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Durham’s strengths in space and quantum research focus of German Ambassador’s visit
7 February 2025
Our strengths in space and quantum research were the main focus of a visit to Durham University by the German Ambassador to the UK.
His Excellency Miguel Berger also learned more about our expertise in Modern Languages and Cultures, Law, and Government and International affairs, alongside meeting senior members of the University.
Space Research Centre
Ambassador Berger visited our newly launched Durham University Space Research Centre (SPARC).
SPARC supports North East England’s growing space industry and leads on the sustainable exploration of the cosmos.
Through interdisciplinary research and collaboration SPARC is driving sustainable space technology, operations and policy, ensuring responsible innovation that safeguards the future of space.
Durham is also home to a European Space Agency (ESA) Laboratory, giving us access to ESA's technical expertise, facilities, and funding opportunities.
Quantum research
The Ambassador also saw one of our Ultracold Molecule Laboratories in our Department of Physics.
There, scientists from our Quantum Light and Matter research section are playing a key part in the UK’s drive to develop quantum technology.
Quantum technology could benefit a wide range of areas including healthcare, computing and security.
Earlier this year researchers set a global milestone by achieving quantum entanglement of individual molecules.
This opens up new possibilities in quantum computing, high-precision measurements, and physics research.
UK-German relations
The Ambassador ended his visit with a talk to students and staff about his diplomatic career followed by a question and answer session.
The event, hosted by Durham Diplomatic Society, with support from our International Office, also looked at UK-German and UK-EU relations.
https://www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/latest-news/2025/02/space-and-quantum-research-focus-of-german-ambassadors-visit/
https://durham-qlm.uk/
Whitesides joins Science, Space and Technology Committee
February 7, 2025
Rep. George Whitesides, D-Santa Clarita, will serve on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, the Congressman’s office announced Wednesday.
In addition, within the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Whitesides was selected for the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee.
In this role, he will draw on his extensive experience in the aerospace field to advance critical priorities for research and technology across multiple domains.
“I am honored to serve on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, where I will work to ensure that the US remains at the forefront of innovation in space exploration, technology, and research,” Whitesides said.
“Utilizing my background in aerospace and my commitment to advancing scientific discovery, I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to support policies that drive American leadership in space and technology, foster innovation, and create opportunities for future generations.”
“George Whitesides is joining the committee in what should feel like a homecoming for him,” said Zoe Lofgren (D-San Mateo), ranking member of the committee.
“That is because George brings with him more experience with NASA, commercial space and aerospace than any member of congress in a generation.”
“Rep. George Whitesides will be an outstanding member of the distinguished House Armed Services and Science, Space, and Technology Committees in the 119th Congress, and his appointment to these prestigious committees is a true reflection of his exceptional talents and strong leadership in California and beyond,” Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse said.
“Over the course of the next two years, these committees will take up incredibly important work on behalf of the American people, and I look forward to seeing all Rep. Whitesides accomplishes as we work together to seek common ground for the common good.”
Having served as the chief of staff of NASA, the CEO of aerospace company Virgin Galactic and the executive director of the National Space Society, Whitesides will draw on his deep and wide-ranging experience in relevant fields when handling committee work.
Additionally, Whitesides sat on advisory committees for leading research universities such as Caltech and Princeton, allowing him to understand the intersection of research and innovation as crucial elements to America’s future competitiveness.
As the founder of nonprofit and venture organizations focused on the wildfire crisis, and on the heels of the devastating wildfires that ripped through Southern California in January, he will utilize his experience addressing climate change and natural disasters to evaluate key legislation that comes before the committee.
As an entrepreneur, he is firmly committed to maintaining American leadership in innovation and its accompanying job creation engine.
https://www.avpress.com/news/whitesides-joins-science-space-and-technology-committee/article_484ed5cc-e509-11ef-bf78-bf84ad6fd894.html
https://whitesides.house.gov/
Starlink's SA entry stalls as Space X withdraws from ICASA hearings
February 7, 2025
SpaceX, Starlink's parent company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has withdrawn its planned participation in regulatory hearings led by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
An ICASA spokesperson said SpaceX notified the regulator on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, that it would no longer participate in oral presentations taking place this week.
The notice was issued hours after SpaceX representatives missed their scheduled presentation that morning.
