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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
July 3, 2024
Nova V462 Lupi Now Visible
If you know where to look, you can see a thermonuclear explosion from a white dwarf star. Possibly two. Such explosions are known as novas and the detonations are currently faintly visible with the unaided eye in Earth's southern hemisphere – but are more easily seen with binoculars. Pictured, Nova Lupi 2025 (V462 Lupi) was captured toward the southern constellation of the Wolf (Lupus) last week near the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Nova Lupi 2025 was originally discovered on June 12 and peaked in brightness about a week later. Similarly, Nova Velorum 2025, toward the southern constellation of the Ship Sails (Vela), was discovered on June 25 and peaked a few days later. A nova somewhere in our Galaxy becomes briefly visible to the unaided eye only every year or two, so it is quite unusual to have two novas visible simultaneously. Meanwhile, humanity awaits even a different nova: T Coronae Borealis, which should become visible in northern skies and is expected to become even brighter.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA Discovers Interstellar Comet Moving Through Solar System
July 2, 2025
On July 1, the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, first reported observations of a comet that originated from interstellar space.
Arriving from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, the interstellar comet has been officially named 3I/ATLAS. It is currently located about 420 million miles (670 million kilometers) away.
Since that first report, observations from before the discovery have been gathered from the archives of three different ATLAS telescopes around the world and the Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California.
These “pre-discovery” observations extend back to June 14. Numerous telescopes have reported additional observations since the object was first reported.
The comet poses no threat to Earth and will remain at a distance of at least 1.6 astronomical units (about 150 million miles or 240 million km). It is currently about 4.5 au (about 416 million miles or 670 million km) from the Sun.
3I/ATLAS will reach its closest approach to the Sun around Oct. 30, at a distance of 1.4 au (about 130 million miles or 210 million km) — just inside the orbit of Mars.
The interstellar comet’s size and physical properties are being investigated by astronomers around the world.
3I/ATLAS should remain visible to ground-based telescopes through September, after which it will pass too close to the Sun to observe.
It is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December, allowing for renewed observations.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/planetary-defense/2025/07/02/nasa-discovers-interstellar-comet-moving-through-solar-system/
https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/nasa-solar-system-interstellar-object-436557-20250703
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/commercialcrew/2025/07/03/nasa-sets-briefings-for-spacex-crew-11-mission-to-space-station/
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-briefings-for-spacex-crew-11-mission-to-space-station/
NASA Sets Briefings for SpaceX Crew-11 Mission to Space Station
July 3, 2025
NASA and its partners will discuss the upcoming crew rotation to the International Space Station during a pair of news conferences on Thursday, July 10, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
First is an overview news conference at 12 p.m. EDT with mission leadership discussing final launch and mission preparations on the agency’s YouTube channel.
Next, crew will participate in a news conference at 2 p.m. on NASA’s YouTube channel, followed by individual astronaut interviews at 3 p.m.
This is the final media opportunity with Crew-11 before they travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch.
The Crew-11 mission, targeted to launch in late July/early August, will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov to the orbiting laboratory.
The crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A.
United States-based media seeking to attend in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, July 7, at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online.
Any media interested in participating in the news conferences by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom by 9:45 a.m. the day of the event. Media seeking virtual interviews with the crew must submit requests to the Johnson newsroom by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 7.
Briefing participants are as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
12 p.m.: Mission Overview News Conference
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate representative
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
Mayumi Matsuura, vice president and director general, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, JAXA
2 p.m.: Crew News Conference
Zena Cardman, Crew-11 commander, NASA
Mike Fincke, Crew-11 pilot, NASA
Kimiya Yui, Crew-11 mission specialist, JAXA
Oleg Platonov, Crew-11 mission specialist, Roscosmos
3 p.m.: Crew Individual Interview Opportunities
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Crew-11 members available for a limited number of interviews
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, Cardman will conduct her first spaceflight. The Williamsburg, Virginia, native holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
At the time of selection, she was pursuing a doctorate in geosciences. Cardman’s geobiology and geochemical cycling research focused on subsurface environments, from caves to deep sea sediments.
Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and lunar surface exploration planning. Follow @zenanaut on X and @zenanaut on Instagram.
This will be Fincke’s fourth trip to the space station, having logged 382 days in space and nine spacewalks during Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2008, and STS-134 in 2011, the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour.
Throughout the past decade, Fincke has applied his expertise to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, advancing the development and testing of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Boeing Starliner spacecraft toward operational certification.
The Emsworth, Pennsylvania, native is a graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School and holds bachelors’ degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in both aeronautics and astronautics, as well as Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences.
He also has a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in California. Fincke is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with more than 2,000 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft. Follow @AstroIronMike on X and Instagram.
With 142 days in space, this will be Yui’s second trip to the space station. After his selection as a JAXA astronaut in 2009, Yui flew as a flight engineer for Expedition 44/45 and became the first Japanese astronaut to capture JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle using the station’s robotic arm.
In addition to constructing a new experimental environment aboard Kibo, he conducted a total of 21 experiments for JAXA. In November 2016, Yui was assigned as chief of the JAXA Astronaut Group.
He graduated from the School of Science and Engineering at the National Defense Academy of Japan in 1992. He later joined the Air Self-Defense Force at the Japan Defense Agency (currently the Ministry of Defense).
In 2008, Yui joined the Air Staff Office at the Ministry of Defense as a lieutenant colonel. Follow @astro_kimiya on X.
