TYB's
Happy Friday
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
April 10, 2026
Exploring the Antennae
Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. Stars in the two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely collide in the course of the ponderous cataclysm that lasts for hundreds of millions of years. But the galaxies' large clouds of molecular gas and dust often do, triggering furious episodes of star formation near the center of the cosmic wreckage. Spanning over 50 thousand light-years, this stunning telescopic frame also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far from the scene of the accident by gravitational tidal forces. The remarkably sharp ground-based image follows the faint tidal tails and distant background galaxies in the field of view. The suggestive overall visual appearance of the extended arcing structures gives the galaxy pair, also known as Arp 244, its popular name - The Antennae.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4vmX37qwcU
"MASS EXTINCTION LEVEL EVENT" - IT'S YOUR TIME | S0 News and frens
Apr.10.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkcfW09AKA0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awn3pSOvci0 (S0: COMET WILL SPRAY EARTH IN 17 DAYS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK2-cNxDgU4 (Stefan Burns: Lava Fountains Erupt at Hawaii as Solar Wind Hits! Kilauea Ep. 44 Begins…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgjIBJXrrrA (TheEarthMaster: Cascadia Tremor counts rising. Almost 800 today. Thursday Night Earthquake update)
https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/ancient-japanese-diary-solar-storm-1200-ce-tree-rings-space-weather-study-2894342-2026-04-10
https://research.noaa.gov/another-ocean-drone-joins-noaas-growing-fleet/
https://x.com/Eyes2TheStars/status/2042603144375312470
https://x.com/maniaUFO/status/2042242486794371294
https://meteoagent.com/schumann-resonance-forecast
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/299640/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Friday-10-Apr-2026.html
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/2042312276116717759
Fireball spotted streaking across Wyoming skies late Wednesday
April 9, 2026
CASPER, Wyo. –– Social media lit up after a fiery object streaked across the dark sky on Wednesday night.
According to the American Meteor Society website, the object was reportedly seen just before 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time by residents in Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska and Utah.
Members of the Casper Classifieds Facebook group posted accounts of sightings, along with a handful of videos captured by doorbell and surveillance cameras.
Emmy-winning video producer Anthony Stengel posted an account on Oil City News’s Facebook page: “I was filming my kids playing basketball when it happened but was pointed the wrong direction,” he said.
“We did see the houses light up from the flash and that’s in my video but sadly, I was pointed the wrong way.”
OCN reader Jeremy Drinkwalter wrote that “it went green, then went out for a brief second, then lit up orange or red before I lost sight of it behind the trees and hills.”
A number of accounts from around Douglas said they heard a “boom” that shook windows.
Wednesday night, an Oil City News editor reached out to the National Weather Service in Riverton, which said the sighting could have been a meteor burning as it traveled through Earth’s atmosphere.
https://oilcity.news/community/2026/04/09/videos-fireball-spotted-streaking-across-wyoming-skies-late-wednesday/
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/04/09/giant-green-fireball-exploded-over-northeastern-wyoming-on-wednesday-night/
https://people.com/fireball-tears-across-philadelphia-sky-at-30000-mph-before-combusting-11946541
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNzB7LtvKA
extra fireballs and meteors
https://www.prlog.org/13138506-permian-museum-adds-photos-of-fossils-discovered-on-meteorite.html
https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/04/artemis-ii-meteorites-hitting-the-moon/
https://theconversation.com/i-found-a-new-meteor-shower-and-it-comes-from-an-asteroid-getting-broken-down-by-the-sun-277557
meteor reptile?
I prefer to go up in a blaze of glory in the comfort of my own home, no offense, however, if we survive, I will definitely acome hang out when we are released back into the wild.
Cheers regardless.
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS to Make Closest Approach to Earth in 2026
Apr. 10, 2026 at 6:53am
On December 19, 2026, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will make its closest encounter with Earth, captivating astronomers and space enthusiasts alike.
This will be only the third confirmed interstellar object to venture into our solar system, following 1I/'Oumuamua and comet 2I/Borisov.