SpaceX has already submitted a written statement, which remains in place, however, it is unclear why it withdrew from the hearings.
ICASA initiated the hearings to collect industry feedback on its proposed South African satellite services licensing framework.
One matter at hand is section 3(2) of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA), which states that license applicants need to include the percentage of equity ownership to be held by persons from historically disadvantaged groups, which must not be less than 30%.
This law is what Space X has contested in its written submission to the regulator.
Mobile operators call for fairness
South Africa's mobile network operators, represented by the Association for Communications and Technology (ACT), have called for fairness in the licensing regime.
The ACT's head of industry research, Phila Sithole, said ICASA had not clarified the reason for instituting the inquiry for a new licensing framework for satellite services.
"There is a need for fairness in the licensing regime to achieve a holistic transformation of the sector. ACT advocates for a level playing field, a technology-neutral approach and a competitive market," Sithole added.
He said ACT is calling for a holistic review of the entire sector, not just for satellite services.
"If you review it in a piecemeal format, you are giving an advantage to other services that compete with terrestrial services.
We appreciate the review, however, the process of the approach of the review is what we are not agreeing to; it might tilt the market and give others an advantage over others," he explained.
In its written submission, ACT contended that the Electronic Communications Act already accommodated the licensing of satellite networks.
Therefore, it was unclear why the regulator wanted the review. Sithole highlighted that global regulatory standards often emphasize the significance of fair market access.
"This philosophy advocates for regulatory frameworks that permit various technological solutions such as terrestrial and satellite systems to function under uniform guidelines thereby fostering an equitable competitive landscape and stimulating market rivalry," Sithole explained.
MultiChoice says leave us out of it
Satellite broadcaster MultiChoice has requested that ICASA exclude the company from the ongoing discussions regarding the proposed licensing framework for satellite services.
The company said it doesn't believe that existing fixed satellite services (FSS) or broader satellite services (BSS) should be included.
MultiChoice questioned how the proposed framework discussions will affect satellites that are already in orbit and operational.
"As we are aware, satellite services aren't new in South Africa, which we are already licensed under.
In particular, if you look at direct-to-home services, we have used spectrum in FSS and BSS bands for decades, these issues don't relate to FSS and BSS services.
So what we propose is you leave us out of this," said Bevan Bates, senior engineer at MultiChoice Group.
https://www.connectingafrica.com/connectivity/starlink-s-sa-entry-stalls-as-space-x-withdraws-from-icasa-hearings
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/ESA_endorses_Year_of_Asteroid_Awareness_and_Planetary_Defence
ESA endorses Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence
07/02/2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has endorsed the United Nations' (UN) designation of 2029 as the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence.
The initiative will foster international collaboration in the field of planetary defence and educate the public on the risks and opportunities associated with near-Earth asteroids.
What is Planetary Defence?
Asteroids and comets are material leftover from the early Solar System.
They hold important clues about the origins of Earth and possibly the life that calls it home, but they can also pose a potential hazard to our planet if they stray too close – as the dinosaurs found out.
But we have something that the dinosaurs did not: the scientific field of planetary defence.
Every day, around the world, planetary defenders work to detect, track, and, if necessary, respond to asteroids that get too close for comfort.
Tracking these asteroids is no easy feat: most of them are small, dark, and reflect only a tiny amount of sunlight, making them difficult to spot in the vastness of space.
Despite this, our recent technological advances are significantly improving our ability to spot asteroids passing close to Earth, which is in turn raising the profile of planetary defence with the general public.
ESA’s role in safeguarding Earth
ESA is actively working to keep Earth safe. The Agency’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC) continuously monitors over 37 000 near-Earth asteroids.
The vast majority are entirely safe, but occasionally one may pose a potential hazard, such as the recently discovered 2024 YR4, which currently has a approximately 98% chance of safely passing Earth on 22 December 2032.
ESA’s planetary defenders are currently coordinating observations of the asteroid with powerful telescopes around the world to help firmly rule out any chance of impact.
ESA is also developing a series of new telescopes that will autonomously scan the whole sky every night and alert astronomers of potential new asteroid discoveries the next morning.
These Flyeye telescopes are inspired by the compound eye, which grants some insects a very wide field of view.
