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Blazing ‘Fireball’ Meteor Streaks Across Maoming Sky, Startles Residents As Night Turns Into Day
May 29, 2025 07:47 PM IST
On Wednesday night, residents of Maoming City in Guangdong Province, South China, were left in disbelief when a dazzling fireball meteor briefly turned night into day.
Witnesses claimed to have heard a loud bang at around nine o'clock in the evening, followed by a streak of extremely bright light that darted across the sky.
A glowing fireball was seen burning through the atmosphere before vanishing from view in the scene, which was captured on several videos that have gone viral online.
An astronomer from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Astronomical Observatories confirmed to the China News Service that a fireball meteor a strong and uncommon space event, brought on the spectacular light.
https://www.latestly.com/socially/social-viral/blazing-fireball-meteor-streaks-across-maoming-sky-startles-residents-as-night-turns-into-day-watch-video-6891547.html
https://twitter.com/RenderNature/status/1927742226546749755
https://twitter.com/globaltimesnews/status/1928047802007044370
https://twitter.com/yangyubin1998/status/1927724378449412330
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNKbUW0hDrY
https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-books/could-time-travel-tourism-be-the-next-space-tourism-op-ed
Could time travel tourism be the next space tourism?
May 29, 2025
Can we journey through time?
From H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine to The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger and "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon, time travel has captured our imagination for centuries.
The concept is ever-present in all forms of sci-fi entertainment, from time-travel movies like Back to the Future and Looper, to time-looping games like The Outer Wilds, and of course, sci-fi novels.
It speaks to our deepest regrets and desires — the chance to reconnect with someone now gone, to undo mistakes, or to relive our most precious memories. It captures our resistance against time's relentless march forward.
Dete Meserve is a best-selling novelist and award-winning producer who served as Executive Producer of the PBS KIDS astronomy series Ready Jet Go in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Her latest novel, The Memory Collectors, is about four people who step back into their pasts only to find themselves trapped in time.
As Executive Producer of "Ready Jet Go", a STEM series on PBS KIDS produced in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I experienced firsthand how time travel concepts resonate with audiences of all ages.
Working with outstanding experts in astronomy and physics, we explored the topic of time travel in an episode titled "Jet's Time Machine", where our hero — aptly named Jet Propulsion — builds a device to go back three minutes in time.
This episode sparked my research into time travel storytelling, where I discovered that most stories use one of three approaches:
The Scientist's Private Machine: A brilliant inventor builds a time travel device in secret—think H.G. Wells' Victorian gentleman crafting his Time Machine, Doc Brown's plutonium-powered DeLorean, or Jet's personal time machine in our "Ready Jet Go" episode.
These contraptions stay strictly off-limits to the general public, used only by the inventor or their trusted circle.
Mystical Transport: Sometimes, characters get sent through time by magical forces. Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" throws Claire Randall back to 18th-century Scotland after touching a magical stone circle.
Sleep, ancient artifacts, or unexplained events serve as involuntary time-travel activation switches — no science required.
Time Portals: A glitch in the universe creates doorways linking specific moments across history. Stephen King's "11/22/63" features a pantry in Al's Diner that drops anyone who walks through it at precisely 11:58 AM on September 9, 1958.
The science: Is time travel possible?
Up until recently, physicists believed that time travel to the past was impossible because it required unusual matter or extreme warping of spacetime.
However, physicist John D. Norton has developed a new model based on Einstein's theory of general relativity that shows time travel is mathematically possible.
His model does not rely on strange matter or intense space-time distortion, but uses a simple space-time shape that allows paths to loop back in time.
This work suggests that time travel could occur under more ordinary physical conditions than previously thought.
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No paradoxes!
The classic understanding of time travel centers on a fundamental problem: paradoxes.
If travelers could alter even minor details of the past, the cascading consequences would either rewrite the present or eliminate the traveler's own existence — the infamous grandfather paradox.
This seemingly insurmountable obstacle led physicist Stephen Hawking to propose his Chronology Protection Conjecture, which essentially argues that the laws of physics themselves forbid backward time travel by preventing the formation of closed timelike curves.
However, groundbreaking research by Dr. Fabio Costa and Germain Tobar at the University of Queensland challenges this assumption.
They've developed a mathematical model showing that closed timelike curves do not automatically create paradoxes.
Their revolutionary model suggests that while time travelers can move and act freely in the past, the universe itself maintains consistency—events would self-adjust to prevent any logical contradictions from occurring.
From theory to technology
This revolutionary finding has profound implications.
If Norton is right — that time travel won't require exotic materials — and Costa and Tobar are correct — that time travel doesn't alter the future — it opens the door for time travel technology to evolve beyond fictional ideas of secret inventions or unpredictable glitches in the universe.
Instead, it could follow the trajectory of other breakthrough technologies—gradually becoming accessible, eventually commercial.
We've seen this trajectory before with space tourism. Companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin have transformed orbital travel from pure science fiction into bookable experiences. Time travel could follow a similar path.
It's not far-fetched. Consider how many "impossible" technologies now shape our daily lives. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, self-driving cars — these were all fictional concepts that have since crossed the threshold from imagination to innovation.
Each has reshaped how we live, work, and understand human potential.
If history is any guide, time travel may be next to make the leap from imagination to reality. But what would this reality look like?
If Costa and Tobar's paradox-free model proves correct, it fundamentally changes our time travel narratives. This concept inspired my new novel "The Memory Collectors", which explores what time travel tourism might look like.
