TYB
Axiom’s Fourth Private Mission Launches to Station Aboard Dragon
June 25, 2025
At 2:31 a.m. EDT, the crew members of Axiom Mission 4 lifted off on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, is commanding the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is serving as pilot.
The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
NASA will end coverage approximately 15 minutes after launch, following Dragon orbital insertion.
The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 7 a.m. on Thursday, June 26. NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 5 a.m. on NASA+.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/06/25/axioms-fourth-private-mission-launches-to-station-aboard-dragon/
https://www.axiomspace.com/missions/ax4
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=ax-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4TT_1e6rkM (Full Launch)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eCWkePf9sk (Axiom Mission 4 Arrival and Welcome Remarks Jun 26, 2025 7 a.m. EDT (1100 UTC))
Live or Fly a Plane in California? Help NASA Measure Ozone Pollution!
Jun 24, 2025
Live or Fly a Plane in California? Help NASA Measure Ozone Pollution!
Ozone high in the stratosphere protects us from the Sun’s ultraviolet light. But ozone near the ground is a pollutant that harms people and plants.
The San Joaquin Valley has some of the most polluted air in the country, and NASA scientists with the new Ozone Where We Live (OWWL) project are working to measure ozone and other pollutants there.
They need your help!
Do you live or work in Bakersfield, CA? Sign up to host an ozone sensor! It’s like a big lunch box that you place in your yard, but it’s not packed with tuna and crackers.
It’s filled with sensors that measure temperature and humidity and sniff out dangerous gases like methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and of course, ozone.
Can you fly a plane? Going to the San Joaquin Valley? Sign up to take an ozone sensor on your next flight! You can help measure ozone levels in layers of the atmosphere that are hard for satellites to investigate.
Scientists will combine the data you take with data from NASA’s TEMPO satellite to improve air quality models and measurements within the region. Find out more here or email: Emma.l.yates@nasa.gov
https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/citizen-science/live-or-fly-a-plane-in-california-help-nasa-measure-ozone-pollution/
https://www.nasa.gov/ozone-where-we-live/
NASA Planetary Defense Ignores Rubin Observatory’s Asteroid Hunting Abilities
June 25, 2025
NASA has a Planetary Defense Program. They want to find asteroids that might pose a risk before they pose a threat.
The other day the Vera Rubin Observatory released imagery of a variety of objects including 2,104 previously unknown asteroids discovered in just a few hours by this new instrument.
NASA has ignored the Rubin observatory’s debut while the rest of the world stopped to pay attention. This new NASA OIG report NASA’s Implementation and Management of Its Planetary Defense Strategy ignores Rubin too.
Why is that? More below.
The NASA OIG report says “NASA leads the nation’s planetary defense efforts to address the potential hazards of asteroids and comets impacting Earth.
While the Agency has made significant progress in its planetary defense mission, multiple challenges hinder its ability to fully execute its planetary defense strategic goals.
Further, actions are needed to address the role of ground-based assets in the future as new observatories with more advanced capabilities come online”.
Part of the whole planetary defense thing is identifying hazardous asteroids before they can pose a threat to Earth. That means telescopes – in space and on Earth.
I checked through this report and no mention is made of the Vera Rubin Observatory. Its capabilities were well known before it became operational. In an era of “all of government efforts”.
NASA has still made no mention of the Vera Rubin Observatory despite world wide coverage.Its not a NASA observatory.
Vera Rubin Observatory is a NSF facility – not a NASA facility. Apparently that is why.
Given this prodigious asteroid finding capability you’d think at least NASA Planetary Defense folks would be aware of this demonstrated capability by Vera Rubin Observatory.
I checked the website. No mention of Vera Rubin Observatory. The only thing I could find was after a search with the NASA.gov search engine: “NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Impact Monitoring System Goes Online” from 2021.
WHy can’t NSF and NASA work together and cross pollinate their planetary defense and astronomy capabilities better than they have?
https://nasawatch.com/space-science-news/nasa-planetary-defense-ignores-rubin-observatorys-asteroid-hunting-abilities/
ISRO-NASA’s NISAR: World’s First Dual-Band Radar Satellite
Jun 25, 2025
Ahmedabad, Gujarat – In a landmark moment for global space science, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre (SAC) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have developed the world’s first L- and S-band radar imaging satellite — named NISAR.
The $1.5 billion (₹12,500 crore) satellite is scheduled for launch aboard India’s GSLV rocket this July.
According to a report in a vernacular daily, the satellite, equipped with dual synthetic aperture radars from both nations, is expected to transform Earth observation and geophysical research — with scientists eyeing a breakthrough in the long-elusive ability to predict earthquakes.
Speaking exclusively on the mission, SAC Director Nilesh Desai explained, “Since two types of radars have been fitted, the entire scientific world is watching this satellite.
One of the radar’s waves will reach a meter deep into the ground. For the first time, there is hope that we may be able to predict earthquakes. Until now, we could not.”
This global collaboration was born from India’s early success with radar satellites. Back in 2008, ISRO launched RISAT, India’s first radar satellite.
NASA, impressed with ISRO’s radar imaging technology, proposed a partnership that matured into the NISAR mission, jointly involving hardware, development, and shared scientific objectives.
Under the project, NASA developed the L-band radar, while ISRO built the S-band radar and the satellite bus. India will also manage the launch using its GSLV Mk-II rocket from the Sriharikota spaceport.
Gold-Plated Antenna: Engineering Marvel
The satellite’s most striking feature is its 12-meter (39 feet) diameter gold-plated antenna. Designed using molybdenum mesh and coated in gold to resist corrosion, radiation, and heat, the antenna unfolds once the satellite reaches orbit.
“Deploying such a large, foldable antenna in space is one of the most technically challenging aspects,” said an ISRO scientist involved in the mission.
This high-performance antenna will enable NISAR to capture ultra-precise radar images of Earth’s surface — vital for studying tectonic shifts, ice sheet changes, forest biomass, and agricultural patterns.
SAC Ahmedabad: Quietly Leading India’s Space Technology
While ISRO’s launches from Bengaluru and Sriharikota often capture headlines, it is Ahmedabad’s Space Applications Centre that quietly undertakes many of the agency’s most complex technological challenges.
From radar systems to quantum communication, SAC continues to be the backbone of India’s cutting-edge space R&D.
https://theblunttimes.in/isro-nasas-nisar-worlds-first-dual-band-radar-satellite/48174/
National Air and Space Museum Receives $10 Million Gift From Northrop Grumman
Wed, June 25, 2025 at 7:30 AM PDT
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum received a $10 million donation from Northrop Grumman to support the transformation of the museum's building in Washington, D.C.
In honor of the gift, the museum's planetarium will be renamed the Northrop Grumman Planetarium. This leadership support helps reach the $285 million campaign goal to completely renovate the museum's flagship building.
"We are grateful to Northrop Grumman for this generous gift to support the transformation of one of the most popular museums in the world," said Chris Browne, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum.
"With this gift, we will be able to continue the work of bringing new artifacts, exhibitions and amenities to visitors from around the world and hope to expand our programming in the Northrop Grumman Planetarium."
