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Space stocks soar as Elon Musk and Donald Trump argue
Jun 9, 2025 1:39 PM EDT
Last week, a social media post from Elon Musk caused many people to stop in their tracks. The Tesla (TSLA) CEO had taken his conflict with President Donald Trump in a direction that seemed shocking, even for him.
In the now-deleted post, Musk accused Trump of having ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He went on to argue that without him, the President would not have won the 2024 election, and posted a poll to X about the idea of starting a third party to challenge both Democrats and Republicans.
Trump responded by threatening Musk with consequences, such as the termination of millions of dollars worth of federal contracts awarded to SpaceX.
This stands to severely compromise the future of Musk’s space exploration company at a highly pivotal time.
While the future of SpaceX hangs in the balance, though, most space stocks are benefiting from the tensions between Trump and Musk.
As Musk and Trump trade blows, space stocks surge
Prior to Musk and Trump’s public fallout, experts speculated that their close relationship would be highly beneficial to SpaceX.
Musk’s close proximity to Trump stood to help the company secure the federal funding it needed to establish itself as the market’s space exploration leader.
Now Musk’s company is caught in the crossfire of a vicious battle between two powerful men who aren’t known for backing down.
Trump has made it clear he is willing to attack Musk, regardless of the consequences it may pose for the U.S.’s space program, stating in a recent Truth Social post that “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
While the battle between the two drags on, though, many space stocks are rising steadily, enjoying the momentum from the uncertainty surrounding SpaceX.
Fellow space exploration company Virgin Galactic Holdings (SPCE) , typically seen as a close rival to SpaceX, is up more than 16% for the past week, even after some volatility.
Space tech startup Rocket Lab USA (RKLB) has caught the attention of many investors over the past year, with gains of almost 600% since January 2024. It has recently picked up even more momentum, though, rising 15% on negative SpaceX speculation.
Satellite designer AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) , once dismissed as a meme stock, has surged almost 50% over the past five days, although reports indicate that this could be due to speculation that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has taken a position in the company.
The list of space stocks that have risen recently also includes Intuitive Machines (LUNR) , a company that has benefited significantly from procuring larger space contracts over the past few months.
While these space stocks have risen recently, a prominent tech company with strong ties to Musk moved in the other direction.
Palantir Technologies (PLTR) , a multi-facted defense contractor, has surged throughout 2025, benefiting from chairman Peter Thiel’s close ties to Musk.
Last week, it saw shares dip as the CEO’s relationship with President Trump took a sharp turn.
Will SpaceX’s rivals continue trending upward?
The fact that many space stocks are rising on negative SpaceX speculation serves as a reminder of the zero-sum nature of financial markets.
When bad news that is highly specific to one company breaks, it often serves to elevate its rivals, as investors see an opportunity for others to gain.
“The very idea of seeing SpaceX do less federal business is why Rocket Lab USA is up more than 4% overnight,” states Wall Street veteran Stephen Guilfoyle, an experienced trader who has long been bullish on the company, though he recently took some profits.
Guilfoyle recently highlighted that Rocket Lab is acquiring space payload solutions company Geost for $275 million, saying, “The deal is expected to close later this year and likely cements Rocket Lab's place as a new player in the end-to-end national security space solutions provider."
A fast-growing company, Rocket Lab might have risen even without the SpaceX catalyst.
But now that the privately held space venture is facing a highly uncertain future, RKLB and its fellow space stocks could be in an excellent position to keep rising, at least while Wall Street waits for Musk and Trump to reach a compromise.
https://www.thestreet.com/technology/space-stocks-soar-as-elon-musk-and-donald-trump-argue
Cosmic Chemistry Breakthrough: Largest Aromatic Molecule Found in Deep Space
10-Jun-2025 9:20 AM EDT
A team of chemists and astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of astrochemistry: the identification of cyanocoronene, the largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) ever detected in space.
This molecule, composed of seven interconnected benzene rings and a cyano group (C₂₄H₁₁CN), was found in the cold, dark molecular cloud TMC-1, a region known for its rich chemistry and as a cradle for new stars.
Cyanocoronene is a derivative of coronene, a molecule often described as the “prototypical” compact PAH due to its stability and unique structure.
PAHs are thought to lock away a significant fraction of the universe’s carbon and play a key role in the chemistry that leads to the formation of stars and planets.
Until now, only smaller PAHs had been detected in space, with this new discovery significantly pushing the known size limit.
So how did astronomers discover this massive molecule? The research team first synthesized cyanocoronene in a laboratory and measured its unique microwave spectrum using advanced spectroscopic techniques.
Armed with this molecular fingerprint, they searched for cyanocoronene in data from the U.S. National Science Foundation Green Bank Telescope (NSF GBT), the key telescope used in the GOTHAM (GBT Observations of TMC-1: Hunting Aromatic Molecules) project.
The research team detected several distinct spectral lines of cyanocoronene, confirming its presence with a statistical significance of 17.3 sigma—a major detection by astronomical standards.
Cyanocoronene is now the largest individual PAH molecule confirmed in interstellar space, containing 24 carbon atoms in its core structure (excluding the cyano group).
The amount of cyanocoronene found is similar to that of smaller PAHs previously detected, challenging expectations that larger molecules should be rarer in space.
This suggests that even more complex aromatic molecules may be common in the cosmos.
The presence of such stable, large PAHs supports the idea that these molecules could be a major reservoir of carbon, potentially seeding new planetary systems with the raw materials for life.
The study’s quantum chemical approach shows that cyanocoronene can form efficiently in the cold conditions of space through reactions between coronene and the CN radical, with heavily submerged energy barriers that do not slow the process at low temperatures.
This means the chemistry that builds complex organics can happen even before stars are born.
The discovery of cyanocoronene not only adds a new chapter to the story of cosmic chemistry but also strengthens the “PAH hypothesis”—the idea that these molecules are responsible for mysterious infrared emission bands seen throughout the universe.
It also draws a direct link between the chemistry of interstellar clouds, meteorites, and asteroids, suggesting that the organic molecules found in our own solar system may have originated in similar environments long before the Sun formed.
Scientists are now eager to search for even larger PAHs and their derivatives in space, as well as to further explore how these molecules survive and evolve in the harsh conditions between the stars.
Adds Gabi Wenzel, a Research Scientist in the Department of Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and lead author on this research, “Each new detection brings us closer to understanding the origins of complex organic chemistry in the universe—and perhaps, the origins of the building blocks of life themselves.”
This science was shared as part of a press conference at the 246th summer meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
https://www.newswise.com/articles/cosmic-chemistry-breakthrough-largest-aromatic-molecule-found-in-deep-space
https://www.youtube.com/c/AASPressOffice
“I Mapped the Invisible”: American High School Student Groundbreaking AI Reveals 1.5 Million Space Objects Previously Hidden from Astronomers
June 10, 2025
In a remarkable turn of events that challenges the way we think about space exploration, a high school student in California has made a discovery that could reshape our understanding of the cosmos.
Matteo Paz, a teenager with a sharp aptitude for computer science, has developed an artificial intelligence model that uncovered 1.5 million space objects previously unknown to astronomers.
The objects were hidden in plain sight within a vast dataset collected by NASA’s NEOWISE mission, a project designed to track near-Earth asteroids.
The Genesis of an Unexpected Discovery
Matteo Paz’s journey into deep space began during the summer of 2022 when he participated in Caltech’s Planet Finder Academy.
The program, led by Professor Andrew Howard, aims to provide high school students with direct exposure to advanced astronomical research.
Paz was mentored by Davy Kirkpatrick, a senior scientist at Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), and together, they began exploring the treasure trove of data from the NEOWISE mission.
Initially designed to observe and track asteroids near Earth, NEOWISE had spent more than a decade gathering infrared data that covered the entire sky.
While the mission achieved its primary goal, it also gathered valuable information on distant objects—particularly those that exhibited unusual brightness variations over time.