It features a time travel company called Aeon Expeditions, which allows travelers an hour in their pasts and uses the tagline: With Aeon, you don't change time, time changes you.
A new narrative
If you cannot change the future by traveling to the past, it transforms who would want to go back in time and why. Instead of hoping to change the future, people might travel back to seek answers, relive significant moments, or uncover information that could solve present-day mysteries.
This paradigm shift offers fascinating possibilities and stories. Imagine going to our pasts so we could observe events firsthand. We could catch crucial conversations we'd half-heard, spot warning signs we'd missed, and uncover answers to mysteries that have haunted us for years.
In this way, time travel transforms from a tool for changing history into explorations of memory, truth, and our need to make sense of our own lives.
Perhaps that will be the lasting appeal of time travel — not the ability to change what happened, but the chance to reconnect, relive, and rediscover, and ultimately return to the present changed by what we've learned.
The Aeon Expeditions website explores the ways this approach to time travel could benefit everyone. As physics advances, time travel edges closer to theoretical possibility.
The question may not be whether we can journey through time, but when we'll begin taking reservations.
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Scientists capture never-before-seen plasma streams and bizarre 'raindrops' in sharpest-ever view of sun's outer atmosphere
May 29, 2025
The sun's outer atmosphere — the corona — has long intrigued scientists due to its extreme temperatures, violent eruptions and towering prominences — vast filaments of plasma extending out from the solar surface.
Visible only during a total solar eclipse and blurred by Earth's turbulent atmosphere, the corona has remained frustratingly elusive. Until now.
Thanks to a breakthrough adaptive optics system called Cona, installed at the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope (GST), operated by NJIT's Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) in California, scientists now have access to unprecedented views of the sun. Here we take a look at the sharpest ever views of the sun's corona, from cascading coronal rain to a never-before-seen plasma stream.
The videos are artificially colorized to show the hydrogen-alpha light emitted by the plasma. The darker color is brighter light.
One of the most striking sights: the sharpest ever view of coronal rain — delicate threads of cooling plasma, some narrower than 12 miles (20 kilometers).
Coronal rain forms when hotter plasma in the sun's corona cools and condenses. Akin to raindrops on Earth, coronal rain is pulled back down to the solar surface by gravity.
But unlike Earth's rain, it doesn't take the most direct path straight down. The plasma is electrically charged and so follows the sun's magnetic field lines, arching and looping as it cascades back to the solar surface.
The incredibly detailed solar observations also reveal a never-before-seen feature — the rapid formation and collapse of a finely structured plasma stream referred to as a 'plasmoid'.
The time-lapse video shows a plasmoid snaking across the sun at almost 62 miles (100 kilometers) per second. This is likely the first time a plasmoid has ever been observed.
"These are by far the most detailed observations of this kind, showing features not previously observed, and it's not quite clear what they are," Vasyl Yurchyshyn, co-author of the study, said in a statement.
Last but not least, an intricate look at a quickly reconstructing solar prominence 'dancing' and twisting to the sun's magnetic field.
The sun's soft, 'fluffy-looking' surface comes from short-lived plasma jets known as spicules — dynamic features whose origins remain the subject of ongoing debate.
Solar prominences are large loops of plasma — hot gas composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.
They are anchored to the sun's surface in the photosphere, the innermost visible layer of the sun's atmosphere and reach out far into the sun's corona.
But scientists have yet to determine exactly how they form in the first place.
These new and improved views of the sun's corona are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they also offer a unique opportunity to study the corona like never before.
"The new coronal adaptive optics system closes this decades-old gap and delivers images of coronal features at 63 kilometers resolution—the theoretical limit of the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope," Thomas Rimmele, National Solar Observatory Chief Technologist, said in a statement.
By capturing the fine-scale structure and motion of cooler plasma, scientists are closing in on one of the sun's greatest mysteries: why the corona blazes millions of degrees hotter than the solar surface.
These sharper views also aid our understanding of filament eruptions and coronal mass ejections, powerful blasts of plasma that fuel space weather, disrupt technology, and light up the skies with spectacular auroras.
Scientists hope to bring this technology to even larger telescopes, including the 4-meter Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaiʻi, promising an even closer look at the sun's outer layers.
"This marks the start of a new era in solar astronomy, promising many more discoveries in the years and decades to come," Philip Goode, co-author of the study, said in a statement.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/sun/scientists-capture-never-before-seen-plasma-streams-and-bizarre-raindrops-in-sharpest-ever-view-of-suns-outer-atmosphere-video
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02564-0
SpaceX to launch another GPS III satellite in record turnaround
May 28, 2025
SpaceX is gearing up to launch a Global Positioning System satellite for the U.S. military on May 30 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, marking another high-profile national security mission that shifted from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan to the Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch of GPS III SV-08 — the eighth satellite in the GPS III constellation — was originally assigned to United Launch Alliance (ULA) but was switched to SpaceX as the military prioritizes getting advanced anti-jamming capabilities into orbit as quickly as possible.
The move comes as GPS signals face increasing threats from both nation-state actors and inadvertent commercial interference.
This marks the second consecutive GPS III satellite to be switched from ULA to SpaceX, following December’s launch of GPS III SV-07.
ULA’s Vulcan, which received certification to launch national security missions, continues to face delays and has accumulated a backlog of military launches.
Officials said the Space Force worked with SpaceX and GPS manufacturer Lockheed Martin to accelerate the schedule in order to get the more advanced GPS satellites into orbit.
