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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
August 7, 2025
The Double Cluster in Perseus
This stunning starfield spans about three full moons (1.5 degrees) across the heroic northern constellation of Perseus. It holds the famous pair of open star clusters, h and Chi Persei. Also cataloged as NGC 869 (right) and NGC 884, both clusters are about 7,000 light-years away and contain stars much younger and hotter than the Sun. Separated by only a few hundred light-years, the clusters are both 13 million years young based on the ages of their individual stars, evidence that both clusters were likely a product of the same star-forming region. Always a rewarding sight in binoculars or small telescopes, the Double Cluster is even visible to the unaided eye from dark locations.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore Retires
Aug 06, 2025
After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA.
The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee.
Wilmore is a decorated U.S. Navy captain who has flown numerous tactical aircraft operationally while deploying aboard four aircraft carriers during peacetime and combat operations.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, he went on to serve as a test pilot before NASA selected him to become an astronaut in 2000.
“Butch’s commitment to NASA’s mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary,” said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service.”
During his time at NASA, Wilmore completed three missions launching aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, Roscosmos Soyuz, and Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station.
Wilmore also returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Additionally, he conducted five spacewalks, totaling 32 hours outside the orbital laboratory.
“Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut.
His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA’s mission, has inspired us all,” said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson.
“As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.”
Most recently, Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for its first crewed flight test mission, arriving at the space station the following day.
While aboard the station, Wilmore completed numerous tasks, including a spacewalk to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collected samples and surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock.
“From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity.
This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey,” said Wilmore.
“Even as I ventured beyond Earth’s limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home.”
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-barry-butch-wilmore-retires/
https://www.nasa.gov/people/barry-butch-e-wilmore/
Curiosity Looks Back Toward Its Landing Site
Aug 06, 2025
NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain.
The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon at top left. Curiosity touched down on the crater floor 13 years ago.
Recently, the rover rolled into a region filled with boxwork formations.
Studying these formations could reveal whether microbial life could have survived in the Martian subsurface eons ago, extending the period of habitability farther into when the planet was drying out.
Read more about the detective work Curiosity is doing on Mars.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/curiosity-looks-back-toward-its-landing-site/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory/curiosity-rover/marking-13-years-on-mars-nasas-curiosity-picks-up-new-skills/
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures Mars Vista As Clear As Day
Aug 06, 2025
‘Float rocks,’ sand ripples, and vast distances are among the sights to see in the latest high-resolution panorama by the six-wheeled scientist.
The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far.
Visible in the mosaic, which was stitched together from 96 images taken at a location the science team calls “Falbreen,” are a rock that appears to lie on top of a sand ripple, a boundary line between two geologic units, and hills as distant as 40 miles (65 kilometers) away.
The enhanced-color version shows the Martian sky to be remarkably clear and deceptively blue, while in the natural-color version, it’s reddish.
“Our bold push for human space exploration will send astronauts back to the Moon,” said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator.
“Stunning vistas like that of Falbreen, captured by our Perseverance rover, are just a glimpse of what we’ll soon witness with our own eyes.
NASA’s groundbreaking missions, starting with Artemis, will propel our unstoppable journey to take human space exploration to the Martian surface. NASA is continuing to get bolder and stronger.”
The rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument captured the images on May 26, 2025, the 1,516th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance’s mission, which began in February 2021 on the floor of Jezero Crater. Perseverance reached the top of the crater rim late last year.
“The relatively dust-free skies provide a clear view of the surrounding terrain,” said Jim Bell, Mastcam-Z’s principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe.
“And in this particular mosaic, we have enhanced the color contrast, which accentuates the differences in the terrain and sky.”
Buoyant Boulder
One detail that caught the science team’s attention is a large rock that appears to sit atop a dark, crescent-shaped sand ripple to the right of the mosaic’s center, about 14 feet (4.4 meters) from the rover.
Geologists call this type of rock a “float rock” because it was more than likely formed someplace else and transported to its current location.
Whether this one arrived by a landslide, water, or wind is unknown, but the science team suspects it got here before the sand ripple formed.
The bright white circle just left of center and near the bottom of the image is an abrasion patch. This is the 43rd rock Perseverance has abraded since it landed on Mars.
