ISS leak triggers suit-up & Starlink tops ten thousand satellites - Space News (Jun 6, 2026)

Swift space telescope rescue delayed & Launch industry updates Rocket Lab SpaceX - Space News (Jul 1, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Lindy is your ultimate AI assistant that proactively manages your inbox - https://try.lindy.ai/tad [https://try.lindy.ai/tad] - Invest Like the Pros with StockMVP - https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron [https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron] - Consensus: AI for Research. Get a free month - https://get.consensus.app/automated_daily [https://get.consensus.app/automated_daily] Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily [https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily] TODAY'S TOPICS: SWIFT SPACE TELESCOPE RESCUE DELAYED - NASA’S FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND SWIFT BOOST MISSION, USING THE PRIVATE LINK SPACECRAFT AND A PEGASUS XL ROCKET, HAS BEEN DELAYED BY POOR WEATHER, POSTPONING EFFORTS TO RAISE THE NEIL GEHRELS SWIFT OBSERVATORY’S ORBIT AND PREVENT IT FROM BURNING UP IN EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE. KEYWORDS: NASA SWIFT BOOST, PEGASUS XL, KATALYST SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, ORBITAL SERVICING, SPACE TELESCOPE RESCUE.[7][13][18][19] LAUNCH INDUSTRY UPDATES ROCKET LAB SPACEX - ROCKET LAB ABORTED A LAST-SECOND LAUNCH OF A JAPANESE RADAR EARTH-OBSERVATION SATELLITE, WHILE SPACEX PREPARES A LONE STARLINK MISSION FROM CALIFORNIA THIS WEEK, SHOWING BOTH THE CHALLENGES AND THE ROUTINE PACE OF COMMERCIAL LAUNCH ACTIVITY. KEYWORDS: ROCKET LAB ELECTRON, QPS-SAR-13 MIKURA-I, LAUNCH ABORT, SPACEX FALCON 9, STARLINK.[16][1][17] NASA OUTLINES FIRST MOON BASE MISSIONS - NASA HAS DETAILED THE FIRST THREE MOON BASE MISSIONS AND NEW CONTRACTS FOR LUNAR ROVERS AND CARGO LANDERS, MARKING A CONCRETE STEP TOWARD SUSTAINED OPERATIONS NEAR THE MOON’S SOUTH POLE UNDER THE ARTEMIS AND CLPS PROGRAMS. KEYWORDS: MOON BASE MISSIONS, BLUE ORIGIN, ASTROBOTIC, LUNAR TERRAIN VEHICLE, LUNAR SOUTH POLE.[12] WEBB AND MAVEN RESHAPE PLANETARY SCIENCE - A NEW JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE STUDY REVEALS HOW A PLANET SURVIVED THE DEATH OF ITS STAR, WHILE NASA FORMALLY ENDS THE MAVEN MISSION AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE OF INSIGHTS INTO MARS’ ATMOSPHERE, RESHAPING OUR VIEW OF PLANETARY EVOLUTION. KEYWORDS: JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE, WHITE DWARF, EXOPLANET SURVIVAL, MAVEN, MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE ESCAPE.[8][11] OCEAN SATELLITE TRACKS WILDFIRE SMOKE - AN OCEAN-MONITORING SATELLITE HAS TAKEN ON AN IMPORTANT SECONDARY ROLE BY SPOTTING WILDFIRE SMOKE FROM SPACE, UNDERSCORING HOW EARTH-OBSERVING MISSIONS CAN DOUBLE AS REAL-TIME CLIMATE AND DISASTER MONITORING TOOLS. KEYWORDS: OCEAN-MONITORING SATELLITE, WILDFIRE SMOKE, EARTH OBSERVATION, CLIMATE IMPACTS.[3][14] CHANDRA SHARES COSMIC ANNIVERSARY IMAGES - TO MARK THE 250TH BIRTHDAY OF THE UNITED STATES, NASA’S CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY RELEASED STRIKING RED, WHITE, AND BLUE IMAGES OF COSMIC OBJECTS INCLUDING CASSIOPEIA A AND DISTANT GALAXY CLUSTERS, TURNING HIGH-ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS INTO A VISUAL CELEBRATION. KEYWORDS: CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY, CASSIOPEIA A, GALAXY CLUSTER, ANNIVERSARY IMAGES, PUBLIC OUTREACH.[15] Episode Transcript Swift space telescope rescue delayed Let’s start with that unusual rescue mission, because it really marks a new chapter in how we care for spacecraft already in orbit.[7][13][18][19] NASA and its partners are trying to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a space telescope that has been watching high-energy events like gamma-ray bursts for nearly twenty-two years.[18][19] Swift’s orbit has slowly been decaying, and recent analyses showed it was dropping faster than expected, putting it on track to dip too deep into Earth’s atmosphere around October, where it would likely break apart.[19] Instead of letting it fall, NASA hired Arizona-based startup Katalyst Space Technologies to build a robotic servicing spacecraft called LINK that can rendezvous with Swift, latch on, and gently raise it back to roughly its original altitude.[18][19] The plan is to launch LINK on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket that is carried to altitude by an L‑1011 aircraft and then released over the Pacific near Kwajalein Atoll.[18] This air-launched rocket is making what is expected to be its final flight, adding a historic note to the mission.[18] LINK itself is roughly the size of a large household appliance but packed with guidance sensors, thrusters, and a capture mechanism designed to grab the telescope without damaging it.[19] Once attached, LINK will slowly fire its ion thrusters over several months to lift both spacecraft to a higher, more stable orbit, potentially extending Swift’s life into the 2030s if its systems keep working.[18][19] What changed in the last twenty-four hours is the schedule.[7][13] The mission, known as Swift Boost, was meant to get underway, but unfavorable weather at the launch site forced the team to scrub the first attempt.[13] NASA and its partners have now retargeted the launch for no earlier than July 1 local time at Kwajalein, around early morning Eastern time, depending on conditions.[7][13] It is a reminder that even with all the technology involved, something as simple as clouds and winds can still hold up a pioneering space operation. When it finally flies, Swift Boost will be the first time a private spacecraft attempts to capture and reboost a U.S. government science satellite on this scale, and its success or failure will shape how we think about repairing and maintaining aging missions in orbit.[7][18][19] Taken together, this story isn’t just about one telescope. It is about a broader shift toward treating orbit as a place where spacecraft can be serviced rather than simply abandoned, opening the door to more sustainable and long-lived space science in the years ahead.[18][19] Launch industry updates Rocket Lab SpaceX Staying with launch activity, but with a different outcome, Rocket Lab attempted to send a Japanese radar satellite into orbit and had to call it off at the very last moment.[16] The mission, nicknamed “The Grain Goddess Provides,” was scheduled to launch an Electron rocket from the company’s New Zealand site carrying QPS-SAR-13, a synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS.