>>23244780

TYB

>>23244841

>>23244882

Always a pleasure o7

NASA Is in Full Meltdown

Jun 27, 9:08 AM EDT

"NASA is f**ked."

Career NASA officials were seen looking mighty freaked out during a recent town hall event about the agency's dicey future.

As Ars Technica's Stephen Clark reports based on a livestream of the town hall — which was not advertised and has since been taken down — acting NASA administrator and career agency official Janet Petro looked like a hostage as she answered questions from staff about the agency's dire standing under president Donald Trump.

The hostage-taker in this scenario appears to be NASA's newly appointed chief of staff Brian Hughes, who made his living as a consultant and politico in Florida until joining Trump's 2024 campaign.

According to a purported NASA employee who remarked about the town hall on a subreddit dedicated to the agency, Hughes at one point said he plans to "flatten our organization, refocus on the way we do business, and streamline the way we work."

That big business-esque remark suggests that Trump administration plans to overhaul the entire institution and its culture.

Given what she's been forced to work with, Petro offered some optimistic equivocations about NASA's current status under an administration that plans to cut its budget by 24 percent and its headcount by one-third in the 2026 fiscal year, which starts in October.

"The NASA brand is really strong still, and we have a lot of exciting missions ahead of us," the acting administrator said.

"So, I know it's a hard time that we're going to be navigating, but again, you have my commitment that I'm here and I will share all of the information that I have when I get it."

Along with staring down the barrel of those cuts, Petro may also have to serve out the rest of the year as an acting administrator.

Despite her well-regarded reputation as the first woman to lead the Kennedy Space Center, Petro isn't tight with the Trump crowd and is unable to make big decisions for the agency — including about its forthcoming budget.

As Hughes suggested to the assembled staffers who asked about that massive staffing shortage, the White House seems disinterested in appointing a new administrator after rescinding the nomination of Jared Isaacman, the billionaire space tourist who Elon Musk put up for the job, over his past donations to Democrats.

"I think the best guess would tell you that it's hard to imagine it happening before the next six months, and could perhaps go longer than that into the eight- or nine-month range," the chief of staff said. "But that's purely speculation."

Besides being a key factor in Musk's fiery exit from government and the president's good graces, the Isaacman debacle also appears to have left a dark cloud over NASA as it sinks in to staffers that their treatment under Trump is a new normal.

One of the agency's leaders perhaps put it best when, in an interview with Ars on condition that their name be withheld, they succinctly quipped that "NASA is f**ked."

https://futurism.com/nasa-future-meltdown

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4580-4581: Something in the Air…

Jun 26, 2025

Earth planning date: Monday, June 23, 2025

Curiosity was back at work on Monday, with a full slate of activities planned.

While summer has officially arrived for much of Curiosity’s team back on Earth, Mars’ eldest active rover is recently through the depths of southern Mars winter and trending toward warmer temperatures itself.

Warmer temperatures mean less component heating is required and therefore more power is freed up for science and driving.

However, the current cooler temperatures do present an opportunity to acquire quality short-duration APXS measurements first thing in the morning, which is what Curiosity elected to do once again.

Curiosity’s plan commenced by brushing a rock target with potential cross-cutting veins, “Hornitos,” and subsequently analyzing it with APXS.

A sequence of Mastcam images followed on targets such as “Volcán Peña Blanca,” “La Pacana,” “Iglesia de Jarinilla de Umatia,” and “Ayparavi.”

ChemCam, returning to action after a brief and understood hiatus, rounded out the morning’s chemical analysis activities with a 5-point analysis of Ayparavi.

After some images of the brush, and a handful of MAHLI snaps of Hornitos, Curiosity was on its way with a planned drive of about 37 meters (about 121 feet).

Curiosity’s night would not be spent entirely dreaming of whatever rovers dream, but rather conducting a lengthy APXS analysis of the atmosphere.

These analyses enable Curiosity’s team to assess the abundance of argon in the atmosphere — from a volume about the size of a pop can (or soda can, depending on your unit of preference) — which can be used to trace global circulation patterns and better understand modern Mars.

Recently, Curiosity has been increasing the frequency of these measurements and pairing them with ChemCam “Passive Sky” observations. These ChemCam activities do not utilize the instrument’s laser, but instead use its other components to characterize the air above the rover.

By combining APXS and ChemCam observations of the atmosphere, Curiosity’s team is able to better assess daily and seasonal trends in gases around Gale crater.

A ChemCam “Passive Sky” was the primary observation in the second sol of the plan, with Curiosity spending much of the remaining time recharging and eagerly awaiting commands from Wednesday’s team.

https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4580-4581-something-in-the-air/

Sparkling Andromeda

Jun 26, 2025

The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is a glittering beacon in this image released on June 25, 2025, in tribute to the groundbreaking legacy of astronomer Dr. Vera Rubin, whose observations transformed our understanding of the universe.

In the 1960s, Rubin and her colleagues studied M31 and determined that there was some unseen matter in the galaxy that was affecting how the galaxy and its spiral arms rotated.

This unknown material was named “dark matter.”

M31 is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way at a distance of about 2.5 million light-years.

Astronomers use Andromeda to understand the structure and evolution of our own spiral, which is much harder to do since Earth is embedded inside the Milky Way.

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/sparkling-andromeda/

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-chandra-shares-a-new-view-of-our-galactic-neighbor/

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/ames/ames-science/by-air-and-by-sea-validating-nasas-pace-ocean-color-instrument/

By Air and by Sea: Validating NASA’s PACE Ocean Color Instrument

Jun 26, 2025

In autumn 2024, California’s Monterey Bay experienced an outsized phytoplankton bloom that attracted fish, dolphins, whales, seabirds, and – for a few weeks in October – scientists.

A team from NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, with partners at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and the Naval Postgraduate School, spent two weeks on the California coast gathering data on the atmosphere and the ocean to verify what satellites see from above.

In spring 2025, the team returned to gather data under different environmental conditions.

Scientists call this process validation.

Setting up the Campaign

The PACE mission, which stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, was launched in February 2024 and designed to transform our understanding of ocean and atmospheric environments.

Specifically, the satellite will give scientists a finely detailed look at life near the ocean surface and the composition and abundance of aerosol particles in the atmosphere.

Whenever NASA launches a new satellite, it sends validation science teams around the world to confirm that the data from instruments in space match what traditional instruments can see at the surface.

AirSHARP (Airborne aSsessment of Hyperspectral Aerosol optical depth and water-leaving Reflectance Product Performance for PACE) is one of these teams, specifically deployed to validate products from the satellite’s Ocean Color Instrument (OCI).

The OCI spectrometer works by measuring reflected sunlight. As sunlight bounces off of the ocean’s surface, it creates specific shades of color that researchers use to determine what is in the water column below.

To validate the OCI data, research teams need to confirm that measurements directly at the surface match those from the satellite.

They also need to understand how the atmosphere is changing the color of the ocean as the reflected light is traveling back to the satellite.

In October 2024 and May 2025, the AirSHARP team ran simultaneous airborne and seaborne campaigns.

Going into the field during different seasons allows the team to collect data under different environmental conditions, validating as much of the instrument’s range as possible.

Over 13 days of flights on a Twin Otter aircraft, the NASA-led team used instruments called 4STAR-B (Spectrometer for sky-scanning sun Tracking Atmospheric Research B), and the C-AIR (Coastal Airborne In-situ Radiometer) to gather data from the air.

At the same time, partners from UCSC used a host of matching instruments onboard the research vessel R/V Shana Rae to gather data from the water’s surface.

Ocean Color and Water Leaving Reflectance

The Ocean Color Instrument measures something called water leaving reflectance, which provides information on the microscopic composition of the water column, including water molecules, phytoplankton, and particulates like sand, inorganic materials, and even bubbles.

Ocean color varies based on how these materials absorb and scatter sunlight. This is especially useful for determining the abundance and types of phytoplankton.

The AirSHARP team used radiometers with matching technology – C-AIR from the air and C-OPS (Compact Optical Profiling System) from the water – to gather water leaving reflectance data.

“The C-AIR instrument is modified from an instrument that goes on research vessels and takes measurements of the water’s surface from very close range,” said NASA Ames research scientist Samuel LeBlanc.

“The issue there is that you’re very local to one area at a time. What our team has done successfully is put it on an aircraft, which enables us to span the entire Monterey Bay.”

The larger PACE validation team will compare OCI measurements with observations made by the sensors much closer to the ocean to ensure that they match, and make adjustments when they don’t.

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Aerosol Interference

One factor that can impact OCI data is the presence of manmade and natural aerosols, which interact with sunlight as it moves through the atmosphere.

An aerosol refers to any solid or liquid suspended in the air, such as smoke from fires, salt from sea spray, particulates from fossil fuel emissions, desert dust, and pollen.

Imagine a 420 mile-long tube, with the PACE satellite at one end and the ocean at the other.

Everything inside the tube is what scientists refer to as the atmospheric column, and it is full of tiny particulates that interact with sunlight.

Scientists quantify this aerosol interaction with a measurement called aerosol optical depth.

“During AirSHARP, we were essentially measuring, at different wavelengths, how light is changed by the particles present in the atmosphere,” said NASA Ames research scientist Kristina Pistone.

“The aerosol optical depth is a measure of light extinction, or how much light is either scattered away or absorbed by aerosol particulates.”

The team measured aerosol optical depth using the 4STAR-B spectrometer, which was engineered at NASA Ames and enables scientists to identify which aerosols are present and how they interact with sunlight.

Twin Otter Aircraft

Flying these instruments required use of a Twin Otter plane, operated by the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

The Twin Otter is unique for its ability to perform extremely low-altitude flights, making passes down to 100 feet above the water in clear conditions.

“It’s an intense way to fly. At that low height, the pilots continually watch for and avoid birds, tall ships, and even wildlife like breaching whales,” said Anthony Bucholtz, director of the Airborne Research Facility at NPS.

With the phytoplankton bloom attracting so much wildlife in a bay already full of ships, this is no small feat.

“The pilots keep a close eye on the radar, and fly by hand,” Bucholtz said, “all while following careful flight plans crisscrossing Monterey Bay and performing tight spirals over the Research Vessel Shana Rae.”

Campaign Data

Data gathered from the 2024 phase of this campaign is available on two data archive systems. Data from the 4STAR instrument is available in the PACE data archive and data from C-AIR is housed in the SeaBASS data archive.

Other data from the NASA PACE Validation Science Team is available through the PACE website: https://pace.oceansciences.org/pvstdoi.htm#

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https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter/nasa-mars-orbiter-learns-new-moves-after-nearly-20-years-in-space/

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter/

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/addbe1

NASA Mars Orbiter Learns New Moves After Nearly 20 Years in Space

Jun 26, 2025

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is testing a series of large spacecraft rolls that will help it hunt for water.

After nearly 20 years of operations, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is on a roll, performing a new maneuver to squeeze even more science out of the busy spacecraft as it circles the Red Planet.

Engineers have essentially taught the probe to roll over so that it’s nearly upside down. Doing so enables MRO to look deeper underground as it searches for liquid and frozen water, among other things.

The new capability is detailed in a paper recently published in the Planetary Science Journal documenting three “very large rolls,” as the mission calls them, that were performed between 2023 and 2024.

“Not only can you teach an old spacecraft new tricks, you can open up entirely new regions of the subsurface to explore by doing so,” said one of the paper’s authors, Gareth Morgan of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona.

The orbiter was originally designed to roll up to 30 degrees in any direction so that it can point its instruments at surface targets, including potential landing sites, impact craters, and more.

“We’re unique in that the entire spacecraft and its software are designed to let us roll all the time,” said Reid Thomas, MRO’s project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

The process for rolling isn’t simple. The spacecraft carries five operating science instruments that have different pointing requirements.

To target a precise spot on the surface with one instrument, the orbiter has to roll a particular way, which means the other instruments may have a less-favorable view of Mars during the maneuver.

That’s why each regular roll is planned weeks in advance, with instrument teams negotiating who conducts science and when.

Then, an algorithm checks MRO’s position above Mars and automatically commands the orbiter to roll so the appropriate instrument points at the correct spot on the surface.

