Space News: Crew 10 Splashdown, Satellite Launches, and Space Crypto Payments

Crew 10 Returns to Earth

• 🚀 NASA's SpaceX Crew 10 successfully returned to Earth with a splashdown off the coast of California.
• 🛰️ The crew completed nearly 62.8 million miles and 2,368 orbits around Earth during their mission.
• 🔬 Mission highlights included hundreds of hours dedicated to scientific research, maintenance, and technology demonstrations, with specific investigations into plant growth, DNA sequencing, and human eye structure in space.
• 🧑‍🚀 Crew members Anne McClain and Nicole Aunapu Mann also conducted a spacewalk to relocate a communications antenna and begin installing a new solar array mounting bracket.

Global Satellite Launches and Advancements

• 🇨🇳 A Jielong-3 carrier rocket launched the Geely Constellation Group 04 satellites from coastal waters in Shandong, China.
• ⚙️ Among the launched satellites was one from Zoom Lion, claimed to be the first in the global engineering machinery sector, aiming to integrate big data, IoT, and AI for smarter, greener solutions.
• 🇮🇳 Following the NISAR mission, ISRO announced plans to launch a 6,500 kg American satellite using an Indian launcher from Indian soil.
• 💡 Belgian company EdgeX secured €2.3 million in seed funding for its edge AI computer for satellites, with plans for an in-orbit demonstration on a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission in February 2026.

Innovations in Space Payments and Research

• 💰 Blue Origin and Shift4 Payments are collaborating to allow customers to pay for spaceflights using cryptocurrency and stablecoins.
• 🔬 The International Space Station (ISS) National Lab is facilitating diverse research, including a yeast investigation from Starbase Brewing, highlighting the importance of understanding cultivation for potential lunar and Martian missions.
• 🍺 This yeast research, similar to past projects with Anheuser-Busch on barley, demonstrates how fundamental research in space can have broad applications in agriculture and beyond.
• 🧑‍🔬 Future research on the ISS will focus on biomedical studies, edge computing, technology demonstrations, and student projects, with a strong emphasis on in-space production of items like 3D tissue samples for potential patient applications.

Remembering Jim Lovell

• 🌟 The segment also paid tribute to Captain James "Jim" Lovell, who passed away at 97.
• 🌕 Lovell was a pioneering astronaut, notably for his calm leadership during the Apollo 13 mission, famously stating "Houston, we've had a problem."
• 🚀 His legacy is remembered as a symbol of human ingenuity, courage, and calm in the face of peril.