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    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-21-009",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-esa-arrakihs-galaxy-mission",
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    "headline": "A Small Space Mission Will Look for Galaxies' Faintest Scars",
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    "dek": "ESA's Arrakihs mission will search nearby galaxy halos for dim tidal debris that records past collisions.",
    "summary": "ESA's Arrakihs mission will search nearby galaxy halos for dim tidal debris that records past collisions.",
    "body_text": "The University of Portsmouth says its scientists are contributing to Arrakihs, a European Space Agency mission designed to image extremely faint structures around nearby galaxies. By mapping tidal streams, shells, and diffuse stellar halos, the spacecraft will test how galaxies assembled through mergers and how dark matter shapes their outskirts. The announcement describes a mission and science program still ahead; it does not report discoveries or a completed survey.",
    "why_it_matters": "ESA's Arrakihs mission will search nearby galaxy halos for dim tidal debris that records past collisions.",
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      "The announcement describes a mission and science program still ahead; it does not report discoveries or a completed survey."
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    "first_published_at": "2026-07-21T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "ESA's Arrakihs mission will search nearby galaxy halos for dim tidal debris that records past collisions.",
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    "tags": [
      "galaxies",
      "space mission",
      "dark matter"
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    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-21-009",
      "title": "University of Portsmouth via Newswise: Arrakihs galaxy mission",
      "publisher": "University of Portsmouth via Newswise",
      "url": "https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-space-mission-to-uncover-the-hidden-history-of-galaxies",
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      "accessed_at": "2026-07-21T08:27:27.115-04:00",
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "A Small Space Mission Will Look for Galaxies' Faintest Scars",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-21T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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