“But we aren’t just waiting for an asteroid to strike,” says Richard Moissl, Head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, who provided ESA’s formal endorsement of the International Year at a meeting of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna this week.
“We are taking active measures to help Earth defend itself against a potential impact.”
ESA’s Hera spacecraft launched in October 2024 on a mission to turn asteroid deflection into a well understood and reliable method for defending Earth against a potential asteroid impact.
In 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) struck the asteroid Dimorphos, changing its orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos and demonstrating that a spacecraft can be used to change the path of an asteroid.
But thanks to the nature of the mission, DART couldn’t be around to monitor the aftermath of its own collision. So, Hera is returning to the scene of the crash to survey both asteroids in detail and help scientists answer their remaining questions.
Why 2029?
The year 2029 was chosen in order to coincide with an incredibly rare astronomical event.
On 13 April 2029, the 375-metre-wide asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass within 32,000 kilometres of Earth – that’s closer than weather monitoring and communications satellites in geostationary orbit around our planet.
An asteroid of this size passes this close to Earth only once every few thousand years on average. While Apophis poses no danger to us, the flyby presents a unique opportunity for scientific observation and public engagement.
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ESA’s proposed Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) would launch in 2028 and rendezvous with Apophis in February 2029, two months before it passes Earth.
Ramses would allow scientists to study the asteroid up close before, during, and after its interaction with our planet, delivering a treasure-trove of scientific and planetary defence data as never before.
As Apophis passes Earth, the side of the asteroid closest to our planet will be pulled more strongly than the side slightly further away, potentially causing disruptions to the surface, such as landslides, that could expose new material.
How Apophis changes, and what new material is revealed, will improve our understanding of what asteroids are made of, which is critical knowledge if humankind ever needs to put asteroid deflection to the test in a real scenario.
Engaging the public
The International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence will build upon existing awareness campaigns, such as the UN-endorsed Asteroid Day, held annually on 30 June, to educate the public about asteroid science and planetary defence.
Events are likely to include opportunities for citizen science, public observing sessions and outreach programmes aimed at inspiring young people to pursue careers in space and planetary sciences.
“As our technology improves, we will detect more asteroids on trajectories that bring them safely past Earth that we would have missed in the past,” says Moissl.
“It is critical that we continue to support public engagement in order help people around the world separate the facts from the fiction.”
A global effort
The key is in the name: planetary defence relies on cooperation on a planetary scale.
ESA is an active member of organisations such as the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG), which bring together space agencies and other relevant actors from around the world to coordinate international efforts to detect and prepare for potential asteroid hazards.
“By working together, we pool our resources, share our expertise, and develop coordinated strategies to address the risk of an asteroid impact,” says Moissl.
“International cooperation is essential for enhancing our collective ability to detect, track, and mitigate potential hazards posed by asteroids.”
The International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence aims to strengthen these partnerships, serve as a platform for education and outreach, and work to ensure that developing nations, which may lack the necessary infrastructure for asteroid monitoring and impact mitigation, are included in global planetary defence strategies.
“An asteroid impact could affect people anywhere on Earth. Planetary defence is a responsibility shared by all nations, and 2029 is sure to be a landmark year for the field.”
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Dutch space instrument SPEXone produces world map of aerosols
February 7, 2025
On February 8, 2024, NASA launched its PACE climate satellite with the Dutch aerosol instrument SPEXone onboard. A full year of observations now yields a world map of aerosols.
It shows the distribution of fine and coarse aerosols and of particles that reflect or absorb sunlight. The latter respectively have cooling and warming effects on the climate.
SPEXone was built by SRON and Airbus Netherlands, with support from TNO.
Aerosols are small particles in the atmosphere such as soot, ash and desert dust, also called particulate matter.
They have a net cooling effect on the climate, but to what extent is unclear. The estimate ranges from 0.2 to as much as 0.9 degrees, dampening the influence on global warming.
Aerosols affect the climate both directly via reflection and absorption of sunlight, and indirectly by acting as condensation cores for cloud formation.
For example, the lack of low-level cloud cover is one of the causes of the record warm year of 2024.
World map
After a year in space, SRON's SPEXone team has now produced three global aerosol maps. The first shows the distribution of aerosols across Earth's atmosphere.