At the same time, the algorithm commands the spacecraft’s solar arrays to rotate and track the Sun and its high-gain antenna to track Earth to maintain power and communications.

Very large rolls, which are 120 degrees, require even more planning to maintain the safety of the spacecraft.

The payoff is that the new maneuver enables one particular instrument, called the Shallow Radar (SHARAD), to have a deeper view of Mars than ever before.

SHARAD’s View of Mars During a ‘Very Large Roll’

Bigger Rolls, Better Science

Designed to peer from about half a mile to a little over a mile (1 to 2 kilometers) belowground, SHARAD allows scientists to distinguish between materials like rock, sand, and ice.

The radar was especially useful in determining where ice could be found close enough to the surface that future astronauts might one day be able to access it.

Ice will be key for producing rocket propellant for the trip home and is important for learning more about the climate, geology, and potential for life at Mars.

But as great as SHARAD is, the team knew it could be even better.

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To give cameras like the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) prime viewing at the front of MRO, SHARAD’s two antenna segments were mounted at the back of the orbiter.

While this setup helps the cameras, it also means that radio signals SHARAD pings onto the surface below encounter parts of the spacecraft, interfering with the signals and resulting in images that are less clear.

“The SHARAD instrument was designed for the near-subsurface, and there are select regions of Mars that are just out of reach for us,” said Morgan, a co-investigator on the SHARAD team. “There is a lot to be gained by taking a closer look at those regions.”

In 2023, the team decided to try developing 120-degree very large rolls to provide the radio waves an unobstructed path to the surface.

What they found is that the maneuver can strengthen the radar signal by 10 times or more, offering a much clearer picture of the Martian underground.

But the roll is so large that the spacecraft’s communications antenna is not pointed at Earth, and its solar arrays aren’t able to track the Sun.

“The very large rolls require a special analysis to make sure we’ll have enough power in our batteries to safely do the roll,” Thomas said.

Given the time involved, the mission limits itself to one or two very large rolls a year. But engineers hope to use them more often by streamlining the process.

Learning to Roll With It

While SHARAD scientists are benefiting from these new moves, the team working with another MRO instrument, the Mars Climate Sounder, is making the most of MRO’s standard roll capability.

The JPL-built instrument is a radiometer that serves as one of the most detailed sources available of information on Mars’ atmosphere.

Measuring subtle changes in temperature over the course of many seasons, Mars Climate Sounder reveals the inner workings of dust storms and cloud formation. Dust and wind are important to understand:

They are constantly reshaping the Martian surface, with wind-borne dust blanketing solar panels and posing a health risk for future astronauts.

Mars Climate Sounder was designed to pivot on a gimbal so that it can get views of the Martian horizon and surface.

It also provides views of space, which scientists use to calibrate the instrument. But in 2024, the aging gimbal became unreliable. Now Mars Climate Sounder relies on MRO’s standard rolls.

“Rolling used to restrict our science,” said Mars Climate Sounder’s interim principal investigator, Armin Kleinboehl of JPL, “but we’ve incorporated it into our routine planning, both for surface views and calibration.”

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NASA Citizen Scientists Find New Eclipsing Binary Stars

Jun 26, 2025

When two stars orbit one another in such a way that one blocks the other’s light each time it swings around, that’s an eclipsing binary.

A new paper from NASA’s Eclipsing Binary Patrol citizen science project presents more than 10,000 of these rare pairs – 10,001 to be precise.

These objects will help future researchers study the physics and formation of stars and search for new exoplanets.

“Together, humans and computers excel at investigating hundreds of thousands of eclipsing binaries,” said Dr. Veselin Kostov, research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the SETI Institute and lead author of the paper.

“I can’t wait to search them for exoplanets!” To make their catalog, the team examined data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which surveyed nearly the entire sky looking for objects with varying brightness.

They used a two-tiered approach, combining the scalability of artificial intelligence with the nuanced judgment of human expertise.

First, advanced machine learning methods efficiently sifted through hundreds of millions of targets observed by TESS, identifying hundreds of thousands of promising candidates. Then, humans scrutinized the most interesting systems.

Of the 10,001 objects they listed in their paper, 7,936 are new eclipsing binaries they discovered.

The rest were already known, but the team made new measurements of the timing of their eclipses.

You can join the Eclipsing Binary Patrol team too! Just go to the project’s website.

https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/citizen-science/nasa-citizen-scientists-find-new-eclipsing-binary-stars/

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/vbkostov/eclipsing-binary-patrol

Former Nasa scientist admits defrauding investors and using money to buy house

27 Jun 2025 2:46 PM

An 85-year-old former Nasa scientist has admitted defrauding investors and using some of the proceeds to buy a house.

John Burford generated more than £1 million from 100 investors through his illegal practices, but only £760,000 was ever traded – much of which was lost.

Substantial amounts of the money investors sent him was actually used to buy his own home, a court heard.

Burford appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday wearing a brown jacket, grey trousers and brown boots.

He admitted fraud by false representation and carrying on a regulated activity when not authorised between January 2020 and December 2023.

He has a PhD in physics from the University of Toronto and worked for Nasa in its manned Mars exploration team based in Washington DC, before moving into finance, his biography on publisher Pan Macmillan’s website says.

Burford repeatedly lied to investors about how much the funds were worth and hid the full extent of the losses he had incurred while trading.

Prosecutor Tom Godfrey told the court Burford set up a scheme which sent subscribers daily email alerts with investment opportunities.

He traded £760,000 worth of the money generated, but “lost significant sums”, Mr Godfrey said.

“He used substantial amounts of the money received to buy his own home,” he added.

The former scientist, who now lives in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was the sole director of Financial Trading Strategies Ltd, but was not authorised to trade in the UK, the court heard.

Carrying out unauthorised business is an offence punishable by a fine and/or up to two years’ imprisonment.

Burford, who has no previous convictions, will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court at a later date.

Steve Smart, joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said: “Mr Burford fleeced unwitting investors in order to enrich his life – not theirs.

“Identifying and disrupting criminals who abuse people’s trust for their own gain, is a top priority for the FCA.”

https://www.ireland-live.ie/news/uk/1836405/former-nasa-scientist-admits-defrauding-investors-and-using-money-to-buy-house.html

Space Forge launches first manufacturing satellite

June 27, 2025

Space Forge has confirmed the successful launch and in-orbit communication with the UK’s first in-space manufacturing satellite, developed entirely in Wales.

Manufacturing ultra pure power materials in the vacuum and microgravity of space can potentially provide substrates for high performance, high efficiency devices, but there are of course significant challenges in returning the material safely to the surface.

Space Forge has developed a number of key technologies for this which are being tested in this launch.

ForgeStar-1 launched aboard the SpaceX Transporter-14 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellite successfully activated and made contact with the Space Forge Mission Operations Centre in Cardiff, UK.

This successful launch marks the completion of more than four years of design, testing and regulatory milestones following the loss of the ForgeStar-0 cubesat prototype in 2023.

ForgeStar-1 was built and qualified in-house by Space Forge’s Cardiff team and is the first UK satellite to receive an in-space manufacturing licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The new satellite is 11 times larger than ForgeStar-0 but the development suffered from significant problems. Suppliers collapsed, and key components showed failure rates of over 80%. So the system was re-designed and brought in-house with Space Forge as the primary integrator.

After a system health check, the manufacturing equipment will be tested. While the satellite Is not intended to return to earth, Space Forge plan to test out the re-entry technology that will eventually bring these materials back to the surface.

This includes the deployment of Pridwen, Space Forge’s proprietary heat shield; on-orbit aerodynamic control to steer and decelerate the satellite; and real-time orbital tracking paired with predictive re-entry mapping using the company’s Aether software.

Earlier this month the company last week signed a deal for clean room facilities in Swansea to accept the materials grown in the microgravity of low earth orbit, including ultra-pure wide bandgap materials gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium oxide (Ga2O3) for power and RF applications.

“We’ve built and launched Britain’s first manufacturing satellite and it’s alive in orbit, that’s a massive technical achievement. Now, we take the next step: proving that we can create the right environment for manufacturing in space.

This is the start of a new era for materials science and industrial capability,” said Josh Western, CEO and Co-founder of Space Forge.

ForgeStar-1 released into orbit

“This isn’t just another satellite – it’s a testament to British engineering and our commitment to developing in-space manufacturing technologies that can benefit life here on Earth,” said Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, which has previously supported Space Forge with funding

“ForgeStar-1 exemplifies how the UK space sector is pushing boundaries in sustainable space technology, with its ability to return to Earth for refurbishment and reuse.

This approach aligns directly with our ambitions to develop environmentally responsible access to space while creating high-skilled jobs across the UK.

Power semiconductor analysis

Space Forge is also the first company to be physically hosted in the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) following a deal with the University of Swansea.

It will use a dedicated clean room incubation bay and have access to a full suite of semiconductor processing and characterisation tools.

CISM is part of the CSconnected advanced semiconductor ecosystem in South Wales, Europe’s first cluster for advanced compound semiconductor manufacturing which includes Vishay at Newport, Microchip, KLA, and IQE.

“We are delighted to be the first incubation client at CISM, gaining access to their state-of-the-art clean room facilities and cutting-edge semiconductor tools,” said Alastair McGibbon, Head of Semiconductors at Space Forge.

“This partnership provides Space Forge with the critical infrastructure needed to advance our work in space-based manufacturing and terrestrial scale-up.

With full access we’re now in an even stronger position to drive innovation – enabling us to continue to drive semiconductor manufacturing forward at pace.”

https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/space-forge-launches-first-manufacturing-satellite/

www.spaceforge.com

https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/Will_asteroid_2024_YR4_hit_the_Moon

Will asteroid 2024 YR4 hit the Moon?

27/06/2025

Asteroid 2024 YR4 made headlines earlier this year when its probability of impacting Earth in 2032 rose as high as 3%. While an Earth impact has now been ruled out, the asteroid’s story continues.

The final glimpse of the asteroid as it faded out of view of humankind’s most powerful telescopes left it with a 4% chance of colliding with the Moon on 22 December 2032.

The likelihood of a lunar impact will now remain stable until the asteroid returns to view in mid-2028.

In this FAQ, find out why we are left with this lingering uncertainty and how ESA's planned NEOMIR space telescope will help us avoid similar situations in the future.

What is asteroid 2024 YR4?

Asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered on 27 December 2024 at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile.

Shortly after its discovery, automated asteroid warning systems determined that the object had a small chance of potentially impacting Earth on 22 December 2032.

The asteroid is between 53 and 67 metres in diameter. An asteroid of this size impacts Earth on average only once every few thousand years and would cause severe damage to a city or region.

Follow-up observations saw the chance of impact rise to around 3%. As a result, the asteroid shot to the top of ESA's asteroid risk list and captured global attention as it became the first asteroid to trigger a coordinated international planetary defence response.

Additional observations made over the next few months, including those made using the James Webb Space Telescope, allowed astronomers to more accurately measure the asteroid’s orbit around the Sun.

By March 2025, they had enough information to rule out an Earth impact in 2032.

Why did we not detect 2024 YR4 sooner?

2024 YR4 was first discovered two days after it had already passed its closest point to Earth. It was not detected sooner because it approached Earth from the day side of the planet, from a region of the sky hidden by the bright light of the Sun.

This region of the sky is hidden from the view of ground-based optical telescopes and is a blind spot for asteroid warning systems.

The significance of this blind spot was made clear on 15 February 2013, when the Chelyabinsk meteor, a 20-metre, 13 000-tonne asteroid, struck the atmosphere over the Ural Mountains in Russia during the middle of the day.

The resulting blast damaged thousands of buildings, and roughly 1500 people were injured by shards of glass.

Could we have detected 2024 YR4 sooner?

ESA’s Near-Earth Object Mission in the InfraRed (NEOMIR) satellite, planned for launch in the early 2030s, will cover this important blind spot.

NEOMIR will be equipped with an infrared telescope and positioned at the first Sun-Earth Lagrange Point. By relying on infrared light, rather than visible light, NEOMIR can spot asteroids in a region of the sky much closer to the Sun.

