Monthly Space News Recap - June 2025
Top 5 of the month's most interesting space updates
ispace’s lander crashes into moon again
Japanese company ispace’s lunar lander Resilience, launched in January, crashed last month after losing contact just before landing. It failed to slow down in time—marking ispace’s second failed landing after Hakuto-R in 2023. Meanwhile, the Blue Ghost lander launched alongside Resilience landed successfully earlier.
JWST releases largest map of the universe ever
Last month, over 200 scientists from 12 countries revealed the COSMOS map using data from the James Webb Space Telescope. This new map absolutely dwarfs the Hubble telescope’s map released in 2004, which, up until now, was the most in demand. The COSMOS map encompasses more than 800,000 galaxies, 80 times more than Hubble’s 10,000 galaxy map.
Scientists find the largest explosion in the universe
Recently, scientists analyzing data from ESA’s Gaia telescope identified a brand-new kind of explosion—nearly 25 times more powerful than the biggest supernova. Named an ENT, it's more like a massive flare, formed when a supermassive black hole slowly feeds on a large star over years. It’s similar to TDEs, where stars are torn apart in days, but on a much grander scale. One such event, Gaia18cdj, was spotted in 2018—though its true scale and identity as an ENT were only just uncovered.
SpaceX Starship explodes during ground test
Recently, SpaceX conducted a ground test of its Starship rocket’s engines while it was anchored onto the launchpad. However, the rocket exploded a few minutes into the test. No one was hurt, and the cause of the failure remains unknown.
Shubhanshu Shukla becomes first Indian onboard ISS
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to enter the ISS during the Axiom-4 mission, and only the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma. The mission prepares him for India’s Gaganyaan launch in 2027.