The second map shows the amount of fine aerosols relative to the total number of both fine and coarse aerosols.
Here, it can be seen that fine particles mostly occur above areas with a lot of traffic and industry, such as India and regions with many fires, such as central Africa and Siberia.
Desert dust and sea salt, on the other hand, are coarser particulate matter, corresponding to the blue pixels on the locations of deserts and oceans.
The third map shows the amount of reflecting aerosols—with a cooling effect—relative to the total number of aerosols at that location. This gives an overall picture of the direct effect of particulate matter on the climate.
Climate models
"The next step is to play around with variables in climate models until they produce this same image," says Otto Hasekamp (SRON), leader of the SPEXone team.
"Then you know you have the right properties of aerosols in the models. And then we know the direct damping influence they have on global warming, the sum of reflection and absorption."
Then what remains is the indirect influence of aerosols on the climate, through cloud formation. Clouds form when water vapor attaches to particles in the air, forming droplets.
With more aerosols, the water vapor is distributed over more condensation cores, so you get smaller droplets. But the extent to which this applies is unknown.
Hasekamp says, "This is another aspect that we will be working on with climate models in the coming year.
The global map of fine and coarse aerosols provides us with the input for this, because the size of an aerosol particle determines whether it is suitable to form a cloud droplet."
Eppo Bruins, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, says, "I am impressed by the research SRON is conducting with this Dutch invention.
The atmosphere is a complex system and climate has a major impact on our lives. We still have insufficient knowledge about the exact functioning of the atmosphere and climate change.
With this research, climate models can be strongly improved, so the knowledge can be used immediately."
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-dutch-space-instrument-spexone-world.html
Scientists discover largest black hole jet ever seen in the early universe — its twice as long as our galaxy
February 6, 2025
The twin-lobed jet that existed when the universe was just 1.2 billion years old stretches out for an incredible 200,000 light-years at the very least, making it twice as long as the width of the Milky Way.
Even more surprisingly, the black hole that powers the quasar from which this jet erupts, designated J1601+3102, is relatively small. (For a quasar-powering supermassive black hole, that is.
It still has a mass equivalent to 450 million suns).
"Interestingly, the quasar powering this massive radio jet does not have an extreme black hole mass compared to other quasars," Anniek Gloudemans, team leader and a researcher at NOIRLab, said in a statement.
"This seems to indicate that you don't necessarily need an exceptionally massive black hole or accretion rate to generate such powerful jets in the early universe."
Painting a picture of early supermassive black hole jets
Though all large galaxies are thought to have a central supermassive black hole with a mass millions or even billions of times that of the sun, not all of these cosmic titans power quasars.
Quasars are formed when supermassive black holes are surrounded by a wealth of gas and dust upon which they can feed.
This material generates a flattened, swirling cloud of gas and dust called an accretion disk around the black hole.
The tremendous mass of the supermassive black hole generates tidal forces and immense friction in the accretion disk that superheats it and causes it to glow brightly.
Not all of the material in an accretion disk is fed into the central black hole; some is channeled to its poles by powerful magnetic fields.
These particles are accelerated to nearly the speed of light and are blasted out from both poles as highly collimated twin jets.
These jets can be seen at great distances by radio telescopes and are a common sight in the local universe.
Thus far, however, they've been somewhat elusive in the early universe when the 13.8 billion-year-old cosmos was less than 10% of its current age.
The jet erupting from J1601+3102 was first observed by the international Low-Frequency ARray (LOFAR) Telescope, a network of radio telescopes based across Europe.
This detection was followed up on by the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS), while the Hobby Eberly Telescope attempted to observe it in visible light.
"We were searching for quasars with strong radio jets in the early universe, which helps us understand how and when the first jets are formed and how they impact the evolution of galaxies," Gloudemans said.
"It's only because this object is so extreme that we can observe it from Earth, even though it’s really far away.
"This object shows what we can discover by combining the power of multiple telescopes that operate at different wavelengths."
One key aim of these follow-up observations was to determine the characteristics of this quasar and the supermassive black hole that powers it.
Thus far, the team has been able to determine that the black hole has a mass of 450 million solar masses, but they also hope to learn the rate at which it is swallowing, or accreting, matter.
