Hey there! I've been thinking a lot about how fast things are moving lately. A few years ago, half of this stuff would've sounded like science fiction. Now it's just... Wednesday. Strange and exciting in equal measure. Let's get into it.
Here's whats orbiting in today's issue:
🌙 NASA funds four new Moon landers
🌌 Ancient galaxy found near Andromeda
🔭 Super Earth's life odds improve
✨ Chandra's patriotic cosmic portrait
🔴 Red galaxies may emit neutrinos
📸 Image of the Day
In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has unveiled four cosmic images rendered in red, white, and blue that represent the wonders of the universe that NASA explores. | Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO
🌙 NASA Selects 3 Companies for 4 New Moon Base Missions in 2028 Read More
NASA's Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate awarded CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) contracts to three companies for lunar deliveries supporting the agency's Moon Base Program infrastructure development.
Astrobotic received $297.9 million for two deliveries, while Firefly Aerospace secured $144.2 million and Intuitive Machines $148.3 million for single payload deliveries in late 2028.
NASA plans to deploy PROMISE, a hybrid rover based on Perseverance and Curiosity designs, for polar resource prospecting, according to Moon Base acting director Ryan Stephan.
🚀 Upcoming Launches
Swift Boost Mission | Pegasus XL | 2026-07-01 | 05:43 EST | Air launch to orbit
Long March 4C | 2026-07-01 | 19:45 EST | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Starlink Group 17-46 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | 2026-07-01 | 22:00 EST | Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Amazon Leo (LA-08) | Atlas V 551 | 2026-07-02 | 00:24 EST | Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Long March 8A | 2026-07-02 | 09:50 EST | Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
🌌 Astronomers Discover Ultra-Faint Galaxy Near Andromeda 12.5 Billion Years Old Read More
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía researchers led by Joanna Sakowska discovered And XXXVI, an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy orbiting Andromeda that formed approximately 12.5 billion years ago.
Gran Telescopio Canarias observations using the OSIRIS+ instrument identified only 46 individual stars within the galaxy, located 119 kiloparsecs in projected distance from M31.
Leibniz Institute co-author Isabel Santos-Santos notes each discovery tests Lambda Cold Dark Matter cosmological models predicting hundreds of undetected faint satellite companions around Andromeda.
🔭 Nearby Super Earth 25 Light-Years Away May Support Life Read More
University of California, Irvine astronomer Paul Robertson led a team studying GJ 3378b, a super-Earth exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star just 25 light-years away in Camelopardalis.
The Habitable-zone Planet Finder instrument on McDonald Observatory's 10-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope refined the planet's mass to 2.3 times Earth's mass with a 21-day orbit.
UT Austin's Michael Endl states this discovery advances reconnaissance for future biosignature detection by the Giant Magellan Telescope's 24-meter mirror and Habitable Worlds Observatory.
📅 Today in Space History
On July 1, 2004, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft entered orbit around Saturn, becoming the first probe to do so. Over its 13-year mission, Cassini revolutionized our understanding of Saturn and its moons, returning stunning images of the planet's rings and discovering new moons, as well as evidence of a subsurface ocean on Enceladus.
✨ NASA Releases Stunning X-Ray Images for US Semiquincentennial Read More
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory team released four patriotic cosmic images combining X-ray, infrared, and optical data to celebrate the United States semiquincentennial anniversary celebration.
Cassiopeia A imagery layers Chandra X-rays showing iron, calcium, and oxygen debris with JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) infrared data revealing expanding supernova shell material.
The Chandra X-ray Center collaboration produced sonifications translating NGC 3603, Messier 94, and galaxy cluster ZwCl 0024+1652 data into sound as part of NASA's Universe of Learning.
🔴 James Webb Discovers Little Red Dots May Be Sending Us Neutrinos Read More
Kyoto University researchers led by Riku Kuze investigated whether Little Red Dots, small high-redshift galaxies discovered by JWST, could be hidden high-energy neutrino sources.
Numerical calculations modeled particle acceleration within dense gas envelopes surrounding buried supermassive black holes, where gamma rays remain trapped while neutrinos escape detection barriers.
The team's Physical Review D study demonstrates Little Red Dots could explain portions of Earth's observed all-sky neutrino background without exceeding measured gamma ray limits.
❓ Question of the Day
What's older: you or that 12.5-billion-year-old galaxy?
Send us a reply with your answer!
Hope something in here sparked a little wonder. That's the goal, anyway. Thanks for letting me land in your inbox.
NASA
Clear skies ahead,
— Zapp
P.S. What do you think about the Elon’s SpaceX IPO Bonus structure? Leave me a comment!
Cover Image Credit: NASA