These variations, sometimes caused by quasars, binary stars, or supernovae, were often difficult to pinpoint using traditional methods of analysis.
The Power of AI in Space Exploration
Faced with a dataset that was rapidly approaching 200 billion data points, the Caltech team had planned to analyze only a small portion manually.
However, Paz, with his background in computer science, mathematics, and programming, saw a different path forward.
He proposed using machine learning to handle the massive dataset, a solution that no one had considered before.
In just six weeks, Paz built a Fourier and wavelet-based machine learning model designed to identify the faintest signals of brightness fluctuations in the infrared data. His efforts quickly paid off.
The model began detecting subtle variations in light that had previously gone unnoticed. As the AI refined its ability to spot unusual patterns, it flagged potential new objects and activities in the vast expanse of space.
Overcoming Challenges and Mentoring the Next Generation
Paz’s breakthrough, was not just a technological achievement, but also a testament to the power of mentorship.
Throughout the project, published in The Astronomical Journal, Paz worked closely with a team of researchers at Caltech, including Shoubaneh Hemmati, Daniel Masters, Ashish Mahabal, and Matthew Graham.
These experts provided critical support in refining the machine learning techniques that would eventually lead to the discovery of the hidden objects.
However, the journey was not without obstacles. The NEOWISE mission’s observation rhythms had limitations that made it difficult to detect certain kinds of variable objects—those that changed too slowly or too rapidly.
Paz’s AI model, which could track these variations in brightness over time, proved instrumental in overcoming this challenge. His work has led to the detection of new stars and other phenomena, opening doors for further study and exploration.
Now, as a paid employee at Caltech, Paz continues to refine his model, pushing the boundaries of what his AI can achieve.
He also works to mentor younger students in the Planet Finder Academy, ensuring that the next generation of researchers will have the tools and inspiration to explore space in new ways.
A Discovery That Could Change How We See the Universe
The catalog of 1.5 million new objects uncovered by Paz’s AI is set to be published in 2025, offering fresh insights into the evolution of distant stars and galaxies.
These findings will allow astronomers to study the long-term behavior of celestial bodies that were previously invisible.
While the discovery is rooted in space research, Paz sees the potential for broader applications of his model, including in fields like economics and environmental monitoring, where temporal data plays a critical role.
As a high school student with an exceptional understanding of machine learning and astronomical data, Paz’s success exemplifies the potential of young talent when combined with the right resources.
His work also underscores the power of advanced technology, especially artificial intelligence, to uncover the unseen mysteries of our universe.
https://indiandefencereview.com/american-high-school-student-groundbreaking-ai-reveals-1-5-million-hidden-space-objects/
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ad7fe6
A rare space IPO is on deck. It could herald a wave of space-tech companies going public
June 10, 2025 at 8:18 a.m. ET
Defense-technology and space company Voyager Technologies Inc. is on deck for an initial public offering, marking something of a milestone for the space sector.
Last week, Voyager set terms for its 11 million share IPO, which is expected to price between $26 and $29 a share and value the company at up to $1.6 billion.
The IPO is expected to price Tuesday, with the stock expected to start trading on Wednesday, according to IPOScoop.com.
“Voyager’s public offering makes it clear that the VC-backed space-tech ecosystem is finally maturing,” Ali Javaheri, emerging technology analyst at PitchBook, wrote in a note.
“With dozens of unicorns across launch, propulsion, and on-orbit services, we could see a potential wave of public-market exits for space-tech companies.”
Recent years have seen space companies Rocket Lab Corp.
RKLB -5.53%, AST SpaceMobile Inc. ASTS +1.85%, and Intuitive Machines Inc. LUNR -2.97% go public, albeit through mergers with special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) or blank-check companies.
However, there had been a dearth of traditional offerings until Karman Holdings Inc.’s KRMN -4.69% IPO in February. The stock has risen more than 55% this year and the company now has a valuation of $6.17 billion.
“Since going public, [Karman] has doubled its valuation, underlining how eager investors remain for companies that sit at the intersection of civil and military space applications,” wrote Javaheri.
Denver-based Voyager Technologies counts NASA as its largest customer. The stock is expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “VOYG.”
The company is also part of a joint venture with Airbus SE EADSY -0.92%, Mitsubishi Corp. 8058 +0.33% and MDA Space Ltd. MDALF -1.36% MDA -1.68% to build the Starlab commercial space station, and counts AI darling Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR -0.04% as a strategic partner.
Ali Javaheri said that Voyager could also tap into President Donald Trump’s planned $175 billion “Golden Dome” missile defense system.
“By shifting from a pure-play commercial focus into national security via StarLab contracts, Voyager is well-positioned to leverage initiatives like Golden Dome,” he wrote.
Last year, Voyager was selected by Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT -0.09% to support an advanced solid-propulsion subsystem for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Next Generation Interceptor, which is designed to protect the American homeland against missile threats.
As for future space offerings, one company linked with a possible public-market move in recent years is Louisville, Colo.-based Sierra Space, which was spun off from private defense company Sierra Nevada Corporation in 2021.
In April 2024, Tom Vice, then the company’s chief executive, told Yahoo Finance that the company would be looking at the public markets over a span of 12 to 18 months.
Sierra Space has not yet responded to a request for comment on this story.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-rare-space-ipo-is-on-deck-it-could-herald-a-wave-of-space-tech-companies-going-public-565e2fa1
https://voyagertechnologies.com/
1.5 TB of James Webb Space Telescope data just hit the internet
Mon 9 Jun 2025 // 19:29 UTC
A NASA-backed project using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has released more than 1.5 TB of data for open science, offering the largest view deep into the universe available to date.
The Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS), a joint project from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Rochester Institute of Technology, has launched a searchable dataset for budding astrophysics enthusiasts worldwide.
As well as a catalog of galaxies, the dataset includes an interactive viewer that users can search for images of specific objects or click them to view their properties, covering approximately 0.54 square degrees of sky with the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and a 0.2 square degree area with the Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
Although the raw data was already publicly available to the science community, the aim of the COSMOS-Web project was to make it more usable for other scientists.
"Those raw data are public, but it takes a lot of work to do all of the calibrations and correct for all of the different types of artifacts that you can get in the imaging… such as the background light, so that you end up with a final image that's clean and usable for science," said Jeyhan Kartaltepe, associate professor at Rochester Institute of Technology and lead researcher of COSMOS-Web.
Artifacts are elements of the images that don't come from an astrophysical source, such as "snowball" ghost images caused by light from bright stars bouncing around the JWST.
One of about 100 projects each year to gain time on the $10 billion JWST, COSMOS-Web aims to observe very high redshift galaxies in a relatively large region of sky.
"So many surveys observe a very small area or an intermediate area, but there's a trade-off: you can either look in one spot and stare for a really long time and see the deepest things possible, or you can try to cover a large area.
COSMOS doesn't observe quite as deeply to see the faintest things possible, but it does cover a large area, which lets us cover a very large cosmic volume.
We still detect very high redshift galaxies, but we're able – because of the size of the imaging – to measure the scale of structures at high redshift," Kartaltepe said.
Light from distant galaxies and stars shifts to the red end of the spectrum because they are moving away from the Earth.
"A higher redshift means they're moving away from us the fastest, which means they're the furthest away; and we are seeing them as they were in the very, very early universe," Kartaltepe said.
The project relied on French supercomputer CANDIDE at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris to combine images into the single mosaic, and then actually run the catalog, which makes around 1.5 TB of data available.
The COSMOS project, which began in 2007, will use the catalog to continue its mission to understand a dramatic change in state in the early universe, about 200 million years after the Big Bang, or about 13.5 billion years ago.
During this period, the early universe transitioned from being filled with neutral hydrogen – which blocked light – to ionized gas that allowed light to travel freely.
This process, known as reionization, marked the moment the universe became transparent to photons.
"We want to understand that structure and how where galaxies are relative to that structure has affected the process of reionization in the early universe," Kartaltepe said.
