Galaxies Missing Their Dark Matter & Hera Heads To DART Aftermath - Space News (Jul 15, 2026)

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The mission will help scientists measure what changed after humanity's first real asteroid deflection test. Starship Flight 13 Nears Launch - SpaceX is preparing Starship Flight 13, the next test of its fully reusable heavy-lift rocket designed for future Moon, Mars, and large-payload missions. The update marks another key moment in the fast-moving race to build next-generation launch systems. NASA Tracks Western Heat Dome - NASA's latest Earth Observatory coverage shows a severe heat dome over the western United States, using space-based data and atmospheric modeling to map dangerous temperatures. The story shows how space science supports real-world climate and extreme weather monitoring. Europe Boosts Space Economy Spending - ESA's 2026 Space Economy Report says European space budgets have risen about 12 percent to roughly 13.5 billion euros. The increase signals stronger public investment in space technology, Earth observation, exploration, and strategic infrastructure. Episode Transcript Galaxies Missing Their Dark Matter First up, astronomers are taking a closer look at galaxies that seem to contain little or no dark matter. That's a big deal because dark matter is one of the core ideas in modern cosmology, the invisible mass thought to help hold galaxies together. If some galaxies really are dark-matter-poor, it could mean galaxy formation is messier and more varied than expected, or that some special processes can strip dark matter away. Either way, this is exactly the kind of odd result that pushes science forward. Hera Heads To DART Aftermath Next, in planetary defense, ESA's Hera mission is getting ready for a major milestone later this year as it approaches the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system. This is the same target where NASA's DART spacecraft deliberately slammed into Dimorphos in 2022 to test whether an asteroid's path could be changed. Hera's job is to inspect the aftermath up close, measure the impact site, and help scientists understand how effective that deflection really was. It's a practical step toward making asteroid defense more precise and more reliable. Starship Flight 13 Nears Launch In launch news, SpaceX is preparing for Starship Flight 13, with liftoff expected in just over a day from the time of the latest update. Starship is the company's giant fully reusable rocket system, built to eventually carry large payloads and potentially crews to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The headline here is not just one launch, but steady progress through repeated testing. Each flight helps engineers learn more about how to make a super-heavy rocket reusable, dependable, and ready for more ambitious missions. NASA Tracks Western Heat Dome Back on Earth, NASA's Earth Observatory has released new imagery and analysis showing a powerful heat dome over the western United States. Using the Goddard Earth Observing System, NASA mapped the extreme temperatures tied to a high-pressure system that trapped heat over the region. Several places in states including Utah, Montana, and Wyoming saw record-breaking temperatures. It's a strong reminder that space-based observation isn't only about distant planets and galaxies; it also helps us monitor dangerous conditions here at home. Europe Boosts Space Economy Spending And finally, Europe's space sector just got a significant vote of confidence. ESA's new 2026 Space Economy Report says European space budgets have increased by about 12 percent, reaching roughly 13.5 billion euros. That kind of growth matters because budgets shape what gets built, what gets launched, and what science gets funded. For listeners, the takeaway is simple: Europe is investing more heavily in space, which could mean more missions, more technology development, and a stronger role in global space activity. 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