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NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, Crewmates Complete Space Station Expedition
Apr 19, 2025
NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth Saturday, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station.
The trio departed the space station at 5:57 p.m. EDT aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft before making a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 9:20 p.m. (6:20 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, Kazakhstan time), southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
Pettit also celebrates his 70th birthday on Sunday, April 20.
Spanning 220 days in space, Pettit and his crewmates orbited the Earth 3,520 times, completing a journey of 93.3 million miles. Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner launched and docked to the orbiting laboratory on Sept. 11, 2024.
During his time aboard the space station, Pettit conducted research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitization technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behavior in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions.
He also used his surroundings aboard station to conduct unique experiments in his spare time and captivate the public with his photography.
This was Pettit’s fourth spaceflight, where he served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 71 and 72. He has logged 590 days in orbit throughout his career.
Ovchinin completed his fourth flight, totaling 595 days, and Vagner has earned an overall total of 416 days in space during two spaceflights.
NASA is following its routine postlanding medical checks, the crew will return to the recovery staging area in Karaganda, Kazakhstan.
Pettit will then board a NASA plane bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. According to NASA officials at the landing site, Pettit is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.
For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth.
The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit.
As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a strong low Earth orbit economy, NASA is focusing more resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of Artemis in preparation for future astronaut missions to Mars.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-don-pettit-crewmates-complete-space-station-expedition/
https://www.youtube.com/live/4DmBm9gP460?si=ZVLkzdZCIbuJicE7
NASA Science, Cargo Launch on 32nd SpaceX Resupply Station Mission
Apr 21, 2025
Following the successful launch of NASA’s SpaceX 32nd Commercial Resupply Services mission, new scientific experiments and supplies are bound for the International Space Station.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying approximately 6,700 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory for NASA, lifted off at 4:15 a.m. EDT Monday, on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Live coverage of the spacecraft’s arrival will begin at 6:45 a.m., Tuesday, April 22, on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.
The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock at approximately 8:20 a.m. to the zenith, or space-facing, port of the space station’s Harmony module.
The resupply mission will support dozens of research experiments during Expedition 73.
Along with food and essential equipment for the crew, Dragon is delivering a variety of science experiments, including a demonstration of refined maneuvers for free-floating robots.
Dragon also carries an enhanced air quality monitoring system that could help protect crew members on exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and two atomic clocks to examine fundamental physics concepts, such as relativity, and test global synchronization of precision timepieces.
These are just a sample of the hundreds of investigations conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory each year in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science.
Such research benefits humanity and helps lay the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis campaign, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future missions to Mars.
The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the orbiting laboratory until May, when it will depart and return to Earth with time-sensitive research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of California.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-science-cargo-launch-on-32nd-spacex-resupply-station-mission/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/04/21/nasas-spacex-crs-32-dragon-launches-at-415-a-m-edt-2/
https://www.youtube.com/live/D-_UpmNP844?si=7ucCv8YuiLVZdHM9
SpaceX
CRS-32 Mission
April 21, 2025
On Monday, April 21 at 4:15 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched Dragon’s 32nd Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-32) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station .
Dragon autonomously docked with the space station on Tuesday, April 22 at 8:40 a.m. ET.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=crs-32
Bandwagon-3 Mission
April 21, 2025
On Monday, April 21 at 8:48 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched the Bandwagon-3 mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
On board this mission was ADD’s 425Sat-3, Tomorrow Companies Inc.’s Tomorrow-S7, and Atmos Space Cargo’s PHOENIX re-entry capsule.
This was the third flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched O3b mPOWER-E and Crew-10.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=bandwagon-3
NASA’s EZIE Mission Captures ‘First Light’
April 22, 2025
NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission has taken its first measurements.
These “first light” observations show that EZIE is poised to reveal crucial details about Earth’s auroral electrojets — powerful electric currents that flow through our upper atmosphere where auroras glow in the sky.
This information will help us better understand Earth’s connection to space and mitigate the negative impacts of space weather on society.
With a trio of CubeSats, EZIE launched in mid-March to map the auroral electrojets up close and in detail for the first time.