It will repeatedly scan this region for the thermal signatures of asteroids approaching Earth that are at least 20 metres across – like 2024 YR4 and the Chelyabinsk meteor.

“We looked into how NEOMIR would have performed in this situation, and the simulations surprised even us,” says Richard Moissl, Head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Office.

“NEOMIR would have detected asteroid 2024 YR4 about a month earlier than ground-based telescopes did. This would have given astronomers more time to study the asteroid’s trajectory and allowed them to much sooner rule out any chance of Earth impact in 2032.”

“As an infrared telescope, like Webb, NEOMIR would have also immediately given us a much better estimate for the asteroid’s size, which is very important for assessing the significance of the hazard.”

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Will asteroid 2024 YR4 impact the Moon?

By March 2025, astronomers had ruled out an Earth impact in 2032. However, the final observations of the asteroid failed to rule out another intriguing possibility: a lunar impact.

The probability that asteroid 2024 YR4 will strike the Moon on 22 December 2032 is now approximately 4%, and this probability was still slowly rising as the asteroid faded out of view.

However, this means that there is a 96% chance that the asteroid will not impact the Moon.

When will we know for sure?

We are left with an interesting situation: there is now a 60 m asteroid with a 4% chance of hitting the Moon in 2032. As the asteroid is now too far away to study any further, this probability will remain unchanged until it returns into view in June 2028.

When it does return into view, new observations will be made and it will not take long for astronomers to confidently determine whether the asteroid will, or much more likely, will not, hit the Moon on 22 December 2032.

What will happen if the asteroid hits the Moon?

“A lunar impact remains unlikely, and no one knows what the exact effects would be,” says Richard Moissl.

“It is a very rare event for an asteroid this large to impact the Moon – and it is rarer still that we know about it in advance.

The impact would likely be visible from Earth, and so scientists will be very excited by the prospect of observing and analysing it.

I am sure that detailed computational simulations will be done over the next few years.”

“It would certainly leave a new crater on the surface. However, we wouldn’t be able to accurately predict in advance how much material would be thrown into space, or whether any would reach Earth.”

In the coming years, as humankind looks to establish a prolonged presence at the Moon, monitoring space for objects that could strike Earth’s natural satellite will become increasingly important.

Small objects burn up in Earth’s atmosphere as meteors, but the Moon lacks this shield. Objects just tens of centimetres in size could pose a significant hazard to astronauts and lunar infrastructure.

What else is ESA doing to improve Europe’s planetary defence capabilities?

The discovery of asteroid 2024 YR4 made it clear that time is of the essence when it comes to asteroid detection. In cases like that of 2024 YR4, the later an asteroid is detected, the less time is available for follow-up observations before it fades from view.

Decision makers need as much information as possible when considering potential mitigation strategies, such as deflection missions or evacuation plans: they do not want to be left with an uncertain but significant chance of Earth impact for multiple years.

By keeping watch for asteroids approaching Earth from the direction of the Sun, ESA’s NEOMIR space telescope will fill an important blind spot in our current asteroid detection systems and significantly improve our preparedness for future hazards similar to 2024 YR4.

Follow the links below to find out more about ESA’s other Planetary Defence activities, such as the Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC); the Flyeye asteroid survey telescopes; the Hera mission, which will turn asteroid deflection into a well understood and repeatable technique for planetary defence; and the Ramses mission to intercept and explore the infamous asteroid Apophis as it safely passes close to Earth in 2029. ESA's Planetary Defence Office is part of the Agency's Space Safety Programme.

The Programme works to monitor and mitigate hazards in or from space, protecting our Pale Blue Dot, its inhabitants, and the vital infrastructure on Earth and in space on which we have come to depend.

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Rocket Lab Sets Record With Two Space Missions in Under Two Days

27 June 2025

Rocket Lab has announced a successful launch of the “Get The Hawk Outta Here” mission. It is a part of its multi-launch contract with radio frequency geospatial analytics company, HawkEye 360.

Rocket Lab’s Recent Launch For HawkEye 360 Marks The 67th Electron Launch

On 26 June 2025, Rocket Lab completed its 67th Electron launch as part of its contract with HawkEye 360.

Related: Andromeda Just Dropped a Glamorous New Look That Sparkles Like a Disco Ball (And Now You Can Hear It)

Rocket Lab sent a total of four satellites into space along with an experimental satellite as part of the HawkEye 360 Cluster12 microsatellite constellation.

These satellites will collect and geolocate radio frequency signals from various locations around the world. As for the experimental satellite known as Kestrel-OA, it will evaluate emerging capabilities and future technology enhancements.

Kestrel-OA will provide the necessary data that will aid in the development of similar satellites. The launch took place from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 17:28 UTC.

Rocket Lab Prepares For 68th Electron Launch

Following the successful launch of HawkEye payloads aboard the Electron rocket, Rocket Lab is preparing for its next mission.

This mission will also launch from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, just 48 hours after this just-concluded mission.

The upcoming mission is titled “Symphony In The Stars”, and it’ll be for a confidential commercial customer. In-depth details on this coming launch aren’t available at this time, so we’ll need to wait for an official release from the space firm.

What we know is that the mission will launch a single spacecraft into circular Earth orbit. This will be the first time that Rocket Lab will launch Electron consecutively from the same spaceport in under 48 hours.

https://orbitaltoday.com/2025/06/27/rocket-lab-two-space-missions-in-under-two-days-hawkeye-360/

https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/missions-launched/get-the-hawk-outta-here/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sincLVbpw4w

LG enters space sector, eyeing Naro rocket launch later this year

Updated: 27 Jun. 2025, 17:29

LG Group is making a strategic push into the aerospace sector, aiming to position itself as a key private player in Korea’s burgeoning “New Space” ecosystem.

The tech giant plans to support the fourth and fifth launches of the Naro rocket, scheduled for later this year and in 2026.

The conglomerate hosted a roundtable with the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) at LG Science Park in Magok-dong, western Seoul, on Friday to discuss expanding private-sector participation in space initiatives.

The meeting brought together top technical leaders from across LG affiliates. Among them were LG Group Technology Council Chairman Chung Sue-hyun, LG Innotek Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Noh Seung-won, LG Energy Solution CTO Kim Je-young and LG Electronics C&M Standard Lab head Je Yeong-ho.

KASA was represented by Administrator Yoon Young-bin and John Lee, deputy administrator for mission directorates.

Also in attendance was the Unmanned Exploration Laboratory (UEL), the country’s only developer of moon rovers and an LG partner.

Discussions focused on the role and necessity of LG in the future of New Space — a term referring to a private-sector-led space industry — according to the firm.

The company is reviewing participation in Korea’s next two scheduled Naro rocket launches, the fourth taking place in November and the fifth next year.

An LG official said details of the group’s specific technical involvement remain under discussion.

LG has a track record in aerospace components. In 2016, LG Energy Solution was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to supply lithium-ion batteries for space suits.

The batteries are used to power life support systems, including oxygen supply devices, communications and radiation monitors.

They serve as the core of the spacesuit, which sustains astronaut survival in space. The batteries passed NASA’s stringent safety and performance testing with top marks.

Beyond large-scale projects, LG is also investing in startups. The group and UEL recently completed a successful test of a jointly developed lunar rover at a simulated lunar testbed in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi.

The rover uses specialized wheels and radiation-resistant alloys to withstand the moon’s terrain and vacuum conditions, and features camera modules supplied by LG Innotek. The institute announced its goal to land the rover on the moon by 2032.

LG’s growing interest in aerospace comes as it looks to diversify revenue sources amid concerns about growth ceilings in its traditional businesses.

Morgan Stanley projects the global space industry to grow from $590 billion in 2030 to $1.1 trillion by 2040.

Earlier this month, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo visited LG Electronics' sales office in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he emphasized the need for long-term strategy:

“It’s important to respond to intensifying competition now, but we must also focus on what we need to survive five years from now — what to prioritize and how to build differentiated capabilities.

KASA, for its part, pledged ongoing support for private-sector players.

“We will continue to support various companies entering the space industry so the private sector can lead New Space as its core driver,” said Yoon.

“Our priority is to create a business-friendly environment that enables sustainable competitiveness across the industry.”

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-06-27/business/industry/LG-enters-space-sector-eyeing-Naro-rocket-launch-later-this-year/2340415

Few moments were more iconic than a NASA space shuttle soaring over the Golden Gate Bridge on a 747

Last updated on Jun 25, 2025 at 5:19 PM (UTC+4)

There are few more iconic NASA moments than the space shuttle Endeavour flying over the Golden Gate Bridge on the back of a 747 on its farewell journey.

It was all part of the space shuttle Endeavour’s last journey before retirement, having completed 25 missions.

That final journey saw the shuttle soar over many iconic Californian monuments. The footage is set to take your breath away.

This space shuttle moment was iconic

NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour took its final flight over 10 years ago after a successful life helping to explore way beyond the clouds.

The shuttle, Endeavour, ‘was the fifth Space Shuttle NASA built, and the last. It was slightly lighter than earlier shuttles, but it flew the same’, as the space agency has learned some hard lessons from earlier craft.

And, on September 21st, 2012, it took a final flight over an iconic landmark – the Golden Gate Bridge.

The suspension bridge is located in San Francisco, California, and the flyover really was a unique sight, with aviation fans excited at the journey.

Endeavour was seen on the back of a specially modified Boeing 747, giving the space shuttle a piggyback ride.

And it created an absolutely iconic NASA moment.

During that farewell tour, Endeavour also took in Disneyland, Dodger Stadium and the Hollywood sign, saying goodbye to the state in true style.

Endeavour completed a mighty 25 missions during its lifetime, including helping to maintain another iconic piece of NASA hardware – the Hubble telescope.

NASA is the top dog of space exploration

From launching telescopes, to space shuttles, and even developing planes.

For example, NASA even simulated a dramatic ocean rescue in Florida for the Artemis crew in case of emergencies.

Plus, NASA’s Perseverance Rover managed to take a ‘classic’ selfie on Mars with a rather unexpected guest.

The company has certainly experienced lots of highs, and you can catch the iconic space shuttle moment below.

https://supercarblondie.com/few-moments-more-iconic-than-nasa-space-shuttle-soaring-over-golden-gate-bridge-on-747/

Nichelle Nichols Space Camp for Teen Girls to Open in 2026, Honoring Late Star Trek Icon's Legacy (Exclusive)

June 27, 2025 09:00AM EDT

Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols broke barriers in her time on Earth, and three years after her death, she's continuing to open doors for women and girls.

In January, the Nichelle Nichols Foundation will launch the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp, a weekend-long experience for female teens 14 to 18 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

According to the website, "Students will work as a team and confront mission scenarios that require dynamic problem solving and critical thinking — 21st century learning skills required in the workplace."

For Nichols' former Star Trek costar, Walter Koenig, it's the perfect fit.

"It's a positive project to be involved in," the 88-year-old tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Creating a career which is so exciting and so full of promise is great."

Star Trek: Prodigy's Bonnie Gordon, 39, will serve as a mentor at the camp, a job she calls a "no-brainer" to take.

"Not only am I a huge fan of space exploration and science, I'm just a big fan of mentoring young girls and children in science," she tells PEOPLE.

"I feel like there's so much here on Earth that we have yet to explore and so much that NASA and space programs have accomplished in space, advancing technologies. There's just so much we can learn where everything's connected."

Plus, she adds, "Pushing these young women to be whatever they want to be, pushing the boundaries of not just space, but science and their own personal discoveries, is just a dream come true for me."

Gordon crossed paths with Nichols in their shared time in the Star Trek universe at fan conventions and events.

"I'm very lucky to have met her," she shares. "You could see the joy she felt when meeting fans, especially the women she'd inspired."

Koenig feels the same.

"She was extremely warm-hearted," he says. "We had a lot of laughs together. She was the first person who came over to me from the series and introduced herself; I remember that and I thought it was very sweet. We got along quite well over the years."

Nichols — who died in July of 2022 at 89 years old — enjoyed decades in the spotlight thanks to her screen work, her music career and her activism to help more women succeed in the field of astronomy.

