China's electromagnetic rocket launch technology could change the way we go to space - The Times of India

• NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is studying planets orbiting the remnants of dead Sun-like stars to understand the long-term evolution of solar systems. • By analyzing these distant systems, researchers like MacDonald are treating the observations as a "time machine" to predict the eventual fate of our own outer planets.

• NASA has announced new lunar landing contracts for the Artemis Moon Base program and proposed a potential new mission called PROMISE. • The PROMISE mission aims to send a spare nuclear-powered Mars rover to the lunar surface to test its capabilities in a different environment.

• Astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana has officially begun his tenure today as the 10th president of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). • Jayawardhana, who previously expressed his lifelong passion for space exploration, highlighted his early connection to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) through its educational outreach.

• Scientists have created "SpudCells," synthetic, quivering spheres made using lab-designed DNA that are capable of feeding and multiplying. • The research demonstrates a "survival of the fittest" mechanism, where SpudCells with genetic growth advantages can outcompete and replace original populations.

• Astronomers utilizing data from the New Horizons spacecraft have discovered that solar winds gradually slow down as they travel toward the edge of the solar system. • The research indicates that the solar wind speed decreases by approximately 13% to 15% within the outer heliosphere.

• Researchers highlighted several overlooked science stories from June, including the science of soccer's scissors feint and the physics of poop's coiled shape. • The list also featured a breakthrough on boron buckyballs and progress on deciphering the Herculaneum scrolls, which were damaged by the Vesuvius eruption.

• The "Strawberry Moon," the first full moon of the summer season, is scheduled to rise on June 29. • Observers may notice a golden or orange glow and a "moon illusion," which makes the moon appear unusually large as it nears the horizon.

• The phenomenon known as "cold welding" occurs in space when two clean pieces of the same metal touch and fuse together into a single piece. • Unlike on Earth, where an oxide layer forms on metal surfaces due to oxygen, the vacuum of space prevents this layer from developing, allowing atoms to bond directly.

• The global space research funding has surpassed $130 billion annually, making 2026 one of the most heavily financed years in space exploration history. • Notable growth is seen in companies like Starlink, with subscriber counts increasing from 2.3 million in 2023 to 10.3 million by Q1 2026.

• NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir are conducting a spacewalk today, June 30, to repair the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm. • The mission focuses on fixing the critical robotic system, with live coverage of the operation beginning at 7:00 a.m. ET.

• The Score project (Systematizing Confidence in Open Research and Evidence) has published findings in the journal Nature regarding the reliability of social science research. • The study involved 865 experts over a seven-year period to evaluate the consistency and reproducibility of academic studies.