[16] The satellite, also known as Mikura-I after a goddess associated with abundance, is part of a growing constellation designed to deliver high-resolution radar images of Earth’s surface, day or night and through clouds.[16] With radar, these satellites can track everything from shipping traffic to land use and disaster impacts, complementing optical Earth-observation fleets.[16] Coverage was live and the countdown reached the final second when the attempt was aborted right before liftoff.[16] Rocket Lab has not yet shared detailed information about the cause, and there is no new launch date announced as of now.[16] While scrubs and aborts are a normal part of launch operations, a last-second halt like this tends to draw attention because all systems appear ready until something triggers an automatic stop.[16] For iQPS, the delay means waiting longer to add another radar node to its network, and for Rocket Lab, it is another test of its ability to diagnose and resolve issues quickly in a crowded small-launch market.[16] In the same commercial-launch arena, SpaceX is planning what amounts to a quieter week from its California site, with a single Falcon 9 Starlink mission slated just before the July 4 holiday.[1][17] The company’s manifest shows one upcoming Starlink launch from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg, continuing the expansion of its broadband satellite constellation but with less of the rapid-fire cadence we’ve seen in some recent months.[1][17] While routine on the surface, these missions keep adding coverage and capacity for global satellite internet, which remains a key part of the company’s business and of the broader trend toward low Earth orbit communications.[1][17] Together, these launch stories highlight both the reliability and the fragility of modern spaceflight. A single second can separate a flawless ascent from an unexpected abort, and yet the overall trend remains one of frequent, almost workmanlike trips to orbit for communications and Earth observation. NASA outlines first Moon Base missions From Earth orbit, let’s move outward to the Moon, where NASA has started to put more detail on its plans for a sustained presence near the lunar south pole.[12] In a recent event at NASA Headquarters, the agency outlined the first three missions in what it is calling its Moon Base campaign, along with new contracts for rovers and cargo landers to support both crewed and uncrewed operations.[12] The idea is to build up infrastructure and experience gradually, using commercial partners under the CLPS, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services, framework while preparing for future Artemis landings by around 2028.[12] The first mission, Moon Base I, is targeted for launch no earlier than fall 2026 and will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver NASA payloads to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge near the south pole.[12] Those payloads include instruments designed to study how rocket plumes interact with the lunar surface and a laser reflector array that helps orbiting spacecraft precisely locate themselves.[12] Later missions, Moon Base II and III, will send additional cargo, including rovers like Astrolab’s FLIP and scientific packages such as the Lunar Vertex investigation to study mysterious bright swirls on the Moon’s surface.[12] Alongside these missions, NASA has awarded significant contracts to companies building Lunar Terrain Vehicles, or LTVs, which will serve as transport for astronauts on the surface and as robotic explorers between crew visits.[12] Astrolab and Lunar Outpost secured Phase 1 awards worth more than two hundred million dollars each, with separate contracts to Blue Origin for delivering these rovers to the south polar region.[12] While the individual dollar amounts matter for the companies involved, the bigger picture is that NASA is leaning heavily on commercial partnerships to assemble a flexible fleet of landers and rovers, rather than building everything in-house.[12] For listeners, the key takeaway is that the Moon is shifting from being a destination visited occasionally to a place where multiple missions are coordinated to build up capabilities over time. If even part of this Moon Base roadmap unfolds as planned, the late 2020s could see a steady stream of robotic and human activity on and around the lunar surface, changing how we think about “living” and working off Earth.[12] Webb and MAVEN reshape planetary science The past day has also brought important updates in planetary science, both in our own solar system and beyond it.[8][11] On the exoplanet front, an international team using the James Webb Space Telescope has studied a planet that somehow survived the death of its parent star, effectively living through the star’s transformation into a white dwarf.[8] This kind of system offers a rare window into what might happen to planetary systems when their stars leave the main sequence and expand into red giants, a fate that awaits our own Sun billions of years from now.[8] By analyzing the planet’s atmosphere and orbit with Webb’s infrared instruments, scientists can test models of how close-in worlds respond to intense stellar winds and heat, and how any remaining atmospheres might be stripped or altered.[8] The findings help refine ideas about long-term planetary survival and the potential for habitable conditions to exist in more extreme environments than previously thought.[8] Closer to home, NASA has formally said farewell to MAVEN, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, after more than eleven years in orbit around the Red Planet.[11] MAVEN was the first mission devoted specifically to studying Mars’ upper atmosphere and how it has changed over time, with a particular focus on how the planet lost much of its early water and air to space.[11] Its instruments measured how solar wind and radiation interact with the Martian atmosphere, helping researchers estimate how much atmosphere Mars has lost over billions of years and why it transformed from a wetter world into the dry, cold planet we see today.[11] Recently, MAVEN experienced a serious anomaly when the spacecraft began rotating faster than its systems could handle, causing its batteries to drain and its communications hardware to lose power.[11] A review board determined that the spacecraft is not recoverable, and NASA has started the process of decommissioning the mission and archiving all its data for long-term use by the scientific community.