As part of a reorganization of agencies within the U.S. government in 1965, the country’s Weather Bureau becomes part of ESSA, the Environmental Science Services Administration, and is placed under the Department of Commerce. All weather prediction and analysis is now under the jurisdiction of ESSA, including a growing fleet of weather satellites operated jointly by ESSA and NASA. The agency will be renamed the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration in 1970.
The Soviet Union launches unmanned space probe Luna 15 toward the moon, the Soviet space program’s last attempt to claim a victory in the race to the moon. Intended to land on the moon and gather a core sample of lunar soil which will then be rocketed back to Earth, hopefully ahead of the arrival of lunar soil samples from the concurrent American Apollo 11 moon landing attempt, Luna 15’s lander detaches and attempts its landing on July 20th…only to crash into the moon’s surface, losing all contact with Earth, while NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin prepare to depart with their soil samples intact. In a rare display of international cooperation, the Soviets shared basic orbital parameters of Luna 15’s flight with NASA to avoid any navigational hazards for Apollo 11.
After its introduction in June in Japan, Space Invaders is introduced to the United States by Midway Manufacturing. Its space-war-themed action arrives just in time to cash in on the public’s fascination with space and science fiction, making it a major hit (the game is already well on its way to causign coin shortages in its native Japan). In America, it pushes the arcade video game industry into high gear, priming both the industry and the public for the boom years ahead. Space Invaders‘ success also convinces Taito to start an American operation rather than continuing to license its arcade games to Midway. 
The fifth episode of The Black Adder airs on the BBC, starring Rowan Atkinson. Frank Finlay guest stars.
Berkley Books publishes The Dune Encyclopedia, written and compiled by Dr. Willis E. McNelly and approved by Dune creator Frank Herbert (who would still contradict this book with some of his later Dune novels). The book, written from an academic point of view within the Dune universe, later goes out of print and is now considered a collectors’ item.
The second episode of Chris Boucher’s futuristic police drama Star Cops premieres on the BBC. Trevor Cooper makes his first appearance as regular Star Cop Colin Devis in this episode.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 16th episode of Babylon 5. Jeffrey Combs (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise) guest stars. Thanks in part to its mid-season debut, this is one of several episodes of Babylon 5 aired during the usually-ignored July ratings sweep, an unusual move for any series, syndicated or network.
Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off on the 70th shuttle flight, a nine-day mission to deploy a TDRS (Tracking & Data Relay Satellite) for NASA. The flight has seen many delays, including repairs made necessary by woodpeckers poking holes in the shuttle’s external fuel tank! The crew – consisting of Commander Terence Henricks, Pilot Kevin Kregel, and mission specialists Nancy Jane Currie, Donald Thomas and Mary Ellen Weber – conducts material and medical experiments after the deployment of the final satellite in the TDRS constellation.
The sixth episode of Return To Jupiter airs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Co-produced by ABC and Japanese network NHK, this children’s sci-fi series stars Sonia Todd (Home And Away) and David Wenham (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy).
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Previously available only in a limited pressing at science fiction conventions at which the members were guests, the album Trying To Forget by The Be Five (a loose group consisting of Babylon 5 cast members Bill Mumy, Mira Furlan, Claudia Christian, Peter Jurasik, and Andreas Katsulas) is released by Renaissance Records.
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 54th episode of the science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wuhrer, and Charlie O’Connell.
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The 55th episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. Anthony Stewart Head, David Boreanaz, and Alyson Hannigan also star. Alexis Denisof (Angel), Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse), and Armin Shimerman (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest star in the third season finale. This is David Boreanaz’ final episode as a series regular before his character is spun off to his own series.
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The BBCi website releases the first episode of Doctor Who: Death Comes To Time, an audio drama with limited Flash animation starring Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, John Sessions, and Stephen Fry. (As this story features elements that diverge significantly from established Doctor Who lore, for the purposes of this site it is categorized as a “Doctor Who Unbound” story unconnected to the larger continuity of the Doctor Who universe.)
Pay cable channel Showtime airs the 90th episode of Stargate SG-1. Sean Patrick Flanery (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) and John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation) guest star.
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Sci-Fi Channel premieres the 55th episode of Farscape.
Actor Peter Tuddenham, perhaps not been a familiar face to fans of British SF, but certainly a familiar voice, dies at the age of 88. After playing voice-over-only characters in a few episodes of Doctor Who, he became a series regular on the cult favorite series Blake’s 7, providing the voice of the Liberator’s on-board computer Zen and later the feisty supercomputer Orac throughout the series. (When the Liberator was destroyed at the end of the show’s third season, he voiced its replacement, the obsequious Slave, aboard the crew’s new ship.) He did play numerous characters in person in guest appearances on many shows, and also served as a dialect coach for other actors throughout much of his career.
Orbital Sciences and NASA launch the second Cygnus unmanned cargo freighter to the International Space Station. Named after a recently deceased Shuttle astronaut, the S.S. Janice Voss carries over 3,000 pounds of new equipment and supplies to the station, where it remains docked for a month.
Grant Imahara, who played Lt. Sulu in the fan-made series Star Trek Continues but is probably better known for his part in the popular TV series Mythbusters, dies from a ruptured brain aneurysm at the age of 49. As a member of Mythbusters’ “Build Team”, he used his background in electrical engineering and robotic design to help create real-world proofs of the sometimes outlandish ideas being tested in the show. Prior to that, Imahara worked at Industrial Light & Magic, and had built and operated droids (including R2-D2) for the Star Wars prequel trilogy, as well as doing similar work for movies such as Galaxy Quest, AI, Terminator 3, and the Matrix trilogy. He had roles in Sharknado 3 and episodes of Eureka.
The CW airs the 149th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin.
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The CW airs the 12th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Jordan Elsass, and Alex Garfin.
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Superman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max