This week, off world: Golden dome, China's mega constellation grows further, and loads more...

 Decades of conflict have devastated the Central African Republic, with especially harsh effects on children. To help alleviate the suffering if this mostly forgotten conflict, you can donate here...

...here is (one) place you can donate to help children in Afghanistan, caught under the Taliban...

Thank you!

 Pick o' the podcasts:

From the video store:

China launches new group of Guowang satellites from commercial spaceport - SpaceNews

A new report on what Golden Dome means to the Space Force

The Evolution of Multi-Mission Orbital Vehicles 

Reading material:

The new space race? NASA accelerates plan to put nuclear reactor on the moon

AST SpaceMobile seeks approval to give first responders a direct satellite link - SpaceNews

Satellites reveal a hidden lake burst through Greenland Ice Sheet in 2014, causing major flooding and a deep crater | Space

Space Force to select multiple companies for new geostationary satellite surveillance network - SpaceNews

EarthDaily nets $60 million loan to ramp up constellation expansion - SpaceNews

 Is Mining Asteroids That Impacted The Moon Moon Easier Than Mining Asteroids Themselves? - Universe Today

The Universe (or at least bits of it) in 101 words: An invisible volcano

 

Above: A very visible volcano on Earth. We're lucky our volcanoes aren't nearly as sneaky as the Martian ones....

Invisible volcanoes, like flying sharks, sound like a bad idea to me. But nature doesn't care what I think... 

Olympus Mons, the biggest volcano in the solar system, stands 22 km high - but if you stood on its slopes you'd need special equipment to know it was there. 

Why? 

Because it's over 500 kilometres across - bigger than Italy. That makes its slopes so shallow that, locally, they would be lost amongst the terrain. And almost all of it stretches beyond the horizon wherever you might stand on it. 

It’s literally so big you couldn't tell it was there....

Above: The pancake-like Olympus Mons.

This week, off world: The closest ever photos of the Sun, US and China wargame in space - and loads more...

Decades of conflict have devastated the Central African Republic, with especially harsh effects on children. To help alleviate the suffering if this mostly forgotten conflict, you can donate here...

...here is (one) place you can donate to help children in Afghanistan, caught under the Taliban...

Thank you!

 Pick o' the podcasts

From the video store

Space Force: Inside the US base tracking global missile launches - BBC News

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Snaps Closest-Ever Images to Sun - NASA Science

Wildfires, Lightning, and Earth from Space in 4K | 15-minutes with music

Reading material:

 

The soil on the Moon could support life, scientists say

Could asteroid mining actually work? Maybe if we start with impact sites on the moon

Photographer Captures Impressively Clear Photo of the ISS Whizzing By | PetaPixel

Nightmare For NASA? Russian “Matryoshka” Satellites Lurk In The Orbit; Is U.S. Space Dominance Under Threat?

Space Force Unit that Tracked Iranian Missiles Earns New Honor 

China is practicing orbital warfare to win in space - SpaceNews

Experimental Chinese satellite turns up in unexpected orbit - SpaceNews

Evidence Of Electrified Dust Devils On Mars May Have Been Recorded By NASA's Perseverance Rover | IFLScience

China eyes the moon, Mars and space dominance - SpaceNews

The Universe ( or at least bits of it ) in 101 words...

In which I try to describe some particularly impressive or counterintuitive natural wonder or phenomena in 101 words or less...

Above: A very visible volcano on Earth. We're lucky our volcanoes aren't nearly as sneaky as the Martian ones....

Invisible volcanoes, like flying sharks, sound like a bad idea to me. But nature doesn't care what I think... 

Olympus Mons, the biggest volcano in the solar system, stands 22 km high - but if you stood on its slopes you'd need special equipment to know it was there. 

Why? 

Because it's over 500 kilometres across - bigger than Italy. That makes its slopes so shallow that, locally, they would be lost amongst the terrain. And almost all of it stretches beyond the horizon wherever you might stand on it. 