While 3I/ATLAS will maintain a safe distance of approximately 168 million miles from Earth, its approach will allow scientists to study the comet's nucleus and gain insights into the formation of comets and planets around other stars.
Why it matters
The arrival of 3I/ATLAS represents a rare opportunity for scientists to study an interstellar object up close.
As the comet nears the Sun, the heat will cause the release of dust and gases, providing a unique glimpse into the building blocks of distant solar systems.
This global collaboration between space agencies and observatories will advance our understanding of the formation and evolution of comets and planetary systems beyond our own.
The details
3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system. As it approaches the Sun, the heat will cause the release of dust and gases, allowing astronomers to study the comet's nucleus and gain insights into the formation of comets and planets around other stars.
Space agencies and observatories around the world have focused their attention on this visitor, with the Hubble Space Telescope and JUICE Jupiter probe recently capturing breathtaking images of 3I/ATLAS during its swift journey through our inner solar system.
On December 19, 2026, 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth, at a distance of approximately 168 million miles.
In the past few months, space agencies and observatories worldwide have focused their attention on this interstellar visitor.
What they’re saying
“This is a rare opportunity to witness a cosmic traveler from beyond our solar system, right from the comfort of our homes.”
— Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project
What’s next
A free livestream hosted by Gianluca Masi at the Virtual Telescope Project will allow viewers to follow the comet's close approach on December 18 at 11 p.m. EST (December 19 at 0400 GMT).
The takeaway
The arrival of 3I/ATLAS represents a unique chance for scientists to study an interstellar object and gain insights into the formation of comets and planetary systems beyond our own.
This global collaboration between space agencies and observatories will advance our understanding of the universe and inspire public interest in the wonders of astronomy.
https://nationaltoday.com/us/va/arlington-va/news/2026/04/10/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-to-make-closest-approach-to-earth-in-2026/
extra comets
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2026/04/10/a-bright-comet-is-now-visible—how-to-see-panstarrs-this-weekend/
https://www.astronomy.com/the-sky-this-week/the-sky-this-week-from-april-10-to-17-2026/
https://www.astronomy.com/observing/the-sky-today-friday-april-10-2026/
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/flashes-on-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-a-new-fishing-net-for-interstellar-objects-5177f7509123
https://x.com/JAtanackov/status/2042620230334124238
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP5q38yCB0c (Avi Loeb: Might Some Comets Be Alien Trojan Horses?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3E-9a3goxQ (Ray's Astro: I Found Lights on the Moon - I Took a Picture | What They Don’t Explain)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RNpkGjQhQc (Angry Astronaut: UFOs spotted on the Moon? What did Artemis astronauts just see??)
Fireball, blackout, splashdown: How Artemis II crew will survive journey back to Earth — Here's what to expect
Updated 10 Apr 2026, 11:59 AM IST
After successfully rounding the Moon, NASA’s Artemis II crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — have begun their return journey to Earth, having travelled farther into space than any astronauts in history.
Here's a look at some top update and what happens next:
The finale to NASA's celebrated 10-day mission is expected to begin with the separation of Orion's crew capsule from its service module, followed by a fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, and a six-minute radio blackout before the capsule parachutes into the sea.
Artemis 2's Orion will enter Earth's atmosphere at a steeper angle than originally planned, in order to reduce the time spent moving through the atmosphere at high velocity and temperature, and hopefully reduce the chances of damage, Space.com reported.
As Orion descends, it will be engulfed in a blazing plasma fireball outside the window hatches. “The descent will be rough and tumble, and for a short time communications with ground control will be cut off by the plasma envelope around the capsule.”
At about 26,500 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Orion will still be racing down at 325 mph. Pyrotechnics will deploy three small forward-bay-cover parachutes.
Then, at 25,000 feet, two larger drogue chutes will open to stabilize the capsule. At 9,500 feet, with speed reduced to 130 mph, the main parachute sequence will begin.
“The main parachutes have a more complicated system. First, three pilot chutes will release, each 11 feet (3.4 m) in diameter, and these pilot chutes will pull out the three mains, which are a huge 116 feet (35.3 m) wide, each weighing 310 lbs (140 kilograms), with the Orion crew module dangling 265 feet (81 m) beneath them.”
