Space.com
• Andrew Jones
Japan’s Hayabusa2 returned striking images following a super-close near-Earth asteroid flyby on July 5. The attempt required a heated technical discussion before teams agreed to proceed, underscoring the safety-versus-science trade behind the maneuver.
Universe Today
• Matthew Williams
By Universe Today: Before Artemis astronauts land on the Moon’s surface in 2028, NASA will conduct the Artemis III demonstration mission in 2027, allowing teams on Earth and in orbit to practice rendezvous and docking operations between commercial human landing systems and the Orion spacecraft.
SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
By SpaceNews.com: WASHINGTON — The Pentagon awarded $7.1 million to Martin Materials Solutions to expand U.S. manufacturing of space-qualified cover glass, a specialized material used to protect the solar cells that power satellites.
Space.com
• Josh Dinner
By Space.com: Japan has succeeded in the first-ever flight test of its RV-X experimental reusable rocket prototype.
SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
By SpaceNews.com: NASA and Draper have terminated plans for a lunar lander mission after significant delays in development of the spacecraft.
European Spaceflight
• Andrew Parsonson
By European Spaceflight: Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès has urged Europe to place large block orders for Ariane 6 launches.
NASA
• Lauren E. Low
By NASA: The Republic of Serbia signed the Artemis Accords Thursday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington, becoming the 69th nation to join a large community of like-minded nations committed to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space.
SpaceNews.com
Payload
• Victoria Woodburn
By Payload: NASA has awarded SpaceX a contract to deliver laser communications capabilities for its Artemis III mission using Starlink, which could give Earthbound viewers a better view of the ship-to-ship transfer in LEO set for 2027.