In a press call May 28, Space Force officials said the mission was executed on an unusually accelerated timeline.
Launch planning for GPS III SV-08 kicked off in February, with Lockheed Martin receiving a formal request on February 21 and SpaceX following on March 7 — just under three months ahead of liftoff.
That’s an extraordinary pace for a national security launch, they said, which typically takes 18 to 24 months from contract award.
The urgency stems from growing threats to the Global Positioning System. GPS signals have become increasingly targeted by jamming and spoofing, both by hostile nation-states and commercial sources.
Col. Andrew Menschner, commander of Mission Delta 31, explained the strategic rationale behind the push to get GPS III SV-08 on orbit quickly.
“There are today 38 GPS satellites in orbit, 31 of which operate on a daily basis,” Menschner said.
“We have a healthy redundancy in the constellation. But the addition of SV-08 allows the constellation to build resistance against those who would try to interfere with GPS signals.”
More secure GPS for military and civilians
The GPS III series is the most advanced generation of satellites, offering nearly eight times the anti-jamming capability of previous versions.
These satellites also broadcast M-code — a hardened, military-only signal — an L5, a new civilian signal operating in a frequency band reserved for aviation safety.
SV-08 will be the 26th M-code capable satellite and the 19th to broadcast the L5 signal. “Over 1,100 commercial flights a day are impacted by GPS interference and jamming,” Menschner said.
“We are looking forward to unlocking that capability with the delivery of OCX later this fall.”
The OCX ground system — short for Operational Control Segment — is a long-delayed but vital piece of infrastructure that will fully enable the M-code and L5 signals.
Once online, it will bolster both defense operations and civilian aviation safety.
Lessons for the future
One reason the Space Force was able to pivot quickly between launch providers is GPS’s design flexibility.
“We benefited first and foremost from the foresight of the GPS three program to be qualified on multiple launch vehicle providers,” Menschner said. “That’s a tremendous lesson learned that we’re passing on.”
This adaptability isn’t typical across the national security space fleet, but the GPS III program is emerging as a model of how to build in agility, he said.
Walt Lauderdale, mission director and chief of Falcon systems at Space Systems Command, noted that SV-08 was originally slated for launch in late 2025. “So this allowed us to get the M-code up a little bit sooner,” he said.
Looking ahead, Vulcan is still expected to handle the final two GPS III missions, along with the debut flight of the next-generation GPS IIIF satellite.
For now, said Lauderdale, there are no additional GPS launch reassignments planned.
https://spacenews.com/maxar-intelligence-taps-tech-veteran-to-lead-commercial-business/
Maxar Intelligence taps tech veteran to lead commercial business
May 29, 2025
Maxar Intelligence has appointed longtime technology executive Todd Surdey to lead its commercial operations as the company seeks to expand the market reach of its AI-powered geospatial technologies.
Surdey takes on the role of senior vice president and general manager of Maxar’s enterprise business segment, which supplies geospatial data and analytics to sectors including consumer mapping, energy, automotive and telecommunications.
Based in Westminster, Colorado, Maxar Intelligence operates a constellation of high-resolution Earth observation satellites and uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to extract insights from vast troves of geospatial data.
The company’s commercial offering includes products used for intelligent mapping, infrastructure monitoring, and autonomous navigation.
Surdey replaces Paul Granito, who left earlier this month after leading the enterprise business since 2023.
Maxar CEO Dan Smoot said in a statement May 29 that the company selected Surdey for his experience scaling go-to-market teams and ntroducing innovative software technologies to new markets.
Surdey’s appointment comes as Maxar seeks to expand beyond its core base of government and defense clients into commercial markets.
The company has increasingly leaned on artificial intelligence to enhance the utility of its satellite imagery and differentiate itself in a competitive geospatial intelligence market.
Surdey’s resume includes leadership roles at enterprise software and cybersecurity giants including Salesforce, VMware, Palo Alto Networks, Google, CrowdStrike, and Zoom.
Most recently, he served in executive positions at HireRight, and is currently an advisor to portfolio companies at Bessemer Venture Partners, a Silicon Valley-based VC firm known for backing software startups.
In a statement, Surdey said Maxar Intelligence is “on an exciting journey to transform what’s possible in the geospatial industry.”
The appointment reflects broader industry trends as satellite imagery companies seek to monetize their data assets through software-based solutions rather than relying solely on raw imagery sales.
A shift toward value-added analytics and AI-driven insights represents a key growth avenue for the geospatial intelligence sector.
https://spacenews.com/maxar-intelligence-taps-tech-veteran-to-lead-commercial-business/
Maxar Intelligence taps tech veteran to lead commercial business
May 29, 2025
Maxar Intelligence has appointed longtime technology executive Todd Surdey to lead its commercial operations as the company seeks to expand the market reach of its AI-powered geospatial technologies.
Surdey takes on the role of senior vice president and general manager of Maxar’s enterprise business segment, which supplies geospatial data and analytics to sectors including consumer mapping, energy, automotive and telecommunications.
Based in Westminster, Colorado, Maxar Intelligence operates a constellation of high-resolution Earth observation satellites and uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to extract insights from vast troves of geospatial data.
The company’s commercial offering includes products used for intelligent mapping, infrastructure monitoring, and autonomous navigation.
Surdey replaces Paul Granito, who left earlier this month after leading the enterprise business since 2023.