The team also found that the jets aren't quite twins. Not only is one shorter than the other, but one jet lobe is brighter than its counterpart.
This could indicate that an extreme environment around the supermassive black hole affects its jets.
"When we started looking at this object, we were expecting the southern jet to just be an unrelated nearby source and for most of it to be small.
That made it quite surprising when the LOFAR image revealed large, detailed radio structures," team member Frits Sweijen from Durham University said.
"The nature of this distant source makes it difficult to detect at higher radio frequencies, demonstrating the power of LOFAR on its own and its synergies with other instruments."
https://www.space.com/monster-black-hole-early-universe-jet-twice-milky-way
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9609
https://www.space.com/the-universe/solar-system/scientists-say-2-asteroids-may-actually-be-fragments-of-destroyed-planets-from-our-early-solar-system
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103524004895
Scientists say 2 asteroids may actually be fragments of destroyed planets from our early solar system
February 7, 2025
Scientists believe that two asteroids might be fragments of long-lost "planetary embryos" from the early solar system.
These embryos, somewhere between small planetesimals and fully formed planets, were abundant during the solar system's formative stages and played a critical role in planetary formation.
Two asteroids in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, (246) Asporina and (4125) Lew Allen, are the subject of a new study that has found they could be leftover pieces from these embryos forged in the earliest days of our cosmic neighborhood.
"We identified two large asteroids that show similar spectral features to angrites [some of the solar system's oldest meteorites, believed to have originated from planetesimals], suggesting these asteroids could be some of the most ancient remnants of an early-formed planet in the early solar system," Ben Rider-Stokes, a post-doctoral researcher at The Open University, told Space.com
"This provides evidence that angrites could indeed be linked to the debris of early planetary embryos, some of which may have contributed material to the terrestrial planets."
Angrites are a distinct group of meteorites, characterized by olivine-bearing basaltic minerals and unique isotopic signatures (such as oxygen, magnesium, and chromium isotopes) and elemental ratios that indicate they could only have formed in the inner solar system.
"Angrites are a small group of ancient meteorites that formed within the first few million years of solar system history, recording information about the early solar system processes," said Rider.
"Identifying the origin of these samples is therefore of key interest to identify an ancient asteroid that may be one of the earliest forming asteroids.
[However,] resulting debris from their disruptions is not easily discernible in the modern-day solar system.
Scientists have suggested previously that an angrite parent body may be a remnant from an early planetary embryo.
However, evidence for this body has been scant, likely having been lost when it merged with other planetesimal bodies during a phase of rapid growth in the early solar system.
"No specific asteroid, or family of asteroids, has been identified as the [agrite parent body]," wrote Rider and his colleagues in their paper published in the journal Icarus.
"The igneous nature of the meteorites implies their parent body was sufficiently large to sustain an extended period of magmatic activity, but the size of the [parent body] is disputed."
Estimates have been made by comparing the nature of angrites to the howardite-eucrite-diogenite (HED) meteorites, which originate from the Vesta parent body, whose radius is larger than 162 miles (260 km).
The scientists set out to analyze the UV-Vis-NIR spectra of ten known angrites that have fallen to Earth and compare them with the spectra of 712 documented asteroids.
"We have a wide collection of ancient meteorite samples with different chemistries, isotopic compositions, and mineralogies, these differences indicate separate parent bodies or parent asteroids or planets," said Rider.
This technique examines how a material interacts with light — different materials absorb or reflect light at distinct wavelengths, producing a unique spectrum or "fingerprint" that reveals key information about the material's composition.
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By comparing the spectra of angrites and asteroids, the team was able to identify similar compositions, narrowing down the potential origin of the angrites and possibly pinpointing which asteroids, if any, could be remnants of the long-sought planetary body.
"Simply, the wavelength of the light bounced back from a surface (an asteroid or meteorite) will show distinctive peaks and troughs due to the differences in mineralogy and chemistry," explained Rider. "The wavelength of the meteorite and asteroid can thus be compared and matched."
"The increased diversity among meteorite collections on Earth has enabled the evaluation of extra-terrestrial mineralogies in a wider context," he continued.
"This increased diversity, due to more meteorite finds, increases the potential chance of identifying an asteroid with a similar mineralogy to that of a meteorite sample. This motivated the study to find an asteroidal analog for […] an angrite."