The Crew-11 mission also will be Platonov’s first spaceflight. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, Platonov earned a degree in engineering from Krasnodar Air Force Academy in aircraft operations and air traffic management.
He also earned a bachelor’s degree in state and municipal management in 2016 from the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. Assigned as a test cosmonaut in 2021, he has experience in piloting aircraft, zero gravity training, scuba diving, and wilderness survival.
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How NASA’s SPHEREx Mission Will Share Its All-Sky Map With the World
Jul 02, 2025
NASA’s newest astrophysics space telescope launched in March on a mission to create an all-sky map of the universe.
Now settled into low-Earth orbit, SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) has begun delivering its sky survey data to a public archive on a weekly basis, allowing anyone to use the data to probe the secrets of the cosmos.
“Because we’re looking at everything in the whole sky, almost every area of astronomy can be addressed by SPHEREx data,” said Rachel Akeson, the lead for the SPHEREx Science Data Center at IPAC.
IPAC is a science and data center for astrophysics and planetary science at Caltech in Pasadena, California.
Other missions, like NASA’s now-retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer), have also mapped the entire sky. SPHEREx builds on this legacy by observing in 102 infrared wavelengths, compared to WISE’s four wavelength bands.
By putting the many wavelength bands of SPHEREx data together, scientists can identify the signatures of specific molecules with a technique known as spectroscopy.
The mission’s science team will use this method to study the distribution of frozen water and organic molecules — the “building blocks of life” — in the Milky Way.
The SPHEREx science team will also use the mission’s data to study the physics that drove the universe’s expansion following the big bang, and to measure the amount of light emitted by all the galaxies in the universe over time.
Releasing SPHEREx data in a public archive encourages far more astronomical studies than the team could do on their own.
“By making the data public, we enable the whole astronomy community to use SPHEREx data to work on all these other areas of science,” Akeson said.
NASA is committed to the sharing of scientific data, promoting transparency and efficiency in scientific research. In line with this commitment, data from SPHEREx appears in the public archive within 60 days after the telescope collects each observation.
The short delay allows the SPHEREx team to process the raw data to remove or flag artifacts, account for detector effects, and align the images to the correct astronomical coordinates.
The team publishes the procedures they used to process the data alongside the actual data products. “We want enough information in those files that people can do their own research,” Akeson said.
During its two-year prime mission, SPHEREx will survey the entire sky twice a year, creating four all-sky maps. After the mission reaches the one-year mark, the team plans to release a map of the whole sky at all 102 wavelengths.
In addition to the science enabled by SPHEREx itself, the telescope unlocks an even greater range of astronomical studies when paired with other missions.
Data from SPHEREx can be used to identify interesting targets for further study by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, refine exoplanet parameters collected from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), and study the properties of dark matter and dark energy along with ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Euclid mission and NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
During its two-year prime mission, SPHEREx will survey the entire sky twice a year, creating four all-sky maps. After the mission reaches the one-year mark, the team plans to release a map of the whole sky at all 102 wavelengths.
In addition to the science enabled by SPHEREx itself, the telescope unlocks an even greater range of astronomical studies when paired with other missions.
Data from SPHEREx can be used to identify interesting targets for further study by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, refine exoplanet parameters collected from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), and study the properties of dark matter and dark energy along with ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Euclid mission and NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
The IPAC archive that hosts SPHEREx data, IRSA (NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive), also hosts pointed observations and all-sky maps at a variety of wavelengths from previous missions.
The large amount of data available through IRSA gives users a comprehensive view of the astronomical objects they want to study.
“SPHEREx is part of the entire legacy of NASA space surveys,” said IRSA Science Lead Vandana Desai. “People are going to use the data in all kinds of ways that we can't imagine.”
https://science.nasa.gov/open-science/spherex-universe-map
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfoWtt0TP8
https://science.nasa.gov/open-science/?utm_source=spherex_072025&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=ocsdo
https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/Missions/spherex.html
Brain Research Continues on Station Ahead of Cargo Mission Launch
July 2, 2025
Brain research continued aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday as the Expedition 73 and Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crews kept up their ongoing space biology studies.
Meanwhile, a Progress cargo craft counts down to its launch to resupply the orbital residents this weekend.
NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers took her turn today in the Columbus laboratory module wearing neck and chest electrodes measuring oscillations in the blood flow from her brain to the heart for the Drain Brain 2.0 human research experiment.
Similarly, Ax-4 private astronaut Tibor Kapu wore a cap that imaged blood flow in his cerebral artery using doppler ultrasound for the Cerebral Hemodynamics investigation.
Veteran astronaut and Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson assisted Kapu with the biomedical hardware and measured his blood pressure inside the Tranquility module.
Both studies are supported by different organizations with the first seeking to prevent space-caused blood clots and the second to protect crew visual processing and perception in microgravity.
Ayers later joined her station crewmates Commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain for eye checks using high-resolution, near-infrared medical imaging hardware.
McClain led the B Complex optical investigation in the Harmony Module as Ayers and Onishi peered into the ocular device while doctors on the ground examined their optic nerve at the back of the eye in real time.
Researchers are exploring using B vitamin supplements as a method to protect crew vision in microgravity.
NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim began his shift inspecting portable emergency hardware including fire extinguishers and breathing masks.
After his lunch period, he joined his Soyuz MS-27 crewmates Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Zubritskiy, both flight engineers from Roscosmos, and practiced using respirator masks in the unlikely event of a chemical leak onboard the orbital outpost.