These intense currents are generated in the northern and southern polar regions of our atmosphere, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) above the ground, when tremendous amounts of energy are transferred into Earth’s upper atmosphere from the solar wind.
The same process can also ignite colorful auroras (northern or southern lights) in our skies.
The EZIE spacecraft are designed to map the strength and direction of these currents by studying emission from oxygen molecules about 10 miles (16 kilometers) below the electrojets.
The oxygen molecules emit microwaves at a frequency of 118 gigahertz.
But in the presence of magnetic fields, such as those created by the electrojets, this emission line divides in a process called Zeeman splitting.
The stronger the magnetic field, the farther apart the 118 GHz line is split. The polarizations, or wave orientations, of the oxygen emission reveal the direction of the magnetic field.
On March 19, one of the three EZIE satellites successfully recorded Zeeman splitting of the 118 GHz oxygen emission line for the first time with its Microwave Electrojet Magnetogram (MEM) instrument.
The observations reveal the strength and direction of the responsible magnetic field — in this case, Earth’s own magnetic field near the magnetic equator.
“The EZIE team is very excited about these first-light results,” said Sam Yee of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the mission’s principal investigator.
“The observations demonstrate that both the spacecraft and the MEM instrument onboard are working as expected.”
The EZIE mission is expected to begin its formal science investigations in about a month, following final checkouts and calibrations.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/ezie/2025/04/22/nasas-ezie-mission-captures-first-light/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/ezie/
ESA welcomes inauguration of the African Space Agency
22/04/2025
The European Space Agency has joined the world space community in congratulating the African Space Agency on its official inauguration.
The African Space Agency (AfSA) is the second regional space agency after ESA and has been in development since 2015, with the African Union Commission adopting an African space policy and strategy in 2016.
The African Space Agency brings together the 55 member countries of the African Union to coordinate and implement Africa's space ambitions.
Its headquarters are in Egypt, which launched Africa's first satellite in 1998. Since then, 18 African countries have launched a further 63 satellites and many African nations have implemented their own space programmes to the benefit of their people.
AfSA has the goal of harnessing space science and technology for Africa's socio-economic development, promoting collaborative research and the peaceful exploration of outer space.
The inauguration of AfSA came just prior to the start of this week's NewSpace Africa conference, which brings together space agencies and space companies from around the world to discuss how space innovation can help empower Africa's economy.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher offered ESA's congratulations on the inauguration of the agency saying: “The establishment of the African Space Agency is a real milestone for the continent and signals an important advance for Africa’s space strategy.
Space has the power to spur innovation and inspiration, and I look forward to working together for the benefit of citizens on both continents.”
Speaking at the inauguration in Cairo, ESA Director of Internal Services Marco Ferrazzani said: "ESA is proud to partnering with this new regional space agency.
Collaboration with Africa dates back three decades and today ESA even runs a dedicated EOAFRICA Initiative. With AfSA, this cooperation will be brought up to the next level.”
ESA formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AfSA that will underpin the implementation of the EU-Africa Space Partnership Programme by the EU, which is designed to strengthen ties between Europe and Africa and encourage the use of space technologies by both public and commercial operators.
Since Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change, there is a particular goal to improve early warning systems for severe weather events or hardships related to climate.
In an additional project co-financed by the European Union, ESA already works with the African space sector on the implementation of a satellite-based augmentation system for air traffic control systems, that enhances the security of air traffic.
Furthermore, ESA is ready to collaborate on further bilateral activities with AfSA.
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/ESA_welcomes_inauguration_of_the_African_Space_Agency
FCC grants AT&T, AST SpaceMobile permission to trial space broadband network
April 22, 2025
AT&T and AST SpaceMobile have been given the go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to carry out direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity trials with emergency services later this year.
In an announcement this week, AT&T said it will work with AST SpaceMobile to begin testing direct-to-cellular satellite connectivity on public safety’s Band 14 spectrum for FirstNet, AT&T's first responder network.
FirstNet operates a network for first responders that is supported by AT&T.