Her breakout role came when Gene Roddenberry cast the actress as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series. When the show first aired in 1966, Nichols was one of the first Black women to play a major role on primetime television.

Following the end of the science-fiction series, Nichols worked to recruit diverse astronauts to NASA, including women and people of color. Among those who were recruited as a result of the program was Sally Ride, the first female American astronaut.

Not long after her death, her ashes were sent into space via a Celestial Memorial Spaceflight.

"I don't think people realize how groundbreaking she was, not just in entertainment, but in science, because so many little girls who watched Star Trek growing up saw that they could have a future in science," Gordon says.

"There's so much that she's left behind. She was a big believer in the philosophy of infinite diversity and infinite combinations, which is basically the Vulcan philosophy."

While she's excited for the actual content of camp — simulations, moon walks and more — Gordon is thrilled "to be part of something that moves life forward," she says.

"There's so much happening right now where people are trying to cut and constrain when it comes to science, where people who are different or have different values or views are being constrained," she says.

"I feel like now is the time to break those boxes open and work together. We can find common ground on so many different levels if we communicate with others and not let hate or anger blind us."

The Nichelle Nichols Foundation does just that, she adds. And she hopes to see the camp grow and thrive for years to come.

"I know the goal is to make this program bigger and better," she adds. "This is just the beginning.

And if it continues to grow, that just means it's going to give even more opportunities to young women in the future."

Registration for the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp is now open.

https://people.com/late-star-trek-actress-nichelle-nichols-honored-with-space-camp-for-girls-exclusive-11762359

https://nichellenichols.foundation/nichelle-nichols-space-camp/

How a fake astronaut fooled the world, broke women’s hearts, and landed in jail

June 27, 2025

On a chill January evening in 1989, members of the Experimental Aircraft Association of Boston gathered for a special event.

At 7 p.m., the group's president introduced a guest speaker as a "master of the skies and space." The mystery man marched onto the stage, wearing a powder-blue NASA flight suit.

Amateur pilots leaned forward in their chairs to take a closer look at U.S. Marine Capt. Robert J. Hunt, who was 27 and raffishly handsome, with a push-broom mustache. He arrived at the podium, his space patches shining brightly, and savored the applause.

Hunt launched into stories about his fantastic life as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot. He spoke of zooming off the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea in his F/A-18 jet fighter and showering Gaddafi's Libya with bombs.

He described soaring above Earth aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, on top-secret missions for the Department of Defense. He even presented two blackened tiles that he said were scorched during his reentry. Two hours later, hands shot into the air with questions.

"What's the climb rate of the F/A-18?" someone asked.

"Classified information," he said.

"What's the burn-fuel ratio?"

"Depends on engine power and altitude," he said.

"Are you familiar with the DIANE system?"

"Digital Integrated Attack and Navigation Equipment?" he replied, before joking that there might be Russians in the audience.

One attendee wasn't convinced. "He didn't sound intellectual enough to be an astronaut," Joy Alexander, 22 at the time, told People Magazine.

She found it strange that Hunt spoke in a thick New England accent and cursed like a guy who worked on a construction site, not NASA's $209 billion space shuttle program.

"His attitude, which was rude, seemed all wrong to me," she added. Older members scolded her for questioning an American hero.

Louis Pascucci, the group's president, told the Associated Press (via The Boston Herald), "He sure impressed us. Hunt was one hell of an entertainer. We had a full house. He held us spellbound for two and a half hours."

When the evening was over, Hunt shook hands and scribbled autographs, leaving aviation buffs with the sense they had brushed shoulders with a legend.

But Hunt had never been to space. He didn't have a pilot's license, or even a driver's license. He was an imposter and, in less than a week, he would be in custody as news of his incredible scam made headlines all over America.

For years, Hunt had led cops and the FBI on a cat-and-mouse chase across the country, posing as a U.S. Marine, baseball star, senator and other prominent figures, always escaping prosecution.

Only when he became an astronaut did he create a security panic, embarrass politicians and captivate a nation. In March 2025, over the course of six phone calls, he told me his life story with a mix of candor and grandiosity, comparing his career to NFL star Tom Brady's.

"I was literally the best at what I did," he told me. As with any story told by a convicted con man, it contains elements of truth, embellishment, and flat-out fabrication—but that’s exactly what makes his story so entertaining.

An early obsession with space

Hunt's obsession with space began when he was 7 years old, on the night he watched the Apollo 11 moon landing on his family's television set in Everett, Massachusetts. Afterwards, the stars above their modest home seemed to beckon him.

He felt a special connection to Neil Armstrong and Alan Shepard, who served in the Navy, just like his grandfather. As a teenager during the Vietnam War, Hunt snuck into the nearby Chelsea Naval Hospital, slipped on discarded uniforms, and saluted himself in the mirror.

He imagined exploring distant planets one day. That image of himself, he told me, was "forever lasting."

His father, Leo Hunt, was also obsessed with the Navy. He drove a jeep with a U.S. Marine Corps license plate and barked "Colonel Hunt" when he answered the telephone.

But he had never served. He was a plumber who, according to the Boston Herald, was pecking away at a book about his alleged life in the military, titled "Colonel Chameleon."

Leo Hunt told the Herald how his son, whom he called "Roy," started deceiving others at 14, when he sold a neighbor some canaries. "See, when the birds Roy sold him took a bath, all the paint, or yellow chalk, or whatever the hell it was, started to come off.

And they were sparrows! Sparrows!” Father and son shared more similarities than they were willing to acknowledge. Leo taught his son how to turn wrenches and fix water heaters. "He was very disciplined about it," Robert Hunt told me.

huge article cont.

https://www.space.com/astronaut-imposter-how-a-con-man-fooled-the-world

Mexico threatens lawsuit against SpaceX over Starship explosion 'contamination'

June 27, 2025

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has threatened to file a lawsuit against SpaceX over what the leader described as "contamination" following an explosion at SpaceX's Starbase facility earlier this month.

On June 18, SpaceX was testing the upper stage of its Starship vehicle on a test stand at its Starbase site near Boca Chica Beach in Texas when Starship exploded in a dramatic fireball.

SpaceX wrote on social media that there were no hazards to the surrounding communities following the explosion.

But Sheinbaum contests that claim. In a press conference held on Wednesday (June 25), the Mexican president said there is a "general review underway of the international laws that are being violated" due to the fact that "there is contamination" stemming from Starship's explosion, according to Yucatan Magazine.

The Guardian reports that Sheinbaum added that her government is looking to file "the necessary lawsuits" over the alleged contamination.

SpaceX's Starbase testing and manufacturing facility is located near Boca Chica Beach. The area is at the very southeastern tip of Texas along the Rio Grande river, which divides the United States and Mexico.

The Mexican city of Heroica Matamoros sits just across the border from Boca Chica and nearby Brownsville, Texas.

This isn't the first time SpaceX has been threatened with environmental lawsuits, not to mention other legal cases.

A coalition of environmental groups sued the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2023, claiming the agency did not conduct proper analyses of the damage Starship could cause to the surrounding areas, which are home to protected species of birds.

In 2024, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reported that SpaceX had violated the Clean Water Act after releasing pollutants into nearby body of waters, according to CNBC. SpaceX refuted the claims, calling the reporting "factually inaccurate."

Starship launches — and explosions — have left significant amounts of debris throughout Boca Chica Beach and surrounding areas in the past.

When Starship launched on its debut flight on April 20, 2023, the rocket's 33 first-stage Raptor engines sent chunks of cement and other debris flying for miles.

Local residents described the launch as "terrifying" and compared it to an earthquake. Pieces of debris rained down in every direction, even crushing a nearby car.

That flight ended in an equally dramatic fashion when SpaceX triggered its onboard flight termination system, causing the vehicle to explode some three minutes after liftoff. Fragments of the Starship vehicle were found along shores surrounding the area in the days following the flight.

Starship's upper stage has exploded and/or crashed into the sea on eight of its nine of its test flights to date (on two launches, the company managed to return the vehicle's Super Heavy booster to Starbase, where it was caught by the 'chopstick' arms on its launch tower).

On its fifth flight in November 2023, Starship managed to make a pinpoint splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/mexico-threatens-lawsuit-against-spacex-over-starship-explosion-debris

Bootid meteor shower 2025 peaks tonight: Here's what you need to know

June 27, 2025

The unpredictable Bootid meteor shower peaks tonight, though stargazers in the U.S. will need luck on their side to catch one of the ancient shooting stars streaking through the post-sunset sky.

Each June, Earth passes through the trail of debris left in the wake of the comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, giving rise to the Bootid meteor shower.

Its official designation stems from the simple fact that its radiant — the point from which its meteors appear to approach Earth — is situated in the constellation Bootes, the herdsman, which can be found above the western horizon in late June.

The best time to see the June Bootids in the U.S. is in the hours following sunset on the night of June 27, when the radiant will be at its highest point in the post sunset sky, according to stargazing website in-the-sky.org.

However, meteor hunters will need to keep their expectations of the shower in check.

June's Bootid meteor shower is described as a 'Class III Variable' by the American Meteor Association.

While it is capable of surprising us with a stronger than average showing, it's also possible that the shower could give rise to as little as one visible shooting star per night, even at its peak.

But any meteor shower, regardless of how weak, is worth looking for.

To give yourself the best opportunity of spotting one of the elusive meteors, you'll want to head away from city lights and find a patch of sky around 40 degrees above the radiant in the direction of the local zenith, which is the point above your head.

Remember, the span of your outstretched fist measures approximately 10 degrees of night sky.

Of course there's always the possibility that you could spot a sporadic meteor that isn't associated with a named shower.

Earlier this week, a vivid green fireball flared to life in the skies above the northeastern U.S, tracking a northerly path before being overwhelmed by the friction of atmospheric entry.

Amateur astrophotographer Shawn Hew was also able to capture a beautiful shot of a meteor crossing the Milky Way from the Malaysian city of Sandakan.

Interestingly, both the fireball and Hew's meteor were captured streaking away from the Bootid radiant, though it is difficult to tell whether they are associated with the shower, or simply opportunistic sporadics.

Space.com has reached out to the American Meteor Association for comment on both sightings.

https://www.space.com/stargazing/bootid-meteor-shower-2025-peaks-tonight-heres-what-you-need-to-know

https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20250627_10_100

https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/2020-meteor-shower-list/

More than 1,800 National Science Foundation workers abruptly kicked out of agency headquarters

June 26, 2025

On the evening of Tuesday (June 24), more than 1,800 employees working at the National Science Foundation (NSF) learned they would soon be kicked out of their office.

The next day, officials at a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) press conference confirmed the news:

HUD would be taking over NSF's Alexandria, Virginia headquarters, effective "as quickly as possible," Michael Peters, Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service for the General Services Administration (GSA), said during the briefing.

An employee of NSF said in an interview with E&E News that they had "literally zero idea" the move was coming.

The agency had only relocated to the brand-new building in 2017. Dozens of NSF workers gathered outside the building to protest the decision on Wednesday (June 25).

The crowd chanted slogans like "We won't go!" And "N-S-F." "This is bulls—," one NSF employee who did not wish to be named told Washington’s News4.

Meanwhile, inside the building, officials presented the move as a step toward the Trump administration's stated vision for increased federal efficiency.

"The people of HUD are excited to have a new home to deliver excellent services," said HUD Secretary Scott Turner.

Approximately 2,700 HUD employees are expected to relocate to the NSF building from their current headquarters in Washington, D.C.'s Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, which was built in the 1960s.

While standing in front of a banner declaring "The New Golden Age of HUD," Peters added: "This is a win for everyone involved."

However, not everyone involved agrees. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents a number of NSF workers, strongly criticized the move. In a press release, the union called it a "callous disregard for taxpayer dollars and NSF employees."

The organization also alleged that it was told the relocation would include new additions to the Weaver building, such as a private executive suite, dining room and custom gym for Turner. "The hypocrisy is truly dumbfounding," the organization said.

"That's ridiculous and it's not true," Turner said at the press conference.