Maxar CEO Dan Smoot said in a statement May 29 that the company selected Surdey for his experience scaling go-to-market teams and ntroducing innovative software technologies to new markets.
Surdey’s appointment comes as Maxar seeks to expand beyond its core base of government and defense clients into commercial markets.
The company has increasingly leaned on artificial intelligence to enhance the utility of its satellite imagery and differentiate itself in a competitive geospatial intelligence market.
Surdey’s resume includes leadership roles at enterprise software and cybersecurity giants including Salesforce, VMware, Palo Alto Networks, Google, CrowdStrike, and Zoom.
Most recently, he served in executive positions at HireRight, and is currently an advisor to portfolio companies at Bessemer Venture Partners, a Silicon Valley-based VC firm known for backing software startups.
In a statement, Surdey said Maxar Intelligence is “on an exciting journey to transform what’s possible in the geospatial industry.”
The appointment reflects broader industry trends as satellite imagery companies seek to monetize their data assets through software-based solutions rather than relying solely on raw imagery sales.
A shift toward value-added analytics and AI-driven insights represents a key growth avenue for the geospatial intelligence sector.
https://spacenews.com/maxar-intelligence-taps-tech-veteran-to-lead-commercial-business/
Guardians strengthen multinational partnerships and demonstrate electronic warfare during African Lion 2025
May 28, 2025
U.S. Space Forces Europe – Space Forces Africa is advancing multinational collaboration and readiness by bringing cutting-edge space-based capabilities and electromagnetic warfare expertise to exercise African Lion 2025.
AL25, U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, brings together 41 nations and about 10,000 U.S. service members from April 14 to May 23.
Taking place across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, the exercise features integrated training in airdrop, airlift, close air support, aeromedical evacuation and advanced space and electronic warfare operations.
SPACEFOREUR-AF greatly expanded its support this year, going from one day of space academics for AL24 to nine days of academics in AL25.
This year, SPACEFOREUR-AF personnel completed six days of Space-EW academics lessons covering more than 30 hours of instruction for 30 Moroccan royal armed forces students, including 10 officers and 20 enlisted members from the Moroccan Army and Navy.
The sessions in Agadir, Morocco, included contributions from a Moroccan Royal Armed Forces EW officer who delivered six hours of lessons, further enhancing bilateral collaboration.
Following the classroom instruction, the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 109th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron led a two-day live demonstration of the Night Owl Electromagnetic Support System.
This hands-on demonstration provided Moroccan forces with a practical understanding of how EW systems can be employed in real-world operational scenarios.
The academic phase concluded with a presentation on the Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking program, or TacSRT, by Tech. Sgt. Anson Monestime, a space operations noncommissioned officer participating in the exercise.
TacSRT, developed by Space Systems Command, is a cutting-edge capability that leverages a network of commercial vendors to deliver rapid, mission-relevant products through the Global Data Marketplace.
The program allows small businesses to compete for quick-turn contracts, offering cost-effective and adaptable solutions for operational needs.
Monestime also delivered the TacSRT presentation to students in the Geospatial Intelligence Course, broadening its reach and showcasing the program’s versatility.
“Our goal here is to show how commercial space-derived and fused information can directly support operations, especially disaster response operations,” Monestime said.
“It’s a privilege to be here representing our Space Component and sharing these tools with our African partners.”
In preparation for AL25, Monestime utilized TacSRT to map a simulated natural disaster evacuation route for U.S. embassy personnel in Morocco.
This training scenario highlighted the program’s ability to generate unclassified, shareable products that improve coordination with host-nation forces.
“Using TacSRT, we demonstrated how to fuse fully shareable operational planning products, change detection and AI-analyzed social media feeds to support timely decision-making,” said Col. Galen Ojala, SPACEFOREUR-AF director of operations.
“It’s fast, affordable and sharable with our African partners.”
By integrating advanced tools like TacSRT and delivering world-class training, SPACEFOREUR-AF is setting new standards for multinational collaboration and joint readiness.
These efforts ensure U.S. forces and their partners are prepared to respond to a variety of challenges, shaping the future of contingency planning and crisis response operations across Africa.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4199441/guardians-strengthen-multinational-partnerships-and-demonstrate-electronic-warf/
Chief of Space Operations lauds acquisition workforce, discusses shift in Guardian development during visit to Los Angeles Air Force Base
May 29, 2025
Chief of Space Operations Gen. B Chance Saltzman visited Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base May 22, engaging more than 500 Guardian acquirers to discuss their outsized impact on missions across the Space Force and Department of Defense.
Foregoing the formalities of a lectern or podium, Saltzman opted for a conversational approach, sitting opposite SSC Commander Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant as he spoke in candid detail about the instrumental nature of the acquisition workforce and its contributions to the lethality and success of the Joint Force.
“Space acquisition is a complex endeavor. It requires a service-level attention across processes, procedures, expertise and different competencies,” Saltzman explained.
“What makes space acquisition work is everybody coming together, collaborating, bringing their expertise, so that we can meet the sense of urgency that's required, deliver the capabilities that our warfighters need and address the threats that are only growing as we continue to move forward with the Space Force.”
Saltzman shared that, more than any other service, the Space Force mission requires a uniquely close coupling of acquisition and operations expertise to conduct activities in an agile, complex and hostile environment.
To most effectively combat emerging threats, he noted how critical it is for all Guardians to share a comprehensive understanding of Space Force competencies, encompassing acquisition, satellite operations, intelligence, cyberspace operations and more.
