ScientistPankaj: NASA's X-59 jet is ready to break the sound barrier | Explosive Blue Origin damage is visible from space | Impulse Space raises $500 million to build out fleet

NASA's X-59 jet is ready to break the sound barrier | Explosive Blue Origin damage is visible from space | Impulse Space raises $500 million to build out fleet

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June 2, 2026

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The Launchpad

NASA's X-59 jet is ready to break the sound barrier

Happy Tuesday, folks

We have another space-tastic assortment of stories for you. Most excitingly, we are awaiting the first flight of NASA's X-59 supersonic aircraft. This super streamlined jet is designed to reduce the sound that a supersonic aircraft makes when breaking the sound barrier. We're excited to see this thing go boom (even if it's successful and a relatively quiet boom).

Beyond the sonic boom, we are still seeing the fallout of the damage from Blue Origin's recent explosion on the launch pad. As information trickles in, we continue to get a clearer picture of how this massive mishap could affect not just the company but America's return to the moon with Artemis. Furthermore, we see financial developments in commercial space, some especially sparkling planets in the night sky, strange science on exoplanets and stellar shockwaves, and we're still excitedly awaiting the release of 'Masters of the Universe' this Friday.

Check out what's big in space below!

A first supersonic flight

Satellites zoomed-in on the aftermath of the New Glenn rocket explosion at Blue Origin's LC-36 launchpad, and the extent of the damage is visible from orbit.

See the damage

Spaceflight

Impulse Space raises $500 million to build out fleet

Impulse Space — which was founded by Tom Mueller, SpaceX's first-ever employee — just raised $500 million to build out the ultra-mobile spacecraft that it believes will transform the space economy.

Ultra-mobile spacecraft?

Skywatching

3 bright planets light up June's night sky

Venus, Jupiter and Mercury headline a spectacular month of planetary viewing.

Where to look

Night sky June 2026: What you can see tonight

Find out what's up in your night sky during June 2026 and how to see it in this Space.com stargazing guide.

Look Up!

Science & Astronomy

Shockwaves from dying stars may sculpt stellar nurseries

3D simulations reveal how shockwaves from stellar explosions and winds may carve hub-and-spoke structures in molecular clouds, shaping star formation in the Milky Way.

How does this work?

How do you study an invisible exoplanet?

How do you weigh a planet you can't see? Astronomers may have the answer and it involves "reading between the rings," the bright beautiful structures exoplanets create.

Explore the discovery

SpaceX

Will SpaceX still be a launch company after all this?

What does SpaceX's coming IPO mean for the company, investors and markets in general?

What do you think?

Entertainment

The weird origins of He-Man and 'Masters of the Universe'

Mattel's musclebound response to 'Star Wars' had a life of its own

Dive into the lore

Editor's Note

You made it to the end!

Stay tuned as we continue to see how Blue Origin's rocket explosion affects NASA's Artemis plans and America's hope to go to the moon not only soon, but before China gets there (which they aim to be by 2030). We also are eagerly waiting the X-59 supersonic test flight (it would be fun if it made a big boom, but we understand that its goal is to more quietly break the sound barrier).

We can also look forward to some strange new science on the horizon — weird worlds, and weirder new details in the search for life. And as always, don't forget to look up! We loved the recent full moon, but the skywatching fun doesn't stop there.

Ad astra, per aspera

Chelsea Gohd

Content Manager, Space.com