Two inches (5 centimeters) wide, the shallow patch is made with the rover’s drill and enables the science team to see what’s beneath the weathered, dusty surface of a rock before deciding to drill a core sample that would be stored in one of the mission’s titanium sample tubes.
The rover made this abrasion on May 22 and performed proximity science (a detailed analysis of Martian rocks and soil) with its arm-mounted instruments two days later.
The science team wanted to learn about Falbreen because it’s situated within what may be some of the oldest terrain Perseverance has ever explored — perhaps even older than Jezero Crater.
Tracks from the rover’s journey to the location can be seen toward the mosaic’s right edge. About 300 feet (90 meters) away, they veer to the left, disappearing from sight at a previous geologic stop the science team calls “Kenmore.”
A little more than halfway up the mosaic, sweeping from one edge to the other, is the transition from lighter-toned to darker-toned rocks. This is the boundary line, or contact, between two geologic units.
The flat, lighter-colored rocks nearer to the rover are rich in the mineral olivine, while the darker rocks farther away are believed to be much older clay-bearing rocks.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance/perseverance-rover/nasas-perseverance-rover-captures-mars-vista-as-clear-as-day/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4622-4623: Kicking Off (Earth) Year 14 With an Investigation of Veins
Aug 06, 2025
Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025.
Today was a very special day for Curiosity as the rover celebrated the start of a 14th year on Mars. Curiosity is currently exploring the mysterious boxwork formations.
On Monday, the rover positioned itself at the side of one of the ridges, where the team had spotted tantalizing hints of a complex network of razor-thin veins that may give insight into what is holding the ridges up, compared to the surrounding hollows.
In this plan, the team will use the instruments on Curiosity’s arm and mast to investigate the geometry and composition of these veins to learn more about them.
APXS and MAHLI will both observe “Repechón,” a loose block with dark-toned, mottled material exposed on top, as well as “Lago Poopó,” a bright, relatively clean vein network. MAHLI will also collect a side view of “Repechón.”
ChemCam will use its laser to analyze two targets, “Vicguna,” a protruding vein edge with nodular texture, and “Ibare,” which has some exposed light-toned veins.
Outside of the vein investigation, ChemCam’s telescopic RMI camera will observe layering in a nearby butte and the Mishe Mokwa feature, while Mastcam will take mosaics on “Cachiniba,” a broken block, “Yapacani,” the side of another large boxwork ridge, and “Llullaillaco,” a faraway feature that we imaged from a slightly different location in a previous plan.
Additional environmental monitoring observations will round out the plan, followed by a straight-line drive to the east, to an area where several large boxwork ridges intersect that the team has been informally calling “the peace sign” because of its shape.
I usually get nostalgic around landing anniversaries, or “landiversaries,” and this year, I found myself looking back through pictures of landing night.
One of my favorites shows me standing next to science team member Kirsten Siebach right after we received the first images from Curiosity.
The two of us have the biggest, most excited grins on our faces. We were both graduate students at the time, and both of us were writing thesis chapters analyzing orbital data over regions we hoped to explore with Curiosity one day.
I was studying a layer in Mount Sharp that contained hematite, and the team named this feature “Vera Rubin ridge” when Curiosity reached it in 2017.
Kirsten, who is now a professor at Rice University, was focused on the boxwork structures, pondering how they formed and hypothesizing what they might tell us about the history of Martian habitability when we reached them.
Thirteen years later, I had another big grin on my face today, as I listened to Kirsten and our incredible science team members excitedly discussing Curiosity’s new images of these same boxwork structures.
I was also filled with gratitude for the thousands of people it took to get us to this moment. It was the absolute best way to spend a landiversary.
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4622-4623-kicking-off-earth-year-14-with-an-investigation-of-veins/
https://mars.nasa.gov/raw_images/779865/?site=msl
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/science-updates/
NASA, SpaceX Stand Down on Crew-10 Undocking
August 7, 2025
NASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Thursday undocking opportunity of the Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station due to high winds forecasted for the splashdown locations off the coast of California.