"What we're expecting officers to be are the leaders and planners of the Space Force," Saltzman said during a session with a senior crowd, underscoring that this requires a "broad understanding of our capabilities, of our missions, of the key activities that we perform."
He stressed that the Space Force, with fewer than 5,000 officers, cannot afford the deep specialization enabled by the significantly larger end strengths of other services.
For that reason, Saltzman explained, the Space Force is developing its Guardians differently. For example, new officers will begin their careers with foundational experience at the Space Force’s Officer Training Course.
After an initial assignment on crew, officers will have the flexibility either to specialize in an operational discipline or to apply for entry into the acquisition workforce.
He likened the new approach to a “career superhighway with multiple lanes," instead of a "worn-out path winding through a forest."
He emphasized that Guardian development should not be defined by an early commitment to a single functional area but rather by gaining skills with increasing scope of responsibility.
This requires members to grow as Guardians and not just “climbing the ladder within a single specialty.”
“We are too small a branch and require too much diversification of the senior level of our workforce to be strictly adhering to tribal precepts,” he said.
Saltzman acknowledged this marks a “fundamental shift” in talent development and committed to refining the approach based on real-time feedback.
He reassured Guardians who did not attend the new OTC as well as those in more senior grades that they would be evaluated against their peers based on the opportunities they were previously presented.
Following each session, Saltzman engaged directly with Guardians, answering questions and listening to feedback.
His visit highlighted the Space Force’s ongoing commitment to building versatile Guardians who are ready to conduct decisive warfighting operations.
Saltzman and his wife, Jennifer Saltzman, were welcomed to the base by Garrant and other senior leaders.
Before dedicating the bulk of his visit to speaking with Guardians, Saltzman also received key briefings from SSC Program Executive Officers including those leading the Assured Access to Space, Combat Power, Operational Test and Training Infrastructure and Space Sensing portfolios.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4200373/chief-of-space-operations-lauds-acquisition-workforce-discusses-shift-in-guardi/
Ukranian drone strikes apartment block in Moscow (VIDEOS)
29 May, 2025 00:04
A Ukrainian drone struck an apartment block in southwestern Moscow early Thursday morning, as Kiev ramps up attacks on the Russian capital following the first direct talks between the two countries in three years.
The UAV hit the Mirax Park residential complex on Vernadsky Avenue, damaging the building’s facade and shattering windows. Many residents fled into the street after the blast.
Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated that there were no casualties or “serious damage.” He added that three drones had been shot down over Moscow.
Residents reported hearing loud explosions in several neighborhoods. Another kamikaze drone struck the roof of a residential complex in Odintsovo, a town just outside Moscow.
On May 16, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul for the first time since 2022, agreeing to carry out a large prisoner exchange and for each to submit detailed ceasefire proposals.
Kiev has since intensified its drone strikes deep inside Russia. On Wednesday, at least 12 UAVs were intercepted over the city, according to Russian officials.
The drones damaged three buildings and an industrial facility.
https://www.rt.com/russia/618290-ukrainian-drone-hits-moscow-apartment/
Ukraine needed Western help to target Putin’s helicopter – Scott Ritter
29 May, 2025 09:53
Ukraine must have relied on assistance from the West if it did in fact target a helicopter carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter has told RT.
Russian air defense division commander Yury Dashkin told the Russia 1 channel last week that Putin’s helicopter had been caught in the “epicenter” of a massive Ukrainian drone attack during a visit to Kursk Region on May 20.
The intensity of aerial incursions “increased significantly” when the president was in the air, with 46 incoming fixed-wing UAVs being shot down in the area, he said.
In an interview with RT on Wednesday, Ritter stressed that “if the Ukrainians drones actually targeted the Russian president, they did not do so in a vacuum… there would have been assistance provided by the West, which means that the West is targeting the Russian president.”
“If you read the Russian nuclear doctrine, this is a trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation or preemptive strikes. So, who is playing with fire here? It is not Vladimir Putin who is playing with fire.
It is Ukraine and the West that are playing with fire,” he added.
The former US Marine Corps major was referring to a comment by US President Donald Trump, who claimed earlier this week that Putin was “playing with fire.”
The statement by Trump followed large-scale Russian strikes against Ukrainian military infrastructure, which Moscow said were retaliation for the intensification of drone attacks by Kiev on civilian targets inside Russia.
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, more than 2,300 Ukrainian UAVs have been intercepted over the past week above Russian territory, mostly away from the front line.
Ritter expressed concern that there is a split in the US administration between opponents of Russia and those who are in favor of improving ties with Moscow.
But at the same time, representatives of both camps and Trump himself are no experts on Russia, he added.
The US president “is a victim of basically the last words whispered into his ear before he goes to bed at night or the first words whispered into his ear when he wakes up in the morning… Trump is not well briefed [on Russia].
Look, this is a very dangerous situation,” Ritter warned.
https://www.rt.com/news/618302-putin-helicopter-ukraine-ritter/
https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/Scott-Ritter-interview-May-28-2025:5?src=embed
Russian official killed in suspected Ukrainian assassination (VIDEO)
29 May, 2025 07:14
A Russian government official who previously fought in the Ukraine conflict has been killed in a suspected assassination by Ukrainian operatives in the southern city of Stavropol, local authorities have said.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud blast on Wednesday evening before discovering the bodies of two men in a residential neighborhood of the Russian city.
On Thursday morning, Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov identified one of the deceased as Zaur Gurtsiev, a regional government employee.
