Episode
SMILE opens global magnetosphere imaging & Starlink adds 24 satellites - Space News (May 20, 2026)
- Published
- May 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 312
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- https://theautomateddaily.com/episodes/2026-05-20-smile-opens-global-magnetosphere-imaging-starlink-adds-24-satellites
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Summary
Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad - Prezi: Create AI presentations fast - https://try.prezi.com/automated_daily - Invest Like the Pros with StockMVP - https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily Today's topics: SMILE opens global magnetosphere imaging - ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched SMILE on Vega-C to deliver the first time-resolved, panoramic soft X-ray images of Earth’s dayside magnetosphere. The mission pairs global imaging with in-situ plasma and magnetic-field measurements to sharpen space-weather science and forecasting. Starlink adds 24 satellites - SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg, continuing 2026’s rapid deployment cadence and expanding an already multi-thousand-spacecraft broadband network. The steady buildout highlights both the capability of reusable launch operations and the growing debate over megaconstellation sustainability. Starship Flight 12 slips again - SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12, the first mission of the upgraded V3 configuration and the debut of Starbase Pad 2, slipped to no earlier than 21 May 2026. The shifting date underscores the reality of test-flight development for super-heavy launch systems central to future Moon and Mars plans. Vast delays Haven-1 to 2027 - Commercial station developer Vast pushed Haven-1’s first launch from 2026 to no earlier than Q1 2027, with first crew potentially later still. The delay reflects the difficulty of building private orbital habitats as NASA and industry plan for a post-ISS low Earth orbit economy. Minor R1 radio blackouts - NOAA tracked minor R1-level radio blackout cond…