[11] While it is always disappointing to lose a functioning spacecraft, MAVEN exceeded its original one-year mission by a full decade and leaves behind a rich dataset that will continue to inform Mars research and future exploration.[11] Together, Webb’s glimpse of a planet outliving its star and MAVEN’s decade-long record of Mars’ atmospheric escape tell a broader story about planetary evolution. They remind us that worlds are shaped over eons by both their stars and their own internal processes, and that today’s conditions on a planet are just one frame in a much longer cosmic film.[8][11] Ocean satellite tracks wildfire smoke Back on Earth, one of the more quietly important news items is about an ocean-monitoring satellite doing unexpected work as a wildfire smoke tracker.[3][14] A NASA satellite originally designed to study the oceans has been highlighting plumes of smoke from wildfires, producing striking images that show both the extent and the movement of these airborne pollutants.[3][14] In the most recent example, shared as Space.com’s photo of the day for July 1, the spacecraft captured smoke streaming across large regions, making it possible to see in a single frame what people on the ground experience as hazy skies and poor air quality.[3][14] Because the satellite regularly scans Earth’s surface and atmosphere, it provides a kind of real-time look at how fires interact with weather patterns and transport particles over long distances.[3][14] This is a case of a mission finding an unintended but important purpose. Instruments designed to measure ocean color and surface conditions are sensitive enough to pick up the signatures of smoke and aerosols in the atmosphere, allowing scientists to repurpose the data for air quality and climate impact studies.[3] For communities dealing with wildfire seasons that are longer and more intense, these kinds of observations help improve forecasting, health advisories, and our broader understanding of how fires fit into the changing climate system.[3][14] As Earth observation fleets grow, more satellites are likely to take on multiple roles like this, blending their original oceanographic or land-use missions with real-time monitoring of hazards and environmental change. It’s a reminder that space technology is not just about distant planets, but also about keeping a close eye on our own world. Chandra shares cosmic anniversary images We’ll close today with something visual and celebratory: new images from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory released to mark the 250th birthday of the United States.[15] Chandra has taken four of its high-energy views of the universe and rendered them in red, white, and blue, creating a set of cosmic “fireworks” that tie into the anniversary theme.[15] The images include the remnants of a massive star explosion known as Cassiopeia A, the star-forming region NGC 3603, the galaxy cluster ZwCl 0024+1652, and the spiral galaxy NGC 4736, also called M94.[15] Each of these objects is already scientifically rich, but in this release they are presented together in a grid, using color choices that connect the physics of supernovae and hot gas to a more familiar national palette.[15] Cassiopeia A, for example, shows the aftermath of a supernova, with shock waves and high-energy particles glowing in X-rays, while the galaxy cluster reveals how huge amounts of dark matter and gas shape the large-scale structure of the cosmos.[15] By translating those X-ray data into visually accessible images, Chandra’s team helps the public see beyond visible light and into regimes where temperature, density, and magnetic fields tell their own story.[15] The red, white, and blue rendering is not about scientific accuracy in terms of true color, but about creating a bridge between complex astrophysics and everyday cultural symbols.[15] For listeners, these images are a reminder that science communication can be both accurate and artistic. They invite people who might not follow technical papers or mission briefings to engage with the universe in a more intuitive way, which ultimately supports the broader goal of keeping space science part of the shared cultural conversation.[15] Subscribe to edition specific feeds: - Space news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/4cLLrdt] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/4jN8Dui] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_space] Spanish [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_es/feed.xml] French [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_fr/feed.xml] - Top news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3PTvdUF] Spanish [https://apple.co/3ECCMgk] French [https://apple.co/4hmcxbB] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3ZYXAW2] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/414h4JD] French [https://spoti.fi/3Di0jDe] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_fr] - Tech news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3RYWbg4] Spanish [https://apple.co/4i0WqRM] French [https://apple.co/4bEAXMm] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3S089pG] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3EE2Fwv] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3DlObRE] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_fr] - Hacker news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/48QWyzj] Spanish [https://apple.co/4ke9jtE] French [https://apple.co/41E1qFd] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/45zD1kf] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/4hF8h81] French [https://spoti.fi/3QY26Ak] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_fr] - AI news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3M6Tg1o] Spanish [https://apple.co/4315L7Y] French [https://apple.co/3DkZbPb] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3tzOfrz] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/416m40q] French [https://spoti.fi/41HuJGW] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_ai] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_es_ai] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_fr_ai] Visit our website at https://theautomateddaily.com/ [ https://theautomateddaily.com/] Send feedback to feedback@theautomateddaily.com Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheAutomatedDaily] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-automated-daily/] X (Twitter) [https://x.com/automated_daily]

