Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - SurveyMonkey, Using AI to surface insights faster and reduce manual analysis time - https://get.surveymonkey.com/tad - Lindy is your ultimate AI assistant that proactively manages your inbox - https://try.lindy.ai/tad - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily Today's topics: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch Today - SpaceX launches ViaSat-3 F3 satellite on Falcon Heavy rocket today, marking the first flight in over 18 months for this powerful triple-booster system heading to geosynchronous transfer orbit. Starlink Constellation Expansion Continues - SpaceX completed its 50th Falcon 9 launch of 2026 on April 26, deploying another batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites to expand global broadband coverage with the constellation now exceeding 10,200 active satellites. ISS Resupply Mission Docking - Roscosmos Progress MS-34 cargo spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on April 27, delivering 5,700 pounds of supplies and equipment for the orbiting laboratory. Comet Viewing Opportunity Peak - Comet C/2025 R3 reaches its closest approach to Earth today at 44 million miles away, offering observers in the Northern Hemisphere a peak viewing opportunity in the predawn hours with binoculars or telescopes. Solar Activity and Space Weather - Solar activity intensified over the past 72 hours with nine M-class solar flares and two X-class flares originating from active solar regions, with effects expected to continue for the next 24 to 48 hours. Asteroid Safe Close Approach - Two asteroid flybys occur safely today as asteroid 2026 HJ3 passes at 3.86 million miles and asteroid 2026 HR passes at 3.95 million miles from Earth, demonstrating the ongoing monitoring of near-Earth objects. Space-Based Solar Power Initiative - Meta announces a historic partnership with Overview Energy to receive up to 1 gigawatt of power beamed from space-based satellites, representing a new frontier in renewable energy technology for data centers. Electric Aircraft Trial in Norway - Bristow Group and Electra begin operational testing of hybrid-electric ultra-short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft in Norway, marking significant progress in sustainable aviation innovation. Episode Transcript SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch TodayLet's start with the headline event of the day. SpaceX is launching its Falcon Heavy rocket this morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a big deal because the Falcon Heavy hasn't flown since October of last year. That's eighteen months of waiting. The rocket, which combines three Falcon 9 boosters strapped together, generates about five-point-one million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Only NASA's Space Launch System produces more power, so we're talking about the second-most powerful operational rocket on the planet. Today's mission is carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit. This completes ViaSat's constellation and will extend broadband coverage over the Asia-Pacific region. The launch window opened this morning at ten twenty-one AM Eastern Time with an eighty-five-minute window. Starlink Constellation Expansion ContinuesSpeaking of SpaceX, yesterday they logged their fiftieth Falcon 9 launch of the year. That's an extraordinary pace. The rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday morning with another batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites. With this deployment, the Starlink network has now crossed ten thousand two hundred active satellites in orbit. That's a tremendous constellation providing global internet coverage. ISS Resupply Mission DockingAlso happening today, a Russian cargo vehicle is docking with the International Space Station. The Progress MS-34 spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan a couple of days ago and is scheduled to arrive at the ISS this evening. It's carrying about fifty-seven hundred pounds of supplies and equipment for the crew. This is the ninety-fifth Progress resupply mission to the station, continuing a tradition that extends back decades. Comet Viewing Opportunity PeakIf you're thinking about looking up at the night sky tonight, we have a special treat. Comet C/2025 R3, also known as PanSTARRS, is reaching its closest approach to Earth today at forty-four million miles away. This is your best opportunity to spot it. The comet may reach magnitude eight, which means you'll need binoculars or a telescope, but it should be visible in the predawn sky from the Northern Hemisphere. Some experts think this could end up being the brightest comet of the year, though comet brightness is notoriously unpredictable. Solar Activity and Space WeatherNow, our space weather update. The Sun has been pretty active lately. Over the past seventy-two hours, we've seen nine M-class solar flares and two X-class flares. That's significant activity. GPS users and radio operators should expect some disruptions as conditions continue for the next day or two. However, scientists aren't expecting a major geomagnetic storm. The conditions should calm down substantially by April twenty-eighth. Asteroid Safe Close ApproachTwo asteroids are passing by Earth today, but don't worry—they're staying well away from us. Asteroid 2026 HJ3 is about eighty-one feet across and will come within three-point-eight-six million miles of Earth. Its companion, 2026 HR, is around sixty-eight feet in diameter and will pass at three-point-nine-five million miles. For perspective, that's much farther than the distance to the Moon. These are routine flybys that NASA continuously monitors. Space-Based Solar Power InitiativeHere's something that caught our attention. Meta has just signed a historic agreement with a company called Overview Energy. The deal involves receiving up to one gigawatt of power beamed down from satellites in space. Yes, you heard that right. Overview Energy has designed spacecraft that will collect solar energy in orbit and convert it to infrared light, then beam it to solar farms on Earth. This means solar facilities could keep generating power even at night by receiving this space-based energy. It's an ambitious project with commercial deployment targeted for 2030. Meta is making a big bet that this technology could help power its data centers and AI infrastructure. Electric Aircraft Trial in NorwayFinally, over in Norway, there's an interesting aviation story unfolding. Bristow Group and Electra are beginning operational testing of a hybrid-electric aircraft designed for ultra-short takeoffs and landings. These eSTOL aircraft could revolutionize regional transportation and emergency response capabilities. The testing is happening under contract with Norwegian airport operators and aviation authorities. 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