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https://phys.org/news/2025-05-biggest-geomagnetic-storm-years-nasa.html
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JA033504
The biggest geomagnetic storm in 20 years: NASA's lessons and surprises
May 10, 2025
One year ago today, representatives from NASA and about 30 other U.S. government agencies gathered for a special meeting to simulate and address a threat looming in space.
The threat was not an asteroid or aliens, but our very own life-giving sun.
The inaugural Space Weather Tabletop Exercise was supposed to be a training event, where experts could work through the real-time ramifications of a geomagnetic storm, a global disruption to Earth's magnetic field.
Driven by solar eruptions, geomagnetic storms can decimate satellites, overload electrical grids, and expose astronauts to dangerous radiation.
Minimizing the impacts of such storms requires close coordination, and this meeting was their chance to practice.
Then, their simulation turned into reality.
"The plan was to run through a hypothetical scenario, finding where our existing processes worked and where they needed improvement," said Jamie Favors, director of NASA's Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
"But then our hypothetical scenario was interrupted by a very real one." On May 10, 2024, the first G5 or "severe" geomagnetic storm in over two decades hit Earth.
The event, named the Gannon storm in memory of leading space weather physicist Jennifer Gannon, did not cause any catastrophic damages.
But a year on, key insights from the Gannon storm are helping us understand and prepare for future geomagnetic storms.
Storm consequences
The Gannon storm had effects on and off our planet.
On the ground, some high-voltage lines tripped, transformers overheated, and GPS-guided tractors veered off-course in the Midwestern U.S., further disrupting planting that had already been delayed by heavy rains that spring.
"Not all farms were affected, but those that were lost on average about $17,000 per farm," said Terry Griffin, a professor of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. "It's not catastrophic, but they'll miss it."
In the air, the threat of higher radiation exposure, as well as communication and navigation losses, forced trans-Atlantic flights to change course.
During the storm, Earth's upper atmospheric layer called the thermosphere heated to unusually high temperatures.
At 100 miles altitude, the temperature typically peaks at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, but during the storm it surpassed 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit.
NASA's GOLD (Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk) mission observed the atmosphere expanding from the heat to create a strong wind that lofted heavy nitrogen particles higher.
In orbit, the expanded atmosphere increased drag on thousands of satellites.
NASA's ICESat-2 lost altitude and entered safe mode while NASA's Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment (CIRBE) CubeSat deorbited prematurely five months after the storm.
Others, such as the European Space Agency's Sentinel mission, required more power to maintain their orbits and perform maneuvers to avoid collisions with space debris.
The storm also dramatically changed the structure of an atmospheric layer called the ionosphere.
A dense zone of the ionosphere that normally covers the equator at night dipped toward the South Pole in a check mark shape, causing a temporary gap near the equator.
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The Gannon storm also rocked Earth's magnetosphere, the magnetic bubble surrounding the planet.
Data from NASA missions MMS (Magnetospheric Multiscale) and THEMIS-ARTEMIS—short for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions-Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun—saw giant, curling waves of particles and rolled-up magnetic fields along the edge of the CMEs.
These waves were perfectly sized to periodically dump extra magnetic energy and mass into the magnetosphere upon impact, creating the largest electrical current seen in the magnetosphere in 20 years.
Incoming energy and particles from the sun also created two new temporary belts of energetic particles within the magnetosphere.
Discovered by CIRBE, these belts formed between the Van Allen radiation belts that permanently surround Earth.
The belt's discovery is important to spacecraft and astronauts that can be imperiled by high-energy electrons and protons in the belts.
Unusual auroras
The storm also ignited auroras around the globe, including places where these celestial light shows are rare. NASA's Aurorasaurus project was flooded with more than 6,000 observer reports from over 55 countries and all seven continents.
Photographers helped scientists understand why auroras observed throughout Japan were magenta rather than the typical red. Researchers studied hundreds of photos and found the auroras were surprisingly high—around 600 miles above the ground (200 miles higher than red auroras typically appear).
In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the research team says the peculiar color likely resulted from a mix of red and blue auroras, produced by oxygen and nitrogen molecules lofted higher than usual as the Gannon storm heated and expanded the upper atmosphere.
"It typically needs some special circumstances, like we saw last May," co-author Josh Pettit of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said of Japan's magenta auroras. "A very unique event indeed."
Otherworldly effects
Impacts of the sun's amped-up solar activity didn't end at Earth. The solar active region that sparked the Gannon storm eventually rotated away from our planet and redirected its outbursts toward Mars.
As energetic particles from the sun struck the Martian atmosphere, NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) orbiter watched auroras engulf the Red Planet from May 14 to 20.
Solar particles overwhelmed the star camera on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter (which uses stars to orient the spacecraft), causing the camera to cut out for almost an hour.
On the Martian surface, images from the navigation cameras on NASA's Curiosity rover were freckled with "snow"—streaks and specks caused by charged particles.
Meanwhile, Curiosity's Radiation Assessment Detector recorded the biggest surge of radiation since the rover landed in 2012.
If astronauts had been there, they would have received a radiation dose of 8,100 micrograys—equivalent to 30 chest X-rays.
Still more to come
The Gannon storm spread auroras to unusually low latitudes and has been called the best-documented geomagnetic storm in history. A year on, we have just begun unraveling its story.