The first responder network already uses satellite technology for its deployable assets, such as SatCOLTs — satellite cell on light trucks, which are vehicles equipped with mobile cell sites that connect via satellite when networks go down during natural disasters.
AT&T will test direct-to-cellular connectivity via AST's BlueBird satellites orbiting Earth. AST's BlueBird satellites launched in September.
It comes just a couple of months after AT&T carried out direct-to-device (D2D) video calls with AST SpaceMobile.
“Satellite connectivity on FirstNet is being built with public safety’s unique needs in mind,” said Matt Walsh, AVP – FirstNet and NextGen 9-1-1 Products, AT&T.
“First responders need more than the minimum, and we are excited to continue building out our comprehensive network to serve the public safety community.”
Founded in 2017, AST's first test satellite, Bluewalker 1, was launched in 2019; Bluewalker 2 was canceled. Its latest test satellite, Bluewalker 3, launched in 2022.
AST was planning a constellation of almost 170 satellites; the first 20 were originally due to enter operation by 2023, with another 90 deployed through 2024. According to more recent press releases, it seems to have revised its constellation plans down to 100.
Verizon and AT&T, along with Vodafone, are all investors in AST SpaceMobile, rivaling Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink.
"Alongside integration efforts with partner networks, we are installing five gateways in the United States, and we are now accelerating our path to commercial activity, starting with testing service with off-the-shelf cellular handsets on AT&T and Verizon networks," said Chris Ivory, chief commercial officer of AST SpaceMobile.
During the recent direct-to-device video calls, AST received special temporary authority from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to test its satellite broadband network in the US.
The company also carried out separate calls with Verizon. To carry out the trial video calls, AST used AT&T and Verizon's 850MHz spectrum, which is compatible with standard smartphones.
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/fcc-grants-att-ast-spacemobile-permission-to-trial-space-broadband-network/
Scientists left baffled after discovering lone black hole floating through space
Updated 16:31 22 Apr 2025 GMT+1
Scientists have been left stunned after stumbling across a lone black hole drifting through space.
It's not every day astronomers come across an isolated black mass roaming the Milky Way. In fact, it's a 'one in a million' chance, despite being seven times larger than Earth's sun.
The 'Galactic bulge' is also usually completely invisible to both eye and lens, since black holes absorb any light that falls over them.
Black holes are the compact remains of exploded stars which are so dense that its gravity stops anything, even light, from escaping its singularity.
The late cosmologist Stephen Hawking had a better explanation for how black holes essentially suck the life out of anything that comes in its path, writing in his novel that they cause 'spaghettification'.
The British professor explained how anything that gets too close to a black hole is distorted into a long, thin shape as a result of its gravitational pull.
Anyway, for decades astronomers have only been able to guestimate where they are based on the way gravity stretches spacetime and bends the light from distant stars.
Yet for the first time in history, scientists believe they have spotted a black hole based on deflections of a source star, though no star orbits it.
According to the group of researchers from the American Astronomical Society who published their findings in The Astrophysical Journal, a lonely black hole was seen from a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as early as 2011.
Over the course of a six-year period, the team monitored the segment of sky to watch stars were being abnormally moved from their positions, hinting at a hidden object causing havoc under a cloak of invisibility.
The researchers say the mysterious void is around 5,000 light years from our home planet in the constellation of Sagittarius, reports Science News, and is actually much closer to us than the other ginormous one in the Milky Way's center at around 27,000 light years away.
Kailash Sahu, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, said it's 'the only one so far.'
The news comes as Sahu and his colleagues discovered the looming mass coursing through the constellation in 2022 but a second team refuted the claim, saying the body could've been a neutron star.
Speaking at the time, researcher Dr Martin Dominik of the University of St Andrews, said: "Einstein did it again - black holes make themselves invisible, but they cannot hide their gravity," as per The Daily Mail.
Now, the new observations from the HST confirm that the mass is so large that is must be a black hole.
While singular black holes are probably frequent, with theoretical estimates suggesting there could be up to 100 million black holes hidden among the hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way, they are difficult to find.
This is largely because it's rare for them to line up with a large star, which reveals their presence.
