

Space
‘Marsquakes’ are a thing and they can tell us a lot about the red planet
NASA’s InSight lander has spent the last year listening to the deep rumble of the red planet’s interior. And its first batch of data is in. The stationary lander found out that Mars’ magnetic field is constantly changing, but that’s not all. InSight also delivered the first direct evidence of marsquakes.
Here on Earth, geologists use seismometers to listen to the planet’s inner stirrings. InSight is the first robotic explorer to carry a seismometer to another planet. And it’s shown that Mars is not the dead, lifeless world it appears to be — the red planet is actually geologically active.
“This is the first mission focused on taking direct geophysical measurements of any planet besides Earth, and it’s given us our first real understanding of Mars’ interior structure and geological processes,” geologist Nicholas Schmerr of the University of Maryland said in a news release.
“These data are helping us understand how the planet works, its rate of seismicity, how active it is and where it’s active.”
InSight’s seismometer, an ultra-sensitive instrument provided by the French space agency, will shed some light on the red planet’s inner workings over the course of its mission. Officially dubbed the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, the SEIS instrument detected its first Martian rumblings last April.
Ever since, scientists were eager to get their hands on the full spectrum of data, to better understand just how active our celestial neighbor might be.
These first Martian murmurs were so faint, they’d probably go unnoticed by anyone on the surface. Roughly equivalent to about a 2 or 2.5 quake here on Earth, to InSight’s science team, these were incredibly exciting and just the beginning of a new era of Mars science.
Seismic waves can tell us a lot about a planetary body. They act like an ultrasound, allowing us to “peer” below the surface and determine the planet’s composition.
Here on Earth, seismic waves are caused by the movement of tectonic plates gliding over the planet’s mantle. When the plates jockey for position, stress builds up until it reaches a critical point, and that’s when an earthquake is triggered. But not every planetary body has these types of plates. The moon, for instance, has seismic activity that’s caused by a different method.
After a planetary body is formed, it has a primordial heat source that over time cools off. In the case of a rocky body, like the moon, that lacks any sort of tectonic plate movement, the seismic activity is caused by internal cooling. As the satellite cools, it ever so slightly shrinks, sending minute seismic waves propagating through its interior. The Apollo program recorded examples of this and InSight has now shown that Mars has similar activity.

Seismic data was collected over the course of 235 Martian days. 174 marsquakes were recorded during that time; 150 of those were shown to be similar to the Apollo program’s findings on the moon. Three of the other 24 produced wave patterns similar to quakes experienced here on Earth as a result of tectonic plate movement.
But as far as we know, Mars does not have tectonic plates. The science team was able to pinpoint the origin of three of the quakes: a fractured piece of land called Cerberus Fossae. Here the ground is cracked and fractured suggesting it was once tectonically or volcanically active. (Sometime within the last 10 million years, something pulled the ground apart here.)
Scientists are hoping that as more data comes in, they will be able to piece together what is causing Mars to tremble, and learn more about the red planet’s interior in the process.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reveals SpaceX’s target for Starship’s 10th launch
Elon Musk has revealed SpaceX’s target timeline for the next Starship launch, which will be the tenth in program history.

Elon Musk has revealed SpaceX’s target timeline for the next Starship launch, which will be the tenth in program history.
Musk says SpaceX is aiming for a timeline of roughly three weeks from now, which would come about ten weeks after the previous launch.
Coincidentally, it would bring the two launches 69 days apart, and if you know anything about Elon Musk, that would be an ideal timeline between two launches.
🚨 Just wanted you to know, Starship 10’s projected test flight date, according to Grok, is August 4.
Starship’s ninth test flight took place on May 27.
August 4 is 69 days after May 27.
Do with that what you will. 🚀 https://t.co/IISpT08rIy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 16, 2025
SpaceX is coming off a test flight in which it lost both the Super Heavy Booster and the Upper Stage in the previous launch. The Super Heavy Booster was lost six minutes and sixteen seconds into the flight, while SpaceX lost communication with the Ship at 46 minutes and 48 seconds.
Musk is aiming for the tenth test flight to take place in early August, he revealed on X:
Launching again in ~3 weeks
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 14, 2025
This will be SpaceX’s fourth test flight of the Starship program in 2025, with each of the previous three flights bringing varying results.
IFT-7 in January brought SpaceX its second successful catch of the Super Heavy Booster in the chopstick arms of the launch tower. The ship was lost after exploding during its ascent over the Turks and Caicos Islands.
IFT-8 was on March 6, and SpaceX caught the booster once again, but the Upper Stage was once again lost.
The most recent flight, IFT-9, took place on May 27 and featured the first reused Super Heavy Booster. However, both the Booster and Upper Stage were lost.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hit SpaceX with a mishap investigation for Flight 9 on May 30.
News
SpaceX Ax-4 Mission prepares for ISS with new launch date
SpaceX, Axiom Space, and NASA set new launch date for the Ax-4 mission after addressing ISS & rocket concerns.

