Episode Details

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Today's topics:

Galaxies Missing Their Dark Matter - Astronomers are examining galaxies that appear to contain little or no dark matter, raising fresh questions about how galaxies form and whether dark matter is truly universal. This July 15, 2026 space news story highlights a major cosmology puzzle with big implications for modern astrophysics.

Hera Heads To DART Aftermath - ESA's Hera mission is approaching the asteroid system altered by NASA's DART impact, setting up the next major chapter in planetary defense. The mission will help scientists measure what changed after humanity's first real asteroid deflection test.

Starship Flight 13 Nears Launch - SpaceX is preparing Starship Flight 13, the next test of its fully reusable heavy-lift rocket designed for future Moon, Mars, and large-payload missions. The update marks another key moment in the fast-moving race to build next-generation launch systems.

NASA Tracks Western Heat Dome - NASA's latest Earth Observatory coverage shows a severe heat dome over the western United States, using space-based data and atmospheric modeling to map dangerous temperatures. The story shows how space science supports real-world climate and extreme weather monitoring.

Europe Boosts Space Economy Spending - ESA's 2026 Space Economy Report says European space budgets have risen about 12 percent to roughly 13.5 billion euros. The increase signals stronger public investment in space technology, Earth observation, exploration, and strategic infrastructure.

Episode Transcript

Galaxies Missing Their Dark Matter
First up, astronomers are taking a closer look at galaxies that seem to contain little or no dark matter. That's a big deal because dark matter is one of the core ideas in modern cosmology, the invisible mass thought to help hold galaxies together. If some galaxies really are dark-matter-poor, it could mean galaxy formation is messier and more varied than expected, or that some special processes can strip dark matter away. Either way, this is exactly the kind of odd result that pushes science forward.

Hera Heads To DART Aftermath
Next, in planetary defense, ESA's Hera mission is getting ready for a major milestone later this year as it approaches the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system. This is the same target where NASA's DART spacecraft deliberately slammed into Dimorphos in 2022 to test whether an asteroid's path could be changed. Hera's job is to inspect the aftermath up close, measure the impact site, and help scientists understand how effective that deflection really was. It's a practical step toward making asteroid defense more precise and more reliable.

Starship Flight 13 Nears Launch
In launch news, SpaceX is preparing for Starship Flight 13, with liftoff expected in just over a day from the time of the latest update. Starship is the company's gi