Data captured during this historic event will be analyzed for years to come, revealing new lessons about the nature of geomagnetic storms and how best to weather them.
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Did You Know John Denver Nearly Took Part in the Challenger Space Shuttle Mission?
May 10, 2025 7:30 am
John Denver was a decorated country musician, philanthropist, environmentalist, and, generally, an icon. The man wore a few different hats.
And one more to include on that list is that of a pilot’s cap. Growing up, Denver’s father was an officer in the Air Force, and consequently, he developed quite an affinity for flying.
Denver himself was a pilot and collected vintage bi-planes. Tragically, Denver’s love of flying was the very thing that took his life.
In 1997, Denver famously passed away while flying an experimental aircraft over the Pacific Ocean right off the coast of California.
This was a tragic incident. However, John Denver’s death nearly happened years before, as he almost became the citizen who was brought along on the infamously tragic Challenger Mission in 1986.
Thanks to his affinity for aerial travel and space exploration, John Denver teamed up with NASA to create the Citizens in Space Program.
Thanks to his efforts with NASA, Denver actually received NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal in 1985.
In addition to that medal, NASA also considered Denver for the civilian spot in the crew of astronauts who were set to go on the excursion via the space shuttle Challenger.
After passing extensive physical, mental, and written exams, Denver was, unfortunately, yet luckily, not chosen.
Several other celebrities were also denied, as Walter Cronkite, Geraldo Rivera, and Tom Wolfe all applied as well. Notably, NASA decided to bring along the school teacher from Boston, Christa McAuliffe.
Many know the story of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In short, the space shuttle exploded in 1986 just after liftoff due to a failed O-ring seal in one of the solid rocket boosters.
All members aboard the shuttle passed away in the accident.
It’s wild to think that John Denver could have lost his life in the Challenger disaster.
Not only is it wild given his prominence at the time, but it’s also wild when one realizes that he died from an aerial accident years later.
The world works in mysterious ways, and it was watching out for John Denver in the year of 1986.
Following the explosion, John Denver went on to release the single “Flying For Me” as a tribute. Denver also put on a benefit show for the families of the deceased and raised $50,000.
Despite the tragedy, John Denver remained a supporter of NASA and space exploration up until his death.
https://americansongwriter.com/did-you-know-john-denver-nearly-took-part-in-the-challenger-space-shuttle-mission/
Need for speed? Watch this thrilling video from historic Stratolaunch Talon-A2 hypersonic flight
May 10, 2025
Stratolaunch released a new video documenting the completion of its second hypersonic flight and full recovery of its Talon-A2 autonomous vehicle, showing off the capabilities of this sleek reusable hypersonic aircraft.
This successful follow-up mission, recently undertaken on March 24 of this year, follows in the wake of the Talon-A2 vehicle's initial first hypersonic flight and runway recovery back on Dec. 20, 2024.
The Talon-A2 is an advanced air-launch plane lifted aloft by a gigantic dual-fuselage aircraft designed by Scaled Composites with a world-leading 385-foot (117 meters) wingspan and nicknamed "Roc."
When positioned and deployed at altitude over 20,000 feet, the dart-shaped hypersonic marvel is dropped from Roc's center wing pylon before its Ursa Major Hadley rocket engine comes alive to propel it to Mach 5 and beyond.
"With the data collected from this second flight, we are able to apply lessons learned to enhance the strength and performance of the Talon-A vehicles," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, President and CEO of Stratolaunch in a statement.
"While the team needs to complete its data review of flight two, the first flight review confirmed the robustness of the Talon-A design while demonstrating the ability to meet the full range of performance capabilities desired by our customers."
After a controlled altitude climb, the Talon-A2 glided back down to Earth for a silky-smooth touchdown and payload recovery at California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, as seen in this video linking Stratolaunch's vision back to the pioneering days of the U.S. Air Force and NASA’s legendary X-15 rocket plane program of the late 1950s and 1960s.
Both December's and March's flights packed payloads and Department of Defense experiments.
These thrilling missions mark America's first return to reusable hypersonic flight testing since that manned X-15 program ended in 1968.
Stratolaunch is a revolutionary air-launch enterprise founded back in 2011 by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Cerberus Capital Management formally purchased Stratolaunch back in 2018, transferring its headquarters from Seattle, Washington to Mohave Air and Space Port in California with an emphasis on evolving and operating world-class hypersonic aerospace craft.
A second launch platform is currently being developed using a Boeing 747-400 once owned by the now-defunct Virgin Orbit and now renamed "Spirit of Mojave."
This updated aircraft will provide a more convenient, compact carrier than the mighty "Roc" for future flights and testing of the next generation of Stratolaunch vehicle dubbed the Talon-A3, which should be ready to fly sometime in late 2025.
Stratoluanch previously tested the single-use prototype Talon-A1 on March 9, 2024, which was not equipped with landing gear and executed a perfect ocean splashdown.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/need-for-speed-watch-this-thrilling-video-from-historic-stratolaunch-talon-a2-hypersonic-flight-video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xTvKx5uCKg
SpaceX Starlink Launches
May 10, 2025
On Friday, May 9 at 5:19 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 26 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
This was the 14th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-7, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter-13, and now seven Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-15-3
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-15-3-b1081-vsfb
On Saturday, May 10 at 2:28 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 28 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This was the 11th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, IM-2, and now six Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-6-91
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-launches-28-starlink-satellites-to-orbit-from-florida
Amateur astronomer reveals a colorful portrait of Earth's closest star-forming neighbor
May 10, 2025
Astrophotographer Greg Meyer captured a breathtaking view of the Rho Ophiuchi stellar nursery and Messier 4 globular cluster while attending a stargazing event in Texas last month.