But in this case, the hole in Sagittarius became exposed when it passed in front of a dim star, magnifying its brightness and slowly shifting its position as a consequence of the black hole's gravity.
“It takes a long time to do the observations,” Sahu added. “Everything is improved if you have a longer baseline and more observations.”
The scientist hopes to find even more black holes with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope which is scheduled to launch in 2027.
https://www.unilad.com/technology/space/scientists-baffled-after-finding-lone-black-hole-in-space-361171-20250422
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lone-black-hole-sagittarius-hubble
China Space Project Investigated by Newsweek Illegal, Chile Says
Updated Apr 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM EDT
Aplanned joint space observatory between China and the Latin American global astronomical hub of Chile was not permitted under Chilean law, the Chilean government has said, in comments that highlighted deepening regional geopolitical tensions over security and technology.
The project between a Chinese state astronomical institute and a private Chilean university in Chile's Atacama desert, aiming to track space objects over the southern skies, drew concerns and warnings from the U.S. that it would also be used to track satellites, thus aiding China's military space awareness in a region that the U.S. considers vital to homeland defense, as Newsweek reported last December.
Chinese astronomers involved in the project had said that the facility at Cerro Ventarrones would be civilian in nature.
Last week, the Chinese Embassy in Santiago, Chile's capital, said that it was similar to others undertaken by other countries in Chile including by the United States, and accused the U.S. of an "escalation of interference."
While Chile's Foreign Ministry stopped short of saying the Ventarrones Astronomical Park was or would be canceled, it noted that the project had not been legal since the local cooperation partner was a private institution.
"If this initiative is focused on astronomical observation, it should be noted that, according to current regulations, private entities are not permitted to enter into international agreements on this matter," Verónica Arqueros Sáez, a spokesperson for Chile's Foreign Ministry said in an email to Newsweek on Friday.
"There are two possible courses of action: one is through a state-to-state negotiation and agreement, and the other is to channel the initiative through the University of Chile, since, by law and as a public university, it is authorized to enter into such agreements," she said.
"Additionally, the project was being developed on public land, under the terms of a concession granted by the Ministry of National Assets.
Therefore, it is essential to assess whether the project meets the conditions established for granting the concession," Arqueros Sáez said.
Last month, the Chilean Foreign Ministry announced that the project was "under review," after the Newsweek investigation revealed that part of the 10-square-mile complex would be off-bounds to Chileans, and that it was not clear exactly what the Chinese side planned to do at the site, which was being built by a Chinese state-owned company that was also involved in construction projects for the Chinese military elsewhere.
The park was announced as a joint initiative between the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) and China's National Astronomic Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC).
China has made no secret of the link between its space interests and political and security goals, saying it will create "effective governance in space."
The Sitian Project, a Chinese state science plan seen by Newsweek, had identified the future Ventarrones Observatory as one of five overseas nodes in a global surveillance system to "fully scan" the skies of the entire Southern and Northern Hemispheres every half an hour to "meet national strategic needs."
Chile is one of the most coveted locations for space observation on Earth thanks to its clear skies, dry conditions and high altitudes.
The United States, European countries, and Japan also have facilities there. Up to 70 percent of the world's large telescopes are in Chile.
Chilean media Ex-Ante declared the project over: "The closure of the project is interpreted as a response to the signals that the United States has been sending for some time regarding China's technological advance in Latin American countries," the news site said, before suggesting that Chile needed a "national space strategy that considers both the scientific value of these facilities and their possible geopolitical and security implications."
The Universidad Católica del Norte did not immediately respond to Newsweek's written request for comment.
https://www.newsweek.com/china-chile-us-space-observatory-astronomy-security-2061691
Europe’s mini food lab launches into space to grow steaks, potatoes from single cells
Updated: Apr 22, 2025 08:53 AM EST
To reduce the cost of feeding astronauts in space, the European Space Agency (ESA) just launched a lab into space in a significant first step in manufacturing food in space, a new frontier.
Feeding an astronaut can cost close to 27,000 US dollars a day. To tackle that hefty price tag and explore a new venture in space, the ESA wants to put a food production plant on the International Space Station (ISS) in two years.
