Earth Found Inside Massive Cosmic Void, Explaining the Hubble Tension

New study indicates Earth and the Milky Way lie near the center of a vast cosmic void approximately 20% less dense than average. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth and University of St Andrews analysed two decades of Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data—sound-wave measurements from the Big Bang—to reveal this local underdensity.

This finding offers a natural explanation for the long-standing "Hubble tension," where local measurements of the universe's expansion appear faster than those inferred on larger scales. The void model is reportedly 100 million times more likely than a uniform-density cosmos to fit the data (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society).

Chinese scientists have unveiled a novel method to harvest water and fuel directly from moon dust, potentially slashing the $83,000-per-gallon cost of Earth-to-lunar water transport.

According to a study published in Joule, the team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, integrated lunar H₂O extraction with photothermal CO₂ catalysis in one energy-efficient step. Tested on Chang'E-5 samples and simulated regolith, the process also produces hydrogen and carbon monoxide for rocket fuel—and could yield oxygen for life support.

Next steps: Adapting the technology to withstand harsh lunar conditions will be critical before deployment on the Moon.

NASA is developing Skyfall, a novel mission that would deploy six powered helicopter drones directly from Mars orbit. Building on Ingenuity's 2021 success, the new rotorcraft will emerge from a descending capsule, then fan out on individual routes to use cameras and radar in search of water, ice and other resources. The aerial scouts aim to identify safe, resource-rich landing zones for an eventual human mission, with launch targeted for 2028 or later.

Key Points:

• Skyfall will release six upgraded drones mid-descent


• Scans for subsurface ice, water and habitable terrain


• Partnership between JPL and AeroVironment shifts more work to commercial teams

U.S. space technology firms attracted a historic $3.1 billion in funding during Q2 2025, according to Seraphim Space. Driven by an improved defense‐spending outlook—including a proposed $1.01 trillion DoD budget for FY 2026—investment jumped 36% quarter-over-quarter across 171 deals. Early-growth Series B and C rounds accounted for a record 65% of total capital.

• 70% of Q2 funding went to U.S. startups, already surpassing 2024's full-year tally.
• Impulse Space led the pack with a $300 million Series C round, backed by Linse Capital, DFJ Growth and 11 others.

Firefly Aerospace has priced its $557 million initial public offering, aiming to list its shares on Nasdaq under the ticker FLY. Formed in 2017 after acquiring Firefly Systems' assets, the central Texas company achieved a landmark first private soft touchdown on the moon when its Blue Ghost lander remained upright on March 2.

Proceeds from the offering will retire more than $151 million in debt and cover general corporate purposes. Private equity backer AE Industrial Partners, which first invested in 2022, will hold roughly 41% of outstanding voting power after selling a fraction of its stake, while co-founder Thomas Markusic retains his 12.5 million shares.