But COSMOS-Web is open to other projects from around the world, she said. "Our person-power is limited, so there's only so much time in the day.
Certainly, having the broader community dig into the data will be fantastic… and people will have ideas that we don't have and have completely different science projects that they want to do."
NASA has funded the project so far through its Space Telescope Science Institute project, although that is set to come to an end. COSMOS has also applied for funding in Europe.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/09/jwst_open_science_data/
https://cosmos.astro.caltech.edu/page/cosmosweb
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/congress-air-force-budget/
https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-defense-bill-summary.pdf
https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP02/20250610/118380/BILLS-119-SC-AP-FY2026-Defense.pdf
House Appropriators Offer Air, Space Forces $261 Billion in 2026
June 9, 2025
Absent a full defense budget request from the White House nearly six months into President Donald Trump’s tenure, lawmakers are taking matters into their own hands.
House appropriators on June 9 took the unusual step of unveiling an $831.5 billion defense funding measure, even before the Trump administration has said how it intends to spend the money.
The legislation includes $228 billion for the Air Force and $29 billion for the Space Force. Last week, another House appropriations subcommittee also approved nearly $4 billion for military construction across the two services.
If passed into law, the Department of the Air Force would receive $261 billion from the House—a slight uptick from the $257.1 billion Congress provided the Department of the Air Force in 2025.
It is also roughly equal to the topline amount the Trump administration had indicated it would seek for 2026.
Not all the funds earmarked for the Department actually end up supporting Airmen and Guardians.
About 20 percent of the Department of the Air Force Budget each year passes directly to other federal agencies, largely the National Reconnaissance Office, a defense intelligence agency whose missions are tightly linked to the Space Force.
It is not yet clear how much of this “pass-through funding” is included in the draft legislation.
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), the defense appropriations subcommittee chairman, said in a release that the proposal is part of a “historic commitment to strengthening and modernizing America’s national defense,” combined with another reconciliation bill to deliver $1 trillion for defense in 2026 for the first time ever.
Lawmakers aim to send both the core defense spending bill and its military construction companion on to the full House by the end of the week.
Capitol Hill normally takes its cues from the executive branch.
So while Washington has grown used to unorthodox budgeting, with Congress typically failing to pass funding legislation until well after a fiscal year starts, appropriating funds before a budget is submitted is an entirely new twist.
“Unprecedented,” wrote Byron Callan, a long-time defense analyst with Capital Alpha Partners, wrote in his June 9 newsletter. “DoD has not sent Congress a complete FY26 budget request, only an appendix to the ‘skinny budget.’”
The appendix, released by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget May 30, outlined $261 billion in funding for the Air Force and Space Force as well. But it stopped short of including line-by-line details of how those billions would be spent, for instance, on weapons buys or bonus pay.
OMB has promised to publish those specifics later this month.
“I know the process to this point has been a little non-traditional, but it is important that we do our jobs as appropriators and get moving on this critical legislation,” Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), who chairs the military construction subcommittee, said in a June 5 news release.
“As this process unfolds and we receive further budget documentation, we will take it under consideration including those proposals aimed at improving efficiencies.”
A committee summary of the House defense spending bill offers more insight into how the sum might be doled out.
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Lawmakers would boost spending on procurement for new air and space systems and for development of military space projects, but they would shrink funding for the personnel and operations-and-maintenance accounts across both the Air Force and Space Force.
The defense spending bill supports the Air Force’s major programs, including the F-35 Lightning II, the next-generation F-47 fighter, and the B-21 Raider bomber, according to the summary.
Lawmakers also backed the 3.8 percent military pay increase proposed by the White House.
The bill also shields the C-40 executive airlift fleet from retirement, protects the Air Force Reserve’s “Hurricane Hunters” unit while allowing its Airmen to take on other missions outside of hurricane season, and blocks the Space Force from absorbing the National Reconnaissance Office.
$3.9 billion for missile warning and tracking systems
$2 billion for 11 national security space launches
$1.8 billion for satellite communications upgrades
$680 million for two new GPS satellites
$360 million for GPS enterprise upgrades
$7 billion in classified space programs
They would block, however, the Air Force’s plan to retire F-15 fighters and the high-flying U-2 reconnaissance plane, retaining those aircraft until the service has replacements in hand.
The package directs the Air Force to restore three U-2s at a cost of $55 million.
The Air Force, arguing the aging planes are no longer viable in a peer competition, had intended to rely on surveillance satellites for digital photos rather than the Cold War-era U-2s.
The House bill also includes:
$8.5 billion for 69 F-35 fighters, including $4.5 billion for 42 Air Force jets, and another $2.2 billion for continued development
$3.8 billion for B-21 bomber procurement, plus another $2.1 billion for development
$3.2 billion for F-47 fighter development
$2.7 billion for 15 KC-46 tankers
$1.8 billion to develop a new Survivable Airborne Operations Center jet
$500 million to continue research on the E-7 airborne target tracking plane
$483 million for the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile
$474 million for two EC-37B electronic attack aircraft
As for the Space Force, lawmakers would put $4.1 billion toward pulling the service’s programs into the sweeping “Golden Dome” missile-defense vision championed by Trump. The smallest military branch would also receive:
Appropriators are pressing the Pentagon to find $7.8 billion in potential spending cuts, and they codified in their bill nearly $4 billion in savings identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team.
Democrats on the committee cited those cust as amounting to up to 1 percent of defense programs across the board, including $2 billion apiece for personnel and readiness. The cuts would not affect intelligence activities.
Callan said the changes could target operations and maintenance spending and hurt acquisition.
“We don’t see offsetting investment funds added to make a smaller DoD workforce more productive,” he wrote.
“While attractive in concept, these sorts of cost savings could potentially slow DoD program oversight and contracting.”
Neither the House Appropriations Committee nor the White House responded to requests for comment about how lawmakers settled on the dollar amounts included in the bill or whether they match the Pentagon’s forthcoming request.
Other lawmakers are growing impatient with the hold up on spending legislation, one of Congress’s core responsibilities.
With only 115 days until the next fiscal year begins Oct. 1, this may be the longest Congress has ever had to wait for an annual defense funding blueprint from the executive branch, noted Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are scheduled to appear before both House and Senate appropriators this week to discuss the 2026 budget.
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https://www.space.com/astronomy/astronomers-discover-15-new-giant-radio-galaxies-the-largest-single-objects-in-the-universe
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.07314
Astronomers discover 15 new giant radio galaxies — the largest single objects in the universe
June 10, 2025
Astronomers have discovered a staggering clutch of 15 new Giant Radio Galaxies within the "Sculptor Field" view of Australia's Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope.
This is a big deal because Giant Radio Galaxies are the largest single objects in the known universe, each wider than 2.3 million light-years across.
These new examples range in size from 3.7 million light-years to a staggering 12.4 million light-years wide. For context, the Milky Way is around 105,700 light years wide.
That means our galaxy would fit across the largest of these new Giant Radio Galaxies, designated ASKAP J0107–2347, over 117 times.
ASKAP J0107–2347, located around 1.5 billion light-years away, is also remarkable because it features two sets of radio lobes, one inside the other.
The inner lobes are bright and short, while the outer lobes are faint and elongated. This nesting doll-like structure could hint at how Giant Radio Galaxies get so big.
"Giant radio galaxies are the biggest single objects in the universe.
They are similar in size to the whole Local Group, which includes the Milky Way, Andromeda, and lots of dwarf galaxies," team leader and Western Sydney University researcher Baerbel Silvia Koribalski told Space.com.
"We wanted to find out how Giant Radio Galaxies grow sooooo big."
Giant Radio galaxies and black holes
Koribalski explained that typically, a Giant Radio Galaxy is a massive elliptical galaxy that has a supermassive black hole at its heart.
When these black holes are feeding on surrounding matter, creating a region called an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), they blast out powerful jets of matter at near-light speeds.