The project’s primary motivation is cost-driven, but the initiative could clear a fundamental roadblock that’s inhibiting humans from becoming a multi-planetary species: space food.
Researchers at the Imperial College in London and Bedford-based company Frontier Space are at the forefront of an emerging science.
Lab-grown chicken has already arrived on supermarket shelves in the US and Singapore. Proponents of growing food in a lab argue that its true value lies in its ability to provide a sustainable and eco-friendly food source.
A bioreactor can make any kind of food
Dr. Aqeel Shamsul, CEO and founder of Bedford-based Frontier Space, told the BBC that science can now produce food and drink from “pure energy.”
“It is no longer the stuff of science fiction.” Using a bioreactor at Imperial College’s Bezos Centre for Sustainable Proteins, they genetically engineer food like fermenting beer, known as “precision fermentation.”
They add a gene to yeast that produces “extra vitamins,” but they can use this method to manufacture everything in food, such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, and whole meals.
The system might work on Earth, but it’s uncertain whether it will function properly in the challenging conditions of space.
The team sent a sample of the special yeast that might be the dawn of a new agriculture in a smaller version of the bioreactor to assess how to make a dream a reality.
Can a bioreactor make a medium-rare steak in space?
Once released by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, a small cube satellite holding a mini-lab will orbit the Earth in Europe’s first commercial returnable spacecraft, Phoenix.
Three hours later, it will fall back to Earth off the coast of Portugal. A recovery vessel will whisk the sample back to London, where food scientists will assess how to build a bioreactor that will enable them to grow food in space as early as next year.
However, the bioreactor-made products look like “brick-colored goo,” as per the BBC, so Imperial College wants to solve that problem.
Astronauts already find space food challenging on the ISS. Cooking in space involves injecting a pouch with hot water, as the food is freeze-dried or irradiated.
Imperial College’s master chef, Jakub Radzikowski, can make starches and proteins from fungi.
He told the BBC that they could “any kind of cuisine in space,” though the project awaits approval. But the possibility of producing nutrient-rich complex foods in space is quickly becoming a reality.
“The dream,” Dr. Aqeel Shamsul said, “is to have factories in orbit and on the Moon.” The BBC concludes that the bioreactor would be the first step in creating the necessary infrastructure to allow habitation in space.
https://interestingengineering.com/space/esa-launches-bioreactor-to-produce-food
SpaceX rocket launch creates a 'nebula' in the sky
April 21, 2025
In the early morning hours of April 21, 2025, SpaceX launched an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft with its 32nd delivery of supplies for the International Space Station.
After the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage completed its part in the ascent, it separated from the booster's second stage to begin its return to Earth.
Still high in atmosphere, the first stage relit some of its engines to perform a "boostback" burn, changing its direction from heading out over the Atlantic Ocean to heading back to its launch site.
The exhaust from that firing created this ethereal glow, resembling the colorful, glowing gases of a nebula.
SpaceX's CRS-32 launch took place from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After creating this light show in the sky, the Falcon 9's first stage returned to a landing pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a short distance from where it lifted off.
Though the phenomena can be seen every time a SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage returns to Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 1 or 2, each "nebula" is different in appearance and no less a spectacular sight to behold.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-launch-creates-a-nebula-space-picture-of-the-day-for-april-21-2025
Meet the Space Cowboys: a critical capability at VSFB
April 21, 2025
The 2nd Space Launch Squadron at Vandenberg Space Force Base is home to a uniquely capable team known as the Space Cowboys.
This team serves a specialized role within the U.S. Space Force by providing the Department of Defense’s only expeditionary space launch and transport capability.
Their mission capabilities were on display during the April 16 launch of a Minotaur IV rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office Launch payload.
The Space Cowboys played a crucial role in preparing the rocket for its mission.
The Space Cowboys are trained to conduct the handling, transport and emplacement of Minotaur rocket motors.
Their capabilities enable small launch missions to be executed from multiple national launch sites, including Vandenberg SFB, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Their geographic flexibility supports a wide range of requirements and enhances the Space Force’s operational responsiveness.
"The expeditionary capability of the Space Cowboys dramatically expands the nation’s launch capabilities,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Preston Garrison, Space Cowboys team chief.