"The Trump Administration's displacement of over 1,800 National Science Foundation employees from its headquarters with no place to go, adds insult to injury when the Administration is pushing a 55% cut to NSF's budget," Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, chimed in, also dismayed at reports of the possible luxuries that'd be installed as part of the move.

"We should be investing in our scientists and innovation to make America globally competitive. I will fight to make sure NSF workers are protected and that we invest in their important work," she said.

Members of the House of Representatives' Science, Space and Technology Committee also condemned the measure.

"The Trump administration's egregious, corrupt, and disgraceful abuse of power continues, this time by kicking dedicated scientists out of their building," wrote panel member Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California).

"Once again, science loses, the American taxpayer loses, and our competitors, like China, win."

The announcement comes at an uncertain time in NSF's history. The agency was founded in 1950 with the goal of advancing American science, technology and engineering.

Since then, it has played a key role in these fields from developing the barcode to observing gravitational waves and imaging the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

But over the last six months, the Trump administration has frozen or terminated more than 1,600 NSF grants, with plans to reduce the agency's budget by more than half.

HUD, meanwhile, faces a 44% cut to its 2026 funding should the current administration's budget proposal pass.

It is currently unclear where — or how — NSF's displaced employees will be relocated. Some had just recently moved back to Virginia on short notice after a federal judge reversed the Trump administration's decision to fire dozens of probationary employees.

Glenn Youngkin, the Governor of Virginia, expressed his hope that the Trump administration would keep NSF in the commonwealth, but at a different location.

For now, it appears GSA is taking responsibility for figuring out where to move NSF workers.

"GSA will continue to support and work with the National Science Foundation on space that allows them to fulfill their mission," the agency said in a press release. NSF declined Space.com's request for comment.

https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/more-than-1-800-national-science-foundation-workers-abruptly-kicked-out-of-agency-headquarters

https://www.afge.org/contentassets/d39b37aa070e4ca38844605a82d3f028/afgel3403_stmnt_us_hud_overtaking_nsf_office_space_2025.pdf

Astronomers discover baby planets taking their 1st steps in nearby stellar nursery

June 26, 2025

Astronomers may have caught the first stages of planets being born around infant stars.

The discovery came about when a team of scientists studied 78 planet-forming, flattened clouds of gas and dust, or "protoplanetary disks," in the Ophiuchus star-forming region.

This stellar nursery, also known as the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, is located around 460 light-years from Earth, making it the closest star-forming region to our solar system.

The team discovered previously unseen rings, spirals and other substructures in the swirling, plate-like planet-forming clouds around a number of stars just a few hundred thousand years old.

If that seems ancient, consider this: Our middle-aged star, the sun, is 4.6 billion years old. The team's findings suggest stars and planets evolve together in environments that are rich in gas and dust.

Investigating the co-evolution of planets and stars

Stars are born when overly dense regions in vast clouds of gas and dust called molecular clouds collapse under their own gravity. This collapse creates a protostar wrapped in a pre-natal envelope of material from which it continues to gather mass.

This matter-harvesting continues until the star is sufficiently massive enough to trigger the fusion of hydrogen to helium at the heart of the star, the nuclear process that defines what a fully grown or main-sequence star is.

The end result is a young star surrounded by a flattened disk of gas and dust within which planets can begin to form. When planets begin to take shape in these disks, their gravitational influence can gather or eject materials. That process gives rise to substructures in the protoplanetary disk.

However, the big question is: At what point in the evolution of planetary systems do these substructures begin to appear?

That's a question astronomers have been attempting to answer using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an array of 66 antennas in northern Chile that work together to act as form a single telescope.

In particular, two large programs conducted by ALMA, DSHARP and eDisk, have discovered intricate details of structures in protoplanetary disks.

DSHARP found that such structures are common in the disks that surround 20 young stars under 1 million years of age.

Meanwhile, eDisk studied younger protostars that are just between 10,000 and 100,000 years old and thus still in their matter-harvesting stage.

This revealed that structures present around 1 million-year-old stars are absent around stars 10 and 100 times younger.

That implies the characteristics of a protoplanetary disk are dependent on the age of its central star.

The new study's team looked at stars with ages between those studied in the DSHARP and eDisk programs, turning to super-resolution imaging provided by public software called "Python module for Radio Interferometry Imaging with Sparse Modeling," or (PRIISM), and applied this to ALMA archival data.

This allowed the researchers to obtain a resolution three times greater than what's provided by standard procedures for half of the imaged protoplanetary disks.

The team's results were further bolstered by the fact their Ophiuchus sample was four times larger than what was used in the DSHARP and eDisk programs.

The investigation revealed 27 of the 78 examined disks had ring or spiral structures, 15 of which had never been seen before.

This revealed substructures form in disks that have widths 30 times the distance between Earth and the sun (30 astronomical units).

This, in turn, implies that substructures form much earlier than previously thought — while such disks are still abundant with gas and dust.

In other words, infant stars and planets seem to evolve together — at least, in the Ophiuchus stellar nursery.

"These findings, bridging the gap between the eDisk and DSHARP projects, were enabled by the innovative imaging that allows for both achieving high resolution and a large number of samples," Ayumu Shoshi, team leader and a researcher at Kyushu University, said in a statement.

"While these findings only pertain to the disks in Ophiuchus, future studies of other star-forming regions will reveal whether this tendency is universal."

https://www.space.com/astronomy/astronomers-discover-baby-planets-taking-their-first-steps-in-nearby-stellar-nursery-images

https://academic.oup.com/pasj/article/77/3/572/8117664

https://alma-telescope.jp/en/news/press/cradle-202506.html#:~:text=In%20other%20words%2C%20planets%20grow,a%20large%20number%20of%20samples.

A star exploded in the Lupus constellation. Here's how to see the nova in the night sky this month

June 26, 2025

An ordinarily dim star is making a brilliant appearance in the night sky after unleashing a powerful nova explosion, which has rendered it visible to the naked eye.

The nova V462 Lupi was first discovered on June 12 by the Ohio State University-led All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), as reported by Sky & Telescope.

The star that spawned the nova is usually too dim to see with the naked eye, boasting an apparent brightness — or magnitude — of +22.3.

However, the explosion of radiation thrown out by the nova caused it to brighten dramatically, making it appear as if a new star is shining in the night sky!

Remember, the lower an object's magnitude, the brighter it is in the night sky. For reference, the human eye is capable of seeing stars with a magnitude of +6.5 or greater under dark sky conditions.

A subsequent analysis of the star's light fingerprint by astronomer Yusuke Tampo of the University of Cape Town, South Africa led to the event being classified as a classical nova.

This form of stellar explosion occurs when the gravitational influence of a white dwarf star orbiting in a binary system strips mass from its nearby companion.

This process continues until the mass accumulated on the surface of the white dwarf is heated to the point that a cataclysmic fusion reaction becomes inevitable.

The resulting explosion releases a colossal outpouring of radiation, which can be visible from Earth.

Soon after its discovery on July 14, observers associated with the American Association for Variable Stars (AAVSO) reported that V462 Lupi was visible through a pair of 15x70 binoculars with a magnitude of around +7.9.

The nova was observed to steadily brighten in the days following its discovery, eventually becoming visible to the naked eye around the middle of June.

It subsequently crescendoed, with some reports placing its brightness at over +5.5. Sadly, the AAVSO light curve of V462 Lupi based on member observations appears to show that the nova is now on the decline.

V462 Lupi will soon vanish from the night sky, but before it does, the dark skies around the new moon present a perfect time to head away from city lights to hunt down the ancient nova light.

We would advise taking a pair of 10x50 binoculars, which will make it easier to spot the subsiding light of the nova while providing a wide field of view with which to observe the multitude of surrounding stars.

The nova can be found in the patch of sky close to the bright stars Delta Lupi and Kappa Centauri in the constellation of Lupus, the wolf.

Its exact location is best found with the aid of a star chart, which, as noted by Sky & Telescope, can be generated on the AAVSO website by typing 'V462 Lup' into the 'Pick a star' box and clicking 'Create a finder chart'.

V462 Lupi will be easiest to spot for skywatchers in the southern hemisphere, where the nova will be highest in the post-sunset sky.

However, the patch of sky containing the nova will also be visible close to the southern horizon for U.S. stargazers living in states closest to the equator, such as Texas, Florida, and Louisiana.

https://www.space.com/stargazing/a-star-exploded-in-the-lupus-constellation-heres-how-to-see-the-nova-in-the-night-sky-this-month

https://twitter.com/comets77/status/1936692738151350433

https://twitter.com/JohnBarentine/status/1935567237336932804

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket creates nebula-like ring in night sky

June 27, 2025

During the early hours of June 25, 2025, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off into space, headed for the International Space Station.

The launch was part of the private Axiom-4 space mission carrying four astronauts on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

What is it?

The Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket that often carries cargo, Starlink satellites, or crew members in its corresponding Dragon spacecraft. Its reusable system aligns with SpaceX's mission to make spaceflight less costly, and thus more accessible.

When the rocket's first stage booster returns to Earth for launch site landings, the stage's boost back burn can sometimes create these plumes of exhaust high in the atmosphere.

Where is it?

The Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is currently headed for the International Space Station.

Why is it amazing?

The Ax-4 launch is a mission of "firsts," as it carried the first ever-people from India, Hungary and Poland into space, including pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.

Leading the team is former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, currently Axiom's director of human spaceflight.

Ax-4 was not easy to get off the ground, however. The mission faced two weeks of delays since its original launch date of June 11, 2025. These delays were caused by high winds as well as leaks on both the launch vehicle and the ISS.

But finally, on the morning of June 25, 2025, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched, ferrying the crew toward the ISS. Once there, the astronauts will spend two weeks in orbit and conduct over 60 experiments before returning back to Earth.

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-creates-nebula-like-ring-in-night-sky-space-photo-of-the-day-for-june-27-2025

The Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Welcomes Starcloud and Volta Space Technologies as New Associate Members

June 27, 2025

Washington, D.C.—The Commercial Space Federation (CSF) is pleased to welcome Starcloud and Volta Space Technologies as new Associate Members.

These forward-looking companies bring cutting-edge capabilities that will strengthen CSF’s role in shaping the future of commercial space.

• Starcloud is developing orbital data centers that use high-performance GPUs in space to support large-scale AI computing.

Their approach takes advantage of continuous solar power and passive cooling in orbit to deliver energy-efficient processing.

• Volta Space Technologies is building a space-based power grid for the Moon, using satellites to beam energy via laser to lunar surface systems.

Their lightweight receiver technology helps extend mission duration and enable operations through the lunar night.

“We’re excited to welcome Starcloud and Volta to CSF at a time when commercial capabilities are accelerating rapidly,” said Dave Cavossa, President of CSF.

“Their technologies represent the kind of bold thinking and practical innovation that will define the next decade in space—and we’re proud to have them help shape the conversation.”

About CSF

Founded in 2006, CSF and its members are laying the foundation for democratizing access to outer space for scientists, students, civilians, and businesses. All while working towards the goal of expanding the U.S. Commercial Space Economy.

Through the promotion of technological innovation, CSF and its diverse membership are guiding the bolstering of U.S. leadership in aerospace and inspiring America’s next generation of engineers and explorers.

CSF also serves as the commercial space industry’s primary advocate with the U.S. Congress and the Administration, helping inform the development and implementation of policy priorities.

By engaging with congressional players, CSF is able to provide recommendations on commercial space issues that will impact the commercial space industry in the short and long term.

https://spacenews.com/the-commercial-space-federation-csf-welcomes-starcloud-and-volta-space-technologies-as-new-associate-members/

New SLS booster design suffers anomaly during test

June 27, 2025

WASHINGTON — A new version of the solid rocket booster being developed for the Space Launch System experienced an anomaly during a test firing in Utah June 26.

Northrop Grumman performed the first demonstration test of the Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) version of the five-segment solid rocket booster for the SLS at its Promontory, Utah, test site.

The booster, fixed in a horizontal position, fired for a little more than two minutes, as it would on an actual launch.

A little more than 100 seconds into the test, exhaust appeared from come out from the side of the nozzle. Seconds later, debris scattered from the vicinity of the nozzle, as seen in NASA’s webcast of the test.

