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Indonesia's Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano eruption seen from space
17 Jun 2025, 11:44 PM GMT-7
Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Perempuan
The Lewotobi twin volcano is located on the eastern reaches of the island of Flores, Indonesia, approximately 800 kilometres east of Bali, Indonesia, and 1,000 kilometres northwest of Darwin, Australia.
The two peaks that make up the volcano complex are Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Lewotobi Perempuan, or male and female Lewotobi, respectively.
Of the husband-and-wife pair, Laki-Laki has been most active recently.
Ongoing eruptions since 2023 have displaced thousands of people, with a major eruption in November 2024 killing 9 people, destroying homes and disrupting international aviation.
Laki-Laki erupted again in March and May of 2025, once again displacing people and disrupting aviation.
The Pacific ring of fire encompasses the Indonesian archipelago, with 130 active volcanoes in the country.
Over 1,000 eruptions have been recorded over the course of its history, with a deep cultural and spiritual lore attached to local volcanoes.
Aviation Code Red
At 5:35pm local time on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Laki-Laki erupted once again, sending a volcanic ash plume high into the atmosphere.
While there are no reports of deaths or damage to property, the ash reached over 10 kilometres into the atmosphere.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin has issued an Aviation Code Red for the area, prompting domestic and international flights to avoid the region.
No major airport disruptions have affected nearby tourism centres like Bali, but ash continues to be expelled into the atmosphere at this stage.
The dangers of volcanic ash to aviation
Volcanic ash is made of small pieces of rock, crystal and glass. Aircraft unfortunate enough to fly through volcanic ash suffer from abrasion similar to sand blasting, which is damaging to windshields and the leading edges of the wings.
Glass particles in the ash melts in the engine, which can block the air flow and cause the engine to stall when the molten glass re-solidifies in the turbine.
Ash clouds are often projected tens of thousands of metres into the atmosphere over broad areas surrounding the eruption.
Since most commercial jets cruise at around 8,000 to 11,000 metres, this makes them highly susceptible to damage from ash clouds.
The hazard was little understood until 1982 when a British Airways jet flying to Australia lost power in all four engines over Indonesia before regaining power at a lower altitude (where the atmosphere was free of ash).
The problem occurred again as the jet ascended, so the pilot descended again and eventually pulled off a difficult emergency landing in Jakarta with minimal visibility due to the sand blasting effect on the windshield.
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/indonesias-lewotobi-lakilaki-volcano-eruption-seen-from-space/1890672
https://twitter.com/volcaholic1/status/1934922400715419963
Streets to space: Auto giant Honda stuns world with reusable rocket launch in Japan
Updated: Jun 18, 2025 03:10 AM EST
Honda’s name has long been tied to innovation on the ground, and it is famous for its powerful engines and automobiles.
However, the company is now shifting gears, setting its sights on the competitive space domain. The Tokyo-based company has already made a bold move.
In a surprising announcement yesterday, Honda R&D Co., Ltd. – the research arm of Honda Motor Company – revealed it successfully launched and landed its experimental reusable rocket.
“This test marked the first launch and landing test conducted by Honda with an aim to demonstrate key technologies essential for rocket reusability, such as flight stability during ascent and descent, as well as landing capability,” the company’s announcement stated.
Experimental rocket test
Honda developed the experimental reusable rocket on its own. The spacecraft is 20.6 feet (6.3 meters) in length, 85 centimeters (33.4 inches) in diameter, and has a dry weight of 900 kg (1984 pounds).
The prototype vehicle soared to an altitude of nearly 889 feet (271 meters) at Honda’s facility in Taiki Town, Japan, on June 17.
And then, in a display of precision engineering, it landed with accuracy, within just 37 centimeters of its target. The entire flight lasted a swift 56.6 seconds, providing invaluable data for future development.
So, why is this so significant? Reusability is the holy grail of cost-effective, frequent space travel flights.
This successful test is a massive step towards Honda’s ambitious goal of achieving suborbital spaceflight by 2029. A suborbital launch reaches the edge of space but doesn’t achieve orbit.
Before this, the car maker giant aims to demonstrate mastery over key elements like flight stability during both ascent and descent, and pinpoint landing capability.
“Although Honda rocket research is still in the fundamental research phase, and no decisions have been made regarding commercialization of these rocket technologies,” the press statement noted.
“Honda will continue making progress in the fundamental research with a technology development goal of realizing technological capability to enable a suborbital launch by 2029.”
Reusable rocket race
This isn’t a sudden leap into the unknown for Honda.
The company first hinted at reusable rocket plans in 2021, and late last year, they even established a Space Development Division in the U.S. to foster collaboration.
However, the company had kept its spaceflight developments under wraps for years.
Honda is not the only player in this burgeoning field. Reportedly, Japan’s government is aggressively promoting its space industry, aiming to double its size to over $55 billion by the early 2030s through active subsidies to private companies.
This has ignited a commercial space race, attracting other major automotive players like Toyota, which aims to boost the mass production of launch vehicles.
Over the past decade, reusable launch vehicles, most notably SpaceX’s Falcon 9, have completely transformed commercial space missions.
This trend has also spurred development among U.S. competitors like Blue Origin, and companies in China and Europe are also pursuing reusable rocket designs. China tested a SpaceX-inspired rocket last year in the Gobi Desert.
Earlier, Interesting Engineering reported that a Japanese company also announced the development of a “winged reusable rocket.”
Adding to this global momentum, Tokyo-based startup Innovative Space Carrier recently announced plans to test a prototype reusable rocket in the United States in December, utilizing an American engine.
Meanwhile, Honda’s Global CEO Toshihiro Mibe believes that the company’s rocket research is a meaningful endeavor that “leverages Honda’s technological strengths.”
“Honda has made another step forward in our research on reusable rockets with this successful completion of a launch and landing test,” he said.
https://interestingengineering.com/space/honda-stuns-world-with-reusable-rocket-launch
https://global.honda/en/RandD/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QHJeCKoCQU
Northern lights and glowing noctilucent clouds collide in a rare night sky show over Alberta
June 17, 2025
Nature served up a stunning double feature in the skies over Alberta, Canada, on June 9.
Aurora chaser and photographer Harlan Thomas (@TheAuroraGuy) was about 18.5 miles (30 kilometers) north of Calgary along a rural stretch he calls "The Twisted Pond Road" when the surprise display of both the northern lights and noctilucent clouds (NLCs) took to the sky.
