Published By: Devyani

Science & Space Roundup: Top News of the Day (June 21)

Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.

Starship Test Explosion Traced to Suspect Tank; SpaceX Confirms No Safety Risks

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SpaceX has a solid lead on why its latest Starship prototype unexpectedly went boom during testing this week. The massive rocket exploded while secured on the test stand Wednesday night. Engineers were prepping for a routine engine firing when it happened.

By Thursday, SpaceX nailed down a likely culprit: a pressurized nitrogen tank (called a COPV) in the ship's nose section probably failed. They stressed that the full investigation is still ongoing, but this specific type of tank isn't used on their reliable Falcon 9 rockets. So, those frequent Falcon launches (75 already this year!) won't be disrupted.

The good news? No one was hurt – all Starbase personnel are safe. SpaceX also reassured nearby residents around Brownsville, Texas: There's no toxic risk or contamination from the explosion. Previous tests confirm the materials inside Starship aren't hazardous, and they're working with officials to monitor any environmental or safety impacts.

NASA Spots Crash Site of ispace's Moon Lander in Sea of Cold

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NASA's eagle-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted the final resting place of a private moon lander named "Resilience." Built by Tokyo's ispace, Resilience slammed into the moon's ancient Sea of Cold (Mare Frigoris) on June 5th during its landing attempt. This region is a vast, 3.5-billion-year-old lava plain, later wrinkled by shifting crust under the heavy basalt.

Mission control lost contact with Resilience during its descent, confirming its loss hours later. Sadly, its tiny companion, the Tenacious microrover carrying a quirky miniature Swedish "Moonhouse" artwork, was also destroyed.

LRO images reveal the crash site about 1.5 miles off-target, showing a dark smudge where the lander kicked up moon dust and a faint halo from scattered surface particles. For ispace, this marks a second heartbreaking lunar crash in a row, following a failed landing in 2023.

Sunspot 4114 Unleashes Monster Flare, Disrupting Radio Across Pacific

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Get ready for more fireworks from the sun! Sunspot region 4114 just blasted out its biggest solar flare yet – a powerful X1.9-class eruption late on June 19th. This monster flare peaked around 9:50 PM Eastern Time, sending intense radiation racing towards Earth at light speed.

The impact? A significant shortwave radio blackout centered over the Pacific Ocean, even reaching Hawaii. Ham radio operators there likely experienced sudden signal loss on certain frequencies right after the flare hit. This happens because the radiation "charges up" (ionizes) our upper atmosphere, disrupting radio waves used for long-distance communication.

While this flare packed a serious punch, it didn't throw off a coronal mass ejection (CME). So, no dazzling auroras from this one – sorry skywatchers! But this is the second major X-class flare from this hyperactive sunspot region in just days. It's clearly a magnetically complex hotspot worth watching. If future flares do launch CMEs our way, we could get some stunning light shows.

Webb Telescope Finds Earth-Like Planets Can Form in Brutal Cosmic Nurseries

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Forget peaceful nurseries! Astronomers using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have spied on an incredibly harsh star-forming region within our own Milky Way, bombarded by intense radiation. Surprisingly, they found evidence that planets like Earth can form even in these extreme environments. This shatters the old idea that such punishing ultraviolet light would always destroy the dusty, gas-filled disks where planets are born.

Focusing on a specific disk called XUE 1 – experiencing UV radiation levels far beyond anything in our solar system – JWST revealed its inner secrets. Amazingly, their analysis suggests the crucial inner zone, where rocky, potentially habitable planets form, seems shielded from the worst radiation. Water, a key ingredient, was even detected! This means planet formation is tougher than we thought, opening up more possibilities for finding life-friendly worlds across the galaxy.