Hey there! I was halfway through editing this issue when I had to stop and text a friend about one of these stories. That's usually how I know it's a good week. When I can't keep the news to myself. Glad you're here to geek out with me.
Here's whats orbiting in today's issue:
🔭 NASA preps Roman Telescope launch
⭐ Milky Way's fastest star found
🚀 ESA shelves Ariane 6 upgrades
☄️ How space rocks become meteorites
🌌 Telescopes shatter blazar distance record
📸 Image of the Day
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is encapsulated within the payload fairing at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of mating to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for launch. | Credit: NASA/Sydney Rohde (Rocz)
🔭 NASA Sets Launch Coverage for Roman Space Telescope Mission Read More
NASA and SpaceX are targeting the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launch for August 30 aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A.
Roman's infrared camera offers a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble's, enabling sweeping surveys while traveling to the L2 Lagrange point approximately one million miles from Earth.
The five-year primary mission will investigate dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets, with all science data becoming publicly available after processing, according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
🚀 Upcoming Launches
Starlink Group 15-22 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | 2026-08-26 | 05:27 EST | Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
MTG-I2 | Ariane 62 | 2026-08-27 | 16:10 EST | Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
⭐ Astronomers Detect Fastest Known Star in Milky Way Galaxy Read More
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics researchers discovered S301, the fastest and closest known star orbiting Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole.
S301 travels at approximately 25,000 kilometers per second, completing its highly eccentric orbit in just 8.7 years while approaching within 12 Earth-Sun distances of the black hole.
University College London astrophysicist Dr. Ziri Younsi called measuring the black hole's spin via S301's orbit a potential gamechanger for understanding Milky Way evolution.
🚀 ESA Confirms Ariane 6 Block 3 Upgrades Have Been Shelved Read More
ESA confirmed to European Spaceflight that Ariane 6 Block 3 development has been shelved, stating there is currently no programme need or justification for the evolution.
Member states committed only €145.94 million of the requested €304.4 million Ariane 6 adaptations envelope at CM25, leaving the ICARUS lightweight upper stage without approved development activities.
ESA indicates Ariane 6 will continue evolving for new mission requirements, including potential human spaceflight capability launching European astronauts from European territory aboard European vehicles.
📅 Today in Space History
On August 26, 1981, Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Saturn, passing within 101,000 kilometers of the planet's cloud tops. The flyby revealed fine detail in Saturn's ring system, discovered several new moons, and examined the thick atmosphere of the moon Titan. Voyager 2 then continued on its trajectory toward Uranus.
☄️ Scientists Identify 7 Processes That Transform Space Rocks Into Meteorites Read More
SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center meteor astronomer Dr. Peter Jenniskens led analysis of 75 meteorite falls captured on video, identifying seven distinct atmospheric entry phases.
Researchers found rocks can lose up to 40 percent of mass from melting alone, with fragmentation beginning when air pressure reaches only one-fifth of measured meteorite strength.
The findings apply to dangerous airbursting asteroids up to tens of meters in size, including the 20-meter asteroid that caused the 2013 Chelyabinsk airburst, according to Jenniskens.
🌌 LST-1 and MAGIC Spot Farthest Blazar in Cosmic History Read More
The CTAO LST Collaboration and MAGIC Collaboration published Astronomy & Astrophysics findings on OP 313, the most distant very high-energy blazar ever recorded at approximately eight billion light-years.
Joint observations from the 23-meter LST-1 and 17-meter MAGIC telescopes detected gamma rays from redshift z = 0.997, constraining extragalactic background light density through pair-production analysis.
The discovery during LST-1's commissioning phase demonstrates exceptional telescope performance ahead of the complete four-telescope LST sub-array inauguration scheduled for October 15 this year.
❓ Question of the Day
What would you name a telescope if NASA let you choose?
Send us a reply with your answer!
Hope something in here gave you that little spark of wonder. If it did, let me know which story grabbed you. I read every reply.
Clear skies ahead,
— Zapp