All large galaxies are thought to have supermassive black holes at their centers, and many of these are feeding or "accreting" matter and thus sit in AGNs while exhibiting jet activity.
What sets Giant Radio Galaxies apart is the fact that their jets stretch out for 2.3 million to 15.3 million light-years, creating vast twin radio-wave emitting lobes around these galaxies at the shock front of these jets.
"Sometimes these supermassive black holes are feeding, and powerful radio jets are seen to emerge from near the black hole," said Koribalski.
"Other times, the supermassive black hole is inactive, so we see no jets and the lobes that formed around the head of the jet slowly fade."
That is, the researcher added, unless the jets and lobes are re-energized. Mergers between galaxies are thought to play a role in restarting supermassive black hole activity, thus recharging tese jets and creating a second brighter set of inner lobes.
To investigate this phenomenon as well as fading radio lobes, Koribalski explained that three things are necessary: high sensitivity, good angular resolution, and relatively low observing frequency.
ASKAP, a 6-kilometer diameter radio interferometer array comprising 36 telescopes in Western Australia, provides high-resolution, wide-field radio images and thus fits that bill nicely.
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"Because ASKAP is equipped with novel, wide-field receivers, Checkerboard Phased Array Feeds that look like a chess board, we can carry out huge sky surveys," Koribalski said.
"In each observation, we see an area of 30 square degrees, while previous radio interferometers would see around one square degree. So, each image produced by ASKAP is a treasure trove!"
The ASKAP data used by Koribalski in this research was centered around the starburst galaxy NGC 253, or the "Sculptor galaxy," located around 8 million light-years away, creating the deepest ASKAP field yet, the Sculptor field.
"While inspecting this deep ASKAP field, I found an unusual number of Giant Radio Galaxies, not only physically very large, but also large in terms of their angular sizes," Koribalski said.
"The latter, together with the depth of the field, makes it possible to study these Giant Radio Galaxies in great detail, in particular their morphology, symmetry, and ages."
"Back to the question of how do Giant Radio Galaxies grow so big? It seems that unless something is impeding the lobe expansion, they will continue to grow, expand, and fade," Koribalski said.
"So, in many cases, we detect the old, outer radio lobes plus a new set of young, inner radio lobes plus jets, created when the supermassive black hole activity restarted.
This allows us to study the timescales on which AGN switch on and off."
As for the cause of these cut-off periods, Koribalski added that the radio lobes are created in galaxy clusters.
That means that so-called "cluster weather," the dynamic interactions that occur between galaxies in clusters, can play a big role in shaping radio galaxies, stopping their expansion or creating structures like wide-angle radio tails, jellyfish tails, or merged tails as seen in the Corkscrew Galaxy.
The ASKAP data could help to get to the bottom of Giant Radio Galaxy growth, because whereas the old lobes of these huge galaxies are so big, diffuse, and faint that they are generally not detectable in shallow surveys, the ASKAP surveys are deep enough to see these fainter structures.
ASKAP J0107–2347 is a prime example of this form of galactic archeology, and it could soon be joined by many more double-lobed Giant Radio Galaxies, helping to crack the mystery of these vast cosmic structures.
"ASKAP will massively increase the number of Giant Radio Galaxies near and far," Koribalski said. "ASKAP's sky surveys deliver so much data that even rare objects can now be detected in larger numbers."
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June's Strawberry Moon rises tonight. Here's what to expect from the lowest full moon since 2006
June 10, 2025
Look up — or rather, down — tonight to spot the lowest full moon in nearly two decades. This month's full moon will ride low on the southern horizon thanks to an orbital phenomenon known as a major lunar standstill.
Called the "Strawberry Moon," June's full moon was named by the Algonquian, after the short fruit harvesting season that coincides with its appearance each year.
The full moon phase technically occurs at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) on June 11 for viewers in New York, though its disk will appear completely lit when it rises above the southeastern horizon at sunset on June 10.
The lunar disk always appears larger at moonrise thanks to the "moon illusion," a trick of the brain that makes Earth's natural satellite appear larger than it actually is when it's close to the horizon.
The moon will also likely take on a yellow-orange hue, because our planet's atmosphere scatters the shorter, blue wavelengths of the sun's reflected light.
Read on to learn more about the moon's orbit and how the major lunar standstill will affect the path of the Strawberry Moon through the night sky.
What is a lunar standstill?
The sun appears to travel through Earth's sky along an imaginary line called the ecliptic, which is tilted 23.5 degrees relative to our planet's celestial equator (the plane of Earth's equator projected into space).
The moon's orbital path is also tilted at around 5 degrees to the ecliptic, which is why we don't see an eclipse every time the moon passes close to the sun during its monthly new moon phase.
Our sun's gravitational influence is constantly tugging on the moon, causing its tilted orbit to swivel in an 18.6-year cycle, according to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
We are in the midst of a major lunar standstill — the two-year period of the lunar cycle when the moon's tilted orbit is at its greatest inclination relative to the celestial equator.
During this period, the moon rises and sets at more extreme positions on the horizon while riding very high or low in the sky, depending on the time of year.
June's full Strawberry Moon falls close to the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, when the sun tracks its highest path above our heads and the lunar disk trudges a correspondingly low track through the night sky.
This year, the Strawberry Moon's seasonally low altitude will be made more extreme by the "great lunar standstill," resulting in the lowest full moon in over a decade, according to EarthSky.org.
Indeed, the last time a major lunar standstill occurred was in 2006, and a similar event won't happen again until 2043.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/junes-strawberry-moon-rises-tonight-heres-what-to-expect-from-the-lowest-full-moon-since-2006
Crashed lander looks back at Earth from the moon
June 10, 2025
Resilience, a lunar lander built and operated by the Japanese company ispace, was part of the Hakuto-R Mission to deploy a "Moonhouse," a tiny colorful art piece, on the moon, while also exploring its surface features using its Tenacious rover.
What is it?
After launching on Jan. 15 from Florida's Space Coast on Hakuto-R Mission 2, ispace's Resilience lander arrived in lunar orbit on May 6.
The lander then deftly shifted its path to an orbit just 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the moon's surface.
On May 27, Resilience took this photo, with a view of Japan being blocked by the clouds on Earth's surface, according to an ispace tweet.
Where is it?
Resilience hovers over the moon in its lunar orbit, aiming for the Mare Frigoris ("Sea of Cold") on the moon's near side, as a landing site.
Why is it amazing?
With Resilience, the Japanese company ispace hoped to be one of the first to land a private spacecraft on the moon. Unfortunately, its first mission, in April 2023, ended in failure as the crashed during its touchdown attempt.
Undeterred, ispace — in collaboration with other agencies like NASA and JAXA — designed and tested Resilience as part of the Hakuto-R Mission 2 (the R stands for "reboot").
Resilience carried five payloads, including a small 11-pound (5 kilograms) rover named Tenacious, which would have been used to collect lunar samples, according to NASA.
Unfortunately, the landing for Resilience, scheduled on June 5, 2025, came to an abrupt halt when telemetry data from the lander stopped coming in right before the soft landing, leaving the world wondering what happened to Resilience.
A few hours later, ispace announced that Resilience likely crashed on the moon, bringing an end to the mission.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/crashed-lander-looks-back-at-earth-from-the-moon-space-photo-of-the-day-for-june-10-2025
US rural broadband shift opens door wider for Starlink
June 9, 2025
The Trump administration has released new rules for distributing $42.5 billion in U.S. rural broadband funding, easing restrictions on Starlink and other satellite providers competing for support under the Biden-era program.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said June 6 it will now apply a technology-neutral approach in awarding subgrants under BEAD, or Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment.
Congress created the program in 2021 with a focus on fiber to help close the country’s digital divide.
Announcing a review of BEAD in March, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick blamed “woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies, and burdensome regulations” for the program not yet connecting any users.
Armand Musey, a space industry analyst and founder of advisory firm Summit Ridge Group, said the tech-neutrality reform provision should help SpaceX’s Starlink, the satellite operator with the most to gain.