Pending weather reviews, NASA and SpaceX now are targeting undocking no earlier than 6:05 p.m. EDT, Friday, Aug. 8. For this undocking opportunity, splashdown is targeted at approximately 11:33 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 9, off the coast of California.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are completing a five-month science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/08/07/nasa-spacex-stand-down-on-crew-10-undocking/
Snapshot Wisconsin Celebrates 10 Years and 100 Million Photos Collected!
Aug 06, 2025
The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this milestone coincides with the project’s 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the team and everyone who’s participated!
Snapshot Wisconsin utilizes a statewide network of volunteer-managed trail cameras to monitor and better understand the state’s diverse wildlife from white-tailed deer to snowshoe hares, whooping cranes, and much more.
“It's been amazing to get a glimpse of our wild treasures via the Snapshot lens,” said volunteer Matt Dettlaff from Adams County, Wisconsin. “Satisfying to help advance wildlife research in the digital age.”
Snapshot Wisconsin was launched in 2013 with help from a NASA grant, and is overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It recently won a new grant from NASA’s Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program.
Volunteer classifications of the species present in trail camera photos have fueled many different scientific investigations over the years.
You, too, can get involved in the merriment by visiting the project's site on the Zooniverse crowdsourcing platform and helping classify their latest photo season today!
https://science.nasa.gov/directorates/smd/earth-science-division/snapshot-wisconsin-celebrates-10-years-and-100-million-photos-collected/
https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/zooniverse/snapshot-wisconsin
https://www.nasa.gov/earth/nasa-supercomputers-take-on-life-near-greenlands-most-active-glacier/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02599-1
NASA Supercomputers Take on Life Near Greenland’s Most Active Glacier
Aug 06, 2025
As Greenland’s ice retreats, it’s fueling tiny ocean organisms. To test why, scientists turned to a computer model out of JPL and MIT that’s been called a laboratory in itself.
Runoff from Greenland’s ice sheet is kicking nutrients up from the ocean depths and boosting phytoplankton growth, a new NASA-supported study has found.
Reporting in Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, the scientists used state-of-the art-computing to simulate marine life and physics colliding in one turbulent fjord.
Oceanographers are keen to understand what drives the tiny plantlike organisms, which take up carbon dioxide and power the world’s fisheries.
Greenland’s mile-thick ice sheet is shedding some 293 billion tons (266 billion metric tons) of ice per year.
During peak summer melt, more than 300,000 gallons (1,200 cubic meters) of fresh water drain into the sea every second from beneath Jakobshavn Glacier, also known as Sermeq Kujalleq,the most active glacier on the ice sheet.
The waters meet and tumble hundreds of feet below the surface.
The meltwater plume is fresh and more buoyant than the surrounding saltwater. As it rises, scientists have hypothesized, it may be delivering nutrients like iron and nitrate — a key ingredient in fertilizer — to phytoplankton floating at the surface.
Researchers track these microscopic organisms because, though smaller by far than a pinhead, they’re titans of the ocean food web.
Inhabiting every ocean from the tropics to the polar regions, they nourish krill and other grazers that, in turn, support larger animals, including fish and whales.
Previous work using NASA satellite data found that the rate of phytoplankton growth in Arctic waters surged 57% between 1998 and 2018 alone.
An infusion of nitrate from the depths would be especially pivotal to Greenland’s phytoplankton in summer, after most nutrients been consumed by prior spring blooms.
But the hypothesis has been hard to test along the coast, where the remote terrain and icebergs as big as city blocks complicate long-term observations.
“We were faced with this classic problem of trying to understand a system that is so remote and buried beneath ice,” said Dustin Carroll, an oceanographer at San José State University who is also affiliated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
“We needed a gem of a computer model to help.”
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Sea of Data
To re-create what was happening in the waters around Greenland’s most active glacier, the team harnessed a model of the ocean developed at JPL and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.
The model ingests nearly all available ocean measurements collected by sea- and satellite-based instruments over the past three decades.
That amounts to billions of data points, from water temperature and salinity to pressure at the seafloor. The model is called Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean-Darwin (ECCO-Darwin for short).
Simulating “biology, chemistry, and physics coming together” in even one pocket along Greenland’s 27,000 miles (43,000 kilometers) of coastline is a massive math problem, noted lead author Michael Wood, a computational oceanographer at San José State University.
To break it down, he said the team built a “model within a model within a model” to zoom in on the details of the fjord at the foot of the glacier.