He said investigators were considering all possible scenarios, “including a terrorist attack organized by Nazis from Ukraine.”
Gurtsiev had entered public service through a special program aimed at training and employing veterans who served in Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine and had demonstrated leadership qualities.
According to his government profile, he had served as deputy head of Stavropol, overseeing security and counterterrorism.
Investigators have told RT that the second victim was identified as a 29-year-old acquaintance of Gurtsiev and that an improvised explosive device most likely caused the deadly blast.
Earlier media reports based on purported CCTV footage showing the incident had claimed that the second victim may have been a suicide bomber.
Kiev maintains a state-run program for targeted assassinations, reportedly operated by CIA-trained special services.
Originally directed at people in Donbass suspected of treason, the program was evidently expanded in 2022 as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia escalated.
Apparent victims of Ukrainian agents have included civilians, such as journalist Darya Dugina, who was killed by a car bomb in August 2022, and former Ukrainian lawmaker Ilya Kiva, who was fatally shot in December 2023.
https://www.rt.com/russia/618300-stavropol-blast-suspected-assassination/
https://t.me/shot_shot/81672
https://t.me/tass_agency/317304?single
Russian military hits Ukrainian commando HQ – MOD (VIDEO)
29 May, 2025 13:16
Russian forces have carried out precision strikes on a facility used by Ukrainian special operations forces, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced Thursday.
The targeted site, located in Ukraine’s Nikolaev Region, reportedly included a munitions depot, a vehicle hangar, a command post, and a dormitory for commandos.
The strike was carried out using Geran-2 long-range drones and Iskander-M missiles, according to the ministry. Officials suggested that foreign nationals fighting for Kiev may have been killed in the attack.
Footage released by the ministry and mapping details of the strike point to the location as Ochakov, a key port city near the junction of the Black Sea and the Dnieper–Bug estuary.
The Dnieper River forms a natural dividing line between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the south.
Ochakov is reported to serve as a base for British-assisted naval drone operations, from which Ukraine has launched attacks using unmanned surface vessels against Russian targets in Crimea.
Just south of the city lies the Kinburn Spit, a narrow strip of land connected to Russia’s Kherson Region.
Ukrainian forces have attempted to seize the position several times, while Russian troops have used it to launch strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have ramped up long-range drone attacks inside Russian territory, amid pressure from Washington for Kiev to engage in direct peace negotiations with Moscow.
The Russian military has responded by targeting suspected drone assembly sites and other strategic installations. The strike on Ochakov appeared to be part of such nighttime operations.
https://www.rt.com/russia/618311-hq-strike-nikolaev-video/
Russia prepared to strike Germany in response to Taurus attacks – senior MP
29 May, 2025 17:08
Russia could authorize strikes inside Germany if Ukraine receives and attacks it with German Taurus cruise missiles, a senior Russian lawmaker has warned.
State Duma Defense Committee chairman Andrey Kartapolov insists that the weapon requires German military assistance to operate.
Speculation that Germany could supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles, which can potentially reach Moscow, reemerged earlier this week after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Berlin and its partners had allowed Kiev to use Western weapons without any range restrictions.
When asked by journalists on Wednesday about possible deliveries of the weapon, Merz replied that they are “possible,” adding that Ukrainian troops would require “several months of training” to be able to launch them.
Kartapolov told the Life.ru outlet on Wednesday that Russia is “ready for everything” and will respond to the possible shipments of Taurus missiles to Kiev.
“We are ready to shoot down the Taurus’, and to strike the places from where they would be launched and those who would launch them, and, if necessary, the places from where they would have been delivered,” he warned.
The senior lawmaker, who is a former Russian deputy defense minister and holds the rank of colonel-general, stressed that the long-range missiles that had been earlier supplied to Ukraine by the US, UK and France – ATACMS, Storm Shadow and SCALP, respectively – can only be launched by their own specialists.
This is because “the Ukrainian military lacks experts capable of operating such equipment.
That is, the Ukrainians can press the ‘start’ button - it is not a problem, but they cannot input the data,” which comes from American and Western European satellites, he explained.
“If Germany transfers these missiles. Then, naturally, there will be German specialists on the ground” making sure that they can be launched, Kartapolov said.
The German Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that Berlin will give another $5.6 billion in military aid to Kiev, most of which will be used to “finance the production of long-range weapon systems in Ukraine.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacted to the development by saying that Berlin’s “direct involvement in the war is now obvious.”
According to Lavrov, Germany “is sliding down the same slippery slope it already followed a couple of times in the last century – down toward its own collapse.”
https://www.rt.com/news/618324-germany-ukraine-taurus-kartapolov/
Russia Reports Wave of Drones, Explosions Rock Moscow, Strategic Factory Burns
May 29, 2025, 9:15 am
Russia claims it intercepted and destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones between the evening of May 28 and the morning of May 29, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
As per the ministry’s report shared on Telegram, the drones were reportedly downed in the following areas:
30 UAVs over Belgorod Oblast
4 UAVs over Orel Oblast
4 UAVs over Ryazan Oblast
4 UAVs over occupied Crimea
3 UAVs over Moscow Oblast
2 UAVs over Bryansk Oblast
1 UAV over Tambov Oblast
In Moscow Oblast early Thursday, May 29, explosions were heard as air defense systems activated in response to drone detections.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Russian Telegram channels, including Astra, confirmed the temporary suspension of operations at Vnukovo Airport.