Ryzhikov and Zubritskiy started their shift repairing a Roscosmos treadmill in the Zvezda service module. Ryzhikov also wore virtual reality glasses for a study observing how a crew member’s balance and visual perception adjust to microgravity.
Zubritskiy serviced research physics hardware that measures neutron radiation. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov spent his shift in the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment servicing orbital plumbing gear and activating Earth observation equipment.
Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla and Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski partnered together in Columbus and studied using near-infrared technology to record brain activity for constructing brain-computer interfaces.
Uznański-Wiśniewski wore a specialized cap connected via Bluetooth to a laptop computer recording his brain activity while Shukla optimized the signal quality and calibrated the hardware.
The pair also recorded and downlinked video of crew activities for the Astronaut Mental Health study. Shukla also looked at muscle cell stem cultures through a microscope to understand the muscle repair process in weightlessness.
The next uncrewed cargo mission, Progress 92, is counting down to its launch at 3:32 p.m. EDT on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Progress 92 is scheduled to dock to the Poisk module at 5:27 p.m. on Saturday delivering about three thousand pounds of food, fuel and supplies for the orbiting lab residents. NASA+ will provide live coverage of both events.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/07/02/brain-research-continues-on-station-ahead-of-cargo-mission-launch/
NASA to Provide Coverage of Progress 92 Launch, Space Station Docking
Jul 3, 2025
A Roscosmos cargo spacecraft, delivering approximately three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the Expedition 73 crew aboard the International Space Station, is launching on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, July 3. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:32 p.m. EDT (1932 UTC).
After a two-day journey to the station, the unpiloted spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 5:27 p.m. EDT (2127 UTC) on Saturday, July 5.
The Progress 92 spacecraft will remain docked to the space station for approximately six months before departing for re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-provide-coverage-of-progress-92-launch-space-station-docking/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmcRo4wp6E
Sol 4580: Right Navigation Camera, Cylindrical Projection
July 2, 2025
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took 31 images in Gale Crater using its mast-mounted Right Navigation Camera (Navcam) to create this mosaic.
The seam-corrected mosaic provides a 360-degree cylindrical projection panorama of the Martian surface centered at 233 degrees azimuth (measured clockwise from north).
Curiosity took the images on June 25, 2025, Sol 4580 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission at drive 420, site number 117.
The local mean solar time for the image exposures was 4 PM. Each Navcam image has a 45 degree field of view.
https://science.nasa.gov/resource/sol-4580-right-navigation-camera-cylindrical-projection/
NASA’s Lucy Mission Provides Full View of Asteroid Donaldjohanson
July 2, 2025
Scientists with NASA’s Lucy mission continue to analyze data collected during the spacecraft’s April 20 encounter with the main-belt asteroid Donaldjohanson.
The images below were taken by the spacecraft’s L’LORRI imager a few minutes before its closest approach.
This successful dress rehearsal gives the team high confidence that both the spacecraft and the team are well prepared for the main events: the upcoming encounters with the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
The spacecraft itself is now in a relatively quiet cruise period as it continues traveling through the main asteroid belt.
Lucy is heading away from the Sun at more than 30,000 mph (50,000 km per hour), and the team will keep monitoring the spacecraft as it moves toward the cooler and dimmer outer solar system.
Once Lucy reaches the Trojan asteroids, it will conduct four encounters, observing at least six asteroids (including two satellites discovered by the Lucy team) in less than 15 months.
The first encounter will be with the asteroid Eurybates in August 2027.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/lucy/2025/07/02/nasas-lucy-mission-provides-full-view-of-asteroid-donaldjohanson/
https://lucy.swri.edu/DonaldjohansonImageGallery.html#Stereograms
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/artemis-ii-space-weather-exercise-prepares-us-human-space-exploration
https://testbed.spaceweather.gov/exercises/2025-artemis-ii-human-spaceflight-support-exercise-information
Artemis II Space Weather Exercise Prepares U.S. for Human Space Exploration
July 3, 2025
Human space exploration in the U.S. took another major step forward this spring in preparing for space weather risks.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) successfully led the first Space Weather Prediction Testbed (SWPT) exercise in support of NASA’s Artemis II mission, conducting two intensive sessions in April and May of 2025.
This exercise marked an important milestone in operational readiness for human spaceflight, exceeding expectations in technical performance, coordination and strategic value.
NOAA’s support for human spaceflight dates back to the Gemini and Apollo eras.
The SWPT exercise, however, ushers in a new era of modern capabilities for delivering timely, mission-critical space weather information to help protect astronauts and spacecraft.
During the exercise, participants used advanced tools and experimental data while collaborating in real time to simulate how space weather services, known as the Artemis Space Weather Support Project, would support Artemis II.
Clinton Wallace, SWPC Director, highlighted the value of this approach, stating “the Artemis II Testbed exercise showed that enabling safe human spaceflight demands more than models and data;
it requires the relationships and rapid iteration that only a live, collaborative environment can provide. This is how we deliver mission-ready capabilities that protect our astronauts and ensure America leads in space.”
More than 70 participants from NASA, the U.S. Air Force, commercial space companies, and leading research institutions took part in the exercise, reinforcing NOAA’s unique and central role as an operational partner in human spaceflight.
Accelerating Innovation Through Collaboration
The SWPT exercise brought the nation’s Research to Operations and Operations to Research (R2O2R) strategy to life, advancing key goals of the Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow (PROSWIFT) Act and aligning with recommendations from the Space Weather Advisory Group (SWAG).
One standout innovation was the fully synchronized, browser-accessible Testbed Replay System, which simulated SWPC’s operational interface.
