Busy Day in Space: Starliner Delays, SpaceX Launches, and Bacteria Concerns on Tiangong

Space Brief – June 8, 2025

Today was a bustling day in space, marked by delays in Boeing’s Starliner launch, SpaceX’s ongoing rapid launch schedule, and new concerns stemming from the discovery of bacteria aboard the Tiangong space station. Additionally, the European Space Agency (ESA) is backing a significant lunar mission.

### Top Stories

**Boeing’s Starliner Faces Further Delays**
Boeing’s Starliner crew vehicle, initially scheduled for its next mission earlier, has now been delayed, pushing its launch to at least early 2026. This new timeline hinges on successful testing at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. These setbacks highlight the ongoing challenges in meeting NASA’s rigorous crew safety standards. The Starliner is essential for maintaining a robust presence in low Earth orbit, supporting satellite tracking, and ensuring the continuity of space station operations. [Read the full story](https://spaceflightnow.com).

**SpaceX Launches 70th Falcon 9 of the Year**
SpaceX continues to assert its leadership in the aerospace industry with the launch of 26 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. This mission marks their 70th launch of 2025, further establishing SpaceX’s dominance in satellite deployment and enhancing global internet coverage. The frequency of these launches significantly contributes to increased satellite traffic in Earth’s orbit, necessitating real-time tracking to minimize collision risks and manage space debris, a vital feature of our web app. [Read the full story](https://spaceflightnow.com).

**ESA Supports Moon Mission Featuring First European Rover**
The European Space Agency (ESA) is playing a crucial role in an ambitious lunar mission by assisting in the deployment of the first European rover. Part of ispace’s Mission 2, this rover aims to land on Mare Frigoris within days after a successful launch from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. This mission represents a significant milestone in European space exploration, enhancing international collaboration and technological progress that are essential for future lunar and planetary exploration. [Read the full story](https://moondaily.com).

**Newly Discovered Bacteria Raise Planetary Protection Concerns**
Recently identified bacterial species aboard the Tiangong space station and within NASA’s sterilized environments have prompted a reassessment of current planetary protection protocols. These findings raise concerns about contamination risks associated with space missions, underscoring the necessity for stringent protection measures to maintain biological sterility on spacecraft and protect extraterrestrial environments. [Read the full story](https://spaceexplored.com).

**ESCAPADE Mars Mission Eyes Potential Launch on New Glenn**
NASA’s ESCAPADE mission, which focuses on Mars orbital studies, may launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket during its second flight attempt scheduled for this summer. This potential launch follows delays from initial plans, reflecting the complexities involved in interplanetary mission scheduling. ESCAPADE will carry smallsats designed for dual-planetary orbit operations, providing insights into Mars’ atmospheric and space weather. [Read the full story](https://spacenews.com).

**SpaceX Pushes Forward with Super Heavy Booster Innovations**
SpaceX is advancing its efforts with the reuse of Booster 14 in Starship flight evaluations, paving the way for new primary objectives. This ongoing innovation reflects SpaceX’s strategy of iterative development and rapid prototyping, which is crucial for realizing their aspirations for Mars colonization. Continued advancements in booster technology are essential for enhancing cost efficiency and performance, thereby increasing launch frequency and lowering barriers to space access. [Read the full story](https://nasaspaceflight.com).

### Satellite Spotlight

– **Satellite Name:** ASTROCAST-0202
– **NORAD ID:** 48961
– **Launch Date:** June 30, 2021
– **Mission:** Communication for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications
– **Orbit:** Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
– **Operator:** ACAST
– **Fun Fact:** This CubeSat is part of a constellation designed to provide global connectivity for IoT devices, offering support to various industries with low-cost satellite communication. Track this satellite in real-time on our web app: [Track ASTROCAST-0202](#).

### Space Weather

Currently, space weather conditions are calm: R0 – S0 – G0.

**Next 24 Hours:**
Satellite operators can expect no risks of radio blackouts or solar radiation storms in the coming 24 hours, leading to stable operational conditions for satellite communication and monitoring. However, G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storms are likely on June 8-9, which may have a slight impact on ground-based radars and telescopes. Operators should be aware of a potential for R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate) radio blackouts from June 8-10, which could affect communication systems.

**Beyond:**
Looking ahead, the forecast from June 2 to June 28, 2025, suggests that solar activity may reach moderate levels (R1-R2/Minor-Moderate), potentially escalating to R3 (Strong) due to active regions on the sun’s visible face. Satellite operators should prepare for a chance of M-class (R1-R2) X-ray activity, which may have implications for satellites in orbit.

### Upcoming Space Launches

– **June 8**
– SpaceX Falcon 9: Starlink Group 15-8 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA (13:34 UTC)
– A batch of 26 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation, SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication.

– **June 10**
– SpaceX Falcon 9: Axiom Space Mission 4 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA (12:22 UTC)
– A Crew Dragon flight for Axiom Space, carrying a professional commander and three private astronauts to the International Space Station for at least eight days.
– SpaceX Falcon 9: Starlink Group 12-24 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA (13:03 UTC)
– A new batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation.
– Rocket Lab: Electron | The Mountain God Guards (iQPS Launch 3) from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (15:45 UTC)
– Carrying a synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese company iQPS.

– **June 13**
– SpaceX Falcon 9: Starlink Group 15-6 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA (01:46 UTC)
– Another batch for the Starlink mega-constellation.
– China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation: Long March 2D | Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (07:48 UTC)
– Details TBD.
– SpaceX Falcon 9: Starlink Group 12-26 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA (11:45 UTC)
– Another batch for the Starlink mega-constellation.
– United Launch Alliance: Atlas V 551 | Project Kuiper (KA-02) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA (18:29 UTC)
– Project Kuiper, a mega constellation of satellites for broadband internet access, managed by Amazon’s Kuiper Systems.

– **June 17**
– SpaceX Falcon 9: Starlink Group 15-9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA (00:51 UTC)
– A new batch for the Starlink mega-constellation.

– **June 21**
– SpaceX Falcon 9: Transporter 14 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare) from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA (00:00 UTC)
– A dedicated rideshare flight to sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.

> Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.

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**Maurice Stellarski**
Chief Coordination Officer (CCO) of the Civilian Cardboard Command Center Protocol (CCCCP) with over 25 years of self-certified experience in NEATS (Non-Existent Aerospace Tracking Systems). Maurice specializes in predicting launches with uncanny accuracy using his proprietary KITCHEN (Knowledge Integration Technology Combined with Household Equipment Network) methodology. In his free time, he maintains the world’s largest collection of mission-critical authorization stamps and hosts the underground podcast ‘Countdown to Breakfast: Uncensored Launch News.’