The planetarium has also added new titles to its lineup of ticketed show options available several times daily (adult tickets are $10).
The new shows include "Oasis in Space," "Edge of Darkness," "Birth of Planet Earth" and "Faster Than Light."
In addition to the ticketed shows, free public programs that provide guided tours of the constellations and visible planets are offered twice a month, and a family-friendly educational show about the moon is offered to visitors twice a week.
The Northrop Grumman gift will allow the museum to increase the number of people served, in person and online.
Northrop Grumman has a long history of space innovation, including significant contributions to some of the most iconic missions and technological advancements, such as the Apollo Lunar Module, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope.
"This contribution reinforces our commitment to pioneering the future of space exploration and education," said Rob Fleming, president of Northrop Grumman Space Systems.
"Introducing real-world science and technology through accessible, engaging experiences helps ignite the next generation of engineers and scientists.
Together with the National Air and Space Museum, we'll spark curiosity and drive innovation in aerospace and beyond."
This gift was made possible through the Northrop Grumman Foundation.
Agartha Larbi, the foundation's president said, "This partnership builds on our long-term commitment to advancing STEM education and investing in the success of the communities where our employees live and work."
The planetarium is located on the west end of the building and was reopened in October 2022. More information about how the museum is transforming all of its exhibitions and revitalizing the building is available on the museum's website.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/national-air-space-museum-receives-143000129.html
https://www.si.edu/
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-062525a-axiom-mission-4-ax4-grace-dragon-capsule-name.html
With 'Grace': Astronauts name SpaceX's final Dragon crew capsule
June 25, 2025
The last Dragon spacecraft that SpaceX plans to build entered orbit for the first time with "grace."
Taking flight on Wednesday (June 25) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the capsule lifted off with Axiom Space's fourth crew to visit the International Space Station.
Ax-4 commander Peggy Whitson revealed the spacecraft's name just as it separated from its rocket's upper stage to begin its maiden mission.
"We had an incredible ride uphill and now we'd like to set our course for the International Space Station aboard the newest member of the Dragon fleet, our spacecraft named 'Grace,'" said Whitson, who in addition to leading Ax-4 is the director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space and a former NASA astronaut who holds the record for the most time in space by an American and by a woman.
"'Grace' is more than a name," Whitson said. "It reflects the elegance with which we move through space against the backdrop of Earth.
It speaks to the refinement of our mission, the harmony of science and spirit and the unmerited favor we carry with humility."
"Grace reminds us that spaceflight is not just a seed of engineering, but an act of good work for the benefit of every human everywhere," she said.
Whitson's comments were followed by remarks by her crewmates, delivered in their native language.
Ax-4 pilot Shubhanshu "Shuks" Shukla with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and mission specialists Sławosz "Suave" Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and the European Space Agency (ESA) and Tibor Kapu of the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut program are each their country's second citizen to fly into space after a hiatus of more than 40 years.
It has become tradition for the first astronauts to fly on a U.S. commercial crew vehicle to have the honor of naming it.
In this case, SpaceX's Crew-10 had originally been assigned to launch aboard the new capsule (referred to previously by its SpaceX serial number, 213).
A decision by NASA to advance their launch date, though, resulted in their trading spacecraft with Ax-4.
"Yes, we had thought about it, but maybe even more significantly, we had been lobbied by many different people who had ideas for us," said Crew-10 commander Anne McClain with NASA, replying to a question from collectSPACE about her crew's chosen name as part of a pre-launch briefing in March.
"So I would like to recognize our excellent flight director, Allison [Bolinger], and her "Athena" flight control team, as she was really lobbying for a name."
"We're not going to share what we would have named the capsule, but we have told the next crew that may potentially fly it that we are now the lobbyists, lobbying them to give it our name," McClain said.
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It was not immediately known if "Grace" was Crew-10's (or Bollinger's) preferred moniker.
Prior to entering orbit, all that Whitson would say about the name was that it had some relation to "Joy," the plush baby swan toy that she and her Ax-4 crewmates picked out as their zero-gravity indicator.
Swans are often described as being graceful.
"What started with 'Joy' now continues on with 'Grace,'" Paul Newton, an Axiom Space engineer, said on the company's live Ax-4 launch broadcast.
Grace now joins the prior Crew Dragons: Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance and Freedom.
"Endeavour" was the first SpaceX spacecraft to fly humans. Christened by its first two crew members, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken reached Earth orbit on May 30, 2020, and revealed their name for Capsule 206.
"Endeavour" was inspired by the effort that it took for a commercial company to launch astronauts and to honor the space shuttle orbiter Endeavour, Hurley's and Behnken's first ride into orbit (on separate missions).
Four months later, after NASA certified SpaceX to begin regular missions to rotate the crew aboard the International Space Station, astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi lifted off on "Resilience."
The four Crew-1 members named Capsule 207 in light of the global pandemic that challenged the teams at SpaceX and NASA to complete the spacecraft and launch their mission.
Capsule 210 was named "Endurance" as a further nod to the then-ongoing pandemic and the tenacity to push beyond it.
Crew-3 members Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer also acknowledged this history behind the moniker.
Ernest Shackleton and his shipmates crossing Antarctica in 1914 became trapped in ice, forcing them to endure months of hardships before being rescued.
"Freedom," or Capsule 212, was named by Crew-4 members Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti.
In addition to celebrating a human right, "Freedom" was borrowed from the name that the first American to fly into space, Alan Shepard, gave his Mercury capsule in 1961.
The tradition of U.S. astronauts naming their spacecraft dates back to the Mercury and Apollo programs. NASA's Gemini capsules were not named and the space shuttle orbiters were christened by a write-in campaign, committee vote or student contest.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon "Grace" is the first human-rated spacecraft to fly under that name. A small "hopper" designed by Intuitive Machines to jump across the moon's surface was also named "Grace" in honor of Grace Hopper, a pioneer in mathematics and computer programming.
A new orbiting observatory planned for launch in 2027, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, carries the name of NASA's first chief of astronomy.
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Lift off: CERN engineer travels to space
25 June, 2025
He's wasting no time, to say the least. Selected in 2022 from over 22 500 applicants to be one of the 11 members of the astronaut reserve pool of the European Space Agency (ESA), Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a CERN engineer, is already in space!
Sławosz and his colleagues from the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew took off today at 8:31 a.m. CEST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Dragon and the crew will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow and will spend up to 14 days there.
Sławosz is the second Polish astronaut since 1978, and the second of a new generation of European astronauts, to fly on a commercial human spaceflight with Axiom Space – which he joins as mission specialist.
Europe is teaming up with a commercial space company to show how fast-track, short-duration missions can generate good science, outreach and education for a better life on Earth.
"On the ISS I’m looking forward to floating up to the cupola, which is our window back onto Earth. I can’t wait to see Earth as a whole, as one planet, one home."
– Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski during the press conference with the Ax-4 crew ahead of launch, on 3 June 2025.
During the ESA mission – called Ignis – Sławosz will carry out 13 experiments proposed by Polish companies and institutions and developed together with ESA.