Meyer used a thermoelectrically cooled monochrome astronomy camera mounted on a compact Radian Raptor 61mm telescope to snap 177 separate three- to five-minute exposures of the vast interstellar cloud.
All told, it took a grand total of 14 hours and 45 minutes to image Rho Ophiuchi with a series of red, green, blue and luminance filters during the 2025 Texas Star Party stargazing event, which took place from April 20 to April 27.
The resulting data was then expertly processed using the astrophotography software PixInsight, alongside Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to create a rich interstellar vista of swirling gas clouds, and dark, dusty filaments.
"A favorite among astrophotographers, I wanted to try it from a dark sky area, and I was at the Texas Star Party in April 2025," said Meyer in an email to Space.com discussing his observation of Rho Ophiuchi.
"This object was rising after midnight with the Milky Way, so [I] was able to get some good data with my portable rig for several clear nights."
The Rho Ophiuchi nebula system is the closest star-forming region to Earth, and as such has come under the scrutiny of both the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope in recent years.
Brightest among the stars captured in Meyer's colorful portrait is the aging red giant Antares, which can be found illuminating the right hand side of the cosmic vista.
Above Antares near the top of the frame is the famous Messier 4 globular cluster, which is estimated to be home to some 100,000 stellar bodies, according to NASA.
Another dense city of stars designated NGC 6144 can be spotted to the upper left of Antares, while the bright stellar trio of Rho Ophiuchi B, C and D appear to illuminate the surrounding cloud structure at the top left of the image.
As is almost always the case when dealing with deep sky objects, the different elements comprising Meyer's scene are nowhere near as close to one another as they appear.
For example, NASA estimates that Rho Ophiuchi is located some 390 light-years from Earth, while Antares — which appears to be totally enveloped in the nebulous structure — is roughly 550 light-years away.
Messier 4, meanwhile, is even more remote, sitting some 5,500 light-years from our planet.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/astrophotography/amateur-astronomer-reveals-a-colorful-portrait-of-earths-closest-star-forming-neighbor-photo
China issues regulatory framework to support direct-to-device satellite services
May 8, 2025
HELSINKI — China has released comprehensive regulations for direct-to-device satellite services, laying the foundation for domestic growth of the emerging sector.
Seven government departments issued a notice April 30 entitled “Regulations on the Management of Terminal Equipment Directly Connected to Satellite Services,” establishing the legal and technical groundwork for satellite connectivity aligned with national objectives.
The notice supports the development of direct-to-satellite communications, including infrastructure deployment, ecosystem cultivation, and broader integration.
According to a Xinhua report, the regulations aim to promote the healthy development of satellite-connected terminal services while safeguarding national security and public interests.
The move takes place amid growing international competition and follows earlier developments in the U.S., with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last March approving the world’s first direct-to-smartphone regulatory framework.
Beijing has placed a strategic emphasis on satellite communications in recent years, including policy support and the approval of two satellite internet megaconstellations, Guowang and Qianfan/Thousand Sails.
The new regulations could mark a significant step in shaping the future of the industry in China.
While often described as direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services in Western industry, China’s new rules appear to refer more broadly to terminal equipment directly connected to satellites.
This includes not only smartphones but also Internet of Things (IoT) modules, vehicle terminals and other connected devices.
The notice was jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Ministry of Public Security, and relevant administrations for cybersecurity, radio, film and television, customs, and market regulations.
National security, data localization, real-name registration
Key provisions within the full text include articles on national security and legal oversight, as well as data localization and cross-border restrictions, frequency interference, and licensing.
Domestic user data is required to be processed at domestic ground facilities and is not to be forwarded via satellite to overseas gateways, ground stations, or other facilities without approval, according to the notice.
The rules also cover frequency licensing and interference prevention, which is critical to integrating satellite with terrestrial mobile networks.
Service providers also have to adhere to mandatory real-name registration rules, by which they need to verify users’ real identities before offering satellite services.
Providers must adhere to China’s cybersecurity, data security and personal information protection laws.
Those engaged in radio and television services will need to comply with relevant regulations and obtain corresponding licenses. The content platforms must also be integrated with government monitoring systems.
While promoting domestic control, the policy notice also encourages international cooperation and participation in global standards-setting, indicating China’s intention to play a role in shaping the rules of satellite-based mobile connectivity worldwide.
China has already conducted early direct-to-device tests, notably using government Tiantong-1 communications satellites in geostationary orbit. Some Huawei smartphones feature satellite messaging capabilities using these satellites.
Major state-owned telecom and aerospace firms may play a role in the sector, alongside newer commercial space companies focused on satellite communications, such as GalaxySpace and Commsat. Official announcements of plans may follow in the future.
These could provide alternatives or analogs to international actors already engaged in the sector such as SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile and Lynk Global.
https://spacenews.com/china-issues-regulatory-framework-to-support-direct-to-device-satellite-services/
Failed Soviet Venus lander Kosmos 482 crashes to Earth after 53 years in orbit
May 10, 2025
A failed Soviet Venus lander's long space odyssey has come to an end.