It’s literally so big you couldn't tell it was there....

Above: The pancake-like Olympus Mons.

This week, off world: NASA telescope images Saturn sized planet, China may be winning the space race, and loads more...

   Decades of conflict have devastated the Central African Republic, with especially harsh effects on children. To help alleviate the suffering if this mostly forgotten conflict, you can donate here...

...here is (one) place you can donate to help children in Afghanistan, caught under the Taliban...

Thank you!

Pick o' the podcasts:

From the video store:

Blue Origin launches 6 tourists on suborbital trip from Texas, including 750th person ever to fly into space | Space

Japan launches GOSAT-GW on 50th and final liftoff of the H-2A rocket (video) | Space

Rocket Lab launches 'Symphony of the Stars' mission | Space

Reading material:

Rocket Lab to launch European navigation tech demo satellites - SpaceNews

Space Inventor Launches First Danish Arctic Satellite - SpaceNews

ESA releases images of Earth unlike anything you’ve seen before

The ups and downs of life in space | On the ISS this week June 23 - 27, 2025 | Space

How China is winning the military space race

Satellite imagery firms escalate warnings over budget cuts - SpaceNews

Lux Aeterna emerges from stealth with funds for fully reusable satellite platform - SpaceNews

Nasa telescope captures unprecedented image

This week, off world: China (possibly) conducts re-fuelling test in space, while US satellite watch, and Honda lands its 1st re-useable rocket...

  Decades of conflict have devastated the Central African Republic, with especially harsh effects on children. To help alleviate the suffering if this mostly forgotten conflict, you can donate here...

...here is (one) place you can donate to help children in Afghanistan, caught under the Taliban...

Thank you!

Pick o' the podcasts:

From the video store:

This Week in Orbit 🌍 | Earth in 4K from Space – Cities, Mountains & Storms:

Watch Honda launch (and land) its 1st reusable rocket in this wild video | Space

2 Chinese spacecraft just met up 22,000 miles above Earth. What were they doing? | Space

A short time-lapse of today's 11:46-hour coverage of SJ-21 and SJ-25, recorded from 08:47 to 20:33 UTC. pic.twitter.com/Z8SjGLNDuH

— s2a systems (@s2a_systems) June 13, 2025

Landspace performs 9-engine static fire test for reusable Zhuque-3 rocket  - SpaceNews

Old but still cool: Japanese spacecraft flies around big derelict upper stage booster

Reading material:

Varda to launch its first in-house built spacecraft for on-orbit manufacturing - SpaceNews

NASA moon orbiter spies grave of crashed Japanese lunar lander (image) | Space

ESA signs agreement for potential use of Orbital Reef - SpaceNews

Pentagon struggles to build unified satellite network  - SpaceNews

Trump’s dispute with Musk shows the danger of private monopolies in space - SpaceNews

Portal Space Systems to build larger factory for Supernova vehicle - SpaceNews

ESA and EU emphasize good relationship as they press forward on imaging constellation - SpaceNews

This week, off world: The Israel-Iran conflict examined by satellites, cancer research using microgravity and loads more...

 Decades of conflict have devastated the Central African Republic, with especially harsh effects on children. To help alleviate the suffering if this mostly forgotten conflict, you can donate here...

...here is (one) place you can donate to help children in Afghanistan, caught under the Taliban...

Thank you!

Pick o' the podcasts:

From the video store:

Yuanxingzhe-1 - the first recovery test of the first stage

Solar Orbiter spacecraft snaps first images of Sun's south pole - BBC News

Reading material:

Satellite photos reveal damage to Iranian missile bases after Israeli strikes

Could the answers to cancer lie in space? Why off-Earth research is heating up | Space

Chinese spacecraft prepare for orbital refueling test as US surveillance sats lurk nearby - SpaceNews

Xplore reveals hyperspectral imagery from first satellite - SpaceNews