Focusing on four key areas, this mission will contribute to advancing our understanding of human health, technology, materials science and biotechnology in space.
CERN will have the pleasure of seeing one of its technologies being tested on the ISS by Sławosz himself.
Indeed, in 2024, CERN collaborated with the Polish start-up SigmaLabs on the SpaceRadMon-NG (SRM) project, a next-generation miniaturised version of the Large Hadron Collider’s well-proven radiation monitoring device.
And it's none other than Sławosz who is taking the SRM into space, where it will monitor radiation levels and their effect on electronic chips to support the development of more resilient systems for satellites and future space missions.
How better to come full circle than to see a CERN engineer test a CERN technology in space?
Alongside the experiments conducted by Sławosz, the Ax-4 research programme includes many scientific studies and activities involving 31 countries.
This will be the largest number of research and science-related activities conducted on an Axiom Space mission aboard the ISS to date, underscoring the mission's global significance and collaborative nature with the goal of advancing microgravity research in low-Earth orbit.
The mission features scientific portfolios led by the US, India, Hungary and, as mentioned, Poland/ESA.
The aim is to boost participation in space research in these countries by involving diverse stakeholders and showcasing the value of microgravity research, and to foster international collaboration – a subject close to CERN's heart.
No wonder that ESA and CERN signed a bilateral cooperation agreement ten years ago to share expertise and facilities. This year therefore marks a decade of innovation.
We wish Sławosz all the best for the coming days. We will follow him from terra firma and wish him a safe return to Earth.
https://home.cern/news/news/engineering/lift-cern-engineer-travels-space
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Slawosz_Uznanski-Wisniewski
https://www.space.com/stargazing/new-moon-of-june-2025-sees-mercury-climb-to-its-highest-point-in-the-sky
New moon of June 2025 sees Mercury climb to its highest point in the sky
June 25, 2025
The new moon occurs on June 25. A day later, Mercury reaches its highest point in the evening sky, and on June 27, the young moon will make a close pass to the planet.
The exact moment of the new moon phase occurs at 6:31 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (1031 UTC), in New York, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.
A new moon describes the moment when the sun and moon share a celestial longitude (called right ascension by astronomers), a projection of Earth's longitude lines on the sky measured eastward from the point where the sun crosses the celestial equator.
This position is also called a conjunction, and it can only happen when the moon is directly between Earth and the sun.
Sometimes the sun, moon and Earth line up perfectly, and the result is a solar eclipse. No eclipse is scheduled for this new moon, though – the next one is due on Sept. 21. Outside of solar eclipses, new moons are not visible.
Lunar phases are determined by the moon's position in its orbit around Earth, so they occur at the same time everywhere; the difference in the hour is solely due to one's time zone.
The new moon thus occurs at 3:31 a.m. in Los Angeles, 11:31 a.m. in Paris, and 7:31 p.m. local time in Tokyo.
Visible planets
On June 25 the sun sets at 8:31 p.m. in New York, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory; just five days after the solstice (June 20), so in the Northern Hemisphere days are still quite long.
The sky starts to get dark enough to see bright objects by about 9:15 p.m. At that point, one can see Mercury if there is a clear horizon.
From New York City the planet will be about 8 degrees above the horizon; tricky to spot, but still possible if conditions are right.
On June 26, Mercury reaches its highest elevation for Northern Hemisphere observers; at 9:15 it is still about 8 degrees high; that day the moon will be a thin crescent on the right side of the planet.
On June 27, in the wee hours of the morning in New York (2:03 a.m.), the moon passes within 3 degrees of Mercury; while the conjunction itself won't be visible (both the moon and Mercury are below the horizon) by the evening the moon will appear to the left of the planet and above it.
Mars, meanwhile, will be low in the west, as the planet sinks a bit each day towards the evening sun; by August, Mars will be lost in the solar glare.
One can spot it easily by its reddish color; while the planet is not as bright as it can be (it is at a point in its orbit where it is further from Earth) the color remains distinct.
Saturn rises after midnight at 12:48 a.m. EDT, (June 26) followed by Venus at 2:56 a.m. By sunrise at 4:53 a.m. Saturn is at 40 degrees and Venus at about 23 degrees; a good exercise is to see how close to sunrise one can still spot the two planets.
For those located closer to the equator, Mercury is a bit higher; from Bridgetown, Barbados, it is at 22 degrees at sunset (6:28 p.m.) and won't be visible until about a half hour later.
The planet sets at 8:10 p.m. June 25. The June 27 conjunction with the moon is more visible as one goes far westwards from New York; in Honolulu, Hawaii, the conjunction is at 8:03 p.m. and Mercury will still be 12 degrees above the western horizon with the thin crescent moon above it at about 22 degrees.
In the tropics, the effect of seasons on day length is much less pronounced – sunset on June 25 in Honolulu is at 7:17 p.m., rather earlier than in New York.
From the Southern Hemisphere, Mars will be in the northwest after sunset. As it is the austral winter, sunsets are early. In Santiago, Chile, for example, sunset is at 5:43 p.m. local time on June 25.
By 6:30 p.m. local time Mars is 40 degrees above the northwestern horizon in the constellation Leo.
Closer to the horizon is Mercury which, as in the Northern Hemisphere, is a challenge to observe, but it is slightly higher for austral sky watchers; about 10 degrees high, so with a clear horizon and no trees or buildings one can catch it. Mercury sets in Santiago by 7:33 p.m. local time.
In Santiago, Saturn rises on June 26 at 12:48 a.m. Venus rises at 4:20 a.m.; by 6 a.m. Saturn is about 53 degrees high in the north-northeast and Venus is at 20 degrees in the northeast.
Sunrise isn't until 7:47 a.m., by 7 a.m. as the sky is getting light one can see Venus in the northeast and Saturn just west of north.
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Constellations
In June in the Northern Hemisphere, the sky doesn't get fully dark until about 10 p.m. at the latitude of New York, Denver, San Francisco or Tokyo.
In New York City, astronomical twilight, when the sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon and the last of the daylight disappears, is between 9:47 and 10:37 p.m. on June 25.
At 10 p.m., as one can look south and see the red star Antares, about 21 degrees high; one can distinguish it from Mars because the planet will be in the west (to the right).
Another way to know the difference immediately is that on nights when stars visibly twinkle planets shine with a steady light.
At this time of year one can see the entirety of Scorpius, the Scorpion, from mid-northern latitudes, though the very end of the Scorpion's tail is brushing the horizon and is only visible if there's nothing in the way.
That said, one can easily catch the three stars to the right of Antares that mark the claws.
Turning eastwards (left) and even closer to the horizon one can see the "teapot" shape of Sagittarius the Archer rising; it gets more visible as the night progresses and gets to its highest altitude (about 20 degrees) by about 1 a.m. June 26.
Further left, almost due east at 10 p.m. and about 23 degrees high is Altair, the eye of Aquila the Eagle, which is the southernmost point of the Summer Triangle.
