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Orion is getting an upgrade on Artemis III, and the astronauts aboard are getting WiFi (sort of).

NASA is partnering with SpaceX to equip the Orion spacecraft for Artemis III with a pair of Starlink mini laser terminals, designed to operate on SpaceX's existing Starlink network. The two panels will be installed on Orion's exterior, and will augment the spacecraft's existing communications systems.

The added capability is expected to provide a greater data capacity from Orion to NASA's mission control in Houston, which may include high-definition live video from orbit. The mission is currently scheduled for the second half of 2027, and will also include another sizable contribution from SpaceX : a Starship rocket.

SpaceX currently operates more than 10,000 Starlink spacecraft in LEO, which provide satellite internet coverage across nearly the entire globe to commercially-available wireless terminals about the size of a laptop. Combined, those more than 10,000 and counting satellites are equipped with over 25,000 lasers currently in operation in LEO to maintain the network's interconnectedness, according to a NASA update .

The company previously demonstrated the Starlink constellation's use as a communication relay network during the privately funded Fram2 mission that launched the first human into a polar orbit around Earth in 2025. SpaceX frequently utilizes its high-data capabilities to stream high-definition live views of its Falcon 9 and Starship rocket launches from orbit.

Artemis III is the third in a program of NASA missions with the goal of returning astronauts to the moon and establishing a permanent base on its surface. Artemis III is designed as a practice run for NASA's Orion capsule to rendezvous and dock with the program's commercial lunar lander vehicles, Starship , and Blue Origin's Blue Moon spacecraft, in low Earth orbit (LEO). That's a lot closer to home compared to the Artemis II mission that NASA launched in April of this year.

Artemis II was Orion's first flight with astronauts onboard, and flew a 10-day mission around the far side of the moon. NASA used laser communications during Artemis II as well, using terminals on Orion and ground stations at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California and White Sands Complex in New Mexico to transmit data loads too big for the agency's Near Space and Deep Space radio networks. With flight sticking to LEO during Artemis III, communication limitations become a lot easier to surmount.

If all goes according to plan during Artemis III, NASA has scheduled the first Artemis moon landing on the following mission, Artemis IV. NASA is targeting 2028 to launch Artemis IV, and has selected Starship as the lunar lander that will return astronauts to the lunar surface.

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Readers respond to a warning from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on a ‘national embarrassment’

We were pleased to see your report ( UK children will be one of unhealthiest generations in decades, doctors say, 14 July ) on the deteriorating health of UK children, based on a study by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. However, it was disappointing to see no mention of the shrinking health visitor workforce and the impact that this has on the health and wellbeing of young children and their families.

Health visitors are described by Unicef UK as the “backbone of the early years … the safety net around all families”. A long-established and trusted profession, health visitors are specialist public health nurses who work with families to improve health and reduce inequalities. They provide the only universal service that sees babies and children in their own homes.

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Volkswagen has warned staff that another 50,000 roles could soon go.

Around 100,000 jobs are thought to be at risk in the short term alone.

Factory closures could push the total toward 140,000 positions lost.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that’s exactly what could be coming at the Volkswagen Group. Facing steep cost disadvantages against its rivals, VW chief executive Oliver Blume has suggested that as many as 140,000 jobs could be on the chopping block over the coming years.

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An internal memo Blume sent to staff earlier this month noted that, having already committed to cutting 50,000 jobs across the group, VW is now weighing another 50,000 for further cost-cutting. That comes despite the company earlier rejecting reports it was mulling up to 100,000 job losses .

Read: VW Offers Workers $35,000 To Move And Still Gets Booed

The bleeding may not stop there. Planned factory closures after 2030 put an additional 40,000 jobs at risk, and by Blume’s own math, VW is carrying a 20 percent cost disadvantage against its competitors. Several models are also thought to be in danger , including the VW Polo, Skoda Fabia and Kamiq, Audi Q5 Sportback, and a handful of Porsches, among them the Taycan, Panamera, and Cayenne Coupe.

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Blume’s Troubling Forecast

Oliver Blume/Porsche

“As of today, we still cannot confirm competitive use cases for the plants of Emden, Hanover, Zwickau and Neckarsulm in the 2030s,” Blume noted in the memo. Reuters reports the group could gradually halve its line-up of models to save costs.

“Of course, it’s understandable that not everything has been planned ⁠out down ​to the last detail yet, and that certain issues still ​need to be further discussed and evaluated,” Blume added. “There will certainly be more meetings in which we ​will work hard to find the best solutions.”

These meetings will start next month. Blume will first attend meetings with staff at the group’s Wolfsburg headquarters in Germany on August 25 before speaking with the works council and members at the Emden and Zwickau plants the following day.

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Screening for spinal muscular atrophy is a step forward, says Dr Janet Hoskin , but what about other serious genetic conditions such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

The decision to introduce newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a major breakthrough for families and campaigners ( All newborns in England to be screened for spinal muscular atrophy from 2027, 16 July ). Early diagnosis means children can access treatment sooner, improving outcomes and giving families clarity at a crucial time.

However, this success raises an important question: why are other serious genetic conditions, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), still excluded from newborn screening programmes? About 100 boys are born with DMD each year. It causes progressive muscle weakness and is often diagnosed only after years of uncertainty. Although new treatments such as Givinostat are beginning to offer hope for some young people, early diagnosis remains vital. It can help families access information, specialist care and support much sooner, and may allow more children to benefit from emerging treatments.

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