The team initially found spectral matches to asteroids (246) Asporina, (4490) Bambery, (4125) Lew Allen, and (136617) 1994 CC, also finding equivalent matches in their mineral chemistry (although no mineral chemistry was available for (136617) 1994 CC).
More consistent matches between (246) Asporina and (4125) Lew Allen to quenched angrites — those that cooled rapidly, preserving minerals in a high-temperature state — and intermediate angrites — cooled at a moderate rate, allowing for more gradual mineral formation — helped identify these two as the best parent body candidates.
Due to their orbital differences, the team believes it is likely that they originate from different parent asteroids.
Given that (246) Asporina is the largest body (though at approximately 32 miles (50.9 km) in diameter it is still significantly smaller than the predicted size of the parent body), and possesses an extremely similar band structure to the angrite NWA 10463, the team thinks it is very plausible that (246) Asporina represents a significant fragment of an ancient, long-lost body somewhere between the sizes of the moon or Mars.
It's possible that either the original angrite parent body was catastrophically destroyed during the chaos of the early solar system, or that the predicted size could also have been overestimated.
"Some asteroids are too small for the light to bounce back and be recorded on Earth, so there may be many smaller fragments that have a similar mineralogy to meteorites," added Rider.
"Another [challenge] is terrestrial weathering (i.e. rusting) of meteorites that affects their mineralogy and could therefore hinder spectral matching."
As more data is gathered, it will not only provide clearer answers to the forces that shaped our solar system, but also enhance our understanding of the formation, composition, and evolutionary role of asteroids — offering key insights into the early stages of planetary development.
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‘Fork in the Road’ buyout offer reaches space and national security agencies despite exemptions
February 6, 2025
The Trump administration’s deferred resignation initiative, known as the “Fork in the Road” program, has sent shockwaves through the federal government, including agencies responsible for space programs, policy and intelligence.
While guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) explicitly excludes military personnel, U.S. Postal Service employees, and positions related to national security and public safety, the buyout program was nonetheless extended to civilian employees in agencies with critical space-related missions.
The program, unveiled on Jan. 28 by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), offers federal employees the option to resign by Feb. 6 while retaining full pay and benefits through Sept. 30.
The initiative mirrors a similar strategy Musk employed at Twitter in 2022, but its application to government agencies has raised legal and operational concerns.
Intelligence, defense, space agencies complying with OPM guidance
Spokespersons for space, defense and intelligence agencies, including NASA, the Department of the Air Force, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), confirmed their civilian employees received the buyout offer and are complying with OPM guidance.
The NGA, a hybrid defense-intelligence agency with approximately 14,500 employees, provides geospatial intelligence to the U.S. military and allied nations.
The NRO, which has a workforce of roughly 3,000 personnel, builds and operates the nation’s spy satellites.
The Department of the Air Force employs about 170,000 civilians, including approximately 4,600 supporting the U.S. Space Force.
NASA, the premier civilian space agency, employs around 18,000 civil servants, while the FCC, which plays a key regulatory role in commercial space communications, has approximately 1,800 employees.
The rollout of the “Fork in the Road” program has been met with confusion and controversy as agencies scramble to interpret the guidance.
OPM has said individual agencies have discretion to exclude specific positions from the buyout, but it remains unclear how many workers would fall in that category.
The situation remains fluid. A federal judge issued a temporary injunction delaying the Feb. 6 deferred resignation deadline until at least Feb. 10 following legal challenges from federal employee unions.
The deferred resignation initiative is expected to reduce the size of the federal workforce by roughly 10%. President Trump had long promised to shrink the government, and this program aims to further that goal.
The program also is intended to reshape the federal workforce and implement changes, such as requiring employees to physically return to work, updating performance standards, and reforming the federal hiring process.
https://spacenews.com/fork-in-the-road-buyout-offer-reaches-national-security-agencies-despite-exemptions/
Readout of Commander, U.S. Space Forces in Europe – Space Forces Africa Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton’s Visit to Finland
Feb. 7, 2025
U.S. Space Force Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton, commander of U.S. Space Forces Europe and Space Forces Africa and Chief Master Sgt. Alex Birkle, SPACEFOREUR-AF command senior enlisted leader, visited Helsinki, Finland on Feb. 4, 2025.