The other two are Vega, or Alpha Lyrae, which is upwards and to the left of Altair, more than halfway to the zenith in the east-northeast. The third star is Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus, the Swan, located a bit higher than Altair and towards the northeast.
All three stars form a right triangle shape with the 90-degree corner at Deneb and are bright enough that they are visible even in light-polluted areas.
The Big Dipper, which is a common orientation point for Northern Hemisphere sky watchers, is in the northeast, about two thirds of the way to the zenith from the horizon.
At 10 p.m. it will be to the left as one faces north, almost vertical with the bowl on the downward side. On the bottom side of the bowl in this orientation are the stars called Dubhe and Merak that point to Polaris.
Dubhe will be on the right; one finds Polaris, the Pole Star, by making a line between the two and continuing until one reaches it. The Big Dipper is not a constellation in itself; it is part of the larger group that is the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear.
Polaris is the end of the handle of the Little Dipper, the asterism that makes up most of Ursa Minor, the Little Bear.
Following the handle of the Dipper one can "arc to Arcturus" –a sweeping motion along the curve of the handle gets you there, to the brightest star in Boötes, the Herdsman.
Continuing that arc one hits Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. If one draws a line between Dubhe and Merak away from Polaris one reaches Leo, the Lion.
Arcturus is high at 10 p.m. – 62 degrees above the southwestern horizon. Looking a bit to the left, one can see an arc of stars with a brighter one at the halfway point of the arc; this is Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown.
The bright star Alpha Corona Borealis is called Alphecca; at this point one is looking almost directly overhead.
Further left (east) from Corona Borealis is a square of fainter stars that makes up the central part of Hercules. The square is sometimes called the Keystone.
If one moves south (toward the horizon) one meets Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, a large and faint constellation above Scorpius. Ophiuchus makes a large, narrow, five-sided shape – rather like a tall A-frame house.
Starting with Antares, if one looks up and to the left of it, there is a star called Pi Ophiuchi, or Sabik, that is the bottom left corner of the main body of Ophiuchus, and to the right and above that is Zeta Ophiuchi.
Look slightly to the left and upwards and one sees Kappa Ophiuchi, the right upper corner of the "box" that is Ophiuchus' body (think of it as his shoulder).
Look leftward and one sees the slightly brighter star Ras Alhague, Alpha Ophiuchi, the head, and to the left and downward is the other shoulder, Beta Ophiuchi or Cebalrai (pronounced with a hard C).
In the Southern Hemisphere, the sky gets dark enough to see stars by 7:00 p.m. Observers in mid-southern latitudes can see Scorpius 40 degrees high in the east; by 11 p.m. the constellation is almost directly overhead.
Looking due south and upwards – two thirds of the way to the zenith – is Crux, the Southern Cross. The cross will be upright, so the bottom star is Acrux (Alpha Crucis), while on the left is Mimosa (Beta Crucis), the top is Gacrux (Gamma Crucis) and the right point is Imai (Delta Crucis).
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Stargazers in Europe spot a strange cloud from SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch
June 25, 2025
The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket treated stargazers in Europe to a surprise display on the night of June 23, when a plume of rocket propellant briefly became visible to the naked eye.
SpaceX's Transporter 14 mission lifted off from California's Vanderberg Space Force Base earlier this week carrying 70 commercial payloads bound for low-Earth orbit aboard one of the company's workhorse Falcon 9 rockets.
The June 23 launch saw the first stage of the reusable rocket make a controlled landing on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean, while the payload-bearing upper stage powered on to its target orbit.
Transporter 14's upper stage proceeded to deploy its payloads and release a plume of rocket propellant prior to re-entering Earth's atmosphere, which quickly froze and reflected sunlight, becoming visible to eagle-eyed stargazers in Europe.
Luckily, the Virtual Telescope Project's all sky camera captured the diffuse cloud of particles in the night sky above Manciano, Italy at 8:13 p.m. EDT on June 23 (0013 GMT June 24) alongside the softly glowing, dust choked band of the Milky Way.
Oxfordshire-based astrophotographer and science communicator Mary McIntyre also recorded a number of time-lapse videos around the same time as the plume passed swiftly over the U.K., using meteor and aurora-hunting cameras.
Similar plumes have been spotted in the wake of previous rideshare missions where a Falcon 9 upper stage has been ordered to perform a fuel purge.
The orientation and movement of rocket upper stages have been known to create unique patterns and majestic swirls in the night sky, though on this occasion the propellant lacked any such defined structure.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/stargazers-in-europe-spot-a-strange-cloud-from-spacex-falcon-9-rocket-launch
https://x.com/Spicey_Spiney/status/1937469340988620847
Orion constellation glows red in gorgeous deep space photo
June 24, 2025
This deep view of the Orion Constellation glows in reddish hues thanks to a filtered view of hydrogen alpha emission, a type of light emitted by hydrogen atoms.
The large, intricate semi-circle around the three stars that make up Orion's belt is known as Barnard's Loop (Sh2-276), a nebula about 1,600 light-years away that itself spans some 300 light-years across.
Barnard's Loop is part of the even bigger Orion molecular cloud complex, made up of dust, hydrogen and helium, and is the birthplace of stars.
I always wanted to make an image like this one that shows all the beautiful reddish hydrogen that surrounds one of the most spectacular and colorful regions of the entire night sky as seen from Earth.
This cloud contains known wonders like M42, Horse Head, LDN 1622, the large Lambda Orionis Ring and the bluish (OIII) Witch Head Nebula, close to Rigel star.
I had my set up for this shot (Samyang 35mm f1.8 with Poseidon C Pro) available and prepared for two months before Orion cooperated.
This image was a bit challenging to capture, due to uncooperative weather and the fact that the Orion constellation was beginning to set early along the western horizon.
I only had 40 minutes available for each clear night between February and March 2025 as seen from the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve in Portugal, so collecting the seven hours of data in total for this image took many nights.
Had I taken it in the beginning of winter, I could have taken it in one night. I hope you enjoy the result.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/orion-constellation-glows-red-in-gorgeous-deep-space-photo
Astronomers discover origins of mysterious double hot Jupiter exoplanets: 'It is a dance of sorts'
June 25, 2025
Astronomers may have uncovered the curious origins of the universe's most curious planets, so-called "double hot Jupiters." The team behind the research hopes their discovery will help find more of these rare planets.
Hot Jupiter extra-solar planets, or "exoplanets," are scorching hot gas giants around the size of Jupiter or above that orbit so closely to their parent stars that one of their years can last less than an Earth day.
While hot Jupiters are rare, orbiting just 1% of stars, even more scarce are "double hot Jupiters." These exoplanet pairs are found in binary star systems with one planet orbiting around each of the twin stars.
That's a strange arrangement and one that scientists have been keen to decode as it seems to challenge theories of planet formation.
This team of astronomers thinks they may have the key to this puzzle, finding that the normal, long-term evolution of binary systems can naturally lead to the formation of a hot Jupiter around each star.
The process investigated by the team is known as von Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai (ZLK) migration.
This posits the idea that over periods of time, planets with unusual orbits or orbital angles can be influenced by the gravity of another object, leading them to become a hot Jupiter close to their parent star.
