Published By: Devyani

Science & Space Roundup: Top News of the Day (May 10)

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

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites, Nails Booster Landing in Weekend Kickoff

SpaceX didn’t waste any time this weekend, firing off another batch of Starlink satellites Thursday evening (May 9) from California. A trusty Falcon 9 rocket lit up the skies over Vandenberg Space Force Base at 8:19 p.m. EDT, hauling 26 internet-beaming satellites to low Earth orbit. The first-stage booster, B1081, marked its 14th flight—six of which were Starlink runs—before nailing a smooth touchdown on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ drone ship in the Pacific. 

Meanwhile, the upper stage cruised onward, set to deploy the satellites about an hour post-launch. Over the next few days, these new additions will slot into SpaceX’s sprawling 7,000-satellite megaconstellation, blanketing the globe (minus the poles) with high-speed internet. 

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This mission was SpaceX’s 54th Falcon 9 launch of 2025 and 56th overall this year. Next up? A ninth test flight for Starship, its colossal next-gen rocket, in the coming weeks. Buckle up!

Mars’ Jezero Crater Hides an Ancient Volcano- Perseverance Uncovers Clues to a Fiery Past

On February 18, 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down in Mars’ Jezero Crater, a site once thought to cradle an ancient lake. While its delta hints at a watery past, the rover’s latest discovery adds a fiery twist: a neighboring mountain, Jezero Mons, might be an extinct volcano. Led by planetary scientist Sara Cuevas-Quiñones, a Georgia Tech team suggests lava from this peak shaped the crater’s geology. Perseverance’s rock samples reveal olivine and carbonate—minerals linked to volcanic activity and water interactions. Scientists were surprised; many expected sedimentary rocks, not igneous ones. This hints that lava flows and water episodes alternated here billions of years ago, possibly nurturing life-friendly conditions. 

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The rover’s findings could rewrite Mars’ history, but answers hinge on returning samples to Earth—a mission now delayed until the 2040s. Meanwhile, researchers dream of future rovers scaling Jezero Mons itself. As co-author James Wray notes, a nearby volcano might’ve warmed underground water, boosting chances for ancient life. For now, Perseverance keeps digging, one rock at a time.

Doomed Star’s Final Dance Around Black Hole Could Rewrite Cosmic Rules

A star in galaxy LEDA 3091738, 300 million light-years away, is caught in a deadly tango with supermassive black hole “Ansky.” Every 4.5 days, the star plunges through Ansky’s scorching gas disk, triggering explosive X-ray flares- some of the most powerful ever detected. Astronomers call these bursts “quasi-periodic eruptions” (QPEs), and Ansky’s are the brightest known. 

Led by MIT’s Joheem Chakraborty, a team using space telescopes NICER and XMM-Newton discovered the star is losing orbital energy with each fiery dive, spiraling closer to oblivion. If it’s Sun-sized, it’ll vanish into Ansky within 5–6 years. Heavier stars might linger longer. Either way, its death throes—visible as increasingly frequent flares—will reveal secrets about black hole physics. 

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“QPEs are cosmic puzzles,” says Chakraborty. “Ansky’s unique rhythm is helping us crack them.” When the star finally shreds, astronomers will witness a rare, real-time stellar demise—a front-row seat to spacetime’s raw power.

50-Year-Old Soviet Space Probe’s Fiery Return Highlights Space Junk Crisis

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A Soviet-era spacecraft, stranded since its failed 1972 Venus mission, is finally crashing back to Earth. Kosmos 481, stuck in orbit for decades, is predicted to reenter between May 9-10—though no one knows exactly where. Experts aren’t sweating it: “It’s like a car falling from the sky,” says astronomer Jonathan McDowell. Built to survive Venus’ brutal atmosphere, this tough probe might not burn up like typical debris. While the odds of it hitting someone are tiny, its return spotlights a bigger issue—our cluttered orbit. Recent chunks of SpaceX and Chinese rockets have landed globally, hinting at risks as satellite numbers explode. “Don’t panic,” McDowell urges. “But it’s a wake-up call.”