Swift Boost launch delayed again & Robot tug to save Swift - Space News (Jun 30, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Consensus: AI for Research. Get a free month - https://get.consensus.app/automated_daily [https://get.consensus.app/automated_daily] - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad [https://try.krispcall.com/tad] - Prezi: Create AI presentations fast - https://try.prezi.com/automated_daily [https://try.prezi.com/automated_daily] Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily [https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily] TODAY'S TOPICS: SWIFT BOOST LAUNCH DELAYED AGAIN - NASA HAS POSTPONED THE SWIFT BOOST MISSION LAUNCH DUE TO UNFAVORABLE WEATHER, WITH THE NEXT ATTEMPT NO EARLIER THAN JULY 1, 2026. THE MISSION WILL SEND THE LINK SERVICING SPACECRAFT TO HELP PREVENT THE NEIL GEHRELS SWIFT OBSERVATORY FROM RE-ENTERING EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE. ROBOT TUG TO SAVE SWIFT - SWIFT BOOST IS A ROBOTIC ON-ORBIT SERVICING MISSION IN LOW EARTH ORBIT, WHERE THE LINK SPACECRAFT IS DESIGNED TO RENDEZVOUS WITH, GRAPPLE, AND RAISE THE ORBIT OF NASA’S SWIFT SPACE TELESCOPE. IF SUCCESSFUL, IT HIGHLIGHTS A GROWING SHIFT TOWARD SATELLITE LIFE-EXTENSION AND SPACE SUSTAINABILITY INSTEAD OF LETTING VALUABLE SPACECRAFT DEORBIT. ISS SPACEWALK TO FIX CANADARM2 - ASTRONAUTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ARE FINALIZING PREPARATIONS FOR A JUNE 30, 2026 SPACEWALK TO REPAIR CANADARM2, THE STATION’S VITAL ROBOTIC ARM. NASA HAS CLEARED THE CREW TO REPLACE A MALFUNCTIONING WRIST JOINT SO THE ARM CAN KEEP SUPPORTING STATION OPERATIONS. CANADARM2 MAINTENANCE KEEPS ISS RUNNING - CANADARM2 IS CENTRAL TO ISS OPERATIONS, FROM MOVING HARDWARE TO SUPPORTING VISITING VEHICLE ACTIVITIES, AND A FAILING JOINT CAN LIMIT THE STATION’S CAPABILITIES. THIS MAINTENANCE-FOCUSED EVA UNDERSCORES HOW THE ISS IS DESIGNED TO BE REPAIRED AND KEPT OPERATIONAL FOR DECADES. STRAWBERRY MICROMOON SKYWATCHING TONIGHT - JUNE’S FULL STRAWBERRY MOON IS ALSO A MICROMOON, MEANING THE MOON IS NEAR APOGEE AND APPEARS SLIGHTLY SMALLER AND DIMMER THAN AVERAGE. IT’S ALSO DESCRIBED AS THE LAST MICROMOON OF 2026, OFFERING AN EASY, PUBLIC-FRIENDLY ASTRONOMY MOMENT FOR SKYWATCHERS. Episode Transcript Swift Boost launch delayed again NASA has postponed today’s planned launch of Swift Boost, a mission built around a simple but striking idea: send up a robotic spacecraft to physically grab an aging space telescope and raise its orbit to keep it alive. The target is the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004 and famous for catching sudden, high-energy cosmic events like gamma-ray bursts. After more than two decades in low Earth orbit, Swift’s altitude has been slowly dropping due to atmospheric drag, and without intervention it’s expected to re-enter later this year. The plan is for a servicing spacecraft called LINK to rendezvous with Swift, grapple it with robotic arms, and gradually boost it to a higher, more stable orbit over the following months. The newest update is straightforward: the launch was postponed because of unfavorable weather, and the next attempt is now no earlier than Wednesday, July 1. It’s a reminder that even the most futuristic “space tug” missions still start with something very Earth-bound: waiting for the sky to cooperate. Robot tug to save Swift Up on the International Space Station, the focus is on hands-on maintenance. NASA says astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir have been finishing suit configurations and reviewing procedures ahead of a June 30 spacewalk scheduled to begin at 8:35 a.m. Eastern, with about six hours and forty minutes planned outside. Their main job is to replace a malfunctioning wrist joint on Canadarm2, the station’s long-serving robotic arm that’s been in operation since 2001. Canadarm2 is one of the ISS’s most practical tools—used to move hardware around the exterior and support a wide range of station tasks—so keeping its joints healthy matters for daily operations and long-term station reliability. The pre-spacewalk checks also include safety gear like the small spacesuit jetpack used as a last-resort way to get back to the station if an astronaut ever became untethered. While two crew members prepare to work outside, others continue the inside work of keeping experiments running and systems maintained, which is basically the ISS in a nutshell: constant operations, layered on top of occasional headline-making moments. ISS spacewalk to fix Canadarm2 Finally, something you can take part in without a mission patch: June’s full Moon, often called the Strawberry Moon, is also a micromoon this year. “Strawberry Moon” is a seasonal name tied to the time of year when wild strawberries traditionally ripen in parts of North America, not a promise that the Moon will look pink. The micromoon part comes from timing: the full Moon is occurring near apogee, the farthest point in the Moon’s orbit, so it appears slightly smaller and a bit dimmer than an average full Moon. Outreach posts have also framed this as the last micromoon of 2026, since later full Moons won’t line up as closely with that far-point timing. The difference is subtle to the naked eye, but it’s a neat excuse to step outside around sunset, watch the Moon rise, and remember that even familiar sky events have their own small variations from month to month. Subscribe to edition specific feeds: - Space news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/4cLLrdt] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/4jN8Dui] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_space] Spanish [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_es/feed.xml] French [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_fr/feed.xml] - Top news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3PTvdUF] Spanish [https://apple.co/3ECCMgk] French [https://apple.co/4hmcxbB] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3ZYXAW2] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/414h4JD] French [https://spoti.fi/3Di0jDe] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_fr] - Tech news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3RYWbg4] Spanish [https://apple.co/4i0WqRM] French [https://apple.co/4bEAXMm] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3S089pG] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3EE2Fwv] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3DlObRE] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_fr] - Hacker news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/48QWyzj] Spanish [https://apple.co/4ke9jtE] French [https://apple.co/41E1qFd] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/45zD1kf] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/4hF8h81] French [https://spoti.fi/3QY26Ak] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_fr] - AI news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3M6Tg1o] Spanish [https://apple.co/4315L7Y] French [https://apple.co/3DkZbPb] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3tzOfrz] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/416m40q] French [https://spoti.fi/41HuJGW] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_ai] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_es_ai] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_fr_ai] Visit our website at https://theautomateddaily.com/ [ https://theautomateddaily.com/] Send feedback to feedback@theautomateddaily.com Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheAutomatedDaily] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-automated-daily/] X (Twitter) [https://x.com/automated_daily]