The Kosmos 482 probe crashed to Earth today (May 10) after circling our planet for more than five decades.
Reentry occurred at 2:24 a.m. ET (0624 GMT or 9:24 a.m. Moscow time) over the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia, according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos. Kosmos 482 appears to have fallen harmlessly into the sea.
Astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project caught an image of Kosmos 482 during one of its final orbits as it passed over Rome, Italy just before sunrise on May 10.
In the photo, the probe is "visible as a trail entering the field of view from the top and pointing to the bottom right corner," Masi wrote on his website.
"The picture is the sum of four images, this is why the trail of Cosmos 482 looks dashed."
Earth isn't the planet that Kosmos 482 was supposed to land on.
The spacecraft was part of the Soviet Union's Venera program, which sent a fleet of probes to Venus in the 1960s, '70s and early '80s.
Kosmos 482 launched toward Earth's hellishly hot sister planet in 1972, but a problem with its rocket stranded the spacecraft in an elliptical orbit around Earth.
For the next 53 years, atmospheric drag pulled the probe down slowly but surely, leading to today's dramatic denouement.
Most large pieces of space junk — decrepit satellites and spent rocket bodies, for example — break apart during their fiery trips back to Earth, creating artificial meteor showers.
It's possible that Kosmos 482 made it down in one piece today, however, given that it was designed to survive a high-speed trip through Venus' thick atmosphere.
Kosmos 482 is about 3.3 feet (1 meter) wide and weighs about 1,190 pounds (495 kilograms).
If it didn't break apart during reentry, it likely hit Earth's surface going about 150 mph (240 kph), according to Dutch satellite tracker Marco Langbroek.
In that scenario, "the kinetic energy at impact is similar to that of a 40-55 cm [16 to 22 inches] large (after ablation) meteorite fragment," Langbroek wrote in a blog post recently.
Kosmos 482's fall draws attention to our planet's growing space junk problem. On average, three sizeable pieces of debris crash back to Earth every day — and that number is only going to go up.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), Earth orbit hosts about 14,240 satellites, 11,400 of which are active.
Most of the operational craft belong to SpaceX's Starlink broadband megaconstellation, which currently consists of about 7,200 satellites but is growing all the time.
Other megaconstellations are under construction as well.
For example, Amazon just launched the first big batch of spacecraft for its Project Kuiper broadband network, which will eventually harbor 3,200 satellites, if all goes according to plan.
And rockets have lofted satellites for two different Chinese megaconstellations, each of which is designed to host at least 13,000 spacecraft.
"With the increasing space traffic, we expect that reentry frequencies increase further in the future," ESA officials wrote in a Kosmos 482 blog post.
The risk of injury or property damage from each individual reentry is very small, given that much debris burns up in the air and the pieces that don't usually come down in the ocean or on unoccupied land.
But as the reentry volume goes up, so too do the odds of a destructive impact.
There are other potential consequences as well. For instance, researchers are calling attention to the pollution created by reentering satellites, which could damage Earth's ozone layer and also affect our planet's climate.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/failed-soviet-venus-lander-kosmos-482-crashes-to-earth-after-53-years-in-orbit
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2025/05/10/cosmos-482-descent-craft-an-image-before-its-reentry-10-may-2025/
https://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2025/05/07/reentry-prediction-soviet-era-venera-venus-lander-cosmos-482-descent-craft/
CSO highlights growing U.S.-Italian cooperation in space operations
May 9, 2025
U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman emphasized the critical role of partnerships and the growing strategic importance of space during his remarks at the 2nd International AeroSpace Power Conference in Rome, May 8.
Speaking to an audience of military officials, academics, industry leaders and media — Saltzman discussed the evolving nature of space as a warfighting domain and its integration into civilian life and modern military operations.
“It is no longer a mystery or a curiosity. Now the space domain is a vital national interest. It is a region with geography and terrain to contest and control,” Saltzman said. “It is a warfighting domain as critical to the fight as the land, sea or air.
This is a significant change from the world many of grew up in, but it is a change that we’d better adapt to and quickly, because let me assure you, as a student of history – wherever national interests are found, they are inevitably followed by competition, crisis and conflict.”
Saltzman used historical examples to illustrate the evolving understanding of the space domain, starting from early astronomical debates in the 1920s to today's interconnected global infrastructure that heavily relies on space.
He also highlighted the increased vulnerability that accompanies this dependency, referencing a 2022 satellite ground station cyberattack, which occurred during the initial stages of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as a contemporary example of conflict involving space assets.
“Without satellites to support and integrate our combat power, we fight blindly and with one hand tied behind our back,” he said.
Saltzman pointed to the establishment of the U.S. Space Force as a strategic necessity to ensure space superiority — the ability to secure freedom of action for U.S. and allied forces while denying adversaries the same.
He said achieving that superiority requires recognizing the inherently global nature of the space domain.
From orbital debris to destructive anti-satellite tests, space presents shared challenges that no single nation can manage alone, underscoring the need for multinational cooperation.
“Spacepower is a team sport,” Saltzman said. “You need a team, working in concert, holding their shape and executing tactics with unity of effort.”