If all goes well, the astronauts will end up bobbing safely in the ocean aboard their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, shortly after 8 pm ET (0000 GMT) off the coast of San Diego.
NASA has reported that the team is halfway home.
The Artemis II astronauts have reached the "halfway" mark between the Moon and the Earth. They will splash down in the Pacific Ocean around 8:07 pm ET on Friday, 10 April (0007 UTC on Saturday, 11 April), off the coast of San Diego.
After their splashdown, the US Navy's USS John P Murtha (LPD 26) would retrieve the crew and the Orion spacecraft, as per the US Indo-Pacific Command.
Senator Ted Cruz hailed the accomplishment of the astronauts and said that they have inspired a whole new generation of space explorers.
The Artemis II mission has set a new record for the farthest distance travelled by humans from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 mission's record of 248,655 miles. Artemis II is NASA's first crewed test flight in the Artemis campaign.
https://www.livemint.com/science/news/fireball-blackout-splashdown-how-artemis-ii-crew-will-survive-journey-back-to-earth-heres-what-to-expect-11775800213536.html
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/2042402702798266791
https://x.com/INDOPACOM/status/2042345444114673697
https://x.com/SenTedCruz/status/2042412401425850829
https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2042349306355548341
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/nasa-homes-in-on-likely-redesign-to-fix-orion-spacecrafts-leaky-valves/
other
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-flight-day-9-second-return-correction-burn-complete/
https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/jpls-lucky-peanuts-before-artemis-ii-launch/
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/earthset-from-the-lunar-far-side/
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/starstruck/
https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/watching-the-artemis-ii-mission-unfold-at-jpls-space-flight-operations-facility/
https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/the-deep-space-network-acquires-artemis-ii-signal-2/
https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/watching-over-the-deep-space-network-before-artemis-ii-signal-acquisition/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/i-am-artemis-dan-florez/
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-splashdown-what-to-expect-reentry-landing-timeline
https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-artemis-2-astronauts-got-a-private-project-hail-mary-screening-before-launch-heres-their-verdict
https://www.wmur.com/article/raymond-nh-hannaford-prepares-nasa-steaks-04092026/70980907
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/science/harvard-wyss-institute-artemis-avatar-space-medicine
https://theonion.com/nasas-artemis-ii-mission-by-the-numbers/
Orion helium leak no threat to Artemis II reentry but will require redesign + Moar Artemis
Apr 9, 2026 5:55 PM
Apart from pesky issues with the spacecraft’s toilet and waste disposal system, most of the Artemis II mission has proceeded like clockwork.
NASA has made few changes to the flight plan since the launch of the lunar flyby mission on April 1.
But ground controllers revamped the timeline Wednesday as the Artemis II astronauts zoomed toward Earth after a close encounter with the Moon earlier this week.
The four astronauts were supposed to take manual control of their Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, for a piloting demonstration Wednesday night.
Instead, mission managers canceled the demo to make time for an additional test of the ship’s propulsion system.
The goal was to gather data on a “small leak” of helium gas, which Orion uses to push propellant through a series of tanks and pipes to feed the spacecraft’s rocket engines, said Jeff Radigan, NASA’s lead flight director for the Artemis II mission.
The spacecraft burns hydrazine fuel mixed with an oxidizer, nitrogen tetroxide, to power its main engine and thrusters for in-space maneuvers. The leak on Artemis II is in the helium pressure supply to the oxidizer side.
“The leak is not to space. It’s internal to the system across some of our valves, and we really need to characterize that to see what, if any, modifications we might need to make in the future,” Radigan said.
The valves are inside the European-built service module, which the Orion spacecraft will jettison just before reentering the atmosphere Friday evening.
The Orion crew module will guide astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen to a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The service module will burn up in the atmosphere.
Plenty of margin
The helium leak has not affected the propulsion system’s performance so far. “All of our burns have performed nominally,” Radigan said.
Orion’s trajectory is so close to preflight predictions that NASA has canceled some of the mission’s course correction burns. The midcourse burns that have occurred were all low-impulse maneuvers using the service module’s smaller jets, which don’t require the helium system to recharge pressure.
Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator, said mission managers were aware that the Orion spacecraft had a “low leak rate” of helium before launch.
Engineers also observed a helium leak during the unpiloted flight of the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis I mission in 2022.
Officials decided to proceed with the launch because the spacecraft did not need the full capability of its propulsion system on Artemis II, which followed a “free return trajectory” using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot the capsule back to Earth.
This mission required no complex maneuvers to enter orbit around the Moon.
As of Wednesday, nearly 80 percent of the way through the Artemis II mission, the spacecraft had consumed just 40 percent of its fuel.
“Clearly, we had put a lot of margin into this mission to make sure we could fly it properly,” said Debbie Korth, NASA’s deputy Orion program manager.
The only burn of the mission to use the service module’s larger main engine was the trans-lunar injection maneuver, or TLI burn, on the second day of the flight.
This engine firing propelled the Orion spacecraft out of Earth orbit on a path around the Moon. That’s when the ground teams noticed the helium leak rate starting to rise.
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Speaking with reporters Thursday, NASA officials said the leak is not a concern for the mission’s return to Earth because the Orion crew module has an independent set of tanks, valves, and thrusters to steer the spacecraft through reentry.
The leaky valves will be discarded with the rest of the service module around 20 minutes before Artemis II hits the atmosphere.
But unlike the crew module, the service module won’t be recovered.
This means engineers won’t have a chance to inspect the valves, so Mission Control ran the propulsion system through a series of checks on Wednesday, in lieu of the manual piloting demo.
Officials wanted to assess how thermal effects from flying the spacecraft in different orientations—such as pointing toward or away from the Sun—might affect the leak, according to Branelle Rodriguez, NASA’s Orion vehicle manager for the Artemis II mission.
Production risk
Artemis II is, first and foremost, a test flight. It is only the second time an Orion spacecraft has flown to deep space and the first time it has carried humans. The primary goal of the mission is to learn about the spacecraft’s performance.
“We knew that we have leaky valves to begin with, and we want to make sure that we’re characterizing that leak rate as well as we can,” said Kshatriya, a former NASA flight director.
“The leak rate we saw in flight is now an order of magnitude higher than what we saw on the ground. It’s still acceptable, but that will lead us to probably an extensive redesign of that valve system.”
The next flight of an Orion spacecraft will be on the Artemis III mission. Under a new plan announced earlier this year, Artemis III will not travel to the Moon but will fly closer to Earth, either in low-Earth orbit or to a somewhat higher altitude.
There, the Orion spacecraft will rendezvous with one or both commercial lunar landers selected by NASA for future voyages to the Moon’s surface.
The tests in Earth orbit will pave the way for Artemis IV, NASA’s first attempt to put humans on the lunar surface since 1972.
Artemis IV is when Kshatriya said NASA must have new helium valves ready to go. “I don’t need those valves to hold pressure in the same way for a LEO [low-Earth orbit] orbiting mission, but for a lunar orbit mission, I do.”
NASA’s schedule currently puts the launch of Artemis III in 2027 and Artemis IV in 2028. Kshatriya said he was confident that NASA, working with the European Space Agency and Airbus, which builds the service module, will be able to fix the valve problem in time for Artemis IV. Manufacturing of the Artemis IV service module is largely complete.
“I’m pretty sure we’re going to need to, at a minimum, tweak the design to prevent the leak rate that we have, if not fundamentally change the way the valve works,” he said.
Valves are a common bugaboo on rockets and spacecraft. Nearly every US human spaceflight program has dealt with malfunctioning or leaky valves.
Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule suffered helium leaks in its propulsion system, along with other issues, during a test flight to the International Space Station in 2024.
Helium valves on the Space Launch System rocket had to be replaced in the run-up to the Artemis I and Artemis II launches. SpaceX has also scrubbed launches due to valve problems. The list goes on.
“There are a lot of options for how to take care of this problem,” Kshatriya said of the issue on the Orion spacecraft.