Strawberry Micromoon peaks tonight & SiriusXM SXM-11 launched to GEO - Space News (Jun 29, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Invest Like the Pros with StockMVP - https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron [https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron] - Discover the Future of AI Audio with ElevenLabs - https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad [https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad] - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad [https://try.krispcall.com/tad] Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily [https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily] TODAY'S TOPICS: STRAWBERRY MICROMOON PEAKS TONIGHT - THE JUNE 29, 2026 STRAWBERRY FULL MOON PEAKS TONIGHT—AND IT’S ALSO A MICROMOON, OCCURRING NEAR LUNAR APOGEE. LEARN WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE MOON’S APPARENT SIZE AND THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY THE VIEW. SIRIUSXM SXM-11 LAUNCHED TO GEO - SPACEX LAUNCHED SIRIUSXM’S SXM-11 COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE ON FALCON 9 FROM CAPE CANAVERAL, CONTINUING A MAJOR REFRESH OF SATELLITE RADIO INFRASTRUCTURE. THE MISSION SUPPORTS LONG-TERM RELIABILITY FOR SIRIUSXM’S GEOSTATIONARY BROADCAST SERVICE ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. STARLINK 17-40 ADDS 24 SATELLITES - A FALCON 9 FROM VANDENBERG DEPLOYED 24 NEW STARLINK SATELLITES, MARKING ANOTHER STEP IN THE RAPID EXPANSION OF LOW EARTH ORBIT BROADBAND. THE FLIGHT ALSO HIGHLIGHTS SPACEX’S HIGH-CADENCE OPERATIONS AND ROUTINE BOOSTER REUSE. APOD SPOTLIGHTS GALAXY M82 WIND - NASA’S ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR JUNE 29 FEATURES THE STARBURST GALAXY M82 AND ITS DRAMATIC SUPERGALACTIC WIND. THE IMAGE OFFERS A VIVID WINDOW INTO HOW INTENSE STAR FORMATION CAN DRIVE GALAXY-SCALE OUTFLOWS THAT SHAPE EVOLUTION OVER TIME. NASA PARTNERS WITH SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION - NASA AND THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ARE SET TO SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT AIMED AT STRENGTHENING PATHWAYS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO WORK WITH NASA. THE MOVE SIGNALS CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON BROADENING PARTICIPATION ACROSS THE SPACE SUPPLY CHAIN. ESA CLEAN SPACE DAYS 2026 BEGINS - ESA’S CLEAN SPACE DAYS 2026 OPENS AT ESTEC IN THE NETHERLANDS, SPOTLIGHTING DEBRIS MITIGATION AND SUSTAINABLE MISSION DESIGN. THE CONFERENCE REFLECTS GROWING INTERNATIONAL FOCUS ON KEEPING EARTH ORBITS SAFE AND USABLE AS LAUNCH RATES RISE. Episode Transcript Strawberry Micromoon peaks tonight First up, a skywatching note you can actually use today. The June Strawberry Full Moon peaks shortly before 8 p.m. Eastern, and this one is also a micromoon—meaning the full Moon happens near apogee, when the Moon is farthest from Earth. The result is a Moon that’s subtly smaller and dimmer than average, though most people won’t notice without side-by-side comparisons. The takeaway is simple: it’s still a full Moon worth seeing, and it’s a nice reminder that the Moon’s orbit isn’t a perfect circle. SiriusXM SXM-11 launched to GEO Now to launches. Late Sunday night, SpaceX flew a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 carrying SiriusXM’s SXM-11 satellite. The payload is a high-capacity communications spacecraft headed for geostationary orbit, part of SiriusXM’s effort to refresh satellites that have been working since the late 2000s. In practical terms, this is the kind of infrastructure maintenance that keeps satellite radio service steady for millions of listeners across North America. Starlink 17-40 adds 24 satellites Earlier Sunday, SpaceX also launched a separate Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California: Starlink 17-40. The rocket deployed 24 Starlink broadband satellites to low Earth orbit, adding capacity and redundancy to an already huge constellation. The flight also underscored how normalized booster reuse has become, with the first stage flying again on a high flight count—one more indicator that rapid launch cadence is now a defining feature of today’s orbital economy. APOD spotlights galaxy M82 wind For a quick deep-space pivot, NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for June 29 highlights M82—the Cigar Galaxy—caught in a powerful starburst phase. The featured view emphasizes reddish filaments streaming out above and below the galaxy’s disk, a galaxy-scale outflow often described as a supergalactic wind. It’s driven by the combined energy of intense star formation and supernovae, and it’s a striking example of how galaxies can actively reshape themselves by pushing gas—and future star-making material—out into surrounding space. NASA partners with Small Business Administration In U.S. space policy and industry news, NASA is scheduled to sign a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration today at NASA Headquarters. While the ceremony itself is brief, the signal is important: NASA is continuing to formalize support structures that help small businesses connect to agency programs, compete for work, and contribute specialized technology and services. Over time, partnerships like this can widen who gets to participate in NASA’s mission pipeline—and where innovation comes from. ESA Clean Space Days 2026 begins And in Europe, ESA’s Clean Space Days 2026 opens today at ESTEC in the Netherlands, running through July 3. The focus is sustainability: reducing debris risk, improving end-of-life planning, and encouraging eco-design choices