“However, it’s not clear how eagerly it will be embraced at the state and local level,” he added, “where there is often a bias towards job creation, where fiber has more to offer.”
NTIA’s announcement came a day after a public spat between President Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, which included threats to cancel the company’s government contracts not long after he ended a formal cost-cutting advisory role in the administration.
Rural grants take two
SpaceX was provisionally awarded nearly $900 million in rural broadband subsidies toward the end of the first Trump administration in 2020, under a separate program called the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), managed by the Federal Communications Commission.
However, the FCC said in 2022 that SpaceX failed to demonstrate how it would meet RDOF requirements, and upheld the denial in 2023 after an appeal.
In November, shortly after Trump nominated him to lead the agency, Reuters cited FCC chair Brendan Carr saying he did not expect the grant to be reinstated, despite previously criticizing the rejection.
In addition to embracing technology neutrality, the new BEAD rules aim to streamline environmental reviews, remove workforce mandates and other regulatory barriers.
https://spacenews.com/us-rural-broadband-shift-opens-door-wider-for-starlink/
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2025/fact-sheet-ending-biden-s-broadband-burdens
Chinese spacecraft prepare for orbital refueling test as US surveillance sats lurk nearby
June 10, 2025
Two Chinese Shijian satellites appear to be maneuvering towards a rendezvous and docking in geostationary orbit, with U.S. surveillance spacecraft also in the vicinity.
China’s Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 spacecraft, designed for servicing and refueling, were within about two degrees of longitude—or roughly 1,500 kilometers—of each other in geostationary orbit as of June 9, according to a social media post by space situational awareness (SSA) company COMSPOC.
The spacecraft are operating around geostationary orbit (GEO), approximately 35,786 km above Earth’s equator.
Orbiting in GEO means a spacecraft appears fixed in the sky above a point on the Earth below, orbiting at a rate matching the rotation of the Earth. Raising or lowering an orbit above or below GEO allows them to drift either west or east respectively.
Shijian-25 was launched in January to test on-orbit refueling and mission extension technologies, while Shijian-21 was launched in October 2021.
Shijian-21 has already executed its primary mission, docking with the defunct Beidou-2 G2 navigation satellite and towing it into a graveyard orbit above GEO.
It had been passively drifting westward in GEO for much of the last year, according to COMSPOC, suggesting it may have run out of fuel, but it recently initiated maneuvers taking it towards Shijian-25.
Shijian-21 has since parked at 127.5 degrees East. Now, Shijian-25 is drifting eastwards towards Shijian-21.
The two satellites are in a phased orbit, meaning their key orbital elements—such as semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, right ascension of the ascending node and argument of perigee—are nearly identical, but remain separated by a distance along the same path.
This minimizes fuel required for a future rendezvous. The pair are expected to meet June 11 at current rate of approach, though Shijian-25 will likely slow down as it closes in.
It is expected that Shijian-21 and 25 will perform proximity operations and execute a docking procedure.
Shijian-25 was developed and manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), and is to be used for “satellite fuel replenishment and life extension service technology verification,” according to a January SAST statement.
Shijian-21, likely designed with such tests in mind, makes a good target for China’s first on-orbit refueling test in GEO.
The mission appears set on demonstrating capabilities for maintaining and prolonging the operational lifespan of satellites already in orbit. Such capabilities can reduce costs and improve sustainability in space operations, while also reducing debris.
The People’s Liberation Army is known to be working on the technology and training tools for on-orbit satellite refueling for both peacetime and wartime scenarios.
COMSPOC said the activities in GEO were observed by OurSky and Observable.space, supported by COMSPOC’s optical tracking network.
It also detailed recent high-energy maneuvers, suggesting a deliberately coordinated proximity setup, in a June 6 post.
Orbital Voyeurism: GSSAP satellites close in
Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 won’t, as it stands, be alone for their orbital conjunction. American surveillance satellites USA 270 and USA 271, part of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), are in the vicinity to observe the expected operations.
“USA 270 and 271 now flank SJ-21 and SJ-25 from the east and west—potentially enabling favorable sun angles depending on the timing of closest approach,” COMSPOC noted June 9. USA 270 has previously been involved in games of “cat and mouse” in GEO with other Chinese satellites, such as Shiyan-12 (01) and (02).
COMSPOC notes that the developing event is occurring in a crowded and increasingly dynamic part of GEO.
“While these U.S. assets aren’t directly involved, their proximity adds complexity to the local SSA picture — and raises strategic awareness concerns,” the COMSPOC post read.
The Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 will not be the first servicing demonstration in GEO. Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) docked with Intelsat’s IS-901 satellite in 2020 and recently completed a five-year-long servicing mission.
MEV-1 is now plane-matched with OPTUS D3 at 156.128 degrees East.
https://spacenews.com/chinese-spacecraft-prepare-for-orbital-refueling-test-as-us-surveillance-sats-lurk-nearby/
https://twitter.com/COMSPOC_OPS/status/1932170356069978493
https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1920841223633359164
>Scientists uncover another ‘hidden city’ beneath Egypt’s Giza pyramids
Tell em to bring down some snacks
Xplore reveals hyperspectral imagery from first satellite
June 10, 2025
Xplore Inc. unveiled hyperspectral imagery from XCUBE-1, the initial satellite in the Bellevue, Washington, startup’s remote-sensing constellation.
Since XCUBE-1 was launched in December, Xplore has “built the pipeline for tasking” imagery for its first customer under contract, Lisa Rich, Xplore founder and chief operating officer told SpaceNews.
Rich declined to identify the customer.
Now, Xplore is inviting additional customers to request samples to assess hyperspectral data for programs and projects.
XCUBE-1, a six-unit cubesat, provides imagery with a resolution of 5 meters per pixel “across a broad array of spectral bands” for defense and intelligence, agriculture, forestry and other applications,” according to Xplore’s June 10 news release.
Defense and intelligence users, for example, can “see disturbed soil to find newly laid minefields or see through camouflage,” the news release said.
Hyperspectral data also offers farmers “a granular understanding of soil quality, moisture levels, nutrient requirements, pest infestation, fertilizer run off.”
For forestry and wildfire prevention, Xplore’s hyperspectral data paired with software from industry partners can “accurately identify tree and crop species, assess vegetation health and moisture content, and precisely map critical fire sources such as thick canopies and deadwood,” according to the news release.
And hyperspectral data reveals “spectral signatures of individual vessels,” aiding in “prevention of illegal fishing, dumping, trafficking, and other illicit activities.”
Space Domain Awareness
Xplore satellites can collect images of satellites and debris, under the company’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration license.
“During close conjunctions, Xplore can image at very high resolution, and equally important, collect a spectral signature on the other orbiting asset,” according to the news release.
“There is an important need to monitor adversarial satellites for the U.S. and allied defense and intelligence agencies.”
Xplore also can identify defunct rocket boosters and fairings by determining their material properties with hyperspectral data, the news release added.
“Our imagery is outperforming expectations, and its exceptional quality stems from the sophisticated ground calibration of our instruments and data processing pipeline,” Jeff Rich, Xplore founder and CEO, said in a statement.
“Xplore is focused on providing high-quality data products for our customers and partners. We expect demand for high-quality hyperspectral imagery to expand rapidly in multiple domains.”
“We’re thrilled with Xplore’s progress and are thankful for our talented team and partners,” Lisa Rich said in a statement. “Their hard work and dedication are clearly reflected in the outstanding imagery we’re producing.”
https://spacenews.com/xplore-reveals-hyperspectral-imagery-from-first-satellite/
SpaceX Launches
Starlink Mission
June 10, 2025
On Tuesday, June 10 at 9:05 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This was the 12th 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 seven Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-12-24
AX-4 MISSION
June 11, 2025
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, June 11 for Falcon 9’s launch of Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is targeted for 8:00 a.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Thursday, June 12 at 7:37 a.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about two hours prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This is the first flight for the Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission. This will be the second flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched a Starlink mission.
Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments and demonstrations focused on human research, Earth observation, and life, biological, and material sciences.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=ax-4
AFAS expands financial support, launches streamlined application to better serve Airmen, Guardians
June 9, 2025
In a sweeping expansion of its services, Air Force Aid Society announced this month a series of bold changes aimed at better supporting the evolving needs of Airmen, Guardians, and their families.
The official relief organization for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force has broadened its categories of financial assistance and unveiled a simplified application process that makes accessing help easier than ever.
From mental health counseling and adoption costs to childcare, immigration fees, and even basic household furniture, AFAS is reshaping its mission to meet service members where they are – especially in times of transition or hardship.
“This means hundreds of dollars back in the pockets of Airmen and Guardians, helping them navigate the demands of military life and access the support they need – when they need it,” said retired Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, AFAS chief executive officer.
“We’re evolving to meet the real-life challenges our members face, so they can stay focused on the mission.”
AFAS supported more than 15,000 Airmen, Guardians, and their families in 2024 alone, delivering over $14 million in direct financial assistance.
The organization serves active duty, Guard, Reserve, retirees, and eligible family members worldwide.
“If you carry a military ID card with Air Force or Space Force on it, we’re here for you,” Thomas added.
Expanded support reflects real-world needs
In response to feedback from families and frontline support agencies, AFAS has added several new categories of financial assistance:
Mental Health Counseling
Adoption Fees
Domestic Violence Relocation Support
Immigration Expenses (visa/passport fees)
Basic Furniture for New Households
Overseas Car Rentals
Car Seat/Booster Seat Stipends
Essential Home Repairs
Vehicle Shipment Costs during PCS
These join a robust portfolio of existing support covering rent, utilities, food, medical and dental care, emergency travel, special needs children, and more.
Childcare assistance – now more flexible than ever
AFAS also revamped its two flagship childcare programs – Give Parents a Break and Child Care for PCS – to be more inclusive and user-friendly.
Now, all eligible families, regardless of rank, receive direct payment via Zelle or ACH and can choose any trusted provider, including friends or family.
“Whether you’re a young staff sergeant with two kids or a major with five, AFAS is here to walk alongside you, especially during PCS season when stress is at its peak,” said Dinah Thomas, AFAS “lead spouse” and longtime military family advocate.
“The Child Care for PCS application process couldn’t be simpler - Upload your PCS orders and your military ID, and you’re done.”
Childcare program highlights:
Give Parents a Break – $40 per child/month for up to 3 months during periods of family stress
Child Care for PCS – $200 per child (up to $1,000 per family) during relocation
Childcare stipends can be used on any care arrangement consistent with safety and supervision standards, even if not a licensed provider.
Streamlined application process
AFAS has also merged its Falcon Loan and Standard Assistance programs into a single, simplified application – eliminating confusion and reducing delays.
Whether a member qualifies for a no-interest loan or a grant that does not require repayment, they now apply in one place.
“By removing barriers and making it easier to ask for help, we’re improving access and delivering better outcomes,” said retired Chief Master Sgt. Kris McBride, AFAS chief operating officer and the lead architect behind the changes.
How to apply
Eligible members can apply online at www.afas.org by clicking “Request Assistance” or by visiting their local Military and Family Readiness Center.
Applications may require supporting documents, including a built-in budget worksheet to assess need and determine the best level of support.
More than emergency help
While emergency financial relief remains a core function, AFAS also partners closely with base agencies, trusted nonprofits, and sister relief organizations – including Army Emergency Relief, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society – to provide coordinated, comprehensive support to military families.
For more information or to apply, visit www.afas.org.
Take the first step toward securing your family’s financial future – and staying mission ready.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4210187/afas-expands-financial-support-launches-streamlined-application-to-better-serve/
Ukrainian terrorist attack on energy company thwarted – FSB
10 Jun, 2025 11:59
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives have thwarted a Ukrainian terrorist attack in Krasnodar Region in southern Russia, the agency has said.
A man who was recruited by Kiev was detained for planning to set off an explosion at an administrative building of an energy company in the region, the FSB said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the agency, the suspect, in his early 20s, was approached by Ukrainian intelligence services via WhatsApp this February.
His initial tasks included taking photographs of military facilities and collecting information on the movement of Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels, it said.
The man was later told to collect an improvised explosive device weighing 2.5kg from a stash in order “to commit a terrorist act in a public space,” the statement read.
He was apprehended by FSB officers while on his way to pick up the bomb, it added.
A criminal case has been launched against the suspect for preparing an act of terrorism and illegal possession of explosives, the agency said.
The man has admitted his guilt and is cooperating with the investigators, the FSB noted.
It also published a short video of the suspect’s interrogation, in which he said he received money from the Ukrainian spies for fulfilling their tasks.
The administrative building that he planned to attack was located in Novorossiysk, he added.
Novorossiysk is a major port city on the Black Sea, through which a significant part of Russia’s oil trade is conducted. It also hosts a Black Sea Fleet base.
The FSB warned in its statement that “the Ukrainian special services are increasingly using the Telegram and WhatsApp messaging apps to involve citizens in sabotage and reconnaissance activities.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/618894-fsb-ukraine-terrorist-krasnodar/
Russia confirms strikes on defense industry in Kiev
10 Jun, 2025 10:27
The Russian military has carried out several long-range strikes on military-industrial targets in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said its forces launched a group attack using high-precision missiles and assault drones against several defense-related targets, including “aircraft, missile, armor and shipbuilding industrial facilities in Kiev.”
Russia also attacked command centers, troop deployment sites, weapon and equipment storage hubs, military airfield infrastructure, ammunition warehouses, and fuel depots, the officials added.
“The goal of the strike has been accomplished. All designated targets have been hit,” the ministry stated.
Officials in Moscow have said Russian strikes are only aimed at military-related facilities and not civilians.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian officials stated that the strikes targeted not only Kiev but also Odessa Region, with at least 19 fires reported. They added that at least two people were killed and 13 injured.
In Kiev, the local authorities said the attack damaged facilities in several districts, including non-residential buildings and a business center, which reportedly once hosted a British visa center.
Other reports claim that in the latter case, the attack hit the Artyom plant which produces military equipment.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has called the barrage “one of the largest strikes” on the Ukrainian capital, claiming that it involved 315 drones and seven missiles.
He also criticized the US for what he called a reluctance to put pressure on Russia and urged Washington to take “concrete actions.”
The attack comes after Kiev ramped up drone strikes into Russia, with Moscow accusing Ukraine of attempting “terrorist” attacks on the country’s railway infrastructure which led to civilian fatalities.
Moscow has also accused Kiev of targeting airbases that host nuclear-capable bombers.
https://www.rt.com/russia/618898-russia-confirms-strikes-defense-kiev/
Woman killed in Ukrainian drone attack on Russian regional capital – governor
10 Jun, 2025 13:36
A woman has been killed and four other people injured in a Ukrainian drone strike targeting a fuel station in the Russian city of Belgorod, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Tuesday.
In a statement posted on his Telegram channel, Gladkov said emergency services responded quickly to the attack, which sparked a fire and caused the fuel station building to collapse.
“Rescuers have recovered the body of a woman from under the rubble,” the governor said, adding that “there is a threat of a second drone strike.”
Three other women and one man were hospitalized with moderate injuries.
Gladkov said emergency services and local self-defense units were working at the scene and were clearing the debris.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said more than 50 rescuers and 23 units of equipment had been deployed to the site.
More than 100 drones were destroyed over Russian regions overnight on Tuesday, including 20 over Belgorod Region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Debris from one drone fell in the regional capital, injuring an eight-year-old boy. The child suffered blast and barotrauma injuries and was taken to the hospital by his grandmother.