“If anything, I’d characterize it as a production redesign risk for the Artemis IV mission, which I think we can get in front of, and which is why we put so much attention on it during this mission to make sure [we understand] what we’re seeing.”
The big lesson NASA learned on Artemis I involved the capsule’s heat shield. The ablative thermal barrier burned away unevenly as the craft reentered the atmosphere, but Orion still made it to a safe, on-target splashdown.
NASA officials said they are confident the heat shield will hold up on Artemis II after adjusting the path Orion will take through the upper atmosphere. A new heat shield design will debut on Artemis III.
NASA engineers spent two years investigating the heat shield issue after Artemis I. Kshatriya does not expect the valve redesign to take as long.
“It’s not a safety of flight, safety of crew, must-work function like the heat shield investigation sent us down,” he said. “It’s going to take work to get it right, but it’s not of that magnitude.”
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similar, but I dont think so
Busy Day of Space Science and Lab Maintenance Greets Station Crew
April 9, 2026 1:10PM
A packed schedule filled with numerous science objectives and critical lab maintenance tasks greeted the Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. Meanwhile, the orbital residents await the next U.S. cargo mission.
A wide array of research is always ongoing aboard the orbital lab as NASA and its international partners use the unique microgravity environment to gain results unobtainable on Earth.
Insights reveal new phenomena that inform scientists and engineers of ways to advance human health and innovate Earth and space industries.
Over 25 years of medical knowledge gained from crews living on the space station has shown that living and working in weightless in the confines of a spacecraft impacts stress and immunity levels.
A new investigation sponsored by ESA (European Space Agency) is exploring mindfulness and meditation techniques to manage stress and improve sleep quality during a long-term spaceflight.
NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir documented her sleep patterns then collected and stowed her saliva samples for the RelaxPro study. Scientists will analyze the saliva samples to measure how microgravity affects an astronaut’s stress hormones and immune markers.
NASA flight engineer Chris Williams spent most of his day on standard housekeeping and maintenance duties. Williams first stowed spacesuit helmet components inside the Quest airlock.
Next, he entered his nutritional and pharmaceutical intake on the EveryWear health data collection app. Finally, Williams stocked and reorganized food packs inside the Unity module making space for new crew supplies being delivered on the upcoming Cygnus XL mission.
NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway kicked off his shift reviewing safety procedures when connecting electronics gear inside the orbiting lab. Next, Hathaway inventoried biomedical research hardware in the Columbus and Destiny laboratory modules.
At the end of his day, he set up a camera inside the Unity’s Earth-facing port where mission controllers tested its downlink video they will use to monitor the arrival of Cygnus XL.
Mission managers continue targeting no earlier than 7:41 a.m. EDT Saturday, April 11, for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft to resupply the Expedition 74 crew.
Watch the agency’s launch and arrival coverage on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The small TUSK experimental robotic arm was configured inside the Kibo laboratory module for a technology demonstration by flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) at the beginning of her shift.
TUSK seeks to save crew time and test the robotic arm’s precise, sub-millimeter motion in weightlessness.
Adenot wrapped up her shift familiarizing herself with spacewalking hardware then videotaping how to measure the human body’s height, arm length, and leg length as they expand due to the lack of gravity.
The orbital outpost’s three cosmonauts focused on their list of research and lab upkeep throughout the International Space Station’s Roscosmos segment on Thursday.
Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev took turns filling out a questionnaire to help researchers understand a crew member’s decision‑making styles, stress responses, interpersonal approaches, and preferred working patterns.