“Our ability to essentially move the launch site to best fit our customers’ needs saves money and allows us to launch more quickly.
The versatility of the Minotaur rockets to perform either ballistics tests or deliver satellites into orbit allows our team to support both Space and Air Force missions.”
The team’s responsibilities are critical to the overall space launch mission here at Vandenberg SFB.
“The Space Cowboys are an elite team within my storied unit. They are a gritty, ingenious and can-do group that are undaunted by challenges and will always get the job done.
L-174 is just one of several such missions over the next two years that the Space Cowboys will play an indispensable part in,” said U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Andrew Singleton, the 2nd Space Launch Squadron commander.
Through complex procedures and strict adherence to safety protocols, the Space Cowboys ensure each launch asset is mission-ready and aligned with national security objectives.
Their role is vital in delivering critical capabilities on demand. The unique capabilities of the Space Cowboys are vital to every Minotaur rocket launch.
"What sets our team apart is our ability to adapt on the fly to changing situations,” said U.S. Space Force 1st Lt. Heath Pratt, Space Cowboys flight commander.
“We are consistently testing out new systems for the first time and there is always a big learning curve. When you’re dealing with Minotaur rockets, there is always a risk because they are solid rockets.
Thankfully, we have excellent training, and a team of rock stars that can handle whatever gets thrown our way.”
As the strategic importance of space continues to grow, the Space Cowboys embody the operational precision and readiness required to meet ever evolving launch demands.
Their work remains an essential part of maintaining reliable and responsive access to space from Vandenberg SFB and beyond.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4161414/meet-the-space-cowboys-a-critical-capability-at-vsfb/
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4161473/foreign-intel-job-scams-target-current-former-dod-employees/
Foreign intel job scams target current, former DoD employees
April 21, 2025
When a social media message pops up offering a high-paying consulting job from an unknown recruiter, it’s easy to be intrigued.
But before you accept this too-good-to-be-true offer, think twice.
For many current and former members of the Department of the Air Force, and increasingly, across the entire U.S. government workforce, this is the first step in a recruitment scheme by foreign intelligence entities, officials warn.
“Our adversaries are exploiting personal freedoms and online platforms to target our people,” said a counterintelligence analyst assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Center.
“These aren’t random messages. They’re calculated attempts to exploit trust.”
The analyst could not be named for operational reasons. However, their concern was echoed at the highest levels of the agency.
“These aren’t just job offers, they’re intelligence operations in disguise,” said Special Agent Lee Russ, AFOSI Office of Special Projects executive director. “Our adversaries are targeting the very people who’ve kept this nation secure.”
According to an April 2025 memo from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, hostile foreign intelligence entities have targeted U.S. government personnel by posing as consulting firms, headhunters and think tanks.
“This isn’t a new tactic, it’s just become more aggressive and more refined,” the analyst said. “Adversaries have figured out how to blend into legitimate spaces online.”
According to the NCSC release, which operates under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, these schemes are part of a broader campaign to collect sensitive information from individuals with U.S. government backgrounds, often under the guise of employment opportunities.
“Recruiters often appear friendly and credible, offering flattery and emphasizing your government experience,” Russ said. “They may pose as representatives of legitimate, even allied-nation companies, making their approach seem trustworthy.”
These outreach efforts often begin with what appears to be a professional opportunity, like a message from a recruiter or a inquiry that aligns with the target’s background, the analyst said.
That sense of normalcy is what lowers defenses and allows the interaction to progress unnoticed.
“The sophistication is what makes it dangerous,” the analyst said. “Adversaries are using professional norms and targeting people who’ve let their guard down because the interaction seems normal.”
These increasingly advanced attempts often appear via social media, email, or job platforms, making them difficult to detect.
“Foreign actors reach out to service members privately, which means there’s no institutional oversight,” the analyst added.
“What someone does on their personal account doesn’t necessarily have the same safeguards as an official one, and adversaries are taking advantage of that.”
Over time, those conversations can shift subtly from general networking to probing questions. Then, what started as a casual dialogue quietly shifts into something more serious.