Saltzman announced plans to develop a bilateral Country Action Plan between the U.S. Space Force and the Italian Air Force to strengthen that cooperation.
The non-binding agreement will outline a framework for advancing integration through initiatives such as personnel exchanges, joint training and exercises, and expanded information sharing on space domain awareness, missile warning and tracking.
Saltzman cited the forthcoming Space Force International Partnership Strategy as the foundation for this work and emphasized that the success of any partnership hinges on mutual trust and benefit.
“My hope is that the plan we develop between the U.S. Space Force and the Italian Air Force will provide an excellent foundation for so much more,” he said. “We must build our future success on the partnerships we forge today.”
The International AeroSpace Power Conference is a biennial event hosted by the Italian Air Force and Ministry of Defence.
This year's gathering included remarks from Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto and Italian Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Luca Goretti among other senior U.S. and allied military officers.
Saltzman reinforced the need for deliberate, coordinated action among spacefaring allies.
As the domain grows more contested, he said partnerships like the one between the United States and Italy will be critical to maintaining security, stability and access in space.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4180134/cso-highlights-growing-us-italian-cooperation-in-space-operations/
At least 20 people killed in Sudan after a suspected drone strike hits a prison
May 10, 2025 10:29 am
A suspected drone strike launched by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces hit a prison in the southern region of Kordofan on Saturday and killed at least 20 inmates, authorities said.
Fifty other detainees were wounded in the attack on the main prison in Obeid, the capital city of North Kordofan, Information Minister Khalid Aleiser said in a statement.
Aleiser, who is also the spokesman of the military-allied government, accused the Rapid Support Forces for the attack, which came as the militia escalates drone strikes on the military-held areas across the country.
Sudan plunged into civil war on April 15, 2023, when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country.
Obeid is 363 kilometers (225 miles) south of Khartoum.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which earlier this month launched multi-day drone attack on Port Sudan, the Red Sea city serving as an interim seat for the Sudanese government.
The strikes hit the city’s airports, maritime port and other facilities including fuel storages.
The military earlier struck Nyala airport in South Darfur, where the RSF receives foreign military assistance, including drones. Local media say dozens of RSF officers were killed in last week’s strike.
In the western region of Darfur, an artillery attack by the RSF on Friday on a camp for displaced people killed at least 14, according to the Emergency Room, an activist group tracking the war.
The dead included two parents, their eight children and the children’s grandmother, the group said.
The RSF has launched nearly daily attacks on the camp and the nearby city of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, which the paramilitaries have attempted to seize for more than a year.
Last month the RSF rampaged through Sudan’s largest camp for displaced, Zamzam, killing more than 400 people. The militia took control of the camp, pushing its population to flee.
The war has killed at least 24,000 people, though the number is likely far higher.
It has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including 4 million who crossed into neighboring countries. Parts of the country have been pushed into famine.
The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the U.N. and international rights groups.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11173825/ml-sudan-war/
https://apnews.com/article/sudan-military-rsf-war-e55bca6562f4d9d29630480bc47e6a84
Russia uses MiG-35 fighter jets to defend Moscow for the first time since the beginning of the war
May 9, 2025
For the first time since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, MiG-35 fighter jets have been deployed to protect the city of Moscow from drone attacks.
The information was released by ANNA News agency this Thursday (8).
According to the report, several MiG-35s have been relocated to the Russian capital and are currently active, responding quickly whenever enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) approach the Moscow Military District.
Until now, the use of this fighter model had not been recorded in active combat, being previously limited to passive defense or training roles.
According to the agency, the MiG-35s have already shot down several Ukrainian drones, standing out as a direct response to the growing number of attacks on the capital and other regions of the Russian Federation.
Escalation of attacks and military response
In recent days, forces aligned with the Kiev regime have intensified drone attacks against Moscow, the metropolitan region, and other strategic points across the country.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 524 enemy drones were shot down in Russian airspace in just the past 48 hours.
Despite air defense efforts, some UAVs managed to hit sensitive targets. One of the most serious incidents occurred in the city of Saransk, capital of Mordovia, where drones struck a fiber optic factory considered of strategic importance.
In response, local authorities declared a regional state of emergency. However, this morning the regional headquarters announced the end of the “unmanned threat alert.”
MiG-35: aerial reinforcement during symbolic times
The activation of MiG-35s for defensive missions in Moscow coincides with the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (World War II), an event traditionally marked by parades and a strong military presence in the Russian capital.
If ANNA News’ information is confirmed, the measure underscores the use of all available means to ensure Moscow’s security during this highly symbolic period for the Russian Federation.
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/russia-uses-mig-35-fighter-jets-to-defend-moscow-for-the-first-time-since-the-beginning-of-the-war/ar-AA1EtplY
Suspect in Southern California drone shooting turns gun on officers during pursuit: CPD
Updated: May 9, 2025 / 10:29 AM PDT
A man suspected of shooting at a drone near a park in Southern California is facing attempted murder charges after he allegedly opened fire on officers as he tried to flee on Thursday.
A 911 call reported the initial drone shooting near Claremont Hills Wilderness Park on the 4000 block of North Mills Avenue, the Claremont Police Department stated in a news release Friday.
Deployed officers received a description of the suspect and his vehicle, which they located near Mills Avenue and Foothill Boulevard.