The visit was hosted by the Finnish Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Timo Herranen. During the trip, Middleton received an overview of Finnish Air Force activities and their relevance to space operations.
Both parties look forward to continuing the dialogue about future space opportunities.
https://www.safia.hq.af.mil/IA-News/Article/4059374/readout-of-commander-us-space-forces-in-europe-space-forces-africa-brig-gen-jac/
Ukraine’s ‘Madyar’s Birds’ Take Down Russia’s ‘Invulnerable’ Drones
February 7, 2025
Ukraine just intercepted a Russian fiber-optic-controlled FPV drone for the first time.
On Jan. 30, Ukraine’s 414th Strike UAV Battalion, known as “Madyar’s Birds,” detected and destroyed a Russian fiber-optic drone—a system once believed to be unstoppable.
Using mobile radar technology, Ukrainian forces are now able to identify, track, and intercept these drones before they reach their targets. In this video, Kyiv Post covers:
How Ukraine’s mobile radar detected and intercepted the drone
Why Russia’s fiber-optic FPV drones were considered invulnerable
What radar system Ukraine may have used
How this could change drone warfare on the front lines
https://www.kyivpost.com/videos/46762
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPg_yuChKiQ
North Korean GPS jamming blamed for crash of South Korean military drone
Feb 7, 2025
North Korea’s GPS jamming was responsible for a South Korean military surveillance drone’s crash in November last year, according to local media reports Friday, an incident that one expert told NK News signals Pyongyang has made significant strides in its electronic warfare technology.
However Seoul’s defense ministry insisted the drones are operating normally and reconnaissance capabilities remain “unaffected.”
The military’s Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in Yangju, north of Seoul, on Nov. 2, 2024, South Korean media reported Friday, citing military sources, just days after North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
The drone was also flying at an altitude of 600 meters when it encountered GPS interference originating from Kaepung in North Korea’s Hwanghae Province, according to local media reports, approximately 35 miles (56 kilometers) from the crash site.
The jamming reportedly caused the drone’s systems to misread its altitude as less than 2 miles (3 kilometers), leading to a collision with the ground during landing.
Seoul’s defense ministry declined to confirm the details of the incident to NK News, stating that “the military is operating the relevant assets normally for surveillance of North Korea,” and that there were “no abnormalities” in Seoul’s current security operations.
“We ask for your understanding that detailed operational status related to intelligence assets cannot be disclosed due to operational security concerns,” the defense ministry told NK News.
Shin Seung-ki, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), explained that the Heron, an Israeli-made reconnaissance drone acquired by the ROK military, is typically expected to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance operations while flying at an altitude of less than approximately 6 miles (10 kilometers) and monitoring an area spanning several tens of kilometers along the inter-Korean border.
However, he warned that if the recent crash was caused by a North Korean jamming attack, it would signal that Pyongyang has made significant strides in its electronic warfare technology.
“North Korea has recognized the effectiveness of electronic warfare for a long time and has steadily developed its capabilities in this field. This is not something that can be underestimated,” Shin noted.
In Nov. 2024, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected jamming signals from Haeju and Kaesong, disrupting GPS for vessels and civilian planes.
Similar attacks occurred in March near South Korea’s western border islands during the U.S.-ROK Freedom Shield exercises, followed by additional jamming in the Yellow Sea in May, disrupting maritime activity for two days.
In January this year, the defense ministry reported that North Korea’s GPS jamming had persisted for over three months, likely as part of an enhanced air defense posture.
The interference, concentrated around South Korea’s northwest islands, has caused sporadic reception issues for ships and civilian aircraft.
Despite the media reports, Shin stressed that the loss of a single drone does not create a serious operational gap.
However, he warned that as South Korea’s UAV fleet grows, North Korea will likely continue refining its electronic warfare tactics.
“If a high-value asset such as the Global Hawk were to crash, the situation would be far more serious,” Shin cautioned.
“With only four units available and its role in long-range reconnaissance, losing such an asset would pose a critical issue.
However, corps-level UAVs, which are being mass-produced, have backup and alternative systems in place. Therefore, a single loss does not create an operational void.”