“Whoa!” said one person on the webcast, which had been carrying audio from test controllers, after the debris scattered. That was followed by a sigh.

The motor continued to burn for the remainder of the test. NASA and Northrop Grumman officials did not mention the incident in comments on the webcast shortly after the test concluded.

“While the motor appeared to perform well through a harsh burn environment, we observed an anomaly near the end of the two-plus minute burn,” Jim Kalberer, vice president of propulsion systems at Northrop Grumman, said in a statement issued a few hours after the test.

The company did not release additional details about the anomaly.

He added in the statement that the company “pushed the boundaries of large solid rocket motor design” in the test.

“As a new design, and the largest segmented solid rocket booster ever built, this test provides us with valuable data to iterate our design for future developments.”

The BOLE design is intended for use on SLS missions starting with Artemis 9 in the 2030s. It replaces the shuttle-era steel casings for the solid rocket motors with new carbon fiber composite designs.

It also uses a new propellant formulation and incorporates other advances that result in a booster whose performance is increased by more than 10%, adding five metric tons of payload for SLS missions to the moon.

It is uncertain, though, if the BOLE design will ever fly. NASA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal seeks to cancel the SLS after the Artemis 3 mission.

A provision in the Senate version of a budget reconciliation bill would add funding for two additional SLS missions, through Artemis 5, but says nothing about the future of the vehicle beyond that.

This is the second time in less than a year that a solid rocket booster built by Northrop Grumman suffered a nozzle issue.

The nozzle fell off one of two GEM 36XL solid rocket boosters — far smaller than the BOLE booster — on the second launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket in October 2024.

The lost nozzle degraded the booster’s performance somewhat but did not prevent Vulcan from completing its mission.

ULA said in March that a manufacturing defect in one of the internal parts in the nozzle caused it to come off. Fixes to correct the problem were confirmed in a test firing at Northrop’s site in February.

https://spacenews.com/new-sls-booster-design-suffers-anomaly-during-test/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3TfNZsCxDU

SpaceX Starlink Mission

June 27, 2025

SpaceX is targeting Saturday, June 28 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 12:26 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 3:57 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Sunday, June 29 starting at 12:04 a.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 5th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-32, NROL-69, GPS III-7, and a Starlink mission.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-10-34

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4227796/meink-allvin-saltzman-outline-strategies-priorities-necessary-to-secure-the-nat/

Meink, Allvin, Saltzman outline strategies, priorities necessary to secure the nation

June 26, 2025

The highest-ranking civilian and military leaders of the Department of the Air Force June 26 highlighted the recent U.S. strike on Iran as a vivid example for what is possible – but also at risk – unless Congress ensures sufficient, uninterrupted funding for the Air Force and Space Force.

“We don’t just need more Air Force; we need a more capable one,” U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, told the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in a hearing that also featured Department of the Air Force Secretary Dr. Troy Meink, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.

“As the world saw on June 21st, no other service can match what the Air Force delivers: effects anywhere on the globe, at any scale, on minimal notice,” Allvin said, emphasizing a theme that was embraced and expanded on by Meink and Saltzman.

But while the Iran mission was successful, all three leaders noted that adversaries today, particularly China, are more advanced and determined and that the U.S. advantage could shrink without assured, consistent funding from Congress.

That is especially true in space, Saltzman said, adding that being able to operate fully in space is a linchpin to defending the nation and that the domain has now become a contested, warfighting zone.

“It is imperative that we match the dramatic rise in threats and increasing importance of space with resources to arm the Space Force effectively,” Saltzman told members of the subcommittee that plays a key role in determine how much funding the department will receive when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

“The Space Force has been asked to accept new responsibilities and new missions. These new missions require new resources, or we will face tough choices between delayed readiness, reduced capacity, or unaddressed vulnerabilities,” he said.

Meink seized on a similar theme.

“The Department of the Air Force is at an inflection point. We are engaged in a fast-paced race for military superiority against a well-resourced strategic opponent,” he said.

“However, we simultaneously face personnel and platform challenges affecting our immediate readiness. We must rebuild our military and develop new capabilities so that we can continue deterring our adversaries in the future.”

Like Allvin, Meink linked the success of the mission against Iran as an indicator of the capabilities brought by the Air Force and Space Force and as a tangible example of the department’s spending priorities and what it means in real terms on the battlefield.

“Through our current and future investments, the department aims to establish a balanced, high-low mix of combat capabilities optimized to project power both from within and outside of adversary threat environments,” he said.

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“We recently demonstrated the precision and potency of U.S. air and space force in Operation Midnight Hammer, and it is imperative that we continue providing the president a full range of military options to confront any threat we face,” he told senators.

Meink noted that confronting and deterring China remains the highest national defense priority.

That effort, along with protecting the homeland including the Southern Border, means “continuing to modernize our nuclear forces, especially through the Sentinel, B-21, and Long-Range Standoff weapon programs — as well as the nuclear Command, Control, and Communications that support these systems.

We are also eager to support the president’s 'Golden Dome' missile defense initiative."

Allvin told senators the budget request for 2026 “is designed to build a force aligned with today’s operational realities.

That means preserving current readiness and optimizing our force design to be tailored for contested environments, blending next generation aircraft, autonomous systems, and resilient command and control.”

Specifically, it means continuing to develop the F-47, the recently announced newest frontline fighter.

It means continuing to develop and refine so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft, uncrewed and autonomous aircraft that would work in unison with crewed aircraft and commands on the ground.

It means pushing forward the B-21 bomber and continuing to upgrade the ageless B-52 fleet and the ground-based nuclear deterrent known as Sentinel.

At the same time, Allvin said the Air Force needs Congress to give it authority to trim unneeded and unused assets and property.

“More Air Force means ruthlessly prioritizing in the right capabilities and projects while divesting from aging systems and unused infrastructure,” Allvin said, reiterating a call for “more Air Force” that he has been voicing for months.

“We don’t just need more Air Force; we need a more capable one. We need ‘more tooth, less tail’,” he said, emphasizing the Air Force currently has “23% in excess facilities.”

“This inefficient laydown of force structure across our installations suggests there are opportunities for consolidation or divestment,” he said.

Lawmakers agreed with the three leaders that Congress needs to approve the fiscal 2026 spending plan and that failing to achieve that, as has happened frequently over the last decade, erodes national security.

Aside from agreement on the need for funding, the hearing also brought questions about the status of the KC-46 tanker, about the Air Force’s plans for responding to a shortage of workers at childcare centers, plans for launching satellites and what the Air Force is doing to protect bases from drone attacks, among others.

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USSPACECOM DCOM highlights strategic partnerships at Prague Security Space Conference

June 26, 2025

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) – Lt. Gen. Thomas James, U.S. Space Command deputy commander, attended the Prague Security Studies Institute’s 8th Prague Space Security Conference in the Czech Republic, June 15-17.

While at the conference, James participated in the “Annual Update on Military Partnerships” panel alongside Brig. Gen. Marcin Górka, Poland’s director of the Innovation Department, Ministry of National Defense, and Maj. Gen. Michael Traut, commander of German Space Command.

To frame the discussion on capabilities and integration with partners, James highlighted USSPACECOM commander Gen. Stephen Whiting’s three moral responsibilities: defend the Nation and the joint force from space-enabled attack by others; deliver space capabilities to the joint force, the Nation and our allies across all levels of competition and conflict; and protect and defend the space systems critical to the joint force and our modern way of life against the threats now arrayed against us.

To illustrate the importance of assured space access, he shared a personal story from his time as a helicopter pilot during Desert Storm.

“That was my first experience with space-based [capabilities], in a way that had a tremendous impact on the way that we fought that very short war. But part of the time, when I had that [GPS] capability, I felt safer.

I had terrain that was trying to kill us, we had an enemy that was trying to kill us, and I had something that was giving me a way out that could help me, and my teammates, fight and be effective and safe.

And then it disappeared, and I learned what it meant to protect and defend our access to capability,” he said.

James emphasized that space is foundational to how the U.S. and its allies fight across joint, allied, and interagency operations.

As adversaries develop the ability to deny or disrupt access to these systems, he stressed the need to stay ahead of the threat.

“The biggest thing we have to deter China, I think, is our partnerships right now,” he said.

He cited the command’s “Elements of Victory” framework, highlighting the importance of integrating and synchronizing effects with allies, commercial industry and academia.

These partnerships, he said, must be built and exercised before conflict arises. “I think we’re making some good headway… but integration needs to be done ahead of time. You can’t wait until conflict — and we see that all the time,” he said.

Achieving space superiority, he argued, means more than outpacing adversaries, it requires ensuring freedom of maneuver for allies while denying the same to others.

“We continue to work with the idea that we can control the timing and tempo that the allies and the joint force need to maneuver in space… and prevent an adversary from doing the same to their advantage,” he said.

Efforts like Multinational Force – Operation Olympic Defender reflect this shift from dialogue to real operational planning and execution. James concluded by underscoring the strategic value of comprehensive partnerships across sectors.

“I think that with our allies, with industry, with that commercial, with the economic portion of it—how we bring that to bear and fight… comprehensively—is the way we’re going to stay ahead of our adversaries.

And shy of doing that well and aggressively… we need strategic partnerships that immediately show productive results.”

The Prague Space Security Conference series, launched in 2011, and has become a leading high-level trilateral space security gathering.

Eight international conferences have convened to date, involving leading space policymakers, senior military and civil government officials, industry leaders, and distinguished non-governmental organizations and academia representatives, from Europe, the U.S. and Japan.

USSPACECOM, working with allies and partners, executes, and integrates military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression, defend national interests, and when necessary, defeat threats.

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4226926/usspacecom-dcom-highlights-strategic-partnerships-at-prague-security-space-conf/

US divided on fate of Iran’s enriched uranium after strikes – NYT

27 Jun, 2025 13:33

US intelligence officials are divided over the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile following recent US and Israeli airstrikes on key nuclear facilities, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

The hostilities began on June 13 when Israel launched strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran was close to developing a nuclear bomb – which has been denied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and US intelligence.

The US joined the campaign on June 22, striking several nuclear facilities. A ceasefire brokered by Washington came into effect on Tuesday and has so far been upheld.

US President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

However, US intelligence assessments and international watchdogs reportedly suggest that while the facilities were damaged, Iran’s capability to resume its nuclear program remains.

US officials said intelligence assessments on the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile are inconsistent, with differing views among Iranian officials contributing to the uncertainty, according to the outlet.

Parts of the Natanz nuclear facility, where some of the uranium was believed to be stored, were damaged but not destroyed in the US and Israeli airstrikes, the report said, citing US officials.

Due to limited access and conflicting assessments, the US intelligence community has not reached a firm conclusion about how much of

the material Iran has retained, people familiar with the findings told the NYT.

Following a classified Senate briefing on Thursday, several Republican lawmakers stressed that destroying or seizing the stockpile was not an objective of the strikes.

“I didn’t want people to think the problem is over, because it’s not,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters, noting that the nuclear sites were significantly damaged.

There is also uncertainty over the original location of Iran’s uranium stockpile. Trump said it was at Fordow, while others pointed to Natanz.

The IAEA reported that most of it was stored at Isfahan, where Iran operates reactors and nuclear facilities. Some experts believe the stockpile was dispersed across multiple sites.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iranian officials told inspectors they would relocate the material if it was threatened.

The uranium was stored in containers small enough to fit “into the trunk of an ordinary car,” he added.

In the days leading up to the US missile strike on Isfahan, surveillance reportedly shows vehicles moving items into or out of the labs.

Grossi said this week he believes much of the uranium remains in Iran’s hands. “I don’t know if they moved all of it,” he said. “But the evidence points to their moving out a lot of it.”

https://www.rt.com/news/620627-iran-nuclear-stockpile-intelligence/

Trump Mobile drops ‘Made in USA’ label amid China copycat concerns

27 Jun, 2025 12:06

Trump Mobile has removed the ‘Made in the USA’ label for an upcoming smartphone from its website, sparking renewed speculation over whether the $499 T1 device is a rebranded Chinese model.