"The ZLK mechanism is a dance of sorts," team leader and Yale University astronomer Malena Rice said in a statement.
"In a binary system, the extra star can shape and warp planets' orbits, causing the planets to migrate inward.
"We show how planets in binary systems can undergo a mirrored migration process, so that both stars end up with hot Jupiters."
To reach their conclusion, Rice and colleagues performed a number of simulations of the evolution of binary stars with two planets using the Grace computing cluster at the Yale Center for Research Computing with data from NASA's Exoplanet Archive and from the European Space Agency (ESA) star-tracking mission Gaia.
"With the right code and enough computing power, we can explore how planets evolve over billions of years — movements that no human could watch in a lifetime, but that still could leave imprints for us to observe," Yale researcher Yurou Liu said.
The unintended consequence of the team's research is that it makes planet-formation models a whole lot more interesting.
"We would expect giant planets to form far away from their host stars," Liu said. "This makes hot Jupiters both accessible and mysterious — and a worthwhile subject to study."
As for the hunt for more double hot Jupiters, the team suggests revisiting binary systems in which one hot Jupiter has already been discovered.
The only catch is: these parent stars need to have a separation that is not too close and not too far, but just right. "Our proposed mechanism works best when the stars are at a moderate separation," explained team member and Yale research Tiger Lu.
"They need to be far enough apart that giant planets are still expected to form around each star, but close enough together for the two stars to influence each other during the system lifetime."
Goldilocks binary stars, anyone?
https://www.space.com/astronomy/astronomers-discover-origins-of-mysterious-double-hot-jupiter-exoplanets-it-is-a-dance-of-sorts
https://news.yale.edu/2025/06/18/new-study-offers-double-dose-hot-jupiters
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/add405
The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its 1st exoplanet and snapped its picture
June 25, 2025
After three years of helping astronomers investigate known planets beyond the solar system, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered its first new planet.
The extrasolar planet, or "exoplanet," which has been designated TWA 7b, also happens to have the lowest mass of any planet that has been directly imaged beyond the solar system.
With an estimated mass of around 100 times that of Earth or 0.3 times the mass of Jupiter, TWA 7b is ten times lighter than any exoplanet previously directly imaged.
TWA 7b was discovered in the debris rings that surround the low-mass star CE Antilae, also known as TWA 7, located around 111 light-years from Earth.
CE Antilae is a very young star, estimated to be around just a few million years old. If that seems ancient, consider the sun, a "middle-aged" star, is around 4.6 billion years old.
CE Antilae, discovered in 1999, has long been a system of great interest to astronomers because it is seen "pole-on" from Earth.
That means the disk of debris or "protoplanetary disk" that surrounds CE Antliae is seen 'from above' (or 'below'), revealing its full extent.
This has allowed astronomers to see structures in this disk that appear to have been created by the gravity of then-unseen planets and planetesimals, the "seeds" which gather mass to grow into full planets.
The disk of CE Antilae is divided into three distinct rings, one of which is narrow and bounded by two empty "lanes" mostly devoid of matter.
When imaging this ring, the JWST spotted an infrared-emitting source, which the team of astronomers determined is most likely a young exoplanet.
They then used simulations that confirmed the formation of a thin ring and a "hole" exactly where this planet is positioned, corresponding to JWST observations.
The JWST is the ideal instrument to detect young low-mass planets like TWA 7b, which emit infrared radiation, the type of light the $10 billion space telescope is most sensitive to.
Directly imaging these planets is difficult because they are drowned out by light from their parent stars.
The JWST is equipped with a coronagraph that blocks out the light from central stars, allowing the faint infrared emissions of orbiting exoplanets to be detected by its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
That means, though this is the lowest mass planet ever imaged and the first exoplanet discovered by the JWST, it's a safe bet that the powerful space telescope will discover many more planets as it images even lighter worlds.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/the-james-webb-space-telescope-has-discovered-its-1st-exoplanet-and-snapped-its-picture-image
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09150-4
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4224792/first-guardian-to-launch-into-space-talks-resilience/
First Guardian to launch into space talks resilience
June 24, 2025
Space Force Guardian and NASA astronaut Col. Nick Hague, the first Guardian to launch into space, visited Vandenberg Space Force Base, June 18. During his visit, Hague thanked Team Vandenberg SFB personnel for their support.
He served as the commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which took him and his crew to the International Space Station, where he spent 170 days as part of Expedition 72. Hague returned to Earth on March 28.
"The 18th Space Defense Squadron played a crucial role in supporting my mission aboard the Space Station, ensuring the safe navigation of our operations and preventing potential collisions with orbital debris or other objects in space,” Hague said.
“That’s why I’m here at Vandenberg, to be able to spend time with the Guardians and Airmen who are a part of Team Vandenberg. They’re the ones tracking all that stuff.”
Space travel was Hague’s dream as a child — one that would see him through his graduation at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering.
He would submit three applications to the space program over the course of a decade, but remained steadfast through rejection and delay. In 2013, he was selected, one among 6,000 considered, to become a NASA astronaut.
In 2018, Hague faced a true test of determination and resilience when his shuttle experienced a critical malfunction during his first space mission.
“That’s when the training kicks in,” he explained. “We’re fortunate to have an exceptional team of psychologists and human factors experts who specialize in behavioral performance.
They prepare us to manage the stress of spaceflight — before launch, during the mission, and even as we reintegrate with our families upon return.”
Demonstrating remarkable composure and technical expertise during the mission abort and landing procedures, Hague and his crewmate successfully executed a safe landing, showcasing the strength of their training and teamwork.
During his recent mission, Hague shared that he and his crew spent over two hours each day performing cardio and weightlifting exercises aboard the International Space Station.
This rigorous routine was essential to mitigate the effects of bone density and muscle loss caused by microgravity.
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This focus on physical and mental resilience reflects the shared values of NASA’s Human Factors and Behavioral Performance element and Vandenberg’s Guardian Resilience Team (GRT).
Both programs emphasize the foundational principles of the Guardian way of life: character, commitment, connection, and courage, ensuring individuals are prepared to excel in the most demanding environments.
“Colonel Hague exemplifies the values we aim to cultivate through the Guardian Resilience Team,” said Dr. Jessica Gallus, GRT lead.
“He understands that sustained high performance is rooted in character to lead with integrity, commitment to excellence, connection with teammates, and courage to face challenges.
GRT’s Performance and Readiness Model ensures these qualities are deliberately developed and integrated across a Guardian’s career for maximum impact.”
After voluntarily transferring from the United States Air Force to the United States Space Force in 2021, Hague would go on to become the first Space Force Guardian to launch into space.
Now, with over one year logged in space, Hague continues the mission, helping conduct spacetime research.
He offered insight into the ways in which government and civil space missions together protect the American way of life.
“As Guardians, we understand that space is not just a domain of exploration — it’s a critical frontier for ensuring national security and advancing humanity’s future,” Hague said.
“By combining the strengths of government and civil space missions, we safeguard the American way of life while driving innovation that benefits the world.