The duo then split up conducting life support maintenance and cargo transfers. Flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev spent his shift on European robotic arm maintenance inside the Nauka science module.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/04/09/busy-day-of-space-science-and-lab-maintenance-greets-station-crew/
extra NASA
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/crew-of-tiny-worms-readies-for-april-10-launch-to-international-space-station
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/worldview-image-archive/stagnant-skies-southeast-asia
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/esa-launches-7-new-missions-to-supercharge-space-data-transfer
moar
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Satellite_navigation/Celeste/ESA_s_Celeste_broadcasts_first_navigation_signal_from_low_Earth_orbit
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/04/Earth_from_Space_Lava_flow_on_Reunion_Island
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/04/Pointing_in_the_b_right_direction
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/FLEX/The_instrument
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Week_in_images/Week_in_images_06-10_April_2026
https://www.esa.int/Education/Educational_Satellites/Fly_Your_Satellite!_Industry_Mentorship_Initiative_concludes_Pilot_Phase_supporting_the_next_generation_of_satellite_engineers
https://www.esa.int/kids/en/things_to_do/Space_Gallery_Competition/Winners_Gallery/Discover_February_s_artsy_scientists
ESA Launches 7 New Missions to Supercharge Space Data Transfer + Extra ESA
April 10, 2026 02:33 PM UTC
Space is getting crowded - and not just with satellites, but with the massive amounts of data they’re generating. The amount of information being generated and passed through orbit is exploding.
From high-resolution Earth observation images to global maritime monitoring, it’s also become a critical link in our infrastructure. But there’s another space this growing crowd of satellites is dependent on that is also filling up fast - the radio frequency spectrum.
If we want to keep expanding our orbital infrastructure, we need to rethink how we move data around. On March 30, 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) supported a series of eight CubeSats and one specialized payload on SpaceX’s Transporter-16 rideshare mission with the overarching goals of testing high-throughput laser communication, inter-satellite networking, and in-orbit artificial intelligence processing to make space data transfer faster, more secure, and vastly more efficient.
Five of the CubeSats aboard Transporter-16 were developed under ESA’s Greek Connectivity Programme and focused on building up the country’s space-based optical capabilities.
OptiSat, operated by Planetek Hellas, is a cereal-box sized CubeSat flying a SCOT20 laser communication terminal built by German manufacturer TESAT. Its primary mission is to establish secure, high speed laser links with other small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Another satellite, PeakSat, was entirely developed by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. It features an ATLAS-1 laser terminal from the Lithuanian company Astrolight, and intends to demonstrate improved space-to-ground laser communications by beaming data down to newly upgraded optical ground stations in Greece.
The other three Greek satellites are all part of the ERMIS Constellation. Led by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, it is intended to test different types of communications technologies.
Two of the satellites - ERMIS-1 and ERMIS-2 will test 5G connectivity for satellite-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) applications as well as regular radio inter-satellite links.
ERMIS-3, which is slightly larger, will also feature an ATLAS-1 laser terminal, and will test the pointing and tracking systems needed to download massive hyperspectral Earth observation images directly to ground stations via laser.
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Three additional CubeSats on the Transporter-16 launch fall under ESA’s Pioneer Partnership Projects umbrella. These are intended to help commercial companies develop working space infrastructure at a reasonable cost.
The first, led by Spire Global, is known as Mission Saas (assumedly for Software as a Service - a common business model for modern software start-ups). It is again focused on de-risking inter-satellite optical links.
Traveling overhead at 17,000 miles per hour means there’s a relatively short time when a satellite has access to a ground station to transmit all its data.
By relaying some of that data to a satellite trailing in the same orbit, it can be relayed quickly to the right place at the right time.
Fraser talks about the potential limit to how many satellites can be in orbit at once.
Mission VIREON consists of two 16U CubeSats attempting to deliver cost-effective, high-resolution Earth-Observation data.
Such pictures delivered on a daily basis would be a game-changer for crop, forest, and water quality monitoring. It will probably come as no surprise what the extra “payload” is.
Belgian company EDGX attached a hand-sized digital data processing unit, which contains a GPU and advanced AI optimization.
It’s intended to be a demonstrator of the idea of “edge computing” in space - which admittedly would significantly lower the data bandwidth required for a lot of the other missions. It also happens to mesh nicely with SpaceX's long-term goal of setting up AI data centers in orbit.
Technically all of these missions are “technology demonstrators” - but realistically they likely represent an inevitable future for most satellites in orbit.
We’re continuing to deploy satellite mega-constellations at an ever-increasing pace, and in the long run traditional radio frequencies won’t be able to satisfy demand for data transfer.
