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ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Parachute Baked Sterile at ESTEC Ahead of 2028 Mars Mission

- On May 4, 2026, ESA’s ESTEC facility in the Netherlands heat‑sterilised the 35‑metre parachute for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover. - The parachute, which weighs 74 kg, is intended to slow the rover during Martian atmospheric descent. - The sterilisation completes a planetary protection milestone. - The mission is slated for launch in 2028.

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Photo by @mlyrics / Unsplash

NASA head urges new launcher for Blue Origin’s moon landers to meet Artemis mission deadlines

- After Blue Origin’s New Glenn static fire explosion destroyed the rocket and damaged Launch Complex 36 on May 28, NASA is seeking an alternative launcher for Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 (cargo) and potentially Mark 2 (crewed) landers. - NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency

SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg

- SpaceX launched 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites (Starlink 17-47) from Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 3, 2026, at 8:40:39 a.m. PDT. - The deployment added 24 broadband satellites to SpaceX’s low Earth orbit constellation, which now exceeds 10,000 satellites. - Falcon 9

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg

- SpaceX will launch 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites (Starlink 17-47) from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base. - Liftoff is scheduled for 8:40:39 a.m. PDT (11:40:39 a.m. EDT / 1540:39 UTC) on a south-southwesterly trajectory; live coverage begins ~30

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