This system recreated the experience of two historic radiation storms, giving participants dynamic access to imagery, time series data, alerts, and model outputs tied to a simulated mission clock.
This unprecedented level of realism allowed them to experience what an actual space weather scenario might look like during the Artemis II mission operations, which will send four astronauts around the moon and back next
year as part of NASA’s first crewed mission under its Artemis campaign.
The system also integrated some of NASA’s key operational tools, offering a realistic perspective of how space weather forecasts would inform decisions at every level—from console operators and flight surgeons to mission directors.
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Real-time Feedback and Adaptation
A valuable aspect of the exercise was the opportunity to innovate in real-time.
Developers received immediate feedback on tool performance, allowing for on-the-fly adjustments to visual layouts, alert formats, labeling, and even color schemes based on participant input.
Forecasters, analysts and researchers acted as co-designers, helping refine tools to improve clarity and usability for live operations.
Several newly introduced tools enhanced the exercise, including:
Space Weather Timeline Viewer by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, which garnered particular acclaim from participants
Automated solar flare detection algorithm based on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)
New particle data products from GOES Energetic Heavy Ion Sensor (EHIS) and SolarN and Galactic Proton Sensor (SGPS) instruments
University of Málaga Solar particle Event Predictor (UMASEP), a real-time solar energetic particle forecasting model
These tools significantly advanced forecasters’ capabilities, improving situational awareness and opening the door to faster, more accurate space radiation assessments.
Bridging Operations and Research
The direct, real-time collaboration between forecasters, researchers and developers demonstrated the immense potential of Operations to Research (O2R).
Researchers and developers quickly identified what worked, what failed, and why, while forecasters refined split-second decision-making in real-time, demonstrating which information was especially critical under pressure during the simulated events.
Just as importantly, operations personnel gained greater insights into model limitations and research workflows.
A Blueprint for the Future
The Artemis II SWPT exercise proved that NOAA can deliver mission-ready space weather capabilities, strengthen interagency partnerships and rapidly adapt tools in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Teams held daily debriefs, used anonymous feedback portals and conducted focused technical briefings to gather insights and continuously refine their approaches.
This hands-on, immersive experience has not only helped prepare the nation for Artemis II, but also laid the foundation for future space weather capabilities.
The exercise showcased the power of adaptable, collaborative systems and underscored the importance of continued collaboration across government agencies, industries and research communities to ensure safety in human spaceflight.
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Elon Musk Calls For Retiring International Space Station After Trump's Tax Bill Allocates Over $1.25 Billion To It: 'It's Time To… Focus On Mars'
July 3, 2025 6:30 AM
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has reiterated his earlier calls to deorbit the International Space Station and instead focus on exploring Mars.
What Happened: On Wednesday, Musk responded to a post on social media platform X, which quoted a post outlining the Big Beautiful Bill's space fund allocations, calling on the space station to be de-orbited.
"It's time to retire the Space Station and focus on Mars," Musk said in his post. The Trump administration's Big Beautiful Bill allocates $1.25 billion for the International Space Station's operations.
However, it's also worth noting that the tax bill has allocated over $325 million to "safely de-orbit the International Space Station" from outer space by the year 2030.
Why It Matters: Musk had earlier questioned the Space Station's safety and called for it to be deorbited within 2 years. "Some parts of it are simply getting too old and obviously that risk grows over time," he said.
This comes as SpaceX had recently sent four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Dragon rocket during the Ax-4 mission with space company Axiom Space.
Elsewhere, SpaceX said it is working to recover debris from the static fire test failure of its Starship rocket, which reportedly caused a giant explosion and sent some debris across the border into Mexico from its Texas launch site.
https://www.benzinga.com/news/space/25/07/46241328/elon-musk-calls-for-retiring-international-space-station-after-trumps-tax-bill-allocates-over-1-25-billion-to-it-its-time-to-focus-on-mars
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1940523657069318227
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-launches-tender-for-mission-to-clean-up-space-and-safeguard-vital-services
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-space-agency
UK launches tender for mission to clean up space and safeguard vital services
3 July 2025
The UK Space Agency has launched a major new procurement process to tackle the growing threat of space debris, initiating a £75.6 million tender for the nation’s first mission to actively remove defunct satellites from orbit.
This marks a pivotal step in the UK’s efforts to protect vital space infrastructure and ensure the long-term safety of the orbital environment.
At the heart of the proposed Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission, a specially designed spacecraft, equipped with cutting-edge British robotic and autonomous navigation technology, will capture and safely de-orbit two non-functioning UK-licensed satellites from low Earth orbit.
The spacecraft will guide the defunct satellites into Earth’s atmosphere, where they will burn up—eliminating potential threats to the satellite networks that power essential services such as GPS, weather forecasting, and emergency communications.
There are an estimated 140 million pieces of space debris smaller than 1cm, and over 54,000 tracked objects larger than 10cm currently orbiting Earth. Even tiny fragments can cause catastrophic damage to satellites.
This mission is a critical step in addressing the threat of space debris, ensuring the long-term sustainability of space operations and protecting the infrastructure that underpins modern life.
Minister for Space, Sir Chris Bryant, said:
This mission is a direct example of our Plan for Change in action, delivering innovation, sustainability and economic opportunity through bold investment in future technologies.
By tackling the growing threat of space debris head-on, we are protecting the infrastructure that supports everything from national security to everyday connectivity whilst also creating high-skilled jobs and securing the UK’s leadership in the growing space economy.