"It was quite the surprise to see the aurora, as there was really no data to justify the geomagnetic conditions," Thomas told Space.com in an email.
"It was even more surprising to see the NLCs, as they had to overcome wildfire smoke from the Northwest and a waxing gibbous moon that was 84% full."
NLCs are Earth's highest clouds, appearing as thin wispy blue or silver streaks about 47 to 53 miles (76 to 85 km) above the planet's surface.
They form in summer when water vapor drifts into the mesosphere and crystallizes around meteoric dust. Their delicate glow is often visible from high latitudes shortly after sunset or before sunrise.
"There's nothing quite like seeing the aurora borealis and noctilucent clouds at the same time," Thomas told spaceweather.com. "It's the perfect combination."
Thomas captured the scene using a Nikon D810 camera with a 50mm lens, shooting 1/30-second exposures at ISO 3200 with one-second intervals to create both a timelapse and a still image.
Surprisingly, this wasn't the first time Thomas had witnessed such a spectacle. In 2020, he not only captured NLCs and aurora but also a comet!
"On July 14, 2020, at the height of Covid, I captured the NLC's, Neowise [comet] and the aurora," Thomas told Space.com.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
The NLC season typically lasts through August, so skywatchers in northern latitudes may yet catch their own glimpse of this dazzling duo.
Want to brush up on your astrophotography skills? Our guide to astrophotography for beginners covers everything from equipment to shooting modes and more.
Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture your next skywatching sight.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/northern-lights-and-glowing-noctilucent-clouds-collide-in-a-rare-night-sky-show-over-alberta-photo
https://x.com/theauroraguy
Astronomers capture the most intricate picture of a galaxy in a thousand colors ever seen
June 18, 2025
Astronomers have obtained a stunning new image of the Sculptor Galaxy, painted in thousands of colors that reveals the intricacies of galactic systems.
The incredible image of the galaxy — located around 11 million light-years away and also known as NGC 253 — was collected with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.
In addition to providing a galaxy-wide view of the Sculptor Galaxy, the image shows intricate details of NGC 253. As such, it could help to reveal the finer details of the poorly understood and complex systems that are galaxies.
"The Sculptor Galaxy is in a sweet spot," team leader Enrico Congiu of the Universidad de Chile said in a statement."
It is close enough that we can resolve its internal structure and study its building blocks with incredible detail, but at the same time, big enough that we can still see it as a whole system."
Covering 65,000 light-years of the 90,000-light-year-wide galaxy, zooming in on the finer details of the Sculptor Galaxy to create this image required 100 exposures collected over 50 hours of MUSE observing time.
That effort was justified by the unprecedented detail revealed in the Sculptor Galaxy VLT image.
"We can zoom in to study individual regions where stars form at nearly the scale of individual stars, but we can also zoom out to study the galaxy as a whole," said team member Kathryn Kreckel, from Heidelberg University in Germany.
An initial examination of the image has already paid dividends for the team. Within the image, they have been able to discover 500 new planetary nebulae, shells of gas and dust that are ejected from stars like the sun after they "die" and enter a "puffed out" red giant phase.
This is pretty extraordinary, because detections like this beyond the Milky Way and its immediate neighbors are fairly rare.
"Beyond our galactic neighborhood, we usually deal with fewer than 100 detections per galaxy," said team member and Heidelberg University researcher Fabian Scheuermann.
The planetary nebulae — which, despite the name, have nothing to do with planets — could bear fruit in the future, as they can be used by astronomers to make distance measurements.
"Finding the planetary nebulae allows us to verify the distance to the galaxy — a critical piece of information on which the rest of the studies of the galaxy depend," explained team member and Ohio State University researcher Adam Leroy.
That's not to say that the team is finished with this image of the Sculptor Galaxy just yet. The next step for the astronomers will be to explore how hot gas flows through NGC 253, changing composition and helping to create new stars.
"How such small processes can have such a big impact on a galaxy whose entire size is thousands of times bigger is still a mystery," Congiu concluded.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/astronomers-capture-the-most-intricate-picture-of-a-galaxy-in-a-thousand-colors-ever-seen-photo-video
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2510/
https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2510/eso2510a.pdf
Venturi Space announces European lunar rover design
June 18, 2025
PARIS — Venturi Space, a company that has partnered with Astrolab on lunar rover concepts, unveiled an all-European rover design it hopes to offer to European space agencies.
The Monaco-based company unveiled the rover concept, called Mona Luna, at an event during the Paris Air Show June 16. The robotic rover, 2.5 meters long and 1.64 meters wide, weighs 750 kilograms.
Mona Luna was designed by Venturi Space as a concept to offer to the European Space Agency and French space agency CNES, along with potential commercial customers, as a larger rover better able to handle the lunar terrain and also survive the lunar night.
“On the moon we have a lot of slopes and loose soil, so you need an ATV,” or all-terrain vehicle, said Antonio Delfino, director of space affairs at Venturi Space, in an interview. “Nobody at the moment is doing an ATV.”
The rover features suspension and steering systems better able to handle lunar terrain, he said, and is designed to travel at up to 20 kilometers per hour.
Those systems and other key components are all housed inside the rover, kept as close to the center as possible for better thermal management during the extreme temperature swings between lunar day and night.
The size of the rover is also critical, he added. “In the future, if you want to mine the moon, explore the moon, you need a massive rover,” he said.
“When we talk about a massive rover, the technology addressed with it is totally different from the technology for a small rover.”
Mona Luna uses battery and “hyper-deformable” wheel technologies that Venturi is also supplying to Astrolab, an American company that is developing lunar rovers, including for NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) program.
Delfino noted the technologies used on Mona Luna are entirely European and that there is a “wall” in place to separate work on that rover with Astrolab’s projects.
Astrolab, though, displayed models of its rovers in the same exhibit space at the show.
Venturi has received some support from ESA for key technologies needed for the rover.
The company is hoping to win support for a rover development project at ESA’s ministerial conference in late November, when member states will decide on funding for agency programs for the next three years.
Delfino argued a rover like Mona Luna fit a gap in Europe’s exploration plans. Mona Lisa is designed to be delivered to the lunar surface on ESA’s Argonaut lander, which would launch on an Ariane 64.
“In Europe at the moment there is no program to explore the moon with a rover,” he said. “There is the Argonaut lander and we have the Ariane 64, but a rover is missing, so we are pushing very hard to convince them this is important.”