that limit long-term harm to the orbital environment and the broader footprint of space activity. With more satellites launching to both low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit, events like this are where engineers, operators, and policymakers compare approaches to keeping space usable and safe as traffic continues to rise. Subscribe to edition specific feeds: - Space news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/4cLLrdt] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/4jN8Dui] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_space] Spanish [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_es/feed.xml] French [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_fr/feed.xml] - Top news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3PTvdUF] Spanish [https://apple.co/3ECCMgk] French [https://apple.co/4hmcxbB] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3ZYXAW2] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/414h4JD] French [https://spoti.fi/3Di0jDe] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_fr] - Tech news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3RYWbg4] Spanish [https://apple.co/4i0WqRM] French [https://apple.co/4bEAXMm] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3S089pG] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3EE2Fwv] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3DlObRE] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_fr] - Hacker news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/48QWyzj] Spanish [https://apple.co/4ke9jtE] French [https://apple.co/41E1qFd] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/45zD1kf] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/4hF8h81] French [https://spoti.fi/3QY26Ak] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_fr] - AI news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3M6Tg1o] Spanish [https://apple.co/4315L7Y] French [https://apple.co/3DkZbPb] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3tzOfrz] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/416m40q] French [https://spoti.fi/41HuJGW] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_ai] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_es_ai] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_fr_ai] Visit our website at https://theautomateddaily.com/ [ https://theautomateddaily.com/] Send feedback to feedback@theautomateddaily.com Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheAutomatedDaily] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-automated-daily/] X (Twitter) [https://x.com/automated_daily]

Gravitational waves probe event horizons & Young supernova remnant near Sgr A* - Space News (Jun 28, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - SurveyMonkey, Using AI to surface insights faster and reduce manual analysis time - https://get.surveymonkey.com/tad [https://get.surveymonkey.com/tad] - Invest Like the Pros with StockMVP - https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron [https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron] - Discover the Future of AI Audio with ElevenLabs - https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad [https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad] Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily [https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily] TODAY'S TOPICS: GRAVITATIONAL WAVES PROBE EVENT HORIZONS - A RECORD-STRONG LIGO EVENT, GW250114, IS BEING USED TO EXTRACT THE CLEAREST GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE EVIDENCE YET OF PHYSICS OCCURRING EXTREMELY CLOSE TO A BLACK HOLE’S EVENT HORIZON. THE RESULTS STRENGTHEN TESTS OF GENERAL RELATIVITY BY READING HORIZON-SCALE SIGNATURES IN THE POST-MERGER RINGDOWN. YOUNG SUPERNOVA REMNANT NEAR SGR A* - CHANDRA AND XMM-NEWTON DATA POINT TO A POSSIBLE SUPERNOVA REMNANT IN THE SAGITTARIUS C REGION NEAR THE MILKY WAY’S CENTRAL BLACK HOLE, SAGITTARIUS A*. IF CONFIRMED, THE ROUGHLY 1,700-YEAR-OLD REMNANT WOULD ILLUMINATE HOW STAR DEATH, SHOCKS, AND CHEMICAL ENRICHMENT SHAPE THE GALACTIC CENTER ENVIRONMENT. ASTEROID 1997 NC1 FLIES BY - A ROUGHLY KILOMETER-WIDE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ASTEROID, 1997 NC1, PASSED EARTH SAFELY AT ABOUT 1.5 MILLION MILES, OFFERING A REAL-WORLD PLANETARY-DEFENSE CASE STUDY. THE FLYBY HIGHLIGHTED BOTH EFFECTIVE TRACKING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUED DETECTION AND ORBIT REFINEMENT FOR NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS. ROBOTIC MISSION TO BOOST SWIFT - NASA AND COMMERCIAL PARTNER KATALYST SPACE ARE PREPARING A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ROBOTIC SERVICING ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE THE AGING SWIFT OBSERVATORY AND RAISE ITS ORBIT. THE SWIFT BOOST PLAN AIMS TO EXTEND A KEY HIGH-ENERGY ASTRONOMY MISSION WHILE DEMONSTRATING NEW TOOLS FOR SPACE SUSTAINABILITY. LAUNCH CADENCE, ROMAN, SKYWATCHING HIGHLIGHTS - LATE JUNE 2026 COMBINED HIGH LAUNCH TEMPO AND BIG UPCOMING SCIENCE, INCLUDING ROMAN SPACE TELESCOPE PRELAUNCH PROCESSING, WITH PUBLIC SKY EVENTS LIKE PLANETARY CONJUNCTIONS AND A MOON–VENUS OCCULTATION. THE MIX SHOWS HOW CUTTING-EDGE MISSIONS, COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS, AND BACKYARD OBSERVING INCREASINGLY INTERTWINE. Episode Transcript Gravitational waves probe event horizons First up: a milestone for gravitational-wave astronomy. Researchers analyzing LIGO’s exceptionally strong event GW250114—detected in January 2025 and described as the strongest gravitational-wave signal recorded so far—report they can isolate the final “direct waves” right after the merger. That late-time burst carries unusually clean information from the remnant black hole’s near-horizon region, letting the team read out details consistent with a Kerr black hole, including signatures tied to extreme frame dragging. The bigger picture is that gravitational waves are shifting from simply confirming black hole mergers to doing precision tests of spacetime dynamics right at the boundary we call an event horizon. Young supernova remnant near Sgr A* Next: a potential new supernova remnant close to the Milky Way’s center. Using X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra observatory, along with ESA’s XMM-Newton, astronomers identified an X-ray “blob” in the Sagittarius C complex that looks embedded in expanding gas. The interpretation is cautious, but the spectra and morphology are consistent with shock-heated remnant material from a massive star that exploded roughly 1,700 years ago, with