NASA ordered U.S.-led astronauts to enter the Crew Dragon and prepare for an emergency evacuation. Russia decided to halt the repair in favor of further data analysis. The crew was given the "all clear" and returned to normal operations. (6/8)

Space Telescopes Are Now Overwhelmed by Satellite Trails (Source: Universe Today)
A new paper, available in pre-print on arXiv from researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center, reports that 73.3% of images the agency’s new SPHEREx space telescope collected between May and September of last year were contaminated by at least one artificial satellite trail. And it’s only going to get worse from here. Typically this type of light pollution is primarily associated with ground telescopes. But, SPHEREx is an orbital satellite, traveling along an orbit that is 700km above the Earth’s surface. Apparently even that wasn’t enough to escape from the light trails. (6/8)

FCC Kicks Off Review of Amazon/Globalstar Deal (Source: Via Satellite)
The FCC has kicked off its review process for Amazon’s acquisition of Globalstar, seeking comment on the deal by July 6. Amazon moved in April to acquire Globalstar in a $10.8 billion deal, including Globalstar’s satellite operations, infrastructure, and spectrum. According to Amazon’s formal application to the FCC for the license transfer, Globalstar will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon and retain its corporate identity and operate as an affiliate to Amazon Leo. (6/8)

KSAT to Lead European Pollution-Focused Poseidon EO Mission (Source: Via Satellite)
KSAT will lead a European satellite mission called Poseidon focused on tracking pollution, under an award announced Monday. The project intends to use optical and radar-based satellite technology to improve detecting oil spills in sea ice and identifying pollutants released by ships at sea. It is a three-year project, funded with 5 million euro ($5.8 million) from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe R&D program.

The mission’s full name is Pollution Observation from Space: Environmental Imagery for Detections in the Oceans & Nearshore, known as Poseidon. Norway-based KSAT will lead and coordinate the project with partners from Norway, the Maldives, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, South Korea and Greece. This is the first EC Horizon Europe project that KSAT will lead. (6/8)

Elon Musk Shows Detailed Design of AI Data Center Satellite (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk unveiled a more detailed look at an initial version of an AI data center satellite SpaceX plans to build, providing fresh insight into the ambitious project driving the company’s highly anticipated initial public offering. During a 30-minute video shared on his social media website X, SpaceX’s chief executive officer laid out his plans for the future, including the continued development of its Starship rocket and the joint Terafab facility with Tesla that aims to manufacture computer chips in the US. (6/8)

SpaceX IPO Demands Trust in Musk’s Entangled Empire (Source: Bloomberg)
The boundaries between Elon Musk’s companies are growing increasingly blurred through shared capital, talent and infrastructure. Investors must decide what that ecosystem is worth. SpaceX’s initial public offering is a bet on Elon Musk’s most audacious vision yet: an industrial empire combining hardware, software and artificial intelligence that brings rocket launches, satellites and computing resources into one sprawling conglomerate. (6/8)