But Shin underscored the urgency of developing and implementing enhanced countermeasures to maintain operational superiority.
He noted that strengthening anti-jamming systems and swiftly integrating technological advancements into UAV platforms will be essential in mitigating the growing threat posed by North Korea’s electronic warfare advancements.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok conducted an inspection of the military’s readiness posture at the Joint Chiefs of Staff command and control center on Friday, marking Choi’s first visit to the country’s top military command since taking on the commander-in-chief role at the end of last year.
Choi emphasized maintaining an “unwavering military command structure” and stressed the importance of “immediate response capabilities against any North Korean provocations,” the defense ministry said in a press release.
https://www.nknews.org/2025/02/north-korean-gps-jamming-blamed-for-crash-of-south-korean-military-drone/
FBI investigating drone at Green Day concert at Comerica Park, unsealed file shows
Updated 1:58 a.m. ET Feb 7, 2025
An FBI search warrant affidavit unsealed Thursday identified an Oakland County man as the pilot accused of flying a drone in Comerica Park and interrupting a Green Day concert in September, and the pilot's lawyer said he believes the investigation has finished without criminal charges.
The court filing described how as recently as October, an FBI task force officer was investigating whether the 31-year-old pilot, a disc jockey, broke a federal law by operating an unregistered aircraft, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
The FBI investigation has not been previously reported.
The Oct. 8 affidavit pinpoints how investigators tracked down the pilot using aircraft detection software deployed at one of Detroit's most popular sports and concert venues.
The Sept. 4 incident drew national attention and raised concerns about public safety and security at an outdoor event packed with approximately 35,000 people.
The man's lawyer, Joshua Goodrich, said there were no temporary flight restrictions in place during the concert that would have prevented a drone being flown inside Comerica Park.
Such restrictions are common during professional sporting events, but not concerts, he said.
The lawyer's understanding is that an investigation that started with Detroit Police and the Federal Aviation Administration, before being forwarded to the FBI last fall, has since been returned to the FAA for possible civil enforcement.
That could include fines or suspension of his client's pilot's license.
“My hope, of course, is that there will be no fines, no suspension of his license or anything like that,” Goodrich said while talking about the impact the investigation has had on his client.
"I can’t speak for certain but anyone who is potentially looking at federal charges, I imagine, is not sleeping well," he said.
His client flew the drone because he was curious about the Green Day concert and was not engaged in nefarious activity. The drone's registration had lapsed at the time of the concert but has since been renewed, the lawyer said.
There was no immediate comment from the FBI and a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit declined comment.
Video from the event showed members of Green Day being rushed off stage during the concert, startling the crowd.
At 8:50 p.m., about 20 minutes into the concert and during the second chorus of the band's hit single "Longview," the band members dropped their instruments and were rushed from the stage.
After a few minutes of silence, a message popped up on the video screens reading, "Show Pause. Please standby for details."
The band was absent for about 10 minutes before returning to the stage. The FBI affidavit traces what happened next.
Federal Air Marshal Craig Pender, an FBI task force officer, said in the court filing that Comerica Park uses aircraft and drone detection software to monitor airspace over the stadium in downtown Detroit.
One company that provides such a service uses radar and transponder technologies to produce real-time flight paths of drones and aircraft.
Following the Green Day disruption, security personnel used Comerica's software to trace the drone's flight path to a building on Washington Boulevard, south of Grand Circus Park and less than a half mile southwest of Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers.
Detroit Police officers arrived at the location and found the pilot in possession of a DJI Air 2S drone. The company's website indicates the drone can be flown for 31 minutes and at altitudes of up to three miles.
"Officers questioned (the pilot) and he admitted to flying the drone over the city, including the area around Comerica Park," the FBI task force officer wrote.
The Oakland County man is registered with the FAA for a drone pilot's license.
Detroit Police seized the drone and it has stayed in law enforcement custody since the incident.
The search warrant affidavit sought permission to analyze the drone's flight logs, flight telemetry and radar data, seize photographs and video footage and GPS data for all flights, launch and landing positions.
It is unclear what investigators found because the search warrant inventory list remains sealed in federal court.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/02/06/no-charges-expected-for-pilot-accused-of-flying-drone-over-green-day-concert-comerica-park-detroit/78294471007/