One approach to develop the rover could be a public private partnership, similar to what NASA is pursuing with the LTV program where companies will pay a portion of its costs.
He said he mentioned this to Josef Aschbacher, ESA director general, and Daniel Neuenschwander, the agency’s director of human and robotic exploration, and got a positive reception. “It will be easier for them to decide to go forward on this.”
He said private companies have shown an interest in the rover as well. “We have some contact with private industry that is interested in Europe,” he said. “And, why not, also outside of Europe.”
https://spacenews.com/venturi-space-announces-european-lunar-rover-design/
CEOs push back on proposed cuts to commercial satellite imaging programs
June 17, 2025
The heads of leading U.S. satellite imaging firms are urging Congress to reject proposed budget cuts to commercial remote sensing programs, warning the reductions could undermine national security and reverse years of progress in integrating private-sector innovation into intelligence and defense operations.
In a letter sent June 16 to key lawmakers on intelligence, armed services, and appropriations committees, the CEOs of Maxar Technologies, Planet, BlackSky, Iceye US, Capella Space, and ground systems provider KSAT called proposed cuts to the National Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO) commercial imagery programs “sweeping” and misaligned with long-standing bipartisan policy.
“As leaders in America’s remote sensing industry, we are deeply concerned that the Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposes sweeping cuts to commercial remote sensing programs,” the executives wrote.
The pushback follows reporting from SpaceNews that the Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal includes a roughly 30% reduction — or about $130 million — in funding for the NRO’s procurement of electro-optical imagery under its Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) program.
That program supports long-term contracts with Maxar, BlackSky, and Planet to provide high-resolution satellite images to the U.S. government.
The administration’s proposal would also eliminate funding entirely for the acquisition of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery — a type of remote sensing that gained new relevance after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine as SAR can penetrate cloud cover and operate in all weather conditions.
“The FY26 budget request entirely removes funding for a Commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar program, makes significant reductions to the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) program, and disregards funding for future commercial radio frequency (RF) acquisitions at scale,” the CEOs wrote, arguing that these actions contradict both recent executive branch guidance and long-standing congressional mandates.
They cited recent policy guidance from the Pentagon that emphasizes greater commercial integration, noting that President Trump’s executive orders and the Pentagon’s 2024 Commercial Space Integration Strategy call for expanded use of commercial technologies for national security purposes.
Government-owned vs. commercial
The letter also frames the cuts as strategically short-sighted in the context of competition with China. “Congress has laid out clear mandates to integrate commercial products and services into defense and intelligence operations.
Those directives must not be ignored by bureaucratic apathy or institutional bias favoring government-owned systems,” the executives wrote, highlighting a broader tension within the intelligence community over whether to rely more heavily on commercial satellite capabilities or government-owned systems.
The NRO, which builds and operates the nation’s spy satellites, has increasingly turned to commercial providers in recent years as private companies have launched hundreds of small imaging satellites that can provide high-frequency coverage.
The companies behind the letter said they have poured capital into satellite constellations and infrastructure over the past decade, betting that sustained government demand would support both national security needs and the growth of a globally competitive U.S. industry.
“Our companies have invested billions of dollars in space and ground technologies, created highly skilled jobs, and deployed hundreds of satellites that now underpin critical defense, intelligence, and civil missions,” the CEOs said.
The cuts represent a “retrenchment from adopting commercial remote sensing capabilities,” they argue, and risk long-term damage to public-private models that have been adopted across the U.S. government.
The letter follows similar criticism from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which earlier this month warned the cuts could jeopardize America’s technological lead.
“Preserving and expanding investment in commercial remote sensing programs is crucial to maintaining America’s strategic edge and ensuring the safety and security of our nation and its allies,” wrote John Neal, executive director of space policy at the Chamber.
https://spacenews.com/ceos-push-back-on-proposed-cuts-to-commercial-satellite-imaging-programs/
https://spacenews.com/satellite-firms-brace-for-potential-imagery-budget-cuts-in-2026/
https://www.uschamber.com/space/why-the-national-reconnaissance-office-should-invest-more-in-commercial-imagery?x-craft-preview=9b31fff46a279231e38b4cca80c2b19399381671734d0e51728e8186bc9f8c2bounwrdmbsa&token=JrjNIk-xIHLWjSMjmWB5tkKQU0HX1ZpJ
Maxar partners with Array Labs to expand 3D imaging technology
June 18, 2025
Maxar Intelligence announced an agreement with radar imaging startup Array Labs to secure capacity on its constellation set to launch in 2026.
Array Labs, based in Palo Alto, California, is developing a 3D radar imaging constellation designed to operate in clusters, with swarms of small satellites working together to capture simultaneous images of the same location on Earth.
Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors, Array Labs plans to capture high-resolution 3D imagery of the Earth regardless of lighting or weather conditions.
The partnership represents Maxar’s latest effort to diversify beyond its traditional electro-optical satellite imaging business.
Westminster, Colorado-based Maxar Intelligence operates a constellation of high-resolution electro-optical imaging satellites but also partners with other remote sensing companies to integrate their data into its products.
The partnership with Array Labs aligns with Maxar’s goal of adding more 3D data to its Earth observation products, said Peter Wilczynski, chief product officer at Maxar Intelligence.
Maxar’s goal, he said, is to build a “living globe, a highly accurate, real-time 3D representation of Earth.”
SAR technology allows satellites to capture images through clouds and darkness, providing data collection capabilities that complement traditional optical satellites which require clear skies and daylight.
The technology has become increasingly important for commercial Earth observation as customers demand more frequent and reliable data collection.
Array Labs launched its first two prototype satellites in 2024.
The company plans to launch its next demonstration mission in 2026, followed by the deployment of its first full production cluster — comprising four formation-flying satellites designed for commercial 3D imagery and large-scale mapping.
Under the agreement, the two companies will work to integrate Array Labs data into the Maxar 3D product line.
“This collaboration will help to change how the world accesses, understands, and derives value from 3D data,” said Isaac Robledo, cofounder of Array Labs.
“By combining our unique space systems and collection capabilities with Maxar’s global terrain products, we are expanding the aperture of what’s possible with 3D data.”
The Array Labs partnership follows Maxar’s strategy of building what it calls a “virtual constellation” by partnering with satellite operators, including SAR imaging company Umbra and multi-spectral satellite operator Satellogic.
https://spacenews.com/maxar-partners-with-array-labs-to-expand-3d-imaging-technology/
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4219445/best-defense-a-good-offensive/
Best defense: A good ‘offensive’
June 17, 2025
Members of 4th Space Operations Squadron multiple U.S. Air Force security forces units and other military units stationed along Colorado’s Front Range participated in a military exercise at Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site last week.