Ukraine has significantly intensified its drone raids on civilian infrastructure in Moscow and other Russian regions since mid-May, when a meeting of negotiators from the two countries took place in Istanbul, marking the first direct talks between Kiev and Moscow since 2022.
The attacks peaked during the final week of May, when 2,300 UAVs were shot down, according to the Russian MOD.
https://www.rt.com/russia/618901-belgorod-drone-attack/
Ukraine not ready for peace – Belarusian FM
10 Jun, 2025 11:28
Ukraine does not appear to be ready for peace, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov has said, criticizing Kiev for refusing to accept the bodies of its fallen soldiers.
His comments came ahead of a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday.
Following last week’s bilateral Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, Moscow announced that it would return the bodies of some 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers in a unilateral humanitarian gesture.
On Saturday, it tried to transfer the first batch of 1,212 bodies to the Ukrainian side, but the latter failed to show up at the exchange point, claiming that they hadn’t agreed on the date of the transfer.
Speaking to the news channel Russia 24 on Tuesday, Ryzhenkov claimed that this behavior suggested that Ukraine isn’t actually “ready for peace yet” because it is not politically or economically beneficial for the Kiev regime.
“Of course, it may be politically disadvantageous for you to pay money, admit that there are 6 thousand of them, and so on. But what about relatives?
What about loved ones?” Ryzhenkov said. Kiev promises the equivalent of nearly $367,000 in compensation to the families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, although many have reportedly endured long waits and a slew of bureaucratic hurdles.
“I’ll be frank, it’s disgusting not to take the bodies,” he added, noting that burying the dead is part of the Orthodox Christian tradition.
Russia, on the other hand, has demonstrated its willingness to seek peace, Ryzhenkov said, pointing to Moscow’s proposals to exchange prisoners of war and the remains of fallen soldiers.
The minister also suggested that the Ukrainians are being “driven” to negotiations with Moscow by the West, “purely for tactical reasons, to test the Russian side for its ability to act, whether they are ready for peace, how they will behave in such a situation, what if they are, on the contrary, interested in continuing the conflict.”
Ryzhenkov added that Kiev’s Western backers, who are “the main instigators of this carnage,” want the hostilities to go on and are trying “to weaken Russia with the hands of Ukraine.”
”The West doesn’t feel sorry for Ukraine and doesn’t feel sorry for Ukrainians either,” he noted.
Following the interview with Russia 24, Ryzhenkov held a meeting with Lavrov, where the two ministers discussed the further strengthening of the strategic partnership between Russia and Belarus, interactions with other countries through international organizations, as well as the situation in Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/russia/618899-ukraine-not-ready-for-peace/
Russia-Ukraine war live: More prisoners exchanged despite major strikes
10 Jun 2025
Russia and Ukraine say they exchanged captured soldiers – the second stage of an agreement struck at peace talks last week for each side to free more than 1,000 prisoners.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia launched more than 320 drones and missiles at Kyiv and Odesa – one of the heaviest assaults of the bloody three-year war.
At least two people were killed and several others wounded in a drone attack on the southern port city of Odesa.
In Russia, officials say all airports serving Moscow and St Petersburg were temporarily shut down because of Ukraine’s drone strikes that did not cause any damage.
If you’re just joining us
Here are the latest developments:
Russia launched a major drone-and-missile assault on Ukraine, killing one person in Kyiv and two in the southern port city of Odesa.
A Ukrainian drone attacked a petrol station in the Russian city of Belgorod, killing one person and injuring several others.
Despite the tit-for-tat strikes, Russia and Ukraine completed a second prisoner swap following yesterday’s exchange of POWs under the age of 25.
The European Commission proposed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia targeting its energy revenues and military industry.
A Russian attack overnight damaged St Sophia Cathedral in the historic centre of Kyiv, one of Ukraine’s most significant monuments and a World Heritage Site.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/6/10/russia-ukraine-war-live-kyiv-comes-under-huge-attack-2-killed-in-odesa
DHS Flew Predator Drones Over LA Protests, Audio Shows
Jun 10, 2025 at 11:49 AM
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) flew two high-powered Predator surveillance drones above the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles over the weekend, according to air traffic control (ATC) audio unearthed by an aviation tracking enthusiast then reviewed by 404 Media and cross-referenced with flight data.
The use of Predator drones highlights the extraordinary resources government agencies are putting behind surveilling and responding to the Los Angeles protests, which started after ICE agents raided a Home Depot on Friday.
President Trump has since called up 4,000 members of the National Guard, and on Monday ordered more than 700 active duty Marines to the city too.
paywall
https://www.404media.co/dhs-flew-predator-drones-over-la-protests-audio-shows/
Ukrainian jamming drone downs Russian Molniya-2 without a shot
10/06/2025
A Russian Molniya-2 kamikaze drone was brought down by a Ukrainian FPV drone reportedly using electronic warfare capabilities, footage shared on 9 June showed, according to Militarnyi.
Drone warfare innovations have become a defining feature of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Unmanned vehicles of various sizes, operating in the air, on land, and at sea, play a central role, with technology advancing rapidly.
Meanwhile, anti-drone electronic warfare is rapidly evolving as well, as both sides advance their technologies.
The video shows the Russian Molniya-2 drone losing control as a Ukrainian interceptor approached. Militarnyi reports that this suggests the use of an onboard electronic warfare (EW) system, which jammed the UAV’s control signals and forced it to crash.
The operators of Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces reportedly executed this interception using a non-contact approach.
Rising use of EW against cheap Russian drones
This is not the first known incident of a Ukrainian drone using EW methods to down a Russian UAV. Similar interceptions of Molniya drones were previously noted starting in mid-March, with a growing frequency through April and May.
One likely vulnerability in the Molniya-2 drones is the use of ERLS control systems with active telemetry, allowing the detection of the UAV’s control frequencies.
Ukrainian forces have reportedly exploited this flaw by emitting targeted jamming in narrow frequency bands. This method does not require high-power systems and can be deployed directly from the intercepting drone.
Cheap design and battlefield adaptability of Molniya-2
The Molniya-2 is a fixed-wing kamikaze drone developed as a low-cost, mass-produced weapon.
Its construction involves foam, plastic, aluminum tubing, and wooden components. Electronics and engines are mostly standardized with FPV drones.
The Molniya-2 can fly up to 60 kilometers and reach speeds of 120 km/h. Its payload varies depending on the launch method.
The drone can carry explosive charges or a TM-62 mine weighing up to 10 kilograms, according to Russian state media.
Militarnyi had earlier reported that Russian forces began adapting Molniya drones to serve as carriers for FPV drones.
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/06/10/ukrainian-jamming-drone-downs-russian-molniya-2-without-a-shot-video/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LttaWLYEBBg
Drone chaos on Lithuania's coast: GPS jamming near Kaliningrad increased sevenfold
2025.06.10 11:24
Along Lithuania's coast, blocked GPS signals and disrupted controls are causing drones to crash or become uncontrollable.
While commercial drone flights have been completely banned in the Klaipėda port area, GPS signal jamming has increased sevenfold, according to the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Saulius Balčiūnas, who has been flying drones professionally for seven years, said he first noticed more active GPS disruptions two weeks ago during a competition in Nida, a resort town on the Curonian Spit.
"Although the drones used to drift around in the air, the signal would remain clear, everything was fine, but now we’re seeing not only much stronger GPS jamming, but cases of control signal interference too. […]
Two of my colleagues have already had drones crash, and several others have experienced severe signal loss," said Balčiūnas.
Drone pilots report the worst disruptions near the coast and the Curonian Lagoon, closest to Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
Kaliningrad is a heavily militarised Russian region sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland.
Analysts say Russia frequently conducts electronic warfare operations from the area to disrupt Western surveillance and deter NATO activities in the Baltic region.
Previously, experts have also said that GPS jamming occurs due to Russia using Electronic Warfare to protect its bases.
These efforts have gradually intensified since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces have observed that GPS jamming is occurring seven times more frequently compared to last year.