The tender process secures home-grown expertise and strengthens the UK’s leadership in the rapidly advancing field of In-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM).
It supports the ambitions of the Modern Industrial Strategy 2025, a 10-year plan to grow future industries, attract private investment, and establish the UK as a global innovation leader.
Through this tender, the UK Space Agency is targeting funding on one of the five priority capabilities highlighted for investment in the space chapter of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.
This also represents a shift in the UK Space Agency’s approach, from traditional grants to competitive contracts, designed to stimulate private investment and create high-skilled jobs across the country.
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Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said:
Actively clearing space debris is a bold step toward a safer, more sustainable orbital environment.
This mission showcases the UK’s technical excellence and our commitment to protecting the space systems that modern life depends on.
It’s about securing the future of space for everyone, delivering tangible benefits here on Earth, and positioning the UK at the forefront of the in-orbit services market.
The UK Space Agency is now seeking a single supplier to deliver the five-year research and development contract, with the mission targeted for launch by the end of 2028.
This follows £11 million already invested since 2021 in feasibility studies and design work, underscoring the government’s long-term commitment to becoming a clean space superpower.
Joanne Wheeler, Director of the Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative, said:
ESSI is very encouraged by this announcement. For the past three years, we have been developing sets of Space Sustainability Principles that will facilitate the establishment of the Space Sustainability Standards to ultimately ensure the sustainable use of outer space, covering the lifecycle of a satellite – from launch to decommissioning.
The proposed ADR mission is a significant step in the right direction to achieving such sustainability and governance of ISAM activities, which the UK can lead on.
UK businesses, researchers, and satellite users stand to benefit from this ambitious initiative, which will strengthen international partnerships, drive economic growth, and help establish global standards for sustainable space operations.
Colin Baldwin, Executive Director at UKspace said;
Debris is one of the key factors in planning the future of low earth orbit. The UK leads in the development of solutions to address this critical market enabler.
A number of our members are engaged in this exciting new market, which is developing rapidly. We welcome the UK Space Agency’s ongoing commitment to growing the UK’s capabilities through the launch of this new procurement.
Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, says:
Sustainability is no longer solely an Earth-bound mission.
The space economy is growing at pace and at scale, therefore as we build the foundations to become multiplanetary, it’s critical we carry lessons of stewardship to the stars.
We applaud the UK Space Agency’s leadership in addressing the issue of space debris.
The UK space sector is already a national success story, employing 52,000 people, generating £18.9 billion in annual income and comprising a vibrant ecosystem of over 1,700 organisations.
With labour productivity 2.5 times the national average, the sector plays a vital role in delivering high skilled jobs, driving R&D, and underpinning critical services that support 18% of UK GDP - from navigation and telecommunications to climate monitoring and national security.
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https://www.space.com/stargazing/how-to-see-chinas-tiangong-space-station-and-the-iss-in-the-predawn-sky-this-week
https://heavens-above.com/
https://www.nasa.gov/spot-the-station/
How to see China's Tiangong space station and the ISS in the predawn sky this week
July 3, 2025
During this upcoming week, skywatchers across most of the U.S. and southern Canada will get an opportunity to view the two largest space vehicles now in orbit around the Earth within minutes of each other.
They are the International Space Station (ISS) and China's space station, Tiangong. If you are up during the predawn hours, you'll probably be able to make a sighting of both within less than a half hour of each other.
And on the morning of July 5, it may be possible to see both in the sky at the same time.
Night lights
If you go out and carefully study the sky near dusk or dawn, the odds are that you should not have to wait more than a few minutes before you see one of the more than 30,700 satellites now in orbit around Earth.
Most of these are just "space junk" ranging in size from as large as 30 feet (9 meters) down to about the size of a softball, including defunct satellites, rocket bodies, and fragments from collisions.
In addition to the tracked objects, there are an estimated 130 million pieces of debris too small to be tracked. U.S. Space Command, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, keeps a constant watch on all orbiting space debris.
Most satellites are too faint to be seen with the unaided eye. But depending on who's counting, about 500 can be seen with the unaided eye.
These are the satellites that are large enough (over 20 feet, or 6 m) in length) and low enough (100 to 400 miles, or 160 to 640 kilometers) above Earth to be most readily seen.
In his book Observing Earth Satellites, the distinguished British scientist Desmond King-Hele perhaps said it best: "A satellite looks like a star that has taken leave of its senses and decided to move off to another part of the sky."
The International Space Station is by far the biggest and brightest of all the man-made objects orbiting Earth.
More than four times as large as the defunct Russian Mir space station, the ISS has a total mass of approximately 925,000 pounds (420,000 kilograms), and measures 357 feet (109 m) across and 240 feet (73 m) long.
This makes it almost the equivalent to the length of a football field, including the end zones, according to NASA.
The ISS draws power from four pairs of solar arrays, which are each 112 feet (34 m) long and 39 feet (12 m wide) — longer than a Boeing 777's wingspan. Additionally, the ISS is being upgraded with six new, smaller Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs).
These are being installed over portions of the existing arrays. Each new iROSA measures 63 feet (19 m) long by 20 feet (6 m) wide. Despite being smaller, they are more efficient due to technological advancements.
Presently circling Earth at an average altitude of 259 miles (416 km) and at a speed of 17,900 mph (28,800 kph), the ISS takes 93 minutes to orbit Earth and completes roughly 15.5 orbits per day.
It can appear to move as fast as a high-flying jet airliner, sometimes taking about four to five minutes to cross the sky.
Because of its size and the configuration of its highly reflective solar panels, the space station is now, by far, the brightest man-made object currently in orbit around Earth.