In the early hours on a cold, rainy Tuesday, security forces members stood ready at Peterson Space Force Base military passenger terminal to board two 302nd Airlift Wing C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Their mission — deploy to a remote U.S. Army base in southeastern Colorado in support of the Front Range Offensive 25-1 exercise.
However, due to the weather conditions and the status of the dirt runway at PCMS, the flights were canceled, and members were then bussed to the installation, located two and a half hours from Colorado Springs.
“You can, to the smallest detail, plan an exercise a year in advance and things can still drastically change when you get to the day of,” said Master Sgt. Travis Beatty, 50th SFS Logistics and Resources superintendent.
“Things like weather have a profound effect on operations. That’s why we build in contingencies — provisions for possible events or circumstances.
“The Front Range Offensive 25-1 is an exercise testing a combination of tactical planning, development of junior leaders, Agile Combat Employment techniques, ground combat tactics and enhancing the interoperability of Air Force and Space Force units at the squadron levels,” Beatty said.
“This was our first opportunity to exercise in an austere environment with Airmen and Guardians conducting their missions codependently while also executing early phase operations in a contested environment with no established infrastructure.”
The Front Range Offensive 25-1 marks the second time the 50th Security Forces Squadron has sponsored this event.
The first exercise was a proof of concept with 29 total personnel consisting of mostly security forces, one contracting and one U.S. Space Force member from the 2nd Navigational Warfare Squadron — responsible for operating the Global Positioning System satellite constellation.
This iteration not only grew in scale to incorporate 65 total personnel but also to include more specialties.
While security forces are protecting the area, 4 SOPS is simulating real-world, expeditionary environment operations, said Spc. 4 Jennifer Guinn, 4 SOPS mobile military satellite communications operator.
“Our unit is a mobile mission — a packaged-up extra terminal supporting the MILSATCOM constellation that can deploy just about anywhere,” Guinn said.
“Our people have commercial driver's licenses to move equipment, can stand up a mobile operations console in remote conditions and they are weapons-qualified and trained to set up a perimeter and defend mission assets, if necessary.
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“Although the expeditionary part of this exercise is not a new concept for us, this is the first time we have worked with security forces for an exercise like this.
We hope to build a better understanding of operating under extreme field conditions over a continuous 24-hour period for an entire week.
This includes sleeping in cots, eating MREs — (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) — and maintaining site integrity without departures.
We are also assessing any overlooked necessities — everything from mental aspects like attention to details and errors to food, water, showers and restroom facilities.”
Special Operations Forces Medical Element members from Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, also participated in the exercise.
Always ready — be it for support of military operations or humanitarian aid, SOFME members are highly skilled medics that are tasked with taking the standard of care seen in hospitals and bringing that to the battlefield in the most skilled and advanced way possible.
“The exercise planners sent out a request to see if there were any medical assets in the area that could support, and we took the opportunity to highlight SOFME skills,” said a special operations forces medical element team member with the 27th Special Operations Wing.
“The nearest hospital is approximately 40 minutes — give or take — from PCMS’ front gate. We’re here to take care of the folks and bridge that gap from the point of injury, or illness, all the way to the hospital.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be making a clinic out of a tent, a conex box or out of the bed of a pickup truck… it’s always an interesting challenge that we prepare for.
People in the military medical community sometimes refer to what we do as ‘dirt medicine,’ – while that may sound cool, it also has a negative connotation.
What we do is try to bring the hospital to the battlefield, emulating best practices you see in a hospital setting to an austere location.
We take the unknown and still provide the best, life-saving care we can with what we have. It’s interesting — and a challenge for a medic.”
After a few days, just as quickly as the team had set up and established forward operations it was time to end the exercise and everyone to return home.
“A multi-functional team consisting largely of Defenders and Guardians will create tactical, operational and strategic level after action reports consisting of lessons learned… to showcase successes, challenges, obstacles and areas where policy changes can enable more units to conduct these types of exercises,” Beatty said.
“These young warfighters from all services and functional areas are the future of the United States military and will continue to hone their edge to ensure that should deterrence fail, the United States will dominate the field of battle against any adversary now and into the future… our junior leaders in all branches today are better prepared, better trained, better equipped and more capable than ever before to ensure the continued security of the United States of America.”
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Former U.S. Space Force sergeant found guilty of murdering Colorado teenager
June 18, 2025 / 8:13 AM MDT
A Colorado jury has found a former U.S. Space Force sergeant guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a teenager and guilty of second-degree attempted murder in the shooting of another teen.
Then Sgt. Orest Schur killed one teen and wounded another on July 5, 2023, who he believed had been trying to steal a family car.
According to prosecutors, Schur's wife told 911 dispatchers that it was the third time that someone had tried to steal a car from the Schur family home in Aurora.
They said two teenagers crashed a stolen car, a Hyundai Elantra, in the 19500 block of East 58th Circle as Schur pursued them and fired on them.
A representative with Air Force Public Affairs confirmed to CBS Colorado that Schur's end of service was Aug. 8, 2024.
Schur had been working as a signals intelligence analyst for the Space Force at Buckley after transferring from the Army with the rank of sergeant.
With the Army, he did two tours of service in Afghanistan and earned 14 service awards said a military spokesperson.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15.
The second-degree murder conviction carries a sentence range of 16-48 years and the second-degree attempted murder conviction carries a sentence range of 10-32 years.
The sentences are mandated to be served consecutively, so Schur is facing 26-80 years in prison.
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/u-s-space-force-sergeant-orest-schur-guilty-murder-colorado-teenager/
Pennsylvania lawmaker proposes making Space Force license plates
Updated: Jun 18, 2025 / 06:56 AM EDT
A Pennsylvania lawmaker says he will soon introduce legislation for the creation of Space Force license plates.
Members of the armed forces in the state of Pennsylvania are offered special license plates based on their corresponding branch.
Members of the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have special plates, but the Space Force does not.
According to the memo, Space Force was founded on December 20, 2019, as the sixth armed force of the United States. However, their members in the Commonwealth have yet to receive a custom plate.
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-171) plans to introduce a bill to change that. The memo says members of the Space Force in Pennsylvania are members of the United States Military and are deserving of recognition for their service.