"This seems to have coincided with that successful Ukrainian operation in Russia – maybe they got mad at the whole world and are trying to take revenge," Balčiūnas said.
The disruptions are also affecting the port of Klaipėda. However, since maritime transport uses other navigation systems as well, ships continue to enter and leave the port smoothly, authorities say.
"At first it was from Tauragė, then from Kaunas – the zones where navigation doesn’t work are expanding," said Bronius Zaronskis, head of Nida Air Park.
"Those of us who are older, like me, we navigate using maps, draw a line and use a compass – we can get anywhere, no problem. It’s harder for the younger ones, they’re not used to it, but maybe they’ll learn."
Signals are not only being jammed but also spoofed, according to military representatives.
They say there are alternative ways to determine the location of an aircraft or vessel, such as visual navigation.
Officials advise using multiple different GPS systems and additional navigational tools.
https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2586184/drone-chaos-on-lithuania-s-coast-gps-jamming-near-kaliningrad-increased-sevenfold
Nato jets scrambled over Poland in response to Russia drone barrage
Monday June 09 2025, 11.40pm BST, The Times
Nato fighter jets were scrambled to protect Polish airspace as Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at neighbouring Ukraine, including in its less bombarded western region.
“Due to the intensive air attack by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and [Nato] allied aircraft began to operate in Polish airspace in the morning,” the Polish armed forces said.
Poland, a Nato member since 1999, did not provide details about what other allied states were involved in the operation. Russian missiles have briefly breached Polish airspace on at least two occasions since the start of the war.
The incident came as Russia and Ukraine traded strikes on military airfields amid fading hopes of a peace deal after President Trump suggested Washington was prepared to let the two countries “fight for a while”.
Ukraine said Russia had launched a record 479 drones at its town and cities overnight.
The attack was the biggest on western Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion, according to Oleksandr Tretyak, the mayor of Rivne, a city about 90 miles from Poland. Explosions were also heard in Lviv, the region’s biggest city.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or significant damage to civilian infrastructure. However, Ukraine said that Russia had carried out a “massive” drone and missile strike on one of its operational airfields.
“[This was] one of the largest that Russia has inflicted on our state recently,” said Yuriy Ignat, the Ukrainian air forces spokesman. He did not identify the airfield in question or give details about casualties or damage.
On Monday night all four major airports in Moscow had temporarily halted flights, the local civil aviation authority said, while Russian drones bombarded the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine said it had struck Russian warplanes at an airfield about 200 miles from Moscow that is regularly used for bombing raids.
Ukraine’s general staff said it had hit a MiG-31 and either a Su-30 or Su-34 fighter jet on the attack on the Savasleyka airfield in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It said it was still clarifying the extent of the damage.
Last week an audacious Ukrainian drone attack on warplanes at airfields deep inside Russia caused significant damage to the Kremlin’s fleet of strategic bombers.
A western diplomat told Reuters that President Putin was planning a “huge, vicious and unrelenting” response to the Spiderweb operation.
Russia will soon be capable of launching more than 500 long-range drones a night at Ukraine as it ramps up production and constructs new launch sites, a source in Ukrainian military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent website last week.
https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/poland-fighter-jets-drones-c3qxhsk67
Future combat drone debuts at Beale AFB
Jun 10, 2025
General Atomics and U.S. Air Force have publicly revealed a full-scale model of its YFQ-42A collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) for the first time during an air show display at Beale Air Force Base, offering a rare glimpse at the service’s vision for manned-unmanned teaming in future conflicts.
The YFQ-42A is intended to operate alongside fifth-generation fighters, including the F-35 Lightning II, as part of the Air Force’s broader plan to integrate collaborative drones into its operational structure.
In future air campaigns, a single crewed fighter could command multiple drones with lower autonomy requirements than previously envisioned, according to current service thinking.
The aircraft is part of General Atomics’ “Gambit” family of uncrewed combat air vehicles and is based on the earlier XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station demonstrator, developed in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The company’s entry was one of two platforms selected for the Increment I phase of the Air Force’s CCA program, alongside Anduril’s YFQ-44.
Flight testing of the YFQ-42A is scheduled to begin later this year, although no further technical specifications have been released.
The aircraft is expected to carry two AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), enabling it to conduct air-to-air missions in support of manned platforms.
While the drone is not considered expendable, its lower cost is intended to allow commanders greater flexibility and risk tolerance in combat scenarios.
The Air Force has consistently emphasized that future air operations will depend on scalable formations of crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
The YFQ-42A is positioned to fill a gap between high-end, survivable assets and lower-cost systems, offering what the service describes as “affordable mass” to offset limited numbers of traditional fighters.
The full-scale mockup at Beale represents a key public step in shaping perceptions around the future of air combat and was the first time the platform has been shown outside of classified or internal settings.
General Atomics, which has supplied uncrewed aircraft systems to the U.S. military for over two decades, is positioning the YFQ-42A as a combat-relevant asset that extends the range and capacity of crewed aircraft formations.
As testing moves forward, the Air Force is expected to refine its operational concepts for how platforms like the YFQ-42A will function in contested airspace and how they will be integrated into tactical formations.
https://defence-blog.com/future-combat-drone-debuts-at-beale-afb/
‘Kill More, Die Less’: New Unit Explores How to Deploy Wingman Drones
June 9, 2025
The Air Force has launched a new unit dedicated to figuring out how to use wingman drones in tandem with manned aircraft over future battlefields.
It’s an upgrade for the Experimental Operations Unit, which has operated as a detachment of the 53rd Wing since 2023.
On June 5, the wing formally elevated the unit to sit on par with other operational squadrons at a ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
“This is a pivotal moment for our force,” 53rd Wing Commander Col. Daniel Lehoski said in a press release.
“The EOU embodies our commitment to rapid innovation and ensuring our warfighters have the most advanced tools to dominate the future battlespace.”
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program aims to provide the Air Force with “affordable mass,” dramatically expanding the number of aircraft and missiles the combat fleet can put in the air without risking additional lives.
Pilots aboard F-35, F-22, and the upcoming F-47 fighters could manage a handful of CCAs equipped with electronic-warfare tools to disrupt air defenses, for example, allowing the manned jets behind them to slip into enemy territory.
In that spirit, the motto scrawled across the bottom of the EOU’s unit emblem is “Kill More, Die Less.”
The drones are among the Air Force’s top acquisition priorities and underscore the growing role of autonomy in combat.
Still, Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Kunkel, the Air Force’s force design director, said in January that the service will keep the jets’ level of autonomy relatively simple to build them faster.
“What we thought was going to be this requirement for a great amount of autonomy and a significant amount of artificial intelligence, and really, really complex algorithms,” he said, has turned out to be instead “frankly, simple autonomy, simple algorithms, a little bit of AI sprinkled in.”
“We’ve been able to decrease pilot workload to a degree where they can really, really effectively utilize these capabilities,” he said.
Last month, the Air Force announced that two CCA prototypes had begun ground testing ahead of a first flight planned this summer.
The two CCAs are the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A and Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A—the first unmanned aircraft in the Air Force inventory to receive a fighter designation.
Production of as many as 200 of the autonomous aircraft is supposed to be underway by 2028; CCAs are slated to join the fighter fleet by the end of the decade.
The Air Force is still developing its concept of operations for CCAs, which is where the Nellis unit comes in. According to the release, the unit will test and refine human-machine teaming for CCAs in realistic scenarios.
“We are here to accelerate the delivery of combat-ready capabilities to the warfighter,” EOU commander Lt. Col. Matthew Jensen said in the release.
“Our experimental operations will ensure that CCA are immediately viable as a credible combat capability that increases joint force survivability and lethality.”
Nellis is well-equipped to handle that mission: The base is home to a major training range as well as hosts a branch of the Joint Integrated Test and Training Center, where joint and coalition partners can simulate future air battles.
The unit expects to fly real-world experiments to verify simulated results and further refine its tactics.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-cca-combat-unit/