Residents of Odintsovo, Aprelevka, and Zvenigorod reported hearing explosions. Social media videos showed a powerful blast in Odintsovo, where drones were intercepted over residential areas.
One video clip appeared to show UAV debris falling in a yard; another showed a hit above a residential building.
Rosaviatsia initiated the “Carpet” emergency airspace plan at Vnukovo, reportedly due to the air threat. Russian media reported delays of 14 departing and 20 arriving flights.
Mayor Sobyanin later stated that air defenses had “repelled” an attack by three drones in the Moscow region. He added that, according to preliminary data, there were “no serious damages or casualties.”
Separately, a drone allegedly struck a building in the Mirax Park residential complex on Vernadsky Avenue in southwest Moscow. Again, Sobyanin insisted there were no major injuries or damage.
Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, a fire broke out late on May 28 at the Avangard plant, a facility listed as strategically important to the Russian defense industry. Footage shared online showed thick black smoke billowing over the city.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the fire was linked to the drone attacks. The St. Petersburg Emergency Ministry said no casualties were reported. The blaze required 11 fire trucks and 41 personnel; open flames were later extinguished.
Avangard is a federal research and production center known for manufacturing radio electronics, microcircuit technology, and structural components for military equipment.
In 2014, it opened the Microsystems Engineering Center on its main campus at 72 Kondratievsky Ave.
In the early hours of May 28, long-range drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck the Raduga Design Bureau in Dubna, approximately 130 kilometers north of Moscow, according to Kyiv Post sources within the agency.
The strike reportedly hit the plant’s assembly and equipment workshops, causing fires. Raduga, part of Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation, produces Kh-101/555, Kh-69, and Kh-59MK cruise missiles – all used in attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
The drone attack came as part of a record-breaking barrage in which Russia claimed to have shot down nearly 300 Ukrainian drones across several regions.
Moscow’s airports were briefly shut down, and officials described the scale of the attack as highly unusual.
Moscow Mayor said 33 drones were downed near the capital, while the regional governor reported 42 intercepted across 12 municipalities. Damage to buildings was reported in Chekhov, but no casualties.
The strike followed a wave of intense Russian air attacks, during which nearly 1,000 drones and missiles were launched on Ukraine between May 25 and 27, killing 13 civilians, including three children.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/53567
Ukraine’s AI-powered ‘mother drone’ sees first combat use, minister says
May 29, 2025 6:35 PM
Ukraine has deployed a new artificial intelligence-powered "mother drone" for the first time, marking a major step in the country's expanding use of autonomous battlefield technology, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on May 29.
The drone system, developed by Ukraine's defense tech cluster Brave1, can deliver two AI-guided FPV (first-person view) strike drones up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) behind enemy lines, according to Fedorov.
Once released, the smaller drones can autonomously locate and hit high-value targets, including aircraft, air defense systems, and critical infrastructure — all without using GPS.
"The system uses visual-inertial navigation with cameras and LiDAR to guide the drones, while AI independently identifies and selects targets," Fedorov said.
The system, called SmartPilot, allows the carrier drone to return and be reused for missions within a 100-kilometer range.
Each operation costs around $10,000 — hundreds of times cheaper than a conventional missile strike, Fedorov said.
The development comes as Ukraine continues to ramp up domestic drone production.
On April 7, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country would scale up production of unmanned systems "to the maximum," including long-range, ground-based, and fiber-optic drones, which are resistant to electronic warfare.
Ukraine has leaned heavily on technological innovation to offset its disadvantages in manpower and firepower since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The use of drones, aerial, naval, and ground-based, has become a central feature of both sides' strategies in the war.
Fedorov said Ukraine will continue investing in Ukrainian systems that "change the rules of the game in technological warfare."
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraines-ai-powered-mother-drone-sees-first-combat-use-minister-says/
Water bombers grounded by drone interference in Manitoba-Saskatchewan wildfire fight
May 28, 2025 at 3:30PM EDT
The City of Flin Flon has stated that water bombers had to be grounded yesterday because of drone interference in the area, impacting efforts to fight a wildfire that jumped the Saskatchewan border.
Kristen Hayward, assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Wildfire Service, confirmed the incident during a press conference on Wednesday alongside Premier Wab Kinew.
“Unfortunately, aircraft had to be grounded off that fire yesterday as well due to a drone incursion in the airspace over the fire,” said Hayward.
“You got a community of thousands of people who’s on the verge of evacuation, and one of the reasons is because we couldn’t fly water bombers in the area,” said Kinew.
“Putting your drone up there and getting a video that you can share is simply not worth it.”
The Manitoba government told CTV News the drone issue was in Saskatchewan, which was confirmed by the City of Flin Flon — a border community that spans both provinces.
Hayward added that it is “disappointing” that people are not hearing the message that operating a drone near a wildfire can impede efforts to respond.
Fines up to $15,000 possible
According to Manitoba RCMP, drones must be operated away from a natural hazard or disaster area, away from areas where operation could interfere with emergency operations and “far away” from other aircraft.
The federal government states that those who break rules regarding drone operation could receive fines up to $3,000 for individuals or up to $15,000 for corporations, with multiple penalties and possible jail time.
Manitoba Wildfire Service had to ground planes around a wildfire in the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet earlier this month, according to the province.