The bill has not yet been introduced.
https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-lawmaker-proposes-making-space-force-license-plates/
Midair emergencies force four Boeing Dreamliners to divert India flights
17 Jun, 2025 12:15
Four Boeing 787 Dreamliners on international flights to India have been forced to turn back due to technical issues over the past few days, according to media reports.
On Sunday, a Hyderabad-bound Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt returned to the German airport midway through the journey based on a suspected bomb threat, according to sources quoted by the media outlet India Today.
Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Hyderabad airport received a message that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was returning to Frankfurt after having taken off.
On Monday, Air India flight AI315 was forced to return to Hong Kong just 15 minutes after taking off, Reuters reported.
The airline confirmed the incident, citing a “technical issue” as the reason for the return, but did not provide further details.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft successfully landed without incident, and alternate arrangements were made for the passengers.
Also on Monday, a British Airways flight carrying 214 passengers to Chennai was forced to dump fuel and return to London after the pilots reported a suspected technical issue, Business Insider reported.
“The aircraft returned to Heathrow as a standard precaution after reports of a technical issue,” a BA spokesperson told the website, adding that there was no “emergency landing.”
In a similar incident, passengers on an Air India San Francisco-Mumbai flight were asked to deplane in Kolkata on Tuesday after a snag was detected in the left engine during a scheduled stop, delaying the onward journey by hours, an India Today report said.
These developments come just days after an Air India 787-8 crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing 290 people.
Officials told the Associated Press that early indications suggest the aircraft may not have been correctly configured for takeoff.
There have been numerous complaints, whistleblower revelations and concerns regarding the safety of Boeing 787s, according to media reports.
In 2019, a New York Times report revealed that John Barnett, a former quality manager who retired in 2017, had filed a whistleblower complaint alleging subpar work on the 787s.
In January 2024, another whistleblower alleged that the Dreamliner’s fuselage had improper connections, with gaps that could cause it to break apart in flight.
https://www.rt.com/india/619527-midair-emergencies-force-four-boeing/
Two civilians dead in Ukrainian strikes on Russian border region – governor
17 Jun, 2025 21:01
Two elderly people have been killed in Ukrainian shelling of the village of Zvannoe in Kursk Region, western Russia, Governor Aleksandr Khinshtein said on Tuesday.
The victims were identified as a woman, 59, and a man, 69, Khinshtein said on Telegram, expressing condolences to their families. At least four homes and a local school were damaged in the attack, he added.
The governor denounced the strike as “barbarian” and branded the Ukrainian military behind it “cruel and merciless.”
He also urged the region’s residents to avoid travelling to areas bordering Ukraine because of “very high” security risks. Zvannoe is located less than 20 kilometers from Ukraine.
Ukraine launched a large-scale incursion into the region last August, in what Kiev officials hyped as a blow to Russia.
However, Russian forces quickly turned the tide, and by the time the Ukrainians were fully expelled in late April, the Defense Ministry in Moscow estimated that Kiev had sustained more than 76,000 casualties in the operation.
Ukraine has regularly launched cross-border drone, artillery, and missile strikes targeting Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk regions, since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has significantly ramped up drone attacks targeting Russian territory, both border regions and more distant targets, including Moscow.
Russia has accused Kiev of “terrorist” attacks on the country’s railway infrastructure, which have led to civilian fatalities.
According to the Kremlin, the indiscriminate raids are intended to derail direct bilateral talks that resumed between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul in May.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting almost 150 Ukrainian drones overnight that targeted a dozen Russian regions.
Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, reported on the same day that nearly 70 civilians, including 14 children, were casualties of Kiev’s FPV drone strikes over the past week.
https://www.rt.com/russia/619569-civilians-died-ukrainian-strikes-russian/
Iranian centrifuge and missile sites hit in airstrikes – IDF
18 Jun, 2025 12:07
Israel struck several military targets in Iran, including a centrifuge production facility and several weapons manufacturing sites in Tehran, on Tuesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The operation, which involved more than 50 fighter jets, targeted Iran’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, the IDF said in a statement.
The Israeli air force struck a centrifuge production site near Tehran that the IDF claimed was designed to “enable the Iranian regime to expand the scale and speed of its uranium enrichment to develop nuclear weapons.”
The IDF described it as “a key facility for centrifuge production.”
In addition to the centrifuge facility, the IDF said its jets hit factories that make missile components.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Israeli airstrikes targeted two centrifuge production facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear program.
In a statement posted on X, the agency named the sites as the Tehran Research Center and the TESA workshop in Karaj, a city west of the capital.
The IDF claimed Iran is enriching uranium at levels “not required for civilian use,” and said the strike was “part of the broad effort to operate against Iran’s nuclear weapons development project.”
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60% purity, far above the 3.67% cap set under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal, which was rendered null and void after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from it during his first term.
Despite Israel’s claims, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency does “not have any proof of a systematic effort” by Iran to move closer to producing a nuclear weapon, in an interview with CNN.
Despite the ongoing talks between the US and Iran, late last week Israel launched strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing a number of senior commanders and scientists. Iran responded with missile strikes on Israel.
Moscow, which had earlier offered to mediate between the two sides, condemned Israel’s strike and warned that further escalation could destabilize the entire region.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also called on Israel to “come to its senses and immediately stop raids on nuclear installations.”
https://www.rt.com/news/619648-israel-iran-centrifuge-strike/
Israel continues strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities: Live Updates
18 June 2025 16:52 GMT
Israel claims it has attacked Iranian weapons production sites and key nuclear infrastructure, as the two nations continue their stand-off which started last week.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said the strikes targeted a facility used to manufacture centrifuges in Tehran, which could allow the country to increase the scale and speed of uranium enrichment. The scale of the damage is unclear.
Meanwhile, the Iranian military has launched several missile and drone strikes of its own at Israel. One strike reportedly included the advanced hypersonic Fattah projectile, which Tehran claims penetrated Israeli air defenses.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Operation Rising Lion – a series of missile attacks on Iran – which has significantly damaged the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
West Jerusalem claims it has struck key nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.
Iran has reported at least 585 deaths since the hostilities began last Friday. Israeli officials have reported 24 deaths.
According to Western media reports, US President Donald Trump, a long-time ally of Israel, is not ruling out direct military intervention in the conflict.
Trump claims that “we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” and has demanded “unconditional surrender.”
Russia has condemned Israel’s initial airstrikes and called for deescalation. President Vladimir Putin spoke with Trump by phone over the weekend.