On its most favorable passes, it can appear some 2.5 times brighter than Venus and nearly 40 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
And, as a bonus, sunlight glinting directly off the solar panels can sometimes make the ISS appear to briefly "flare" in brilliance to as bright as magnitude -8, some 19 times brighter than Venus!
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China's orbiting space station
Besides the ISS, there is another space station orbiting Earth. That's Tiangong (Chinese for "Heavenly Palace"), a permanently crewed space station operated by China's Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The chief purpose of Tiangong, according to the CMSA, is to develop and gain experience in spacecraft rendezvous technology and to serve the platform for the next-generation orbit transportation vehicles and technology for future deep-space missions.
Tiangong is smaller than the ISS, in overall dimensions measuring about one-fifth as large. Its total mass is approximately 77 tons (69,900 kg).
It measures approximately 180 feet (55 m) in length and contains three modules (the ISS has 16 modules). It orbits Earth at an average altitude of 244 miles (393 km), somewhat similar to the ISS.
And, like the ISS, it is a prominent object when moving across the nighttime sky. On its most favorable passes, it can appear as bright as Venus (magnitude -4.1), though usually it tends to appear closer to magnitude -2 (as bright as Jupiter).
Currently, taking into account both the ISS and Tiangong, there are 14 humans in space.
Viewing windows of opportunity
From now through the final days of July, North Americans and Europeans will have many opportunities to see both the ISS and Tiangong flying over their homes, due chiefly to a seasonal circumstance.
Nights are now the shortest, and the time that a satellite in low Earth orbit (like the ISS and Tiangong) can remain illuminated by the sun can extend throughout the night, a situation that can never be attained during other times of the year.
Because both space stations circle Earth about every 90 minutes on average, it's possible to see them not just on one singular pass, but for several consecutive passes.
And from now through July 8, the ISS and Tiangong will be making morning passes — one to two hours before sunrise — within a half hour or less of each other.
And on the morning of July 5, for parts of the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, it may be possible to see both in the sky at the same time.
This doesn't happen too often, due to the fact that their orbital altitudes differ slightly, along with the fact that both space stations circle the Earth at different orbital inclinations: 51.63 degrees for the ISS, compared to 41.46 degrees for Tiangong.
Where and when should you look?
So, what is the viewing schedule for your particular hometown? You can easily find out by visiting one of these two popular web sites: Chris Peat's Heavens Above or NASA's Spot the Station.
With Heavens Above, you'll be able to generate accurate sighting data for both the ISS and Tiangong (as well as other bright naked-eye satellites). You'll simply need to input your location based on latitude and longitude.
NASA's Spot the Station app is a great tool for quickly finding upcoming ISS viewing opportunities. Simply pop in the location you wish to know for ISS sighting opportunities and let the widget work its magic.
It will tell you the time of the ISS flyover along with how long it is visible, the maximum height it will reach in the sky and which direction it will appear and disappear from your field of view.
Predictions computed a few days ahead of time are usually accurate within a few minutes. However, they can change due to the slow decay of the space station's orbit and periodic re-boosts to higher altitudes. Check frequently for updates.
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https://www.space.com/stargazing/an-exceedingly-rare-event-see-a-pair-of-nova-explosions-shining-in-the-southern-sky-this-week
https://earthsky.org/tonight/nova-or-new-star-visible-in-vela/
'An exceedingly rare event': See a pair of nova explosions shining in the southern sky this week
July 3, 2025
Not one, but two exploding stars are currently visible to the naked eye in the southern night sky, a cosmic coincidence that's "exceedingly rare" and may soon vanish from view entirely.
On June 12, the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), led by the Ohio State University, detected a dramatic surge in the brightness of an otherwise unremarkable star embedded in the constellation Lupus.
Subsequent observations revealed a powerful nova explosion — now designated V462 Lupi — to be the cause of the radiation outburst.
The star quickly brightened from its previously dim magnitude of +22 to a peak brightness of around +5.5, rendering it visible to the naked eye.
Remember, magnitude is the system used by astronomers to track the brightness of an object in the night sky.
The lower the magnitude, the brighter the object! The human eye is capable of detecting stars with a magnitude of around +6.5 or greater in dark sky areas.
Less than two weeks later, on June 25, reports began to circulate of a second nova blossoming in the southern night sky, this time in the constellation Vela.
This nova — later designated V572 Velorum — quickly jumped to a similar peak of +5.5, making it appear as if two new stars had suddenly burst to life in the skies south of the equator.
A nuclear explosion on the surface of a star
"Both appear to be part of binary star systems composed of a white dwarf and a companion star," veteran science communicator and meteorologist Joe Rao told Space.com in an email.
"In each case, the objects that we are able to see visually, are likely being caused by a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of the white dwarf star."
These kinds of explosions are called novas. Unlike,their more violent cousins, supernovas, these events don't destroy the star.
Instead, they occur as a result of a vampyric process in which the gravitational influence of a white dwarf strips material from a nearby companion star, adding it to its own mass.
This ‘feeding’ continues until the mass of stolen stellar material deposited on the surface of the white dwarf is heated to a critical threshold, after which a cataclysmic thermonuclear explosion is inevitable.
The resulting outpouring of radiation leads to a dramatic increase in a star's apparent brightness from our perspective on Earth, occasionally making it appear as if a new stellar body has burst to life in the night sky.
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"To have two naked-eye novae shining in the sky at the same time is an exceedingly rare event," said Rao.