expansion speeds cited around 3.2 million kilometers per hour. If confirmed, it’s a fresh data point for how supernova feedback and heavy-element enrichment operate in the crowded, energetic environment not far from Sagittarius A*. Asteroid 1997 NC1 flies by Now to planetary defense, with a reassuring but instructive flyby. On June 27, 2026, the near-Earth asteroid 1997 NC1—estimated around one kilometer wide—passed Earth at about 1.5 million miles, nearly seven times the Moon’s distance, with no risk of impact. It’s classified as an Aten-type, Earth-crossing object and carries the “potentially hazardous” label because of its orbit and size, not because of any imminent threat. For skywatchers, reports noted it could be tracked as a faint, star-like point with modest telescopes, making it a practical reminder that many significant objects move through our neighborhood routinely—and that systematic surveys and careful orbit modeling are what turn scary headlines into clear probabilities. Robotic mission to boost Swift One of the most operationally ambitious stories is NASA’s Swift Boost effort. The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, is gradually losing altitude due to atmospheric drag, raising the likelihood of an uncontrolled reentry without action. NASA’s plan is to use a commercial robotic servicing spacecraft called Link, built by Katalyst Space, to rendezvous with Swift, grapple a satellite that was never designed for servicing, and then slowly raise its orbit—reports describe a boost to around 370 miles over a period of months. Beyond extending Swift’s science, the point is bigger: if this kind of “retroactive servicing” works, it becomes a template for managing aging satellites, reducing debris risk, and making on-orbit logistics a routine capability rather than a one-off stunt. Launch cadence, Roman, skywatching highlights Finally, the broader late-June backdrop: high launch cadence, big observatories nearing the pad, and public sky events that keep space science grounded in everyday experience. Launches and constellation deployments continued at pace, while NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope advanced through prelaunch milestones ahead of a planned late-summer 2026 launch window on Falcon Heavy. Meanwhile, the night sky offered attention-grabbers like tight planetary conjunctions and a Moon–Venus occultation visible from parts of the Americas, plus the seasonal marker of the June solstice. The common thread is connectivity—between discovery science, operational spaceflight, and public-facing observing—and how quickly each now amplifies the other. Subscribe to edition specific feeds: - Space news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/4cLLrdt] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/4jN8Dui] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_space] Spanish [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_es/feed.xml] French [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_fr/feed.xml] - Top news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3PTvdUF] Spanish [https://apple.co/3ECCMgk] French [https://apple.co/4hmcxbB] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3ZYXAW2] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/414h4JD] French [https://spoti.fi/3Di0jDe] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_fr] - Tech news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3RYWbg4] Spanish [https://apple.co/4i0WqRM] French [https://apple.co/4bEAXMm] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3S089pG] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3EE2Fwv] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3DlObRE] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_fr] - Hacker news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/48QWyzj] Spanish [https://apple.co/4ke9jtE] French [https://apple.co/41E1qFd] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/45zD1kf] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/4hF8h81] French [https://spoti.fi/3QY26Ak] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_fr] - AI news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3M6Tg1o] Spanish [https://apple.co/4315L7Y] French [https://apple.co/3DkZbPb] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3tzOfrz] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/416m40q] French [https://spoti.fi/41HuJGW] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_ai] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_es_ai] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_fr_ai] Visit our website at https://theautomateddaily.com/ [ https://theautomateddaily.com/] Send feedback to feedback@theautomateddaily.com Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheAutomatedDaily] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-automated-daily/] X (Twitter) [https://x.com/automated_daily]

Puffiest cotton-candy exoplanets discovered & NASA selects lunar rover teams - Space News (Jun 27, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Consensus: AI for Research. Get a free month - https://get.consensus.app/automated_daily [https://get.consensus.app/automated_daily] - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad [https://try.krispcall.com/tad] - Discover the Future of AI Audio with ElevenLabs - https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad [https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad] Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily [https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily] TODAY'S TOPICS: PUFFIEST COTTON-CANDY EXOPLANETS DISCOVERED - NASA’S TESS MISSION HAS REVEALED TWO SUPER-PUFF EXOPLANETS, TOI-791 B AND C, WITH JUPITER-LIKE SIZES BUT ONLY A FEW PERCENT OF JUPITER’S MASS. THE DISCOVERY CHALLENGES PLANET-FORMATION MODELS AND SETS UP PRIME TARGETS FOR FUTURE ATMOSPHERE STUDIES. NASA SELECTS LUNAR ROVER TEAMS - NASA HAS CHOSEN ASTROLAB AND LUNAR OUTPOST TO DEVELOP LUNAR TERRAIN VEHICLES TO SUPPORT ARTEMIS SURFACE OPERATIONS NEAR THE MOON’S SOUTH POLE. THE MOVE STRENGTHENS PLANS FOR SUSTAINED LUNAR EXPLORATION BY ADVANCING PRACTICAL MOBILITY FOR ASTRONAUTS AND EQUIPMENT. ARTEMIS II ROCKET REACHES PAD - NASA HAS ROLLED THE ARTEMIS II ROCKET AND ORION SPACECRAFT TO THE LAUNCH PAD IN A MAJOR READINESS MILESTONE. PAD OPERATIONS AND INTEGRATED TESTING NOW TAKE CENTER STAGE AS THE FIRST CREWED ARTEMIS MISSION APPROACHES. ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES RADAR SATELLITE - ROCKET LAB’S ELECTRON HAS LAUNCHED SYNSPECTIVE’S TENTH STRIX SYNTHETIC-APERTURE RADAR SATELLITE, EXPANDING AN ALL-WEATHER EARTH-OBSERVATION CONSTELLATION. MORE SAR COVERAGE CAN IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING AND SPEED UP DISASTER-RESPONSE MAPPING. NEON AURORAS CAPTURED FROM ORBIT - VIVID GREEN, PURPLE, AND RED AURORAS SEEN FROM ORBIT HIGHLIGHT ACTIVE SPACE WEATHER AND EARTH’S MAGNETIC SHIELDING IN ACTION. THESE DISPLAYS ARE ALSO A REMINDER THAT SOLAR ACTIVITY CAN INFLUENCE SATELLITES, COMMUNICATIONS, AND POWER SYSTEMS. Episode Transcript Puffiest cotton-candy exoplanets discovered Astronomers analyzing observations from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, TESS, report two extraordinarily low-density exoplanets: TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c. Both are roughly Jupiter-sized by radius, but their measured masses are only a small fraction of Jupiter’s—putting them in the “super-puff” category with densities compared to cotton candy. Follow-up observations, including work with the ASTEP telescope in Antarctica, helped confirm the planets and refine their properties. The big scientific question now is how such balloon-like worlds form and survive: are they inflated by heat, shaped by migration history, or actively shedding atmosphere? Either way, their huge, low-gravity atmospheres make them compelling targets for future atmospheric spectroscopy. NASA selects lunar rover teams NASA is making its lunar surface plans more concrete by selecting two teams—Astrolab and Lunar Outpost—to develop next-generation lunar terrain vehicles. These unpressurized rovers are intended to expand astronaut range and capability near the lunar south pole, turning “walkable” exploration into true regional fieldwork with tools, instruments, and sample return logistics. The selections also reflect a push for resilience through multiple providers, a practical choice when surface mobility becomes mission-critical. The vehicles are expected to be delivered ahead of later Artemis surface operations, supporting the broader goal of sustained human activity on the Moon rather than brief, isolated visits. Artemis II rocket reaches pad In another Artemis milestone, NASA has rolled the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft out to the launch pad, showcased in an extended time-lapse. This step marks a transition into intensive pad processing, where integrated checks and rehearsals validate systems before a launch attempt. Artemis II is designed as the first crewed flight in the Artemis campaign, sending astronauts on a trip around the Moon and back to prove out deep-space crew operations, navigation, and reentry performance. Seeing the stack on the pad is a visible reminder that the program advances through incremental, test-driven milestones—each one reducing risk for the missions that follow. Rocket Lab launches radar satellite Rocket Lab has successfully launched an Electron rocket on the “Ten Owl of Ten” mission, deploying Synspective’s tenth StriX synthetic-aperture radar satellite into low Earth orbit. SAR satellites are valuable because they can “see” through clouds and operate at night, making them particularly useful for change detection, infrastructure monitoring, and rapid mapping after disasters like floods or earthquakes. Adding satellites to the constellation improves revisit time, which can mean faster updates when conditions are changing on the ground. It’s also another data point in how commercial launch providers and commercial Earth-observation constellations increasingly support real-world decision-making beyond the space sector. Neon auroras captured from orbit Finally, new images of auroras from orbit show striking bands of neon green with purples and reds—evidence of charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth’s upper atmosphere along magnetic field lines. The colors reflect different atmospheric gases and altitudes being energized during geomagnetic activity. Beyond the beauty, auroras are a visible signal of space weather conditions that can affect satellites, increase atmospheric drag in low Earth orbit, and disrupt communications or power infrastructure during stronger events. In other words, the light show is also a space-environment status update—one that connects solar activity directly to the technology we rely on every day. Subscribe to edition specific feeds: - Space news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/4cLLrdt] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/4jN8Dui] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_space] Spanish [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_es/feed.xml] French [https://theautomateddaily.com/space_fr/feed.xml] - Top news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3PTvdUF] Spanish [https://apple.co/3ECCMgk] French [https://apple.co/4hmcxbB] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3ZYXAW2] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/414h4JD] French [https://spoti.fi/3Di0jDe] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_news_fr] - Tech news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3RYWbg4] Spanish [https://apple.co/4i0WqRM] French [https://apple.co/4bEAXMm] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3S089pG] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3EE2Fwv] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/3DlObRE] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_tech_fr] - Hacker news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/48QWyzj] Spanish [https://apple.co/4ke9jtE] French [https://apple.co/41E1qFd] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/45zD1kf] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/4hF8h81] French [https://spoti.fi/3QY26Ak] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_es] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hacker_news_fr] - AI news * Apple Podcast English [https://apple.co/3M6Tg1o] Spanish [https://apple.co/4315L7Y] French [https://apple.co/3DkZbPb] * Spotify English [https://spoti.fi/3tzOfrz] Spanish [https://spoti.fi/416m40q] French [https://spoti.fi/41HuJGW] * RSS English [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_ai] Spanish [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_es_ai] French [https://bit.ly/the_automated_daily_hackernews_fr_ai] Visit our website at https://theautomateddaily.com/ [ https://theautomateddaily.com/] Send feedback to feedback@theautomateddaily.com Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheAutomatedDaily] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-automated-daily/] X (Twitter) [https://x.com/automated_daily]