“These schemes have evolved into long-term social engineering campaigns designed to appear professional and legitimate,” Russ said.
What makes these campaigns particularly effective, officials say, is how gradually they unfold.
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“In many cases, targets are asked to provide commentary on general policy issues or draft seemingly harmless reports, usually in exchange for generous compensation and flexible remote work,” Russ said.
“But over time, these requests escalate, which helps foreign adversaries refine their military tactics and strategic operations.”
The shift is rarely abrupt. Instead, foreign actors rely on building a sense of trust, normalizing the exchange of information before introducing more sensitive requests.
“They’re not going to ask for secrets right away,” the analyst said. “They build credibility first, then slowly shift the conversation. By the time it feels suspicious, a relationship has already been established and that’s exactly what they’re counting on.”
Several red flags can signal malicious intent behind a job offer, he added. These include unusually high pay for minimal work, pressure to move conversations off trusted platforms like LinkedIn, and use of encrypted messaging apps.
“Urgency tactics, such as limited-time offers, exclusive opportunities or unusually fast hiring and payment cycles, are all designed to bypass due diligence and rush targets into compromising decisions,” Russ said.
“In some cases, individuals are promised immediate payment upon task completion to encourage quick participation without proper vetting.”
In many cases, recruiters will push for increasingly detailed and potentially restricted information, often under the pretense that it is needed for strategic insights or market research.
“The reality is, if you’ve ever had access to sensitive material, classified or not, you’re a potential target,” the analyst said. “Foreign adversaries are not just chasing secrets; they’re after any information that could give them a strategic edge.”
These hostile adversaries aren’t limiting their outreach to active military or intelligence personnel, either. Everyone from uniformed service members and reservists to civilian employees, contractors and retirees are within scope, the analyst said.
Engaging with these recruitment attempts can carry serious consequences. U.S. security clearance holders are legally bound to protect classified information, even after leaving government service.
“One of the problems we have is people just ignore the messages and forget about it,” the analyst said. “But even if you ignored it, that interaction can still help us.
We’re not looking to punish someone for being contacted, we want to understand the tactics being used so we can protect the rest of the force.”
“If you believe you’ve been targeted, or know someone who has, report it,” Russ said. “Whether you’re still in uniform or long since retired, stay sharp. In today’s fight, vigilance online can be just as vital as readiness on the battlefield.”
As the analyst explained, as adversaries exploit the freedoms of digital platforms to target individuals, the lines between counterintelligence and force protection are increasingly blur.
“We’re not going to investigate our way out of this,” the analyst said. “The scope is too broad, and it crosses too deeply into personal privacy.
The most powerful weapon we have is self-reporting. When people flag suspicious outreach early, it gives us a fighting chance.”
Editor’s note:
That is why early reporting, no matter how minor, can play a critical role in preventing adversary access.
For example, programs like Eagle Eyes have supported this effort by encouraging both military personnel and civilians to report any suspicious behavior.
For more information on Eagle Eyes or to find your local AFOSI detachment, submit a tip directly with AFOSI at https://www.osi.af.mil/Contact-Us/ or the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
Additional resources are available from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center at www.ncsc.gov, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency at www.dcsa.mil, and the FBI at www.fbi.gov.
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Mayor Mobolade publishes letter to members serving U.S. Space Command
5:08 PM, Apr 21, 2025
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade published an open letter to the servicemembers and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians serving U.S. Space Command.
The mayor says he felt compelled to address them following the DoD Inspector General's evaluation last week on the basing decision of U.S. Space Command.
The mayor says the following are at the core of this debate:
national security
mission readiness
honoring the people who serve
He also says Colorado Springs is the following:
a cornerstone of America's defense infrastructure
mission-proven
strategically located
built for the future of space
https://www.koaa.com/news/politics/mayor-mobolade-publishes-letter-to-members-serving-u-s-space-command
https://coloradosprings.gov/news/desk-mayor-yemi-space-command-belongs-colorado-springs-our-nation-our-servicemembers
I was trying to push a thank you through yesterday but it just wouldn't go.
Thanks for everything.
Appreciate ya.