"In checking my copy of Norton's Star Atlas, which lists bright novae dating back to the 16th century, I can only find one other case of two novae erupting so close together: V368 Aquilae on September 25, 1936 and V630 Sagittarii just eight days later."
Rao — who serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium — went on to note that the 1936 novas had faded swiftly after reaching their peaks and likely wouldn't have been visible simultaneously.
Astronomer Stephen James O'Meara also discovered a 2018 occurrence in which two novas peaked and became visible to the unaided eye on the same day, according to stargazing website Earthsky.org.
Where to find the novas in the southern sky
"Generally speaking, most novae fade from view after a few weeks, although some may fade much faster (as was the case with the aforementioned novae in 1936) and sometimes the fade-down may take longer," said Rao.
"In the case of V572 Velorum, it apparently exhibits both long (over 13 days) and short (3-4 days) outbursts."
It may still be possible to spot the ancient light from both novas from a dark sky location for observers in the southern hemisphere. Meanwhile, those in the southern U.S. might yet glimpse V462 Lupi peeking above the horizon — perhaps with the aid of a pair of 10X50 binoculars.
The patch of sky containing V462 Lupi is located in the constellation Lupus, close to the bright stars Delta Lupi and Kappa Centauri, from the neighboring constellation Centaurus. Lupus will be highest in the sky for those in the southern hemisphere, though those in the southernmost states of the U.S. may spot the constellation — and the site of the nova — close to the southern horizon at sunset in early July.
V572 Velorum meanwhile, can be found in the southern constellation Vela and is not easily visible from the continental United States.
Viewers in the southern hemisphere will find the region of sky containing the nova close to the bright stars Mu Velorum and Phi Velorum.
If you do manage to catch even a fleeting glimpse of either V572 Velorum, or V462 Lupi, you will have witnessed first hand one of the most spectacularly violent explosions that the universe has to offer. Not bad for one evening’s stargazing.
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Rare breed of exploding star discovered by citizen scientists in cataclysmic find
July 3, 2025
Astronomers have teamed up with citizen scientists to discover a brand-new exploding star that's greedily feeding on a stellar companion.
The newly observed binary system features a cataclysmic variable star, designated GOTO0650, which is in a rarely seen late stage of its evolution. This was also the first major discovery for the citizen astronomy project Kilonova Seekers.
The exploding star was detected when the general public was invited to play a game of cosmic "spot the difference." This involved comparing images of the same patch of night sky to detect light changes that could indicate powerful and violent events.
GOTO0650 was spotted when a patch of sky brightened by a factor of around 2,500 compared to its previous brightness just days earlier.
The rapid response of the citizen scientists allowed astronomers to classify the object as a cataclysmic variable star.
These are binary systems in which one object, a dense stellar corpse known as a white dwarf, is stripping material from a companion star.
The stolen matter from the companion forms a flattened cloud of material around the white dwarf called an accretion disk.
As the accretion disk gradually feeds the white dwarf, accumulated matter builds up and eventually triggers a runaway nuclear explosion, which destroys the white dwarf. However, before this happens, material in the accretion disk can reach a critical density and temperature. This causes the disk to dramatically brighten until it eventually cools and returns to a quiescent state.
These events were originally called "novae," meaning "new" in Latin, as they were believed to represent the birth of a new star.
"Kilonova Seekers is a unique opportunity for members of the public to take part in true real-time astrophysics," Kilonova Seekers team co-leader Tom Killestein, a researcher at the University of Warwick in England, said in a statement.
"Remarkably, public volunteers identified this star as an object of interest within 3.5 hours of the image being taken by the GOTO telescopes," he added, referring to the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer project, which employs telescope arrays in Spain and Australia.
"This discovery could have been missed among many other objects without their efforts."
This fast response allowed astronomers to get a comprehensive dataset regarding GOTO0650 before it returned to a quiet state.
"The involvement of the volunteers didn’t stop there, as there was a huge follow-up response from the public," Killestein continued.
"It was flagged for further observations from the Swift and Einstein Probe space observatories, and GOTO0650 was bright enough for amateur astronomers to take impressively high-quality observations of it with their own equipment, which formed a key part of the paper and really helped us understand the object."
X-ray and ultraviolet data revealed that GOTO0650 is a "period bouncer," one of two possible final states of a cataclysmic variable star.
During this stage, mass loss from the donor star causes the orbital period of the binary system to increase, with the white dwarf and companion star moving away from each other.
It's rare to spot a cataclysmic variable star in its final bouncer stage, making the discovery of GOTO0650 even more special. That's especially true for the citizen scientists who played a key role in its discovery.
"I literally screamed with joy when I saw that I was going to be a co-author of the research paper," Kilonova Seekers Volunteer Svetoslav Alexandrov said in the same statement.
"I'm certain that people on the street raised their eyebrows when they saw me screaming and dancing, but I didn't care. I knew I am a co-discoverer of something significant, and this was all that mattered."
https://www.space.com/astronomy/rare-breed-of-exploding-star-discovered-by-citizen-scientists-in-cataclysmic-find
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-discovery-star.html
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/07/aa53823-25/aa53823-25.html
https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/07/03/quantum-ai-and-space-anchor-pentagons-deep-tech-convergence-strategy/
Quantum, AI And Space Anchor Pentagon’s Deep Tech Convergence Strategy
July 3, 2025
Insider Brief
The Pentagon’s $179 billion FY2026 RDT&E budget signals a strategic shift toward integrating quantum technology, AI and space systems as foundational elements of U.S. defense capability.