Together, we create a balanced approach — leveraging advanced technologies, fostering international collaboration, and conducting research that not only strengthens our national security but also propels humanity forward.
Hague’s message resonated across Vandenberg SFB.
Student Guardians from the 533rd Training Group gathered in classrooms to witness the astronaut in person and Guardians and Airmen from across the installation filled the seats of the base theatre to gain insights from the seasoned veteran.
Through these interactions, Vandenberg SFB personnel had the unique opportunity to hear firsthand how their efforts on the ground directly contribute to the success of missions in space.
“Our expertise in mission management and ensuring seamless performance in launch and test operations helps them do their jobs safely and securely.
It’s a great collaboration,” said Staff Sgt. Daymyon Bonnos, 2nd Space Launch Squadron mission assurance technician. “To see someone that actually went up there and come back and tell us about how all of our work actually matters — it’s really cool.”
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DAF joins with Disney, Pixar to bring military family story to life in ‘Elio’
June 24, 2025
For military children, making new friends every few years is part of the routine, but it's not always easy. While the resilience of these children has been showcased on film before, a new animated movie is bringing some of their challenges to the big screen.
The Defense Department often works with Hollywood to create movie magic and lend an air of authenticity to military life depicted on screen.
It's not as often that DoD works with studios on animated films, but when it came to "Elio," Disney's new Pixar movie about a military child, the department's experts were called on to lend their support.
The film is about 11-year-old Elio, whose aunt and parental guardian is an Air Force major and an orbital analyst.
Elio is obsessed with space, and since he doesn't have many friends, he hopes to get abducted by aliens to find some.
He makes that dream happen and goes on a galactic adventure where he becomes friends with an alien. Naturally, chaos ensues.
The movie explores themes that many military kids can relate to, such as loneliness, being an outsider, finding one's place and the importance of friendship — no matter how different you are.
"I think the film does a really good job talking about relationships and showing what it could feel like as a military child who frequently deals with change and finding one's place in a new environment," said Develyn Watson, who helped support the movie as the deputy director of the Department of the Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office.
Pixar first contacted the department in early 2019 to see if Adrian Molina, the movie's cowriter/codirector, could get a tour of Beale Air Force Base in Yuba County, California.
Molina was born at the base and had been writing a story centered on how he felt growing up as a child in a military family.
In February 2021, the studio requested a tour of Vandenberg AFB, California — shortly before it was renamed as a Space Force base — so animators, writers, producers and others involved in the film could make the optics realistic.
They also wanted to learn more from military personnel and their families.
At the time, officials said the Space Force was being stood up, so the Air Force was still heavily involved in space operations. Because the movie was written based on the Air Force, reality was bent a bit to move the narrative forward.
"It's not like in a live [action movie], where you can just switch out uniforms," Watson explained. "In animation, that could be several millions of dollars to change.
The path was set for the Air Force, so that's how the character continued to be an Air Force person but has what is now a Space Force job."
Movie crew members also visited Travis AFB in Fairfield, California, to get a feel for what aircraft flightlines are like — something else pivotal to the film.
Personnel at the bases offered uniform guidance and other feedback, especially from active-duty mothers.
Watson said one of the things the studio really tried to get right was the mathematical aspects of space flight.
"We had to get with our experts at Vandenberg to kind of work through … how can we keep this as accurate as possible?" Watson said.
"We know it's a kids' movie, but … [the studio] also wanted to make sure that the adults could be like, 'You know what? They got that right!'"
"We think Disney and Pixar did a really good job," she added.
DoD entertainment officials said the department helped work on Disney's movie "Planes" about 15 years ago.
Watson said the Air Force also helped with a lesser-known 2005 direct-to-video animated movie called "Tugger: The Jeep 4x4 Who Wanted to Fly."
Ahead of the movie's theatrical release, Disney/Pixar invited military families to special screenings across the country, including at an event hosted by the Motion Picture Association in Washington, D.C. June 17.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4225050/daf-joins-with-disney-pixar-to-bring-military-family-story-to-life-in-elio/
SpaceX Starlink Mission
June 25, 2025
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, June 25 for a Falcon 9 launch of 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Liftoff is targeted for 3:03 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:32 p.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Thursday, June 26 starting at 12:11 p.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes 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 20th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, NG-21, and 13 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read The Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-10-16
Ex-Space Chief Rogozin Threatens to Send KVN Comedians to War
June 25, 2025
Russia’s former space chief Dmitry Rogozin on Tuesday threatened to send a group of young comedians to the war in Ukraine after they mocked his Ph.D. dissertation on a popular television show.
Rogozin said he was sent a clip from a recent broadcast of the long-running KVN comedy game show, where teams compete for the title of Russia’s “funniest and most inventive club.”
In the sketch that drew his ire, a member of a St. Petersburg team joked that Rogozin had written in his dissertation that “one doesn’t swap the cosmos for a chick.”
“We’ll take them to the front line and wish them good luck in battle,” Rogozin wrote on his Telegram channel, referring to the comedians. “And when they return, we’ll laugh together at their unfortunate, unfunny and vulgar joke.”
Rogozin, a nationalist politician and outspoken supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, served as head of the Roscosmos space agency from 2018 to 2022.
He previously held posts as deputy prime minister and Russia’s envoy to NATO. During his career, he earned a Ph.D. in engineering with a focus on weapons theory.
In his post, Rogozin claimed to know which military enlistment office the KVN team members are registered with and said he was awaiting the name of their joke writer, whom he described as a “talentless punk.”
“We’ll teach them everything, including a sense of humor,” Rogozin wrote. However, later on Wednesday, he backtracked on his threat, saying that the comedians “are of no interest to us due to their intellectual immaturity.”
“They may be good for silly jokes, but not for defending the Motherland,” Rogozin wrote.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, sending young men to the front as punishment for perceived offenses has become an increasingly common threat.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/25/ex-space-chief-rogozin-threatens-to-send-kvn-comedians-to-war-a89560
NATO members’ leaders snubbing Zelensky at key summit – Orban
25 Jun, 2025 12:02
Several NATO members, including the US, are deliberately avoiding meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at the bloc’s key summit in The Hague, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed.
Speaking prior to the gathering on Wednesday, Orban noted that Zelensky would only attend the informal dinner and “will not participate in the NATO summit in any official form,” indicating that “a clear sign that the previous chapter is over.”
The Hungarian prime minister went on to explain that this is a drastic change compared to previous years, stating that “the Americans, the Turks, the Slovaks, and we have made it clear that we do not want to sit at the same table with Zelensky when it comes to NATO.”
He further stressed Hungary’s continued opposition to Ukraine joining NATO or the EU. Orban has repeatedly warned that Kiev’s membership in any of the blocs would drag the West into a direct conflict with Russia.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto noted that the 2025 summit would be the first since 2022 where the focus would be not on stepping up support for Ukraine, but on strengthening the bloc’s collective defense.
“With Ukraine’s NATO membership off the agenda, direct confrontation with Russia has been avoided. Rationality has prevailed,” he added.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump confirmed that he would “probably” meet with Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit.