Using supercomputers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, they calculated that deepwater nutrients buoyed upward by glacial runoff would be sufficient to boost summertime phytoplankton growth by 15 to 40% in the study area.
More Changes in Store
Could increased phytoplankton be a boon for Greenland’s marine animals and fisheries? Carroll said that untangling impacts to the ecosystem will take time.
Melt on the Greenland ice sheet is projected to accelerate in coming decades, affecting everything from sea level and land vegetation to the saltiness of coastal waters.
“We reconstructed what’s happening in one key system, but there’s more than 250 such glaciers around Greenland,” Carroll said. He noted that the team plans to extend their simulations to the whole Greenland coast and beyond.
Some changes appear to be impacting the carbon cycle both positively and negatively: The team calculated how runoff from the glacier alters the temperature and chemistry of seawater in the fjord, making it less able to dissolve carbon dioxide.
That loss is canceled out, however, by the bigger blooms of phytoplankton taking up more carbon dioxide from the air as they photosynthesize.
Wood added: “We didn’t build these tools for one specific application. Our approach is applicable to any region, from the Texas Gulf to Alaska.
Like a Swiss Army knife, we can apply it to lots of different scenarios.”
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Comet 3I/ATLAS Compass Image
August 7, 2025
This image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera on July 21, 2025.
The scale bar is labeled in arcseconds, which is a measure of angular distance on the sky. One arcsecond is equal an angular measurement of 1/3600 of one degree.
There are 60 arcminutes in a degree and 60 arcseconds in an arcminute. (The full Moon has an angular diameter of about 30 arcminutes.)
The actual size of an object that covers one arcsecond on the sky depends on its distance from the telescope.
The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky.
Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).
This image shows visible wavelengths of light.
https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/comet-3i-atlas-compass-image/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc4A8va8NRU
Hubble Space Telescope Shows a Diffuse Glow Ahead of 3I/ATLAS
August 6, 2025
Today, two new papers about 3I/ATLAS were posted online.
The first (accessible here) shows the spectrum of 3I/ATLAS, taken the 4.1-meter SOAR Telescope in Chile during the night of July 3, 2025 when the object’s distance from the Sun was 4.4 times the Earth-Sun separation.
The reflected sunlight shows reddening, but no discernible gas emission from typical cometary molecules such as CN, C3, C2, CO+ or neutral oxygen atoms.
The authors note: “the paradoxical situation of early onset coma without evidence of sublimation tracers, calls for other dust-liberating mechanisms that ancient interstellar objects may be subjected to.”
The second new paper (accessible here) by David Jewitt and collaborators, analyzes the first images taken of 3I/ATLAS by the Hubble Space Telescope on July 4–5, 2025.
The paper concludes that 3I/ATLAS is a comet with a small nucleus, between 0.32 and 5.6 kilometers in diameter, surrounded by a much larger cloud of dust.
This nucleus size estimate is consistent with the prediction in my first published paper on 3I/ATLAS (accessible here).
There I estimated the nucleus diameter to be 1.2 kilometers in case 3I/ATLAS is a comet, based on the limited reservoir of rocky materials in interstellar space.
Surprisingly, the Hubble image of 3I/ATLAS shows diffuse emission ahead of its motion towards the Sun rather than a trailing tail as expected from a typical comet.
In an essay from August 2, 2025, I suggested that a forward glow could be explained if the nucleus does not spin rapidly.
In case the object’s surface is exposed to the Sun, it would maintain a hot dayside from which most of the evaporation of dust takes place. This explanation is indeed adopted in the new paper.
The latest monitoring data from ground-based telescopes (accessible here) implies a rotation period of 16.16 (+/-0.01) hours for 3I/ATLAS. During half of this rotation period, the dayside of 3I/ATLAS turns around to become the nightside.
During this half-period of 8 hours, the evaporated dust crosses a distance of 10,000 kilometers from the nucleus, corresponding to 0.35 arcseconds in the Hubble image.
The dayside surface of the nucleus must cool faster than 8 hours or else the rotation would have averaged out the direction of the dust outflow from the nucleus on the scales that the Hubble image shows it elongated in the forward direction.
The existence of a glow ahead of 3I/ATLAS but no evidence of gas molecules is puzzling. As the object gets closer to the Sun, it will get brighter.