According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, the two discussed the possibility of reviving negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
The IDF says it has detected multiple missile launches from Iran towards Israel, warning people to head to shelters until further notice.
The Israeli military is intercepting and striking back where necessary, it added. “The defense is not hermetic, therefore, it is essential to continue following the instructions of the Home Front Command,” the military said in a statement on Telegram.
https://www.rt.com/news/619058-israel-strikes-iran-updates/
https://t.me/idfofficial/14737
https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/1935354233819193433
Iran shoots down advanced Israeli Hermes drone over Isfahan
June 18, 2025
Iranian state television has reported that the country’s army air defence forces successfully intercepted and shot down an advanced Hermes drone early Wednesday morning in central Isfahan province.
According to a correspondent present at the site, the drone was taken down around 5:00am local time (02:30 BST) before it could deploy any weapons.
He stated the incident highlights the efficiency of Iran’s early detection and rapid response systems.
The Hermes drone, believed to be of Israeli origin, was completely destroyed in the interception, with wreckage scattered across the area.
Since last Friday, Iran has launched more than 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reported.
Despite some damage, no people have been reported killed or injured in Israel from the latest overnight volleys of missiles from Iran.
Air defense batteries intercepted many projectiles over Tel Aviv and other population centres, but strikes still struck some 40 sites across the country.
Nearly 19,000 damage claims have been filed with the tax authority. So far, 24 people have been killed and over 800 wounded in Israel, with more than 3,800 residents displaced from their homes.
Iranian authorities say at least 224 people have died on their side since the exchanges began.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2025/06/18/iran-shoots-down-advanced-israeli-hermes-drone-over-isfahan/
Why the IDF is removing home front restrictions after 1,000 drones, 400 missiles - analysis
Updated: JUNE 18, 2025 18:29
As surprised as Israelis were to find themselves at war with Iran on Friday morning, they were possibly equally surprised that the IDF began easing Home Front Command’s restrictions on Wednesday afternoon.
Those precautions make it less likely Iran can harm as many people, but they shut down large aspects of civilian life.
Essentially, the story is about statistics. The Islamic Republic has fired more than 400 ballistic missiles and launched at least 1,000 drones against Israel.
Fewer than 30 missiles have hit civilian areas, killing about 25 people, while the drones have not caused any fatalities.
About 600 people have been wounded, and an estimated 4,000 people have been forced to move out of structures damaged by the missiles. But this might be half of the worst-case scenario that the military was expecting or prepared for.
Tehran still might outwit the IDF and carry out deadly strikes. That could force the IDF to backtrack and reinstate more Home Front Command restrictions.
But the notion of allowing 30 people to congregate outdoors in some areas, 50 in other areas, and about 100 indoors in areas with safe spaces is a reasonable risk to take.
After six days of fighting with Iran, Home Front Command has seen a clear pattern of fewer missile barrages and reduced volume of missiles per barrage.
The IDF attributed this change to various data points: It has destroyed about 40% of Iran’s ballistic-missile launchers, significantly reducing how many missiles can be fired at once.
It has destroyed much of the command and control units that would help coordinate mass barrages at once, and even those missile crews who succeed at getting to an area for firing are sometimes failing to fire or firing with less accuracy due to the perception or actuality of being hunted by the IAF as they do it.
Regarding the estimated 1,000 launched drones, it is not just that none of them have killed an Israeli; it is that about 800 of them have been shot down or crashed on their own long before even getting close to Israel’s border.
That is not surprising given the 1,500 kilometers they must travel at slow speeds to reach Israel.
The IDF also highlighted that the calculations are impacted directly by Iranian strategy
So far, Iran has targeted Tel Aviv and the center of the country more than the periphery. As a result, the restrictions – for the first time in the war – are more lenient for the border areas than for the center of the country.
The IDF said it hopes for a staggered reopening of the economy, assuming it does not lead to more casualties from ongoing attacks.
Regarding synagogues and other public gatherings, there is now some room to reopen, although with very limited numbers.
Education settings are still expected to remain closed longer, because they have children who are considered more vulnerable, and because they tend to inherently have much larger numbers of people.
The IDF said special education settings might start to reopen given that they often have fewer people.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-858197
Drone show safety standards group formed
18 June 2025
USA - A new task group has been formed by ASTM International to create safety standards for drone show operations, focusing on technical requirements, procedures, and risk management.
Chaired by Nils Thorjussen of Verge Aero, the group invites broad industry participation to support the growth of the emerging drone show sector. The initiative has the support and participation of the FAA.
Drone shows have come a long way in just a few years. Pioneering work undertaken in laboratories has led to the creation of technologies to deploy massive, record-setting shows worldwide.
But not all systems are created equally, with significant differences in sophistication and safety features. Likewise, some operators are far more professional and detail-oriented than others.
Intense price competition in the market has made many people focus on cost and not safety.
“It’s time for the drone show industry to maximise safety by embracing well-established practices and standards developed over the last century in manned aviation.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel; the necessary technologies and procedures already exist,” says ASTM.
The task group is open to all interested parties and broad industry participation is encouraged to help the nascent drone show industry mature and thrive.
Verge Aero has recently released The Essential Guide to Drone Show Safety to help educate the public and stakeholders.
It identifies five essential components to show safety: navigation redundancy, appropriate and up-to-date software, multiple and independent geofence systems, reliable, long-range communication and training and safety management.
The white paper is available for view or download on Verge Aero’s website.
Verge Aero is calling on the industry to work with ASTM and other standards organisations to implement robust safety standards for drone show systems.
Interested parties should contact the company at standards@vergeaero.com
https://www.lsionline.com/news/drone-show-safety-standards-group-formed
https://www.verge.aero/
Russian drone strike destroys Nova Poshta branch in Zaporizhzhia18.06.2025 11:30
18.06.2025 11:30
A Shahed drone attack has destroyed a Nova Poshta branch in Zaporizhzhia, with no casualties reported.
The company's press service announced this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
"As a result of an enemy Shahed drone attack, a branch in Zaporizhzhia was destroyed. None of our employees were injured. The fire was extinguished," the statement said.
The company said that it was already contacting customers whose shipments were located at the affected branch.
A mobile branch will soon be set up near the site to resume operations.