By shifting to optical communication methods, and completing at least some of the data-intensive algorithms in orbit, ESA and its commercial partners are trying to lay the groundwork for a planet-wide internet that is faster and smarter - but it remains to be seen if it can deal with the potential hazards, from orbital debris to polluted night skies, that go along with it.
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'It probably will start a precedent': Why satellite company's withholding of Iran imagery has this expert worried
April 10, 2026
The Earth-observation company Planet Labs is withholding its satellite imagery of Iran indefinitely.
In response to a request from the U.S. government, Planet Labs made a decision not to share photos of Iran as well as the larger conflict region in the Middle East indefinitely, the California company shared in an April 5 statement emailed to customers.
The decision follows a 14-day delay in imagery of the Middle East that the company initiated last month in an effort to prevent attacks on the U.S. and its allies, according to Reuters.
Not everyone is a fan of the decision.
"It seems that it's a way to impact the American public's ability to understand what's happening as opposed to having an impact on the battlefield," Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability for the nonprofit Secure World Foundation, told Space.com.
Planet Labs operates a large fleet of satellites in low Earth orbit that capture images of our planet, which are then sold to government agencies, or companiesWhile the U.S. government is one of the company's largest customers, it is not the only one, and Planet Labs has a history of working internationally. The company even describes itself as being a "mission-led public benefit corporation whose founding purpose is to use space to help life on Earth."
Indeed, satellite imagery like that captured by Planet Labs is used for a variety of purposes, not just defense planning.
"It's unfortunate given the extent that their work is used, not just by militaries but by other actors trying to follow refugee flow and seeing where there's damage, and for agricultural reasons," Samson said, adding that withholding images sparks concerns from a public safety perspective.
In addition to the many non-military purposes that satellite imagery serves, it also allows the public to see with their own eyes what is happening in a given region and the true extent of damages inflicted during wartime, as well as the consequences of other actions.
Samson cited one specific instance from earlier in the war in which satellite imagery — specifically, photos from Planet Labs — played an important role.
In early March, there was initial confusion about the extent of the strikes that took place on an Iranian school. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs revealed the extent of the damage and shed light on how many lives were lost in the attack.
In its history, Planet Labs has previously freely shared important imagery. For instance, the company has released photos that have helped first responders deal with natural disasters, as well as imagery revealing details about Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
This is not the first time that satellite imagery has been restricted from public view. For example, photos of sensitive military locations or government facilities are often blurred on applications like Google Maps.
However, Samson said, Planet Labs' decision appears to be the first time that such a large region has been restricted from satellite view.
"It probably will start a precedent that I don't think will be good for overall transparency," she said.
Planet Labs also shared in the April 5 statement that it will be holding back all imagery dating back to March 9, and that this withholding will continue until the conflict has ended.
There is one small exception to this ban, however. Planet Labs will release images on a case-by-case basis if an urgent need presents itself, the company shared in the statement.
These decisions follow the official start of the war, which began on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
Planet Labs is among a variety of companies that provide satellite imaging services, and some of the others may be making similar decisions.
For example, the companyVantor, formerly known as Maxar Intelligence, told Space.com that it has put "controls in place over parts of the Middle East," though the company added that these controls "were not put in place in response to a specific U.S. government request."
At this time, it is unclear what other companies are also restricting access to satellite imagery.
Space.com reached out to Planet Labs for comment, but the company did not respond before the publication deadline.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/it-probably-will-start-a-precedent-why-satellite-companys-withholding-of-iran-imagery-has-this-expert-worried
SpaceX Launches
Starlink Mission
April 10, 2026
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is targeting the launch of 25 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app.
This will be the 32nd flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, NROL-113, NROL-167, NROL-149, NAOS, and 22 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-17-21
NG-24 Mission
April 11, 2026
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, April 11 for a Falcon 9 launch of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL commercial resupply mission (NG-24) to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Liftoff is targeted for 7:41 a.m. ET, with a backup launch opportunity available on Sunday, April 12 at 7:15 a.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about 20 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.
This is the seventh flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Ax-4, Crew-11, NG-23, and three Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, Falcon 9 will land on Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/ng24
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