Upcoming data from the Webb telescope holds the potential to detect its infrared emission and unravel its detailed nature.
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/hubble-space-telescope-shows-a-diffuse-glow-ahead-of-3i-atlas-b32e6075d7ac
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.02934
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.02777
Aug. 7, 1996: NASA announces martian life
August 7, 2025
Meterorite ALH 84001 fell to Earth from Mars about 13,000 years ago, landing in the Allan Hills region of Antarctica.
It was discovered in 1984 and taken to the Johnson Space Center, where in 1994 researchers saw possible signs of life: carbonate minerals and microscopic structures that resembled nanobacteria.
Further research commenced, and on Aug. 7, 1996, NASA astrobiologist David McKay announced that ALH 84001 contained ancient martian life.
Suddenly a NASA that had been facing $5 billion in budget cuts saw much of its funding restored in a push for further astrobiology research.
Although researchers today are skeptical of the biosignatures in ALH 84001, the martian meteorite had a big impact on finances and future planning, allowing for the development of, among other projects, the James Webb Space Telescope and the Perseverance Mars rover.
https://www.astronomy.com/today-in-the-history-of-astronomy/aug-7-1996-nasa-announces-martian-life/
Massive 300-ft Asteroid Ready For Close Encounter With Earth Tomorrow: NASA Issues Warning
Updated Aug 7, 2025, 07:30 IST
A massive space rock, nearly the size of a 30-storey building, is heading toward Earth and is expected to make a close approach tomorrow, August 8, 2025, at 2:36 PM IST.
According to NASA, the asteroid, named 2025 OJ1 is being monitored closely as it speeds through space at a staggering 51,000 km/h.
How Close Is This Asteroid?
Although 2025 OJ1 will not collide with our planet, its flyby is close enough in cosmic terms to grab the attention of astronomers worldwide.
It will pass at a distance of about 5.15 million kilometres from Earth, which may sound far, but it’s relatively near when compared to the vastness of space.
Events like these serve as important opportunities for study and planetary defence readiness.
Size and Speed: Why It MattersWith an estimated diameter of 300 feet, this asteroid is classified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO) and is roughly the size of a mid-rise building.
Its speed, faster than a hypersonic jet, makes it particularly interesting to researchers, who will use radar and optical tracking to analyze its path and physical properties.
No Threat, But Still Significant
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has confirmed that 2025 OJ1 poses no threat to Earth during this pass.
However, monitoring such objects helps scientists refine their detection and response systems in case future asteroids pose a real danger.
Why Monitoring Asteroids Is Crucial
Asteroids like 2025 OJ1 are believed to be leftovers from the early formation of the solar system. Studying them gives scientists valuable insights into our cosmic origins.
Moreover, keeping track of their movements is key to planetary defence, ensuring that Earth is protected from potential impact events.
https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/science/massive-300-ft-asteroid-ready-for-close-encounter-with-earth-tomorrow-nasa-issues-warning-article-152420427
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch/next-five-approaches/
New nuclear era: 3D printing cuts build times as NASA preps Moon reactor
August 6, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Why it matters: Two concurrent developments – faster, more agile nuclear construction enabled by 3D printing, and the race to deploy a functional nuclear reactor on the Moon – signal a profound evolution in nuclear energy's role across both terrestrial and space infrastructure.
Advanced manufacturing techniques are not only reshaping the future of energy generation on Earth but also redefining how humanity will live and work beyond our planet.
A new era for nuclear technology is emerging at the intersection of advanced manufacturing and space exploration.
The US is leveraging 3D printing to build nuclear reactor components on Earth, while also accelerating plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030.
One clear example of this progress is the work underway at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where researchers and industry partners have made significant strides in using large-scale 3D printing to produce high-precision molds for casting complex concrete structures in nuclear reactors.
The technique, tested in collaboration with Kairos Power and Barnard Construction for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, has dramatically shortened construction timelines – reducing tasks that once took weeks to just a few days.
According to the Department of Energy, these 3D-printed composite forms have been especially valuable for fabricating radiation shielding and other critical components with intricate geometries.