At the same time, he described the Ukrainian leader as being in a “tough situation,” adding that he “should have never been there.”
In another sign of the simmering tensions between Zelensky and Trump, the Washington Post reported that NATO leaders are “tiptoeing around rifts” during the summit, trying to showcase “a veneer of unity”.
The paper reported that “NATO officials are trying to keep [Trump and Zelensky] apart as much as possible in public — a recognition of Trump’s occasionally volcanic disdain for the Ukrainian leader.”
In this vein, NATO organizers positioned Zelensky far from Trump during the official summit photo-op, according to footage broadcast by C-SPAN.
https://www.rt.com/news/620490-nato-leaders-snub-zelensky/
Ex-Soviet state arrests opposition cleric on terrorism charges
25 Jun, 2025 08:53
Armenian authorities have arrested a high-profile cleric for alleged terrorism and attempts to stage a coup, according to the country’s Investigative Committee and footage on social media.
Bagrat Galstanyan was a key leader in the demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down after he agreed to return several border villages to Azerbaijan.
The move was meant to help mend still-tenuous relations between the two former Soviet republics.
In a statement on Wednesday, Armenia's Investigative Committee accused a movement called ‘Holy Struggle’, as well as its leaders, including Galstanyan, of harboring plans “to carry out terrorist acts and actions aimed at seizing power in Armenia.”
Officials said that while they tried to achieve their goals by fueling protests last summer, they later decided to change tactics, preparing “actions of small strike groups.”
The Committee also accused the movement of laying the groundwork for the use of force, including recruiting more than 1,000 people, gathering intelligence required to disable traffic lights and electricity in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, and acquiring “thousands of incendiary devices intended for explosions.”
According to local media, Galstanyan was taken into custody by security forces, with his home being searched.
Pashinyan responded to the reports, saying, without mentioning Galstanyan by name, that law enforcement had foiled a “large and shameful plan of the ‘criminal oligarchic clergy’ to destabilize the Republic of Armenia.”
Galstanyan, a senior bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, emerged as a central figure in Armenia’s 2024 protest movement.
The demonstrations were sparked by Pashinyan’s decision to return four border villages in the Tavush region to Azerbaijan – a move that many Armenians viewed as a betrayal of national interests.
The prime minister has framed the handover as part of broader efforts to normalize ties with Azerbaijan and formally demarcate the border, following decades of tension over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
As the head of the Tavush diocese, Galstanyan led a protest march from Tavush to Yerevan, later leading mass rallies in the capital demanding Pashinyan’s resignation and the formation of a transitional government.
At one point, the cleric positioned himself as a candidate for prime minister, although his dual citizenship with Canada makes him ineligible to hold the post.
The arrest comes after the Armenian authorities detained Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire, who voiced support for the Armenian Apostolic Church in the conflict with the government.
Karapetyan is facing charges of calling for the overthrow of the state.
https://www.rt.com/russia/620475-armenia-arrest-pm-cleric/
‘Ukraine can win’ – new NATO commander
25 Jun, 2025 15:43
Ukraine can still achieve a military victory over Russia, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of the US European Command, Alexus Grynkewich, said during a US Senate hearing on Tuesday.
He was confirmed in his new role with the US-led military bloc earlier this month.
“I believe Ukraine can win,” he responded when asked if Kiev could still prevail despite significant casualties and waning financial support.
Grynkewich also noted that Ukrainian forces are displaying a level of tenacity that is hard for outsiders to fully comprehend.
He did not specify what form a Ukrainian victory might take, nor did he provide further detail regarding battlefield prospects.
Top NATO officials have long insisted that Ukraine should aim to defeat Russia militarily. The bloc continues to supply arms and intelligence to Kiev, even as it loses territory to Russian forces.
Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive failed to achieve any meaningful breakthroughs, and a more recent attempted incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region was repelled.
Meanwhile, Russian advances have continued along several sectors of the front line, including in the Donetsk and Kharkov regions.
Military analysts and Western officials have increasingly questioned the viability of a Ukrainian victory.
Last month, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul claimed that the military defeat of nuclear-armed Russia had been impossible “from the very beginning.”
US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly expressed doubt that Ukraine could secure a military victory over Russia, instead pushing for a negotiated settlement of the conflict.
He has insisted that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” referred to Ukraine as “demolished,” and cautioned that the country may not be able to survive the conflict, even with US support.
Moscow has also repeatedly insisted that its victory is inevitable and has criticized continued Western military aid to Ukraine, arguing that it only prolongs hostilities without affecting their outcome.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that the conflict will end only when its “root causes” are resolved and his country’s security interests are taken into account.
He has also accused Kiev’s foreign backers of being uninterested in actually ending the conflict and using Ukraine to achieve their own goals.
https://www.rt.com/russia/620525-nato-commander-ukraine-victory/
Kiev-orchestrated bomb plot thwarted in Moscow Region – FSB
25 Jun, 2025 13:11
Two Russian citizens who were collecting an improvised explosive from a cache outside Moscow, have been killed after opening fire on law enforcement, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified by the agency as “accomplices of Ukrainian special services,” who allegedly planned to use the device in a terrorist attack targeting a Russian military service member.
According to the FSB, video footage appearing to show surveillance scenes along with the alleged IED proves that the bomb was ready for activation when it was seized.
Plot details were subsequently discovered on suspects’ phones and investigators are reportedly treating the case as a felony involving unlawful possession of explosives.
The FSB frequently reports having disrupted terrorist operations allegedly coordinated by Ukrainian intelligence services, though suspects are typically apprehended alive.
Exceptions have occurred, particularly when Kiev is believed to rely on radicalized individuals with links to international terrorist organizations.
One such case was reported in April 2024, when two Central Asian Islamists allegedly planned to use first-person-view drones armed with explosive devices to target an oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The FSB claimed the suspects were directed to retrieve the equipment from a cache and were given operational instructions by a “Ukrainian handler.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/620485-fsb-terrorist-bomb-plot/
Previously agreed humanitarian exchanges need to be completed before any further progress, the Kremlin has indicate
25 Jun, 2025 10:34
Moscow and Kiev are currently working to fully implement the humanitarian portion of their previous agreements, and therefore no negotiations are currently underway on their respective peace roadmaps, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Speaking at a regular press briefing on Wednesday, Peskov noted that the exact date of the next round of talks with Kiev would be decided after all previous pledges are fulfilled, referring to prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of slain soldiers.
Russia and Ukraine held direct talks in Türkiye last month, resuming a diplomatic process that was paused by Kiev in 2022 after it chose to seek a battlefield victory with Western assistance.
During their latest meeting on June 2, the two sides agreed to exchange prisoners and the remains of deceased troops for humanitarian reasons.
Ukraine and Russia also traded draft memorandums outlining their proposed paths to peace.
The return of slain soldiers was completed on Monday last week. Russia transferred 6,060 sets of remains to Ukraine and received 78 in exchange.
The Russian military says it has more than 3,000 bodies it is willing to hand over.
There were also several prisoner swaps, though neither side gave specific figures, unlike during previous swaps.