The officers attempted to stop the driver, who instead led police on a 20-mile pursuit through the cities of Claremont, Pomona, La Verne and Montclair, police said.
“During the pursuit, the suspect shot multiple rounds from his vehicle at the pursuing officers,” the Police Department stated in the news release.
The chase ended when an officer used a PIT maneuver on the eastbound side of the 10 Freeway near Indian Hill Boulevard, causing the suspect to lose control of the vehicle.
The driver was then taken into custody without further incident.
“The investigating officers recovered a loaded firearm and additional loaded magazines at the scene,” police said.
The suspect, identified as 46-year-old Daniel Rombach of Pomona, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon, felony evading and unlawful possession of a firearm.
He was being held on $2 million bail and was scheduled to be arraigned on May 12.
Anyone with additional information regarding the case was asked to call the Claremont Police Department at 909-399-5411.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/suspect-in-southern-california-drone-shooting-turns-gun-on-officers-during-pursuit-cpd/
Amarillo police recover stolen car using drone, license plate readers
Fri, May 9th 2025 at 12:30 PM
AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Amarillo police recovered a stolen car using a drone and license plate readers.
On April 23, a white, 2010 Chevrolet Malibu was reported stolen.
Police first located the car about four-and-a-half hours later when the car's license plate was spotted by a license plate reader.
The Amarillo Regional Crime Center (ARCC) launched a drone to locate the stolen car and lead officers to its location.
Officers stopped the vehicle in the Toot N Totum parking lot at Line and S. Georgia St.
The driver was arrested for unlawful use of a motor vehicle. The car was returned to the owner.
https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/amarillo-police-recover-stolen-car-using-drone-license-plate-readers-amarillo-regional-crime-center-toot-n-totum-parking-lot-line-south-georgia-street-caught-on-camera
How a UFO sighting in 1950 created this Oregon town’s biggest annual event
Updated: May. 09, 2025, 11:02 a.m.
The aliens will be back in McMinnville for the 25th time.
Well, 26th if you count the original sighting 75 years ago that started it all.
The McMenamins UFO Festival takes place May 16-17, with a lineup that offers presentations by ufologists for the true believers and costumed silliness to entertain even the skeptics.
The roots of the UFO Festival trace back to May 11, 1950, when Evelyn Trent went out to feed the chickens on her family’s farm outside McMinnville and saw a large, metallic, disc-shaped object in the sky.
She called for her husband, Paul Trent, who snapped two photos of the object hovering above the fields before it vanished.
Paul showed the photos to a friend, who alerted the local Telephone Register newspaper.
From there, the photos were published in The Oregonian and Life magazine, and they drew international attention.
They also prompted an investigation by the U.S. Air Force, which in 1967 published an exhaustive study that concluded Trent’s photos were “difficult to explain in a conventional way.”
The Trent incident would have remained a quirky piece of forgotten history had Tim Hills not discovered a news story about the photos at the Yamhill County Historical Society.
Hills was a historian working for the McMenamins hotel and restaurant chain, which had recently purchased the Hotel Oregon in McMinnville.
Hill was researching the history of the hotel and McMinnville itself when he found the Trents’ story and saw an opportunity for the hotel to host an event.
The first UFO Festival was held in 2000. It was intended to be a one-time celebration, but the UFO Festival was a hit.
The next year, the downtown association put on a parade, and the festival has only grown over the years.
No festival was held in 2020, making this the 25th annual event.
“The Trent Photos,” a 20-minute documentary on the Trent UFO sighting, will be screened at noon May 16 in Mattie’s Room at Hotel Oregon. (Doors open at 11:30 a.m.)
A vendors’ fair, also free to attend, is open in downtown McMinnville from 3 to 8 p.m. May 16 and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 17.
The signature event is the UFO Festival parade, which begins at noon Saturday, May 17, with a route through downtown. Costume contests — one for humans and one for pets — take place at 2 p.m. May 17.
This year’s speaker series, at the McMinnville Community Center, includes presentations by Brit Elders, Stanley Milford Jr., George Knapp with Jeremy Corbell, and Luis Elizondo.
Some speaker events are sold out, but tickets for others are $28 and can be purchased online.