This leap in construction methodology is part of the federally funded SM2ART Moonshot Project, which aims to modernize nuclear infrastructure by integrating rapid prototyping, digital design, and smart manufacturing.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen domestic supply chains and lower material costs, sometimes by using biocomposite feedstocks derived from forest byproducts.
As the pace of terrestrial reactor construction accelerates, US space policy is turning its attention skyward.
Politico reports that NASA, under a new directive from acting administrator Sean Duffy, is fast-tracking plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
The agency's goal is ambitious: to launch a 100-kilowatt-class reactor to the lunar surface by 2030.
This step is considered critical for overcoming the Moon's two-week-long nights, during which solar power is impractical, and comes amid intensifying international competition.
Both China and Russia have announced plans to build automated lunar reactors by the mid-2030s.
The renewed urgency also reflects mounting political and financial pressures on NASA – including significant budget cuts – and a mandate to phase out the aging International Space Station in favor of commercially operated replacements by 2030.
Still, the directive underscores the importance of maintaining US leadership in both space exploration and nuclear power technology.
NASA's lunar reactor initiative builds on earlier research into fission surface power systems and is designed to support extended astronaut missions, scientific exploration, and, eventually, the establishment of a permanent human presence beyond Earth.
https://www.techspot.com/news/108956-new-nuclear-era-3d-printing-cuts-build-times.html
August full moon 2025 rises this weekend: Here's how to see the stunning 'Sturgeon Moon'
August 7, 2025
August's full 'Sturgeon Moon' rises this weekend, putting on a spectacular lunar light show as it leaps above the southeastern horizon at sunset on Aug. 9.
A full moon occurs when the moon is directly opposite the sun in Earth's sky, at which point the entirety of its surface appears lit from our perspective.
This month's full moon will officially reach peak illumination on Aug. 9 at 3:55 a.m. EDT (0755 GMT), when it will be visible roughly 20 degrees above the southwestern horizon close to Deneb Algedi — the star that represents the tail of the sea-goat in the constellation Capricornus.
Though it reaches maximum illumination on Aug. 9, the moon will still appear full for a night or two either side of the peak.
Be sure to check out our guide to exploring the moon with a telescope if you want to get a closer look at its many craters and lunar seas in the nights that follow, as the terminator returns to sweep across its surface.
August's full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon in parts of the U.S. in reference to the magnificent fish that are often caught around the time that it rises. It's also known as the green corn moon, grain moon and red moon.
Stargazers hoping to see the Sturgeon Moon at a more reasonable time will get a great view of the lunar disk — which will appear fully lit to the naked eye — when it looms over the southeastern horizon at sunset local time on Aug. 8.
Remember, the exact time that the moon rises or sets and its altitude in the sky is dependent on your location, so be sure to check out a trusted website like TimeandDate.com or an online planetarian such as Stellarium to get precise timings for your area.
August's full moon may appear particularly large at moonrise, and it's thanks to a strange phenomenon called the "moon illusion."
This tricks our brains into perceiving the moon as bigger when near the horizon rather than high overhead — however, the moon of course exhibits the same angular size in both locations.
The lunar disk may also appear to take on a yellow-orange hue in the hour following moonrise, thanks to Rayleigh scattering.
This is the light scattering nature of Earth's atmosphere, wherein shorter blue wavelengths scatter, while longer red and orange wavelengths are able to travel through to our eyes relatively unhindered.
The Sturgeon moon will rise mere days before Earth passes through the densest part of the debris trail shed by the wandering comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, heralding the period of peak activity for the prolific Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12-13.
Sadly, the moon's light will make it challenging to spot all but the brightest meteors, though there's always a chance that you could see a bright fireball — the name given to a particularly large meteor — light up the summer sky alongside the full moon.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/august-full-moon-2025-rises-this-weekend-heres-how-to-see-the-stunning-sturgeon-moon
A blood moon is coming: Here's what you need to know about the total lunar eclipse on Sept. 7
August 7, 2025
On Sept 7, 2025, a dramatic "blood moon" will rise as Earth experiences its second total lunar eclipse of the year.
Skywatchers across Asia and Western Australia will get the best view of the Sept. 7 total lunar eclipse from start to finish, but those in Europe, Africa, eastern Australia and New Zealand may still catch a glimpse of the moon during some of the eclipse phases, including totality.