Launched by the Trump Organization on June 16, the company now says the T1 phone is “designed with American values in mind.”

The change was first flagged by The Verge on Wednesday and confirmed through archived captures.

The T1 8002 is currently described as “brought to life right here in the USA,” replacing earlier claims of domestic manufacturing.

The phone’s specifications were also changed, including a screen size drop, and the September 2025 shipping date has also been removed.

The changes appear to have been made after industry analysts questioned whether the US has the capacity to produce the device.

Todd Weaver, the CEO of US-based smartphone manufacturer Purism, told CNN last week that building a secure, scalable phone production line in the US would take years, and that even his company, which sells a $1,999 ‘Made in the USA’ phone, sources some components from abroad.

“Unless the Trump family secretly built out a secure, onshore or nearshore operation… it’s simply not possible.

There are areas where you’re going to still need a global supply chain,” he said, citing a crystal in Purism’s GPS chip that is made in China.

Max Weinbach of Creative Strategies noted similarities between the T1 and the Revvl 7 Pro 5G, a $169 phone made by China’s Wingtech.

“There are only four or five smartphone ODMs that could manufacture this – and they’re all in China,” he said, referring to ‘original device manufacturers’ – companies that design and make products based on the specifications of another company.

“It is likely that this device will be initially produced by a Chinese ODM,” Blake Przesmicki, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC.

Eric Trump – who now co-leads the Trump Organization – effectively acknowledged that the phones are not currently made in the US.

In an interview last week, he said, “eventually all the [Trump] phones will be built in the USA,” while avoiding any direct claim of domestic production.

Company spokesman Chris Walker, however, told USA Today on Wednesday that “the T1 phones are proudly being made in America,” and dismissed speculation to the contrary as “simply inaccurate.”

The news comes amid President Donald Trump’s push to boost domestic manufacturing.

Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners earlier this year, citing unfair trade imbalances and saying the move would provide an “incentive for re-shoring production to the US.”

China was hit hardest, and the two sides engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war that paused after a preliminary deal earlier this month until a final trade agreement, which is expected by August 10.

https://www.rt.com/business/620616-trump-phone-china-copycat/

https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1934634356964028458

https://trumpmobile.com/

‘One-sided game’ in relations with West has ended – Putin

27 Jun, 2025 15:47

Russia will no longer play “one-sided” games with the West, President Vladimir Putin has told journalists on the sidelines of the summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in Minsk.

Western nations have repeatedly betrayed Russia by not fulfilling their promises related to NATO expansion and resolving the Ukraine conflict, he stated at a press conference on Friday.

NATO is currently justifying its planned defense spending hike to 5% of its members’ GDP and military buildup in Europe by pointing to Russia’s “aggressiveness,” Putin said, adding that the bloc’s members are “turning everything upside down” when they make statements such as these.

“No one is saying a word about how we’ve come up to the Russian special military operation,” the president said, adding that the roots of the Ukraine conflict go back decades when Moscow was “blatantly lied to” about NATO expansion. “What followed was one expansion wave after another,” he stated.

Russia’s security concerns about the bloc’s activities have been consistently ignored and met with silence, according to Putin. “Isn’t it aggressive behavior?

That is precisely aggressive behavior, which the West does not want to pay attention to.”

According to the president, Western nations have supported separatism and even terrorism as long as it is directed against Russia.

Terrorist groups were outright ignored if they acted on Russian territory, he claimed. “Everything was good as long as it was against Russia.

Haven’t we seen this? They [the West] saw it as well. Yet, they only talk about our aggressiveness.”

"We are not aggressive. The Collective West is."

The president’s words came just days after the NATO summit in The Hague, where the bloc’s members made a commitment to hike defense spending to 5% of GDP annually by 2035.

The decision was made “in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security,” the summit’s statement said.

Russia has said it considers NATO expansion towards its borders to be a major national security threat, and cited Kiev’s ambitions to join the US-led bloc among the key reasons that led to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

https://www.rt.com/russia/620668-putin-west-one-sided-game/

Staff at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant attacked by Ukrainian drone – officials

27 Jun, 2025 11:26

Workers at Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) were targeted by a Ukrainian drone just a few hundred meters from the reactor units, the facility’s management reported on its official Telegram channel on Friday.

The ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, came under Moscow’s control in March 2022. The region’s residents soon thereafter voted in a referendum to become part of Russia.

The plant has since frequently been at the center of hostilities, as both Moscow and Kiev have traded accusations of endangering its safety.

The latest attack took place near the plant’s hydraulic structures, approximately 350–400 meters from the reactor units, according to the ZNPP’s statement.

The drone is said to have damaged a service vehicle but caused no injuries. Personnel involved in clearing operations at the water intake canal managed to take cover before the explosion.

The plant emphasized that operations continue under full safety precautions.

The ZNPP’s management condemned the Ukrainian drone strike as a “terrorist act” and called the deliberate targeting of civilian nuclear staff “a new level of inhumanity” by the Kiev regime.

Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukraine of nuclear terrorism over strikes on the Zaporozhye facility. The plant has been the target of drone attacks on multiple occasions in recent years.

In April 2024, unmanned aircraft struck near the reactor containment areas, including a direct hit on the dome of Reactor Unit 6.

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has a monitoring mission deployed to the ZNPP, also confirmed that its team heard repeated rounds of gunfire and multiple explosions during what appeared to be a drone attack on the plant’s training center.

That incident marked the fourth time this year that the area had been targeted by Kiev.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi responded at the time by stating that “any attack on any nuclear power plant, in particular Zaporozhye, is absolutely unacceptable.”

He warned that such actions must stop immediately due to the risk of “potentially serious consequences.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/620640-ukraine-attacks-znpp-workers/

Russia's short-range drone strikes cause over 3,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, UN reports

June 27, 2025 5:37 AM

Short-range drone attacks have become one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Ukraine’s front-line regions, killing at least 395 people and injuring 2,635 between February 2022 and April 2025, according to a new bulletin by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

The report, "Deadly Drones: Civilians at Risk from Short-Range Drones in Frontline Areas of Ukraine," highlights the growing use of first-person-view (FPV) drones by Russian forces and their devastating impact on the civilian population.

The bulletin documents attacks in which drone operators deliberately targeted civilians engaging in daily activities — driving private cars, riding bicycles, walking outdoors, or evacuating others in clearly marked ambulances.

"Although individually less destructive than artillery or missiles, the sheer scale and increasing frequency of short-range drone attacks have made them one of the deadliest weapons in Ukraine," said Danielle Bell, head of the mission.

"Over 3,000 civilian casualties — and the relentless frequency of these attacks — have not only caused immense human suffering but also instilled fear, severely disrupted daily life, and crippled access to essential services in several frontline communities."

The monitoring mission documented, verified, and analyzed 3,030 civilian casualties resulting from short-range drones between 24 February 2022 and 30 April 2025.

The researchers conducted site visits to very high-risk areas, including the southern city of Kherson, Zolochiv in Kharkiv Oblast, and other front-line locations.

Investigators interviewed survivors and witnesses of drone attacks, medical personnel, and humanitarian workers to assess the full impact of these strikes on civilian life.

Casualties surged in late 2023 and early 2024, with numbers suddenly doubling in July 2024. April 2025 marked the deadliest month on record, with 42 civilians killed and 283 injured. Drone strikes continued into May and June.

On 23 June, a 65-year-old driver was killed in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, when a drone struck a minibus. In Kharkiv region, a 58-year-old volunteer was killed on 22 May when a drone dropped a munition on a residential balcony.

On 20 May, six civilians were injured when a drone hit a bus in Kherson Oblast.

The vast majority of casualties — 89% — occurred in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government.

The UN says these attacks violate international humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction and precaution, and may in some cases constitute war crimes.

https://kyivindependent.com/relentless-drone-strikes-cause-over-3-000-civilian-casualties-in-ukraine-un-reports/

Fires break out in Zaporizhzhia amid Russia’s drone attack

27.06.2025 06:18

As a result of a nighttime attack by Russian drones, fires broke out in Zaporizhzhia and non-residential buildings were damaged.

According to Ukrinform, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Ivan Fedorov reported this on Telegram.

“Russians carried out at least six UAV strikes on the regional center. Buildings of an industrial facility and a garage cooperative area were damaged,” he wrote.

According to the official, the attack caused fires Fortunately, Fedorov added, no people were injured.

As Ukrinform previously reported, air defense forces were active in Zaporizhzhia during the drone attack.

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4008785-fires-break-out-in-zaporizhzhia-amid-russias-drone-attack.html

Russian Police Launch Terrorism Probe After Ukrainian Drone Attack Injures Chinese Journalist

June 27, 2025

Russian police investigators on Friday launched a terrorism probe after a Ukrainian drone strike wounded a Chinese journalist in the Kursk border region.

Lu Yuguang, a 63-year-old reporter with the Chinese state-affiliated Phoenix TV, sustained head injuries Thursday afternoon while reporting near targeted facilities in the village of Korenevo, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border, Russian officials said.

Lu declined hospitalization after receiving treatment for cuts to his head, according to Acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein.

In a video published by Russian state media, Lu appeared with a bandage around his head and spoke to reporters.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it ordered a forensic medical exam to assess Lu’s injuries and was working to identify the Ukrainian drone operators to charge them with terrorism.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of “deliberately attacking” journalists and urged foreign governments to condemn the strike.

China’s Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply concerned” following the incident.

“The Chinese side calls on all parties to commit to a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis and jointly work toward easing tensions,” ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/27/russian-police-launch-terrorism-probe-after-ukrainian-drone-attack-injures-chinese-journalist-a89594

Chinese City Sets New World Record With Drone Light Show

Jun 27, 2025 7:49 AM EDT

A Chinese city has set a new world record with a drone light show featuring 11,787 drones. Think about how many that is!

The city of Chongqing just set a new world record with the massive and impressive drone light show.

It's been estimated that 100,000 people showed up in the city's downtown to watch the record take place, per Oddity Central. That's a lot of people!

That's more than the number of people who go to an NFL game! The drones took several shapes in the sky and even wrote out some messages. Check out a viral video of the new world record below!

Chinese City Sets New World Record With Drone Light Show

Some of the designs written by the drone light show included stuff from Chinese history and culture–including colorful flowers and detailed skylines. It's unbelievable what they're able to do up there.

Have you ever seen a drone light show like this? There are some incredible ones here in the States and you don't have to go to China to see something like this.

Although, seeing something of that magnitude is clearly rare as it set the new world record.

https://wrif.com/2025/06/27/new-world-record-drone-light-show/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NoJT2dG_F8

2 Chinese men arrested in South Korea for using drone to film naval base

7:29pm, 27 Jun 2025

Two Chinese men have been arrested in the South Korean city of Busan for using a drone to illegally film a naval base, including a visiting US aircraft carrier, amid fears of such incidents occurring more regularly and threatening national security.

paywall

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316151/2-chinese-men-arrested-south-korea-using-drone-film-naval-base

Drone shows birdseye view of tornado’s path of destruction

June 27, 2025

Amazing drone footage shows the path left by a tornado in Minnesota as it carved through the greenery.

Noah Nielsen, 25, flew his drone over fields just north of Hartland, Minnesota, on Wednesday (June 25), capturing the tornado’s aftermath.

He estimates the tornado missed the town itself by approximately 250 yards as it crossed Highway 13 between 315th and 325th Streets.

The footage follows the tornado’s route across roads and fields, even capturing debris and damage to a local farm.

https://www.themountaineer.com/news/national/drone-shows-birdseye-view-of-tornado-s-path-of-destruction/article_69763379-f891-55a7-97e3-caaaa5d08614.html

Drugs and Drones: Kansas prison locked down over drug smuggling

Jun. 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM PDT

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The Hutchinson Correctional Facility has been put on lockdown in May and June multiple times, for drug use, according to a Kansas state representative.

Rep. Bob Lewis (R), from Garden City, chairs the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee.

In an email, he told 12 News that the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are looking into the drug problem and the prison.

So far, Lewis said the investigation has found that drug suppliers use drones to get drugs into the prison.