Negotiators had suggested that Moscow and Kiev would not seek parity in numbers when returning seriously injured soldiers from captivity.
While Kiev did resume dialogue with Moscow as urged by the administration of US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian officials have claimed that Russia is not negotiating in good faith because it declined to agree to an unconditional ceasefire.
Moscow said Kiev could use such a pause to regroup its military and outlined conditions for a truce in its draft memorandum.
Russia said it would suspend hostilities if Ukraine either pulled troops out of Russian territories that Kiev claims, or suspended its conscription campaign and deliveries of Western arms.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is presently set to meet Trump on the sidelines of the ongoing NATO leaders summit in The Hague.
https://www.rt.com/russia/620481-peskov-kiev-moscow-dialog/
IDF says it shot down drone from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace
June 25, 2025 4:36 pm
A drone apparently launched from Yemen was shot down by the Israeli Air Force a short while ago, the military says.
According to the IDF, the drone did not enter Israeli airspace.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-it-shot-down-drone-from-yemen-before-it-entered-israeli-airspace/
6 o' clock (no knock warrants) can be dangerous
Submersible drone found in Cagayan
June 26, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — A submersible drone was found by fishermen in the waters off Calayan in Cagayan on Tuesday.
The drone, which bore the markings “JaiaBot and Jaia Robotics Inc. P. +1401-214-9232,” was found near the coast of Barangay Dalupiri.
It was equipped with an antenna, propeller and rudder, indicating the device is controlled remotely.
The drone was turned over to the local police and will be subjected to examination to determine its origin or if it poses a threat to the country’s security, according to Col. Mardito Anguluan, Cagayan police director.
Anguluan lauded the fishermen and barangay officials for immediately surrendering the drone to authorities.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2025/06/26/2453368/submersible-drone-found-cagayan
A Russian drone with the latest technology from Iran was shot down in Ukraine
June 25, 2025 15:44
A Russian drone with new Iranian technology developed last year was shot down in Ukraine.
The UAV is particularly resistant to jamming and has a number of other improvements, the head of the NGO "Center for Radio Technologies" Serhiy Beskrestnov told the Associated Press.
He said the new drone had an advanced camera, an artificial intelligence-based computing platform, and radio communications that allowed an operator to remotely control it from Russia.
The drone's AI could help it navigate autonomously if communications were lost.
The UAV also featured new anti-jamming technology that Beskretnov said was developed in Iran over the past year.
The technology made the drone more resistant to Ukrainian electronic warfare. The new UAV was white in color, unlike most Russian drones, which are painted black.
Beskrestnov suggested that Russia plans to use the latest drone to attack "critical infrastructure," including power line towers.
Other experts the agency spoke with suggested that Iran had sold new drones to Russia for combat testing.
On May 29, it was reported that Russia attacked Ukraine with a new type of attack jet UAV, the Dan-M.
These drones can fly at an altitude of up to nine kilometers and stay in the air for up to 40 minutes.
https://news.liga.net/en/politics/news/a-russian-drone-with-the-latest-technology-from-iran-was-shot-down-in-ukraine
Explosions Rock Russian Drone Plant in Taganrog – Ukraine Claims Direct Strike
June 25, 2025, 1:40 pm
A major Russian defense facility linked to Moscow’s drone production was damaged overnight in the city of Taganrog, Ukraine’s security officials claimed on Tuesday, as Russia reported widespread drone strikes across its territory.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said an explosion struck the Atlant-Aero plant, describing it as a vital hub of Russia’s military-industrial complex.
“This plant produces critical components for combat drones, including Orion drones, as well as electronic warfare systems and digital control technologies for FPV strike drones and loitering munitions,” Kovalenko stated.
The strike came amid a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks reported by Russian authorities overnight, targeting several regions, including Rostov, which borders Ukraine.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its air defense systems intercepted 22 drones over various areas, including the occupied Crimean Peninsula and at least seven over the Rostov region.
Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed damage in Taganrog, stating on Telegram that two residential buildings, a sports facility, and a school sustained damage.
In the nearby port city of Azov, a grain storage facility and an industrial site were reportedly hit. No casualties were reported.
Drone warfare has played an increasingly decisive role on both sides of the frontline since the beginning of the war sparked by Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian drones struck Russian strategic bomber aircraft deep inside enemy territory as part of an operation dubbed “Spiderweb,” which Kyiv officials called a success.
While Ukraine focuses its efforts on targets linked to the Russian military, Moscow continues its relentless aerial assault against civilian targets in Ukrainian towns and cities, using thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones alongside ballistic and cruise in waves of overnight attacks.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/55162
Donetsk Oblast city ‘on brink of humanitarian catastrophe,’ governor says as drones cripple infrastructure
June 25, 2025 4:08 PM
The front-line city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast is facing a looming "humanitarian catastrophe" as ongoing Russian strikes destroy critical infrastructure and leave thousands without basic services, Governor Vadym Filashkin said on June 25.
Kostiantynivka, in eastern Donetsk Oblast, lies just 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) from several areas currently occupied by Russian forces, according to battlefield mapping site DeepState.
The city has come under intensified attack in recent months as Moscow pushes westward beyond its gains around other nearby towns.
According to Filashkin, nearly half the city is without electricity due to shelling, and 1,900 households in the Santurynivka district have no access to gas, with restoration currently impossible.
Water is supplied just once a day from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., meeting only 20–25% of the city's needs. Drone strikes have halted all city bus operations, while the suburban route to Druzhkivka, a nearby town, is operating on a limited basis, Filashkin said.
Yevhen Alkhimov, press officer of Ukraine's 28th Mechanized Brigade, which is fighting near Kostiantynivka, told the Kyiv Independent that "the greatest danger at the moment comes from first person view (FPV) drones, including fiber optic models."
"The enemy is trying to control all logistics and communication routes," he said, adding: "The Russians’ goal right now is not so much to destroy the city as it is to make it unsuitable for defense by controlling all the roads."
Alkhimov said Russian forces were deliberately targeting vehicles including civilian buses. "They are trying to fully control all movement in the city using their drones," he said.
Authorities have installed seven large water tanks and 11 smaller containers throughout the city, in addition to 12 wells, six of which are equipped with filtration systems.
Five "Points of Invincibility," Ukraine's emergency support hubs, are operational, with two more on standby.
Despite the risks, emergency crews, doctors, utility workers, and local officials continue to work in the city. "Civilians still remain in the city, and life is becoming more and more difficult for them," Alkhimov said.
"There are fewer people left, the curfew is now longer, but nonetheless, people are still there, and it is truly very dangerous for them to stay in the city." Filashkin urged those still in the city to evacuate.
Russia has intensified its offensive in eastern Ukraine while insisting that any peace negotiations must recognize its claimed annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts and Crimea.
Russian forces do not fully control any of the four regions it seeks to claim. Ukraine has ruled out ceding its territory as part of any peace agreement.
https://kyivindependent.com/kostiantynivka-in-donetsk-oblast-on-brink-of-humanitarian-crisis-amid-continued-russian-attacks-governor-says/