Puffiest cotton-candy exoplanets discovered & NASA selects lunar rover teams - Space News (Jun 27, 2026)

Welcome to The Automated Daily, space news edition. The podcast created by generative AI. Today’s hook: astronomers have found planets as big as Jupiter that are so low-density they’ve been likened to cotton candy. I’m TrendTeller, and this is your June 27th, 2026 space news briefing—covering record-setting “super-puff” exoplanets, NASA’s latest Moon mobility decisions, a key Artemis rollout milestone, a radar-satellite launch from New Zealand, and auroras glowing in neon colors from orbit.

Puffiest cotton-candy exoplanets discovered

Astronomers analyzing observations from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, TESS, report two extraordinarily low-density exoplanets: TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c. Both are roughly Jupiter-sized by radius, but their measured masses are only a small fraction of Jupiter’s—putting them in the “super-puff” category with densities compared to cotton candy. Follow-up observations, including work with the ASTEP telescope in Antarctica, helped confirm the planets and refine their properties. The big scientific question now is how such balloon-like worlds form and survive: are they inflated by heat, shaped by migration history, or actively shedding atmosphere? Either way, their huge, low-gravity atmospheres make them compelling targets for future atmospheric spectroscopy.

NASA selects lunar rover teams

NASA is making its lunar surface plans more concrete by selecting two teams—Astrolab and Lunar Outpost—to develop next-generation lunar terrain vehicles. These unpressurized rovers are intended to expand astronaut range and capability near the lunar south pole, turning “walkable” exploration into true regional fieldwork with tools, instruments, and sample return logistics. The selections also reflect a push for resilience through multiple providers, a practical choice when surface mobility becomes mission-critical. The vehicles are expected to be delivered ahead of later Artemis surface operations, supporting the broader goal of sustained human activity on the Moon rather than brief, isolated visits.

Artemis II rocket reaches pad

In another Artemis milestone, NASA has rolled the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft out to the launch pad, showcased in an extended time-lapse. This step marks a transition into intensive pad processing, where integrated checks and rehearsals validate systems before a launch attempt. Artemis II is designed as the first crewed flight in the Artemis campaign, sending astronauts on a trip around the Moon and back to prove out deep-space crew operations, navigation, and reentry performance. Seeing the stack on the pad is a visible reminder that the program advances through incremental, test-driven milestones—each one reducing risk for the missions that follow.

Rocket Lab launches radar satellite

Rocket Lab has successfully launched an Electron rocket on the “Ten Owl of Ten” mission, deploying Synspective’s tenth StriX synthetic-aperture radar satellite into low Earth orbit. SAR satellites are valuable because they can “see” through clouds and operate at night, making them particularly useful for change detection, infrastructure monitoring, and rapid mapping after disasters like floods or earthquakes. Adding satellites to the constellation improves revisit time, which can mean faster updates when conditions are changing on the ground. It’s also another data point in how commercial launch providers and commercial Earth-observation constellations increasingly support real-world decision-making beyond the space sector.

Neon auroras captured from orbit

Finally, new images of auroras from orbit show striking bands of neon green with purples and reds—evidence of charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth’s upper atmosphere along magnetic field lines. The colors reflect different atmospheric gases and altitudes being energized during geomagnetic activity. Beyond the beauty, auroras are a visible signal of space weather conditions that can affect satellites, increase atmospheric drag in low Earth orbit, and disrupt communications or power infrastructure during stronger events. In other words, the light show is also a space-environment status update—one that connects solar activity directly to the technology we rely on every day.

That’s today’s space news: cotton-candy exoplanets pushing planetary theory, Moon rovers moving from plans to hardware, Artemis II edging closer through pad milestones, a radar-satellite constellation growing for Earth monitoring, and auroras reminding us the Sun is always part of the story. Thanks for listening to The Automated Daily, space news edition—see you next time.

Puffiest cotton-candy exoplanets discovered & NASA selects lunar rover teams - Space News (Jun 27, 2026)

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