He said KDOC and KBI found that the suppliers fly the drones over the prison yard and drop them, then inmates will pick them up, which has led to drug use and overdoses at the facility.

Several inmates overdosed and were treated at the local hospital; one inmate died on March 15, according to Lewis. Igniting the warden to put the prison on lockdown.

Jaya Lewis’s dad has been in the Hutchinson Correctional Facility for eight years. He told her that drug use and overdoses have never been as bad as they are now.

However, families of inmates say KDOC never tells them when their loved ones are put on lockdown. Shelly Eberhardt’s son was sent to prison in March, and within two months, she noticed something was wrong.

“Then when Mother’s Day came and my birthday in the same month, and I didn’t hear from him—and that never happens,” Eberhard said. “I thought there was something wrong.”

Eberhardt said she has raised concerns to KDOC but has received minimal information. So, 12 News reached out, and this is the statement we received.

“Kansas Department of Corrections prioritizes the safety and well-being of residents and staff, as such a modified lockdown was put in place at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility from June 7-16.

During lockdown situations, operations are modified, which includes limiting both movement and access to some services. The facility resumed normal operations on June 17.

Concerns raised during lockdown by residents and family members are being appropriately addressed.”

Lewis said that the corrections committee will go over the uptick in drug use at the Hutchinson Corrections Facility during the next legislative session, which starts in January.

Full email response from Lewis:

Beginning several months ago, there was an uptick in the number of inmates found to have ingested or otherwise consumed illegal drugs in that facility and several others around the state.

Several inmates overdosed and were taken to the local hospital for treatment: all but one survived. The one inmate death occurred on March 15.

On June 5, to address the problem and protect both inmates and staff, the Warden ordered a modified lockdown of the Hutchinson facility.

The lockdown significantly reduced the number of inmates found to have taken drugs, and there have been no overdoses for the last several days. On June 16, in light of this improved situation, the Warden lifted the lockdown.

It is yet to be seen whether lifting the lockdown will cause drug usage to increase again. The facility will be monitoring the situation closely.

The KDOC internal investigations unit and the KBI are working together to investigate the inmate death, the manner by which the drugs are coming into the facility, and whether guards or staff are involved. That investigation continues.

The investigation has determined that the likely means for bringing the bulk of the drugs into the facility is drones.

The outside drug organization/suppliers direct their drones to drop the drugs (usually soaked in paper) into the prison yard where the inmates retrieve them.

This is a growing problem in both state and federal prisons around the county. KDOC and others around the country are formulating appropriate measures to address this new phenomenon.

The House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, which I chair, will be conducting hearings on the drug problem at Hutchinson and other state facilities in the next legislative session.

https://www.kwch.com/2025/06/27/drugs-drones-kansas-prison-locked-down-over-drug-smuggling/

Radar glitch or UFO? Star-shaped object over Washington fuels fresh conspiracy theories

Last Updated: 26 June, 2025 09:43 PM -7 GMT

A new video showing a mysterious star-shaped object on weather radar over Washington, D.C., is fueling another round of wild speculation online.

Shared by X user Matt Wallace, the radar footage appears to capture an unusual object moving across the D.C. area.

"THERE IT IS AGAIN?" Wallace captioned the clip, referencing a similar anomaly that surfaced earlier this month.

That earlier sighting had already stirred panic and theories ranging from secret government weather manipulation to extraterrestrial activity.

However, meteorologist Matthew Cappucci had debunked such claims, explaining that the radar glitch was likely caused by a structure east of the National Weather Service’s Dulles radar.

According to Cappucci, the building’s interference caused the radar beam to reflect back incorrectly, creating a false image.

Kari Lake, a special advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, had first noticed the previous anomaly, which coincided with a strong storm system entering the region.

Still, Wallace’s latest post ignited a flurry of reactions.

“Probably just a high-altitude military jet we weren’t supposed to spot,” one user suggested.

“Looks like the space station,” another speculated.

One user questioned if it could be fighter jets flying without transponders. Others took a more humorous tone: “There’s a Santa sleigh on Google Maps too—doesn’t mean it’s real.”

One commenter added a conspiratorial twist: “The military promotes UFO narratives to cover up advanced tech. Most of those sightings are just propaganda.”

Another X user commented, "A couple of notes: 1) this is an animation - Computer generated graphic to help visualize air traffic. 2) someone assigned the star shaped sprite to this animation. 3) the fact that the sprite has a special shape means the computer system sees the object as something other than a plane. 4) no altitude information is provided here and no planes are taking evasive maneuvers. 5) the trajectory (speed and direction) is consistent with a low orbit satellite."

Whether it’s radar interference or something more mysterious, the incident has once again triggered a digital storm of curiosity, skepticism, and intrigue.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/radar-glitch-or-ufo-star-shaped-object-over-washington-fuels-fresh-conspiracy-theories/articleshow/122117435.cms

https://twitter.com/MattWallace888/status/1938472105793995131

https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/world-ufo-day/

https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/the-west-is-best-to-spot-ufos/

World UFO Day

June 26, 2025

On June 24, 1947, near Washington’s Mount Rainier, private pilot Kenneth Arnold saw nine shiny, saucer-like objects flying in a long chain at 1,200 miles per hour, far faster than any known aircraft of the day.

The ensuing media frenzy and many reported sightings in subsequent weeks—including the Roswell Incident on July—kicked off our collective captivation with Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).

Seventy-eight years later, enthusiasts around the world will celebrate July 2 as World UFO Day.

What was once the purview of conspiracy theorists has now entered the mainstream. Advances in sensor technology and personal aircraft use have caused an upswing in reports of what are now called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) considers the uptick a potential threat to national security, not from other planets, but from adversarial actors here on Earth.

@theU spoke with Richard Medina and Simon Brewer of the University of Utah’s School of Environment, Sustainability & Society about their research that helps make sense of the technology filling our skies.

In a study last year, they found that the western U.S. is the best region to spot UAP due to our dark skies, open spaces and proximity to military installations. This World UFO Day, keep one eye on the sky.

Why is the U.S. Department of Defense so interested in UAP?

Simon Brewer: It boils down to the possibility that other countries, or actors, have technology that is not well understood and potentially poses a threat.

The Chinese weather balloons story a couple of years ago illustrated that there could be a range of threats, from surveillance to something more aggressive.

Richard Medina: A lot of this is about uncertainty. We have UAP sightings that appear to break the laws of physics or emerge from the ocean.

But we also have really low-tech stuff—China is sending balloons over. Anyone can do that. We’re concerned about anything that surprises us—either it’s so low-tech or so high-tech that we didn’t expect it.

How can you tell what’s worth paying attention to?

Brewer: What we have are open-source, public reports, so they’re hard to verify, but you can usually put them into three categories. There are going to be hoaxes or pranks.

There will be people who genuinely see something that could be easily explained, but for whatever reason—it’s too cloudy or too far away—they can’t explain it.

And then there’s a smaller category, which is where the real national interest is, where it’s something that appears foreign, or technology that we may have no knowledge of yet. A big part of our research is trying to parse that out.

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I noticed you didn’t list ‘aliens’ as a possibility in your list.

Medina: People in our government don’t seem to mention aliens, but if there are aliens visiting, that’s a concern. No doubt about it. If China has this tech, that’s a concern.

There’s also the question of conspiratorial thinking—that’s also a national security issue. If nobody trusts the government and they think we’re hiding UAP in a warehouse somewhere, that’s a national security issue.

From a security standpoint, uncertainty is dangerous.

How did you get involved in this research area?

Brewer: I was looking for something fun to use in class as a dataset. We’re both of the “X-Files” generation and find it really interesting. So, I started using the National UFO Research Center reporting data.

You partly expect that public-source data with a fantastical air to it would be random. But we found these really, really strong spatial patterns. The difference in sightings between the western and eastern regions of the U.S. was incredibly marked.

It seemed like a fun thing to do, but there is another part of it—this has been a big cultural phenomenon for a long time. There’s an increased awareness of security issues, and yet there are very, very, very few scientific approaches to it.

We thought, why not take the same approach you would with any societal environmental problem and look at it through that lens?

What research are you working on now?

Medina: We’re looking at sighting trends over time. We have the pre-drone, pre-technology times, and then we have the post. Everybody’s got a drone, we now have Starlink satellites up there, and you would expect a general increase in sightings.

But we get these weird patterns where sightings seem to rise and fall at random. What would cause fewer sightings when there’s more technology in the sky than ever before?

So, we’re looking at other societal trends—what’s going on politically, economically or culturally that might drive the variation of UAP reports?

We’re looking at things like rocket launches, space-themed films and TV shows, congressional hearings and even the number of antigovernment groups.

What is your favorite UFO-related media?

Brewer: I would always go back to the “X-Files” because it was just this mix of all of these things, the conspiracies, the monsters, the extraterrestrials, and all wrapped up in that. It’s just an amazing piece of work, right? I also like “The Expanse” books and TV series.

Medina: The “X-Files” was really good, but I have really been enjoying “Resident Alien” these days. Last season, they were interviewing people who had real experiences with things they couldn’t explain, and I thought that was a neat thing to work into their story.

And I’ve always been a Trekkie too. How can you not be? “Star Trek” is amazing.

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Seekonk Skies’ Strange Lights Spark Speculation

June 26, 2025

A mysterious light hovering over Seekonk late Wednesday night had heads turning and phones recording, but speculation is pointing to something more familiar than extraterrestrial.

What Did Witnesses See Over Seekonk?

At around 10:15 p.m. on June 25, Meagan Soares of Westport was enjoying a race at Seekonk Speedway when she spotted an unusual light streaking across the night sky.

Naturally, she pulled out her phone and captured a brief but compelling video of the moment.

Could It Just Be Starlink or Is It a UFO?

One thing is for certain: it definitely wasn’t Starlink.

While some onlookers jumped to the usual "UFO" conclusions, others offered a more down-to-earth theory (literally). It’s highly possible the object was the Goodyear Blimp.

I'll explain.

Tracking the Goodyear Blimp’s Recent Flight Path

Just days before the Seekonk sighting, the iconic blimp was spotted parked at Plymouth Municipal Airport on June 24, and then again at The Ice Cream Barn in Swansea the next afternoon around 2 p.m.

Given its presence in the area, it's very likely the airship was simply making a nighttime return flight.

Why the Light Faded Quickly

Those who saw the light reported that it “disappeared” rather quickly, which adds up.

The Goodyear Blimp features a scrolling LED marquee underneath, and the fading light could have just been the message wrapping up, vanishing into the hazy night sky.

So while the jury is still out on what exactly soared over Seekonk Wednesday night, this is one mystery that may have a logical (and airborne) explanation.

https://fun107.com/seekonk-ufo-light-explained-goodyear-blimp/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epxjp0xBhMo

The Buga Sphere: The Beginning of Contact 🚨 🛸

Jun 26, 2025

What if the Buga Sphere weren't just a mysterious object, but a bridge to other intelligences in the universe?

In this episode of Interstellar, Jaime Maussan analyzes new theories that suggest this enigmatic sphere could become an instrument of interstellar communication.

Testimonies, scientific analysis, and an in-depth look at its possible technological properties lead us to question the limits of what we know. Are we facing a non-human technology?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csVku9jegRI

EXCLUSIVE: “I don’t know,” Oversight Chair denies keeping UAP Caucus in dark. “It’s not me”

Jun 26, 2025

Rep. James Comer (R-KY) — Chair, House Oversight Committee

Ask a Pol asks:

What do you make of former AARO Director Tim Phillips’ accusation that GOP leaders like you who kept the Congressional UAP Caucus from getting classified briefings on SAPs or Special Access Programs?

Key Comer:

“I don’t know,” US House Oversight Chair James Comer exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “It’s not me.”

ICYMI — AARO’s are flying…

CONFIRMED (from the source this time):

So you did give Chair Anna Paulina Luna a six month extension of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets?

“I'm gonna do whatever she wants,” Comer says. “Yeah.”

Caught our ear:

“You assume that the administration's left damning evidence behind,” Comer tells us. “There's no guarantee that the files weren't destroyed.”

https://www.askapoluaps.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knnu4Uvd4dY

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