NASA launches rescue mission to save Swift space telescope from burning up in Earth's atmosphere

• Researchers using complex climate models have determined that life on Earth will likely become unsustainable in approximately 1.8 billion years. • The extinction event will be triggered by the sun increasing in brightness, which will lead to the eventual loss of the planet's oceans.

• Astronomer J-P Macquart and an international team from Curtin University have successfully tracked down "missing" baryonic matter in the universe. • Unlike dark matter, this missing material consists of normal protons, neutrons, and electrons that were previously undetectable because they are spread too thinly across deep space.

• The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially launched the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, a massive 10-year mission to map the southern sky. • Chief Scientist Tony Tyson describes the project as a "movie of the universe" that will repeatedly image the sky to track cosmic changes.

• NASA has postponed a mission intended to reposition a satellite using advanced robotic technology. • Amazon is progressing with its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband satellite network to expand global internet access, while India's Skyroot Aerospace prepares for its first private rocket launch.

• A new study by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) warns that the deployment of up to 1.7 million planned satellites and space mirrors could significantly brighten the night sky. • These massive satellite fleets threaten to erase critical astronomical observations by creating light pollution and visual interference for ground-based telescopes.

• NASA has issued Amendment 60 to extend the final 2025 due date for the C.2 Solar System Science proposal solicitation. • The program seeks research, data analysis, and tool development to support investigations into the solar system, including data from missions like the Juno spacecraft.

• NASA is seeking volunteers for its Moon & Mars Exploration Analog (MMEA), a simulation designed to recreate the challenges of a long-duration mission to Mars. • Participants will spend one year in a locked environment featuring virtual reality spacewalks and a mandatory social media detox to optimize life-support and operational success.

• The Vera Rubin Observatory has officially launched an unprecedented 10-year survey designed to map the solar system and the Milky Way. • The project aims to create a comprehensive new inventory of celestial bodies and investigate the elusive nature of dark matter.

• Author Liz Else has curated a list of the most anticipated popular science book releases for July 2026, focusing on conceptual questions about life and technology. • Key titles include a new work by Alice Roberts, who served as editor-in-chief, and a study on biology and physics by natural philosopher Melanie Challenger.

• Astronomers have discovered GJ 3378b, a potentially habitable planet located approximately 25 light-years from Earth. • The planet orbits a faint red dwarf star within the constellation Camelopardalis, positioned inside the star's habitable zone.

• Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a unique gas giant exoplanet orbiting a dead star. • The discovery provides a rare glimpse into the final stages of a planetary system's life cycle after its host star has ceased nuclear fusion.