Friday, May 29, 2026

NASA announced nearly $1 billion in Moon Base contracts, awarding $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost to build lunar terrain vehicles for Artemis astronauts, along with contracts for commercial landers and a fleet of hopping 'MoonFall' drones to scout the lunar south pole.^[1]

An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has reached more than 1,000 suspected cases with up to 246 deaths, as health workers struggle to contain the rare Bundibugyo type of the virus across a conflict-torn region where healthcare facilities have been attacked.^[2]

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited South Korea after meeting with North Korean officials in Pyongyang, discussing Korean Peninsula peace and stability in what marked the first visit by a Singaporean foreign minister to Seoul since 2007.^[3]

Blackpink's Lisa released 'Goals,' a new FIFA World Cup anthem recorded with Anitta and Rema, which she will perform at the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Los Angeles on June 12, becoming the first female K-pop artist to perform at the event.^[4]

NASA will announce the astronauts assigned to fly the Artemis III mission during a live event on June 9 at Johnson Space Center. The mission will test critical rendezvous and docking capabilities between the Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar landers in preparation for future surface missions.^[5]

Researchers have uncovered a remarkable fossil site in Canada's Northwest Territories containing over 100 Ediacaran fossils that push back the origins of animal movement and sexual reproduction by 5-10 million years and represent the first North American evidence of the White Sea assemblage.^[6]

New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson received an Honorary Palme d'Or at the opening of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which was presented by Elijah Wood. American actor Jane Fonda and Chinese star Gong Li opened the ceremony on the French Riviera.^[7]

U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes against Iranian positions near the Strait of Hormuz, targeting missile launch sites and boats attempting to lay mines, as an Iranian delegation traveled to Qatar for ongoing negotiations to end the US-Israel war on Iran.^[8]

DARPA is preparing to launch its robotic deep-space repair satellite as soon as this summer, marking the first demonstration of a dexterous robot capable of maintaining and servicing spacecraft at geostationary orbit, 22,000 miles above Earth.^[9]