https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2025/05/how-a-ufo-sighting-in-1950-created-mcminnvilles-biggest-annual-event.html
https://ufofest.com/
Covert UFO crash retrievals and reverse engineered spacecraft
May 10, 2025
Exopolitics Week in Review
Topics
The vacuum train was capable of a top speed of 14,000 mph, and could travel from LA to NY in just 21 minutes. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1918657876979036491
The Higher Self and ET Communications through QHHT https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1919365084519784930
First of two Galactic Spiritual Informers Connection conferences for 2025 begins today https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1919373606745739459
US govt’s UFO crash retrieval program fails the risk-reward formula. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1919379156082569695
Passing of Robert Potter on May 5 https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1919671066361737459
Avatar clones used in a covert program out of Eglin AFB uses soldiers hooked up to advanced consciousness transferring technology https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1919882137311785466
Avatar clones used in a covert program out of Eglin AFB uses soldiers hooked up to advanced consciousness transferring technology https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1919882137311785466
Congressman Eric Burlinson describes how classified UAP SCIF Briefing did not go ahead due to delay in David Grusch getting security clearance https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1919908478753071361
Space Force documentary doesn’t mention UFOs/UAPs as that takes us into the classified realm of ET life and SSPs. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1920072164675408171
An anonymous Electrical Engineer has released BAASS documents on Reddit https://x.com/MikeDisclosure/status/1920256306398499047
Link to a segment of the Joe Rogan (JR) interview with Dr. Hal Puthoff (HP), where they discuss UFO crash retrieval operations https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1920490779019018347
Former NASA Chief of Aerospace Medicine Comes Forward as UAP Whistleblower https://x.com/NewParadigmInst/status/1920495032454557787
Video of large orbs being escorted by military helicopters in Arizona are likely reverse-engineered antigravity craft. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1920835513751117914
https://exopolitics.org/covert-ufo-crash-retrievals-and-reverse-engineered-spacecraft/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gzg-r7TaJM
extra
Time Travel Temporal Warfare and Humanities Future
part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4N5vJzTb7g
part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YCMfecgWxM
Newsnation
Is the US government hiding UFO information from Americans? | The Hill
May 9, 2025
Ross Coulthart joins "The Hill" to discuss NewsNation's special "HUNTING UFOS: The Desert Sky Mystery with Ross Coulthart" airing Saturday at 8p/7C and Congress' UFO hearing next week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhBjxrvQn04
Hunting UFOs at the border | Morning in America
May 9, 2025
A Border Patrol whistleblower captured video footage of UFOs using military cameras.
NewsNation's special correspondent Ross Coulthart joins "Morning in America" to preview his conversation with the former agent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etTpjpBFs0Y
Unexplained drones, UFOs and the state of the Navy | 60 Minutes Full Episodes
May 10, 2025
From March, Bill Whitaker's investigation into the mysterious swarms of drones that have been spotted in the sky above the United States.
From 2021, Whitaker’s report on unidentified aerial phenomena or UAP, more commonly known as UFOs, regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace.
And from 2023, Norah O'Donnell's report on the U.S. Navy's response to China's naval buildup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrM_NQS3_Fc
Chekt
https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/houston-congress-has-a-uap-problem
Houston, Congress has a UAP problem — the curious case of a non-existent UFO hearing
May 09, 2025
What we know: “there will not be a hearing…next week”
“We have not had a hearing notice for next week yet and they have to give a weeks notice, so we know that there will not be a hearing on that subject next week,” a House Oversight Committee minority staffer confirms to Ask a Pol.*
If you’re like us, you’re asking yourself, ‘WTF’s up with the Congressional UAP Caucus?’
We only know what our sources know, and in this 119th Congress — sadly — that’s meant we haven’t known much of anything at all.
Like, we’ve confirmed there’s no public UAP hearing next week, but no one’s been able to tell us the fate of the classified SCIF briefing with whistleblower David Grusch that’s, supposedly, been rescheduled for the week of May 12th.
Below find a brief, real-time case study in congressional ineptitude.
Real-time case study in ineptitude — or was this GOP leader’s plan all along?
Below find Ask a Pol’s rough timeline of the unraveling of next week’s UAP hearing.
Wednesday evening — Luna confirms UAP hearing
We’re still on for next week’s public UAP hearing in the House?
“Yup, yup,” Secrets Task Force Chair Anna Paulina Luna replies without hesitation.*
Friday 10:44am — Dean Johnson breaks news: Hearing off
11:01am — Chris Sharp confirms UAP hearing off
11:59am — Ask a Pol breaks news to UAP Caucus members
“Next week’s UAP hearing is off now?” Ask a Pol texts a UAP Caucus member just before noon Friday morning.
“I haven’t heard that,” the perplexed UAP Caucus member replies. “Where did you hear that”?
4pm EST — Ask a Pol ramps up pressure
After returning from lunch with an editor and doctor’s visit, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo realizes no one — including members of Congressional UAP Caucus, Secrets Task Force and Oversight Committee aides — has returned his texts or emails.
With most congressional offices set to go directly to voicemail at 5pm EST sharp, Laslo frantically starts re-emailing (and adding chiefs of staffs to un-replied to inquiries…), re-texting and calling the Oversight Committee directly.
Crickets from Congress ensued…
4:37pm — Oversight minority staff laps lawmakers
With minutes to spare before the Capitol complex goes quite for the weekend, a Democratic staffer answers the Oversight Committee’s minority line.
“We have not had a hearing notice for next week yet and they have to give a weeks notice, so we know that there will not be a hearing on that subject next week,” a House Oversight Committee aide for the minority tells Ask a Pol.
Any word on new date?
“It’s possible that they’re still planning to do it, they just haven’t told us yet,” the helpful aide tells Ask a Pol on background. “So we don’t know which date — or whether — it will happen in the future.”
1/3
4:48pm Friday — UAP Caucus member 2
Still no word from the first UAP Caucus member we pinged, but after sharing what the Oversight staffer told us at 4:48pm EST, we finally get a response — not an answer; merely a reply… — from a second UAP Caucus member.
“Know what’s up?” we texted.
“I don’t,” the UAP Caucus member replies. “But I’ll ask.”*
*as of publication time, we still haven’t gotten an answer…
5:08pm Friday — Oversight majority staff confirms negative
“There is not a public hearing next week,” a senior Oversight Committee aide confirms to Ask a Pol on background.