Manitoba RCMP stated that data is not yet available on the number of individuals that have been fined this year for flying a drone that interfered with water bombers.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/water-bombers-grounded-by-drone-interference-in-flin-flon-area/
What Is It? Ball Of Fire Lingers Above Duluth For 10 Minutes
May 29, 2025
We had a listener reach out and share a photo from a UFO they saw over the Northland.
Over the years, we've had quite a few people report unusual objects in the sky. I've interviewed quite a few folks who swear what they saw was real and unexplained.
UFO Sightings Common In Northeast Minnesota
Things that stick out the most are the irrelevant details in the UFO stories. It's the little anecdotal things that witnesses will include in their stories that make it believable.
Why else would they mention an irrelevant detail, like I saw it because I was crossing the street to get a soda, and then I looked up and saw this thing in the sky?
Read More: Huge Round Oscillating UFO Spotted Over North Shore
I had a woman contact me and tell me her story of a huge, round oscillating UFO on the North Shore.
She thought her neighbor was shooting off fireworks. She went to the window to see what was going on when she saw the huge UFO.
UFO Reported Over Rural Duluth
The most recent report we've become aware of is a sighting that took place in December. It was sent to me this week, and it shows a bizarre light in the sky.
It glows, almost like it's on fire. Most UFO reports across the world deal with glowing orbs. Some describe the surface of the orbs as looking like the rolling flames of the sun.
The witness said the glowing light was in the air for 10 minutes before he took the picture. Once he took the picture, the object disappeared immediately.
This may sound like a coincidence, but it is common for these unidentified objects to disappear after they've been seen or recorded.
Could It Be Something From The Airbase?
The 148th Air National Guard is in that vicinity. Could it be a flare? If it were a fighter jet, and it was that close, you would definitely hear the rumble.
Other Reported UFO Sightings In Same Time Period
There were other reports of UFOs around Duluth in the same time frame.
December 18th was an active day with 2 sightings in Duluth and 2 in Minneapolis. All of them were orbs or dots in the sky.
https://b105country.com/what-is-it-ball-of-fire-lingers-above-duluth-for-10-minutes/
https://nuforc.org/subndx/?id=lMN
Physical traces of optical fiber are found in the Buga Sphere
May 27, 2025
In this episode of Interstellar, journalist and researcher Jaime Maussan discusses the incredible sightings of unidentified flying spheres in Buga, Colombia, presenting irrefutable evidence of the presence of these objects on Earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiQ3kz1jmlw
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14750639/UFO-expert-warning-discovery-alien-sphere.html
UAP EP 135 Avi Loeb Interview – The Truth Behind the Four Alien Species
May 29, 2025
World renowned Harvard professor and Astrophysicist, Avi Loeb joins Stephen Diener to discuss his work on the Galileo Project and how he might be able to shift UFO research in a new direction.
Plus, what are we to make of Eric Davis’ recent claims regarding the four different alien species we are dealing with here on earth?
Avi has some unique insight on all of that and more during this episode of UAP…
https://www.1057thepoint.com/episode/uap-ep-135-avi-loeb-interview-the-truth-behind-the-four-alien-species/
https://www.youtube.com/@UAPodcast
Communication with UAP
May 27, 2025
Leslie Kean is an investigative journalist and author of the 2010 New York Times bestseller UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record, published in eleven languages.
Her over two decades of investigation and mainstream coverage of UFOs were profiled in The New Yorker in 2021.
Leslie and reporter Ralph Blumenthal have contributed articles to The New York Times on UFOs/UAPs for seven years, beginning with a 2017, game-changing front page story about a secret Pentagon UFO program.
This story included reporting on the 2004 Nimitz incident and the release of the now famous Gimbal and FLIR Navy videos.
Leslie and Ralph [broke the story of former senior intelligence officer and whistleblower David Grusch in The Debrief in June, 2023, which led to an open Congressional hearing on crash retrievals and UAP.
Her website is https://www.lesliekean.com/
Ryan Graves is a former Lt. U.S. Navy and F/A-18F pilot who deployed twice in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve.Graves was the first active duty
pilot to come forward publicly about regular sightings of UAP and has been featured in 60
Minutes, The New York Times, and The Joe Rogan Experience.
Dr. Haines received the B.A. degree in Psychology from Pacific Lutheran College, Tacoma, Washington in 1960, and the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Experimental Psychology from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan in 1962 and 1964, respectively.
He received a National Research Council Postdoctoral Resident Research Associateship at NASA’s Ames Research Center from 1964 to 1967 to continue investigating the theoretical and applied dynamics of light scatter within the human eye.
During that time, he designed and directed construction of NASA’s High Luminance Vision Laboratory, the research from which contributed to applied knowledge related directly to America’s Gemini and Apollo Lunar missions.
He was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at San Jose State University after retirement and has published papers in many peer-reviewed scientific journals, NASA and FAA technical reports.
He holds four U. S. Patents and has been a member of Sigma-Xi, Aerospace Medical Society, Optical Society of America, and numerous others over his career.
Today he lives on Whidbey Island, Washington with his loving wife, Carol, of sixty-four years. * Board Certified Human Factors Professional
https://www.anomalouscoalition.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zye0U38GQVU
Moment of Contact (2022) (Free)
Moment of Contact is James Fox's exploration of extraterrestrial encounters, centering on a series of events in 1996 where citizens of Varginha, Brazil, reported seeing one or more strange creatures and a UFO crash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHN95mmf6ho
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21451264/
https://x.com/jamescfox
https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/1kueihy/possible_optical_fibers_found_in_the_buga_sphere/