SpaceX is preparing for a new launch date for the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
SpaceX, Axiom Space, and NASA addressed recent technical challenges and announced a new launch date of no earlier than Thursday, June 19, for the Ax-4 mission. The delay from June 12 allowed teams to assess repairs to small leaks in the ISS’s Zvezda service module.
NASA and Roscosmos have been monitoring leaks in the Zvezda module’s aft (back) segment for years. However, stable pressure could also result from air flowing across the hatch seal from the central station. As NASA and its partners adapt launch schedules to ensure station safety, adjustments are routine.
“Following the most recent repair, pressure in the transfer tunnel has been stable,” a source noted, suggesting the leaks may be sealed.
“By changing pressure in the transfer tunnel and monitoring over time, teams are evaluating the condition of the transfer tunnel and the hatch seal between the space station and the back of Zvezda,” the source added.
SpaceX has also resolved a liquid oxygen leak found during post-static fire inspections of the Falcon 9 rocket, completing a wet dress rehearsal to confirm readiness. The Ax-4 mission is Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut trip to the ISS. It will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket with a new Crew Dragon capsule.
“This is the first flight for this Dragon capsule, and it’s carrying an international crew—a perfect debut. We’ve upgraded storage, propulsion components, and the seat lash design for improved reliability and reuse,” said William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability.
The Ax-4 mission crew is led by Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight and former NASA astronaut. The Ax-4 crew includes ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla as pilot, alongside mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. The international team underscores Axiom’s commitment to global collaboration.
The Ax-4 mission will advance scientific research during its ISS stay, supporting Axiom’s goal of building a commercial space station. As teams finalize preparations, the mission’s updated launch date and technical resolutions position it to strengthen private space exploration’s role in advancing space-based innovation.
News
Starlink India launch gains traction with telecom license approval
Starlink just secured its telecom license in India! High-speed satellite internet could go live in 2 months.

Starlink India’s launch cleared a key regulatory hurdle after securing a long-awaited license from the country’s telecom ministry. Starlink’s license approval in India paves the way for commercial operations to begin, marking a significant milestone after a three-year wait.
The Department of Telecommunications granted Starlink a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license, enabling it to roll out its high-speed internet service. Local reports hinted that Starlink plans to launch its services within the next two months. Starlink India’s services are expected to be priced at ₹3,000 per month for unlimited data. Starlink service would require a ₹33,000 hardware kit, including a dish and router.
“Starlink is finally ready to enter the Indian market,” sources familiar with the rollout plans confirmed, noting a one-month free trial for new users.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite network promises low-latency, high-speed internet that is ideal for rural India, border areas, and hilly terrains. With over 7,000 satellites in orbit and millions of global users, Starlink aims to bridge India’s digital divide, especially in areas with limited traditional broadband.
Starlink has forged distribution partnerships with Indian telecom giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to streamline deployment and retail logistics. However, the company still awaits spectrum allocation and final clearances from India’s space regulator, IN-SPACe, and national security agencies before its full launch, expected before August 2025.
India’s satellite internet market is becoming increasingly competitive, with Starlink joining rivals like OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. While Starlink positions itself as a premium offering, its entry has sparked debate among domestic telecom operators over spectrum pricing.
Local reports noted that other players in the industry have raised concerns over the lower regulatory fees proposed for satellite firms compared to terrestrial operators, highlighting tensions in the sector.
Starlink India’s launch represents a transformative step toward expanding internet access in one of the world’s largest markets. Starlink could redefine connectivity for millions in underserved regions by leveraging its advanced satellite technology and strategic partnerships. As the company navigates remaining regulatory steps, its timely rollout could set a new standard for satellite internet in India, intensifying competition and driving innovation in the telecom landscape.
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