Still no word on what exactly happened, in part because senior members of the Congressional UAP Caucus and Secrets Task Force were left completely in the dark, either by Chair Luna or, potentially, because of her…*
*It remains unclear whether Luna never intended to give the required notice of the public UAP hearing — which would mean she misled-to-lied to Ask a Pol subscribers earlier in the week — or whether her and her team simply forgot to submit the necessary paperwork…
Stay tuned for the fate of next week’s UAP SCIF briefing
While we’ve asked roughly a dozen members of Congress and their aides, Ask a Pol still have’t gotten an answer as to the fate of next week’s — already rescheduled… — classified SCIF briefing with David Grusch, Lue Elizondo and AARO…
Ineptitude? UAP Caucus has a new look…
Below find other notable moments from what looks to be Congress’ currently stalled UAP investigation in the 119th Congress.
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SCIF Cancelation: Chair Luna v. Lue Elizondo, Matt Ford & Rep. Eric Burlison
On April 29th, Secrets Chair Luna told Ask a Pol their scheduled classified SCIF briefing was canceled because newly hired congressional staffer David Grusch had a scheduling conflict.
“Grusch could not make it,” Luna told Ask a Pol.
Lue Elizondo immediately disputed Chair Luna
Good Trouble Show w/ Matt Ford backed up Elizondo
UAP Caucus / Secrets Task Force member also disputed Luna
Grusch’s congressional boss, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), told Ask a Pol the SCIF briefing was postponed due to:
-
Delays in getting Grusch’s full security clearance restored.
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“The other reason was that we had, everybody was jammed with meetings,” Burlison told us.
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“I trust Donald Trump” — New Jersey residents don’t…
What ever happened to Ronald Reagan and the GOP’s decades long creed, ‘trust but verify’?
In Trump’s GOP, Republicans on the Congressional UAP Caucus have all but abandoned their previous investigation into UAP incursions over sensitive military, inteligence and nuclear sites from coast to coast.
UAP Caucus Republicans ran with the Trump administration claim — backed up with no evidence — that the FAA approved the ‘drone’ incursions that set law enforcement, pilots, the Coast Guard, air traffic controllers, elected officials and entire communities across the northeast on edge at the end of last year.
2/3
Elected leaders across New Jersey aren’t buying what Trump’s White House is selling though, including GOP Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), veteran helicopter pilot Rep. Mikie Sherill (D-NJ) and Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ).
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) also begs to differ with the White House claim, along with SASC member Sen. Tim Kaine (D-NJ) and senior HPSCI member Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) — seriously, to name but a few skeptics…
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‘UAPs’ didn’t even come up in Secrets Task Force until mid April
“It doesn't sound like the new Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets has talked UAPs yet,” Ask a Pol asked the other UAP Caucus Co-chair on April 9, 2025.
“Have you guys talked UAPs in the Secrets Task Force yet?”
“Not yet. I don't think so,” Rep. Tim Burchett told Ask a Pol. “No.”
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Secrets Task Force a success — if goal is to keep members “busy” and irrelevant
When we first informed Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — a member of both the Armed Services & Intelligence Committees — of Luna’s new Secrets Task Force in the House, he laughed. But the laughter was short-lived.
"Better than having them looking for things to get into,” Rounds told Ask a Pol last month.
If that’s the goal of Speaker Mike Johnson and Oversight Chair James Comer — keeping the formerly pesky Congressional UAP Caucus tied up with JFK, RFK, MLK, 9-11, Epstein, COVID’s origins, etc. etc. etc. — then the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets is a resounding success.
“I think it will be the most interesting,” Chair Comer told Ask a Pol in February after launching the temporary (6 month shelf life) Task Force and powerless (they can only subpoena with Comer’s permission, after all).
“Interesting” is not the same as effective. The Secrets Task Force is the new UAP Caucus, at least according to Co-chair Tim Burchett who GOP leaders passed over when they empowered Luna with a gavel.
And as of now, five months into this new Congress — and with a mere one month left for the Secrets Task Force (unless it’s granted an extension) — it seems Republican leaders are getting their money’s worth out of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.
“It all revolves around a distrust of the government. If you ever gonna build, regain, trust in the government, you have to be transparent,” Comer told Ask a Pol in February.
“That’s what the goal of the Task Force is, to get transparency for the federal government.” Here Secrets Task Force members just want to know their schedules.
And, as of now, UAPs keep taking a back seat to, seemingly, every conspiracy under the sun.
Somewhere, someone in a corner office is smiling, even as last year’s whistleblower still can’t even speak freely in the marble halls of his new office, your United States Capitol.
We’ll let you know if any of our sources get back to us with an answer on next week’s SCIF briefing. Here we’re left wondering if Chair Luna even bothered to request a room…
3/3
Kathleen Marden: Betty and Barney Hill Expert
May 8, 2025
THIS IS A MUST SEE INTERVIEW revealing aspects of the Barney and Betty Hill story, alien abductions, and a researcher who has written several books and investigated way down the rabbit hole.
https://truthsocial.com/@kerrycassidycamelot/posts/114475762709553042
https://projectcamelotportal.com/2025/05/08/kathleen-marden-betty-and-barney-hill-expert/
https://rumble.com/v6t5kk3-kathleen-marden-expert-on-the-barney-and-betty-hill-story-experiencer-autho.html