Russian forces attacked Zaporizhzhia overnight, damaging and destroying industrial and infrastructure facilities.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4005561-russian-drone-strike-destroys-nova-poshta-branch-in-zaporizhzhia.html
No-fly zone: Drones, balloons banned on Amarnath yatra route
Updated: June 18, 2025 03:47 IST
The Jammu and Kashmir government has declared all routes to the Amarnath cave shrine a “no flying zone”, banning “any kind of aviation platforms” including drones and balloons for the duration of the yatra.
The decision comes on the back of advice from the Union Home Ministry.
“With a view to ensure strengthened security during the Shri Amarnathji Yatra, 2025, all the routes of Shri Amarnathji Yatra are hereby declared as No Flying Zone, including both Pahalgam axis and Baltal axis,” an order issued by J&K’s home department said.
“Thus, flying of any kind of aviation platforms and devices, including UAVs, drones, balloons, etc., is prohibited w.e.f. July 1, 2025 to August 10, 2025,” the order said.
The annual Amarnath pilgrimage starts on July 3 this year and will end on August 8. Securing the yatra is considered one of the Valley’s biggest security exercises.
Every year, lakhs of pilgrims from across the country make the journey to the Himalayan cave shrine, which is accessible via the popular tourist destinations of Pahalgam and Sonmarg.
The decision to declare the routes, Lakhanpur-Jammu-Qazigund-Pahalgam and Lakhanpur-Jammu-Qazigund-Srinagar-Sonamarg, no-fly zones has been taken because of the “prevailing security scenario” in the Valley, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 25 tourists and a local man were killed in April this year.
“Whereas, all the stakeholders have discussed the prevailing security scenario in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and have proposed additional logistics provisions and whereas, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gol, have also advised that the entire route of Shri Amarnathji Yatra, 2025, may be declared as ‘No Flying Zone’ w.e.f. July 1 to August 10, 2025,” the order read.
The order, however, said the no-fly zone would not apply in case of emergencies.
“These restrictions will not be applicable in the cases of medical evacuation, disaster management and for surveillance by security forces,” the order read.
“A detailed SOP for such exceptions will be issued subsequently,” it said.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/balloons-drones-prohibited-j-k-routes-amarnath-shrine-no-fly-zone-yatra-period-10071488/
New scholarship launches for drone pilots
June 18, 2025
A new scholarship program has launched to ensure a pipeline of drone pilots.
The Elevate Scholarship Program, targeting individuals between the ages of 16 and 24, provides Part 107 training, as well as resources to equip young individuals with essential drone operation capabilities, according to officials.
It also covers the $175 test fee, “to make drone careers a viable option for a wider pool of talent,” according to officials with DroneDeploy and Prime Air, which launched the new scholarship.
“The Elevate Scholarship Program is more than just a scholarship — it’s an investment in the future,” said Jono Millin, Chief Data Officer and Co-Founder of DroneDeploy.
“By providing access to training and career resources, we are empowering individuals to not only participate in the drone revolution but also to shape the trajectory of the broader AI and robotics landscape.”
“The drone delivery sector represents a dynamic intersection of aviation, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
Prime Air is proud to support the Elevate Scholarship Program to train and develop the workforce of this growing industry,” says Matt McCardle, Director of Infrastructure, Expansion, and Regulation at Prime Air.
“We are committed to partnering with industry leaders in developing the next generation of professionals who will help shape the future of autonomous delivery and build the foundation for an entirely new category of aviation careers.”
https://generalaviationnews.com/2025/06/18/new-scholarship-launches-for-drone-pilots/
https://www.elevatescholarship.org/scholarship
https://www.gpsworld.com/unmanned-aircraft-take-on-more-aggressive-roles/
Autonomous fighter drones join the front lines in USAF operations
June 18, 2025
The U.S. Air Force is increasingly referring to its next generation of unmanned aircraft as “fighter drones,” as the service prepares to integrate these vehicles alongside traditional fighter jets in combat missions.
The Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program includes two separate vehicles under development by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and Anduril, both designed to operate as combat-ready UAVs.
These UAVs are being built to complement existing fighter fleets, providing additional capabilities and support during operations.
According to Air Force officials, the new aircraft are expected to play a key role in future air combat by flying alongside piloted fighters and taking on a variety of tactical missions.
One is an all-stealth design for undetected penetration of enemy defenses; the other is a sleek fighting companion.
It appears the General Atomics YFQ-42A/CCA drew inspiration from the earlier stealth capabilities of the Avenger UAV, which has been in flight for more than a decade.
This aircraft has a maximum ceiling of over 50,000 ft, flies at 400 mph, has around 15 hours of endurance and is powered by a built-in turbofan engine.
One notable feature of the CCA version is its split, sloping “tailfin” and rounded design, along with a top fuselage air intake that shields the power plant from potential radar signals – all stealthy characteristics similar to those of its Avenger counterpart.
Looking closely at the prototype, the doors on its belly appear to be for an internal weapons bay.
Another USAF CCA prototype, built by Anduril, has been named the FYQ-44. It features a sleek and fast design, similar to earlier pre-stealth fighters, but also includes an internal weapons bay, rounded contours, and an air intake below the fuselage for a turbofan engine.
The USAF’s release of these two CCA prototype contenders seems to suggest that they could be the fighter aircraft of the future.
The CCA program, however, does talk about control of these armed UAVs by accompanying mainline manned fighter aircraft, but with autonomous capability to find and destroy once dispatched to attack a target.
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The intent is that these unmanned fighters will be significantly less costly to acquire than their expensive manned brothers so that high-risk targets may still be attacked and destroyed without potential loss of the flying pilot or their expensive aircraft.
The unmanned fighters would be programmed by the manned aircraft and missiles in their internal weapons bay, would then go on to be controlled by onboard CCA weapons systems, which would relay data back continuously to the pilot who would have final go/no-go authority.
Both prototypes are slated to fly later this year following extensive ground testing campaigns.
After securing an initial $60 million contract from the USAF in 2021, Hermeus went on to raise $100 million in funding in 2022. This was followed by an investment from Raytheon Technologies’ RTX Ventures later that year.
Additionally, the company landed a contract for Hypersonic risk reduction from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), allowing Hermeus to maintain its funding and momentum.
This enabled the company to build and recently fly its first unmanned aircraft, which is designed to travel at extremely high speeds, according to the company.
Initially, with an integrated GE J85 engine, Hermeus is now launching the incorporation of the Pratt & Whitney F-100 into its own “Chimera II turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion system,” all aimed at taking subsequent iterations of their prototype to hypersonic speeds.
Quaterhorse has been developed to demonstrate high-speed take-off and landing of a large unmanned aircraft, and is the first in a series of prototypes.