AI and autonomy — spanning drones, robots, and decision-support systems — received over $2.2 billion in funding, reflecting widespread operational deployment across domains.
Quantum-related programs, while fragmented and often classified, are gaining ground through cross-service initiatives in sensing, encryption, and navigation, with convergence visible in satellite and space-based applications.
The Pentagon is not just preparing for future wars — it’s building the scaffolding for long-term technological development with billions of dollars earmarked for quantum science, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced space infrastructure, according to its newly released $1 trillion-plus fiscal year 2026 Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) budget.
The Department of Defense’s RDT&E budget totals over $179 billion, up from $141 billion the year prior, and represents a concerted shift from isolated weapons systems to converging deep technologies that can reshape defense, deterrence, and dominance across domains.
Quantum-related programs, though dispersed across multiple line items and often embedded within classified initiatives, are now a permanent fixture in the Pentagon’s innovation stack.
AI and autonomy — which include systems like drones and robots — dominate the budget headlines with over $2.2 billion allocated across dozens of programs, but quantum sensing, quantum computing applications, and post-quantum cryptography are rapidly gaining strategic footing.
Quantum’s Quiet Rise in the Defense Stack
The most visible quantum program is the “Quantum Application” line item (0603330D8Z), a program that crosses all the service branches and points toward rising activity in transitioning quantum concepts into real-world military use.
Though the dollar amount for this specific line is not listed publicly, its presence in the unclassified document signals growing urgency in quantum-enabling systems such as navigation, secure communications and early warning sensors.
Additional quantum activity is dispersed within Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force RDT&E accounts.
For example, Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (0604120A) reflects interest in alternatives to GPS, including quantum-based inertial sensors.
These systems would be immune to signal jamming or spoofing, which is critical in a future where satellite networks may be degraded or contested.
Post-quantum cryptography, which ensures secure communications against future quantum computers capable of breaking today’s encryption, is addressed in classified and cyber defense line items under Army and Defense-Wide cyber modernization efforts.
Though the total quantum investment is hard to isolate due to the fragmented and classified nature of many programs, the document signals that quantum is no longer a fringe research area; it is being integrated as a cross-cutting enabler across multiple systems.
AI and Autonomy Now Ubiquitous
The Department of Defense has committed over $2.2 billion to artificial intelligence and machine learning, according to a line-by-line review of the RDT&E budget.
This funding touches nearly every service and application area. Tactical Autonomy (0602022F) and Undersea AI/ML (0604797N) are just two examples where AI is applied to drones, submarines, and decision-support systems.
AI funding is not siloed; it appears throughout lethality tech, battlefield management, autonomous ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance), and electronic warfare. The integration of machine learning into these systems marks a shift from pilot programs to battlefield deployment.
For instance, the Army’s “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technologies” line (0602180A) and the Air Force’s “Autonomy and AI” programs suggest that AI is no longer experimental — it’s operational.
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In parallel
Space Force Expands Advanced Infrastructure
The U.S. Space Force, with a total RDT&E request of over $29 billion, is a major driver of advanced prototyping and operational systems.
According to the document, prototyping refers to building and testing early versions of new technologies or systems — such as missiles, satellites, sensors, or drones — before committing to full-scale production.
It allows the military to evaluate performance, reduce technical risk, and refine designs based on real-world testing. Prototyping often serves as a bridge between lab research and battlefield deployment.
Of the request, $4.3 billion is allocated for prototyping programs, while $12.5 billion funds active systems including missile warning and secure communications, according to the RDT&E budget.
Key efforts include the Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking architecture across low and medium Earth orbit (LEO and MEO), the Evolved Strategic SATCOM program for hardened space-based communication, and the GPS III Follow-On for next-generation navigation.
In this section, the convergence between quantum, AI, and space becomes more obvious and seemless.
Quantum sensors and AI-guided data analysis will likely be embedded in the next generation of satellites and space-based early warning systems.
The Space Force’s investments represent a recognition that technological edge in orbit translates directly into strategic leverage on Earth.
The budget also shows continued commitment to hypersonic platforms, with over $3 billion spread across programs such as the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) and other long-range strike systems.
These efforts have moved beyond prototypes and are entering integration and deployment.
While not explicitly linked to quantum or AI, hypersonic systems will increasingly rely on both. AI-driven targeting and quantum-enabled navigation may offer new performance margins for systems traveling at speeds above Mach 5.
A Blueprint For Deep Tech Convergence
The budget goes beyond acquiring next-generation weapons to invest in the fundamental layers of technological primacy across quantum, AI, space, autonomy and cybersecurity.
From basic research to advanced component prototyping, every layer of the defense technology pipeline seems to be scaling up.
Basic research remains steady at $2.27 billion, while advanced technology development is budgeted at $11.99 billion.
System development and demonstration programs will see $39.68 billion, according to the RDT&E budget.
The Army alone lists over 200 line items with specific R&D focus areas. Among these, next-generation combat vehicles, electronic warfare, ground robotics, synthetic training environments, and biotechnology for materials point to a broader definition of defense tech.
The FY2026 RDT&E budget marks a shift from siloed innovation toward convergence.
For example, AI is no longer its own program, but is embedded across air, land, sea, cyber, and space. Quantum is not a niche, rather it is spreading across sensing, timing, encryption, and communication.
Space is no longer treated as a passive environment, but is an active domain of intelligence and deterrence., the Software and Digital Technology Pilot Programs category received $1.06 billion, reflecting increased spending on advanced software development pipelines that support AI deployment at scale.
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