And a couple of months ago, on May 27 at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California, Quaterhorse did in fact take off, performed a short overhead circuit and landed!
So, more flight tests are now expected to explore the drone’s flight characteristics.
The TBCC two-phase engine with the Pratt F-100 front-end is slated to take Darkhorse, the next planned drone derivative, to Mach 2.8 on the F-100 and then up to over Mach 5 with the hypersonic back-end section of the engine.
It could be said that the whole vehicle is being built around this monster engine!
It will be interesting to see how flight testing of Quaterhorse progresses, but even more exciting to hopefully see if and when Hermeus gets the next hypersonic version flying. Additionally, we can anticipate the first flights of the USAF CCA prototypes.
It is amazing how, from the humble beginnings of hobbyist radio-controlled recreational model aircraft, drones have evolved with sophisticated autopilots and are now becoming autonomous vehicles that are taking on front-line air force attack-support.
Technological progress is now headed towards hypersonic capability.
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Colorado Army Guard’s Drone Warfare Cell Reshapes Warfighting
June 18, 2025
WATKINS, Colo. - As the battlespace continues to evolve, so too must the tools and training of those who fight within it.
Among the quiet forces reshaping U.S. warfighting readiness is a specialized group called the Drone Warfare Cell (DWC), operating within the Multi-Domain Special Operations Cell (MDSOC) at 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Colorado Army National Guard.
Though the individuals behind it remain unnamed by design, their impact is increasingly visible across training pipelines, during deployment readiness and with the integration of drone technology into modern combat operations.
“Drone warfare is arguably one of the modalities that is leading the evolution of the battlespace,” the director of the MDSOC said.
“The technological advances that are happening in real time, just on this one topic, are nearly impossible to keep up with if there isn’t a group of dedicated warfighters that make this their sole mission.”
Formed in 2022 as a grassroots effort by Soldiers in the 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the DWC was born from an operational need to close a gap.
Initially focused on counter-unmanned aerial systems, the team quickly identified a significant shortfall in training for small unmanned aerial systems across the force.
Today, the DWC is a team of skilled advisors who train and deploy with U.S. forces to address drone-related threats and capabilities.
Their mission is to prepare units for the modern threat environment by integrating Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (cUAS) and to enable commanders to make better-informed decisions using the full spectrum of unmanned systems.
“Members of the DWC are not just instructors who can certify others to fly drone aircraft. They are technical integrators who understand the full scope of unmanned systems across air, land and sea,” the director said.
“The work they have done has directly increased the lethality and survivability of U.S. Soldiers.”
Key capabilities offered by the DWC include sUAS/cUAS integration, technical innovation, hands-on advising and red teaming that uses adversary tactics to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen defenses.
Their holistic approach enables forces to move beyond simply using drones to fighting smarter with them.
During the last two and a half years, the DWC has trained more than 400 service members in sUAS and cUAS operations and worked across multiple deployments to educate partner forces.
As demand grows, so does the cell’s reach. While initially designed to support small, highly specialized units, the DWC now sees increased interest from conventional formations.
“We are excited to see the shift in focus because the only way we are going to be able to prepare the entire formation for the next fight is through collaboration between special operations and conventional forces,” the DWC’s noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) said.
“It shows that across the board, people recognize this is a fight everyone has to be ready for.”
The cell supports units preparing to deploy but also attaches to those already in theater, trains partner forces, advises command teams and integrates into the intelligence process.
“We tailor our support depending on the unit’s needs,” the NCOIC said. “We’re not just sending out a checklist. We’re on the ground, helping them think through how drones can support their mission.”
That mindset also applies to broader modernization efforts. The DWC is actively contributing to developing the new Special Forces Robotics Warrant Officer course and partners with academia and industry to bring cutting-edge solutions directly to warfighters.
The DWC also ensures that hard-earned lessons from global conflicts are not lost. Through regular touchpoints with the Department of Defense and other government entities, the cell ensures that emerging best practices and real-world insights are shared across the broader force.
At a time when technology is redefining how wars are fought and won, the DWC ensures the force stays ahead of the curve.
Although the individuals behind the mission remain unnamed, their purpose is clear: to prepare American forces for the challenges of today and the unknowns of tomorrow.
https://www.army.mil/article/286467/colorado_army_guards_drone_warfare_cell_reshapes_warfighting
Rice’s Archives of the Impossible offer insight and expertise for World UFO Day
Jun. 18, 2025
With World UFO Day approaching July 2, journalists covering questions of extraterrestrial life and unexplained aerial phenomena can find a rare trove of expertise and primary source material at Rice University’s Archives of the Impossible.
Housed within the Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library, the archives have amassed more than a million documents, recordings and files related to unexplained phenomena — from remote viewing government programs to thousands of abduction accounts and letters from experiencers.
The center’s rapid growth has made it one of the world’s most significant collections on the subject.
“We’re not studying the phenomena so much as the people who experience them and what happens to those people and their communities over time,” said Jeffrey J. Kripal, the J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Religion at Rice and one of the archive’s founding architects.
The archive got its start in 2014 with a conversation between Kripal and renowned ufologist Jacques Vallée. It now includes 18 collections — among them the Anne and Whitley Strieber “Communion” letters, a rich compilation of 3,400 responses from individuals who identified with the alien face depicted on Whitley Strieber’s bestselling book cover.
“These stories are part of the human experience,” Kripal said. “They’ve been ignored or laughed at for so long. We want to create a space where they can be taken seriously, carefully and respectfully.”
Though the physical archives are stored off campus in a climate-controlled facility, materials can be requested and reviewed in Fondren Library’s reading room.
Researchers can also explore oral history interviews and supplementary materials in Rice’s Digital Scholarship Archive.
“The taboo nature of this material has kept it in the shadows,” Kripal said. “That’s changing now, and the archive is one reason why.” The Archives of the Impossible have also catalyzed serious academic inquiry.
Conferences in 2022, 2023 and 2025 drew global attention, including more than 300,000 online views with speakers from across disciplines exploring topics like alien contact, consciousness and alternate realities.
“We’re just beginning to discover what this archive contains,” Kripal said. “It’s not just a collection. It’s a new frontier.”
https://news.rice.edu/news/2025/rices-archives-impossible-offer-insight-and-expertise-world-ufo-day
https://impossiblearchives.rice.edu/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nPQCtWYtAk
https://www.youtube.com/@WhitleyStrieberDreamland