You can learn more about the total lunar eclipse on Sept. 7 with our lunar eclipse 2025 guide and keep up to date with the latest lunar eclipse content with our lunar eclipse live blog.
What time is the lunar eclipse?
Lunar eclipses are global events that happen at the same time for everyone, no matter where you are on Earth. However, whether you see the eclipse depends on whether the moon is above your horizon at that time.
The Sept. 7 lunar eclipse will take place between 15:28 and 20:55 GMT with the moon fully immersed in Earth's dark inner shadow — known as the umbra — for a stunning 82 minutes of totality between 17:30 and 18:52 GMT.
Here's when totality happens in some key cities.
For specific timings for your location, we recommend heading over to Time and Date where you can find detailed viewing information.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2025-september-7
Perth, Australia: 1:30 to 2:52 a.m. AWST on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025
Mumbai, India: 11:00 p.m. IST on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 to 12:22 a.m. IST on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025
Cairo: 8:30 to 9:52 p.m. EEST on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025
Cape Town, South Africa: 7:30 to 8:52 p.m. SAST on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025
These are times for totality only — the most dramatic part of the eclipse.
But it's worth looking up at least 75 minutes earlier to watch the partial eclipse as Earth's shadow slowly creeps across the moon, and staying after totality to see the moon gradually return to full brightness.
Approximately 77% of the world's population, about 6.2 billion people, will be able to see all of the total phase of the lunar eclipse, with almost 88% (7.1 billion people) seeing at least some of the penumbral phase, according to Time and Date.
In these locations, the moon will already be a deep red when it appears — a haunting sight if you catch it low on the horizon.
What to expect
This eclipse occurs just 2.7 days before the moon reaches perigee (the point in its orbit closest to Earth), so the moon will appear slightly larger than usual, though not enough for most people to notice.
What will be noticeable is how deeply shaded this eclipse is. About 36% of the moon's diameter will pass through the darkest part of Earth's shadow, resulting in a dark, richly colored eclipse.
Expect a bold reddish hue as sunlight filters through Earth's atmosphere and bends toward the moon — creating the eerie "blood moon" effect.
If you're in a part of the world where the eclipse will be visible, this is one eclipse you won't want to miss.
And if you're not in the viewing zone, don't worry! Space.com will be livestreaming the eclipse, so you can still watch the moon turn blood red in real time.
We'll share the full livestream details close to the date.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/lunar-eclipses/a-blood-moon-is-coming-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-total-lunar-eclipse-on-sept-7
Planetarium celebrates 1st images from Vera Rubin Observatory
August 7, 2025
On June 23, 2025, planetariums around the world, including the historic Prague Planetarium, joined together to unveil the first images captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
What is it?
Inside the domed theater of the planetarium, with its state-of-the-art LED display that makes images crisper than those of most other planetariums, audiences gathered beneath projections of the cosmos.
As the unveiling was streamed live from Washington D.C., hundreds of institutions across the globe waited to see the powerful observatory's first images of deep space.
Where is it?
This photo was taken at the Prague Planetarium in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic.
Why is it amazing?
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile hosts the world's largest digital camera, ensuring its images are some of the clearest ever taken.
This camera is key to helping achieve Rubin's mission: the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which is a 10-year observational campaign cataloging billions of stars, galaxies, supernovae and other objects in our galaxy as part of the hunt for dark matter.
Given its cutting-edge camera, the images from the Rubin Observatory are larger than other data files — so big, in fact, that they need a "data butler" to help process.
However, this larger size allows all the nuance and intricacies of our universe to come through, especially in settings like a planetarium.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/planetarium-celebrates-1st-images-from-vera-rubin-observatory-space-photo-of-the-day-for-aug-7-2025
https://rubinobservatory.org/
Northern lights may be visible in these 18 states tonight
August 7, 2025
Heads up aurora chasers! The northern lights could illuminate skies overnight on Aug. 7-8 as an incoming coronal mass ejection (CME) may spark geomagnetic storm conditions, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Though only a glancing blow is predicted from the CME, any impact could disrupt Earth's magnetic field, which in turn can trigger geomagnetic storms and impressive auroras.
Space weather forecasters from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and the U.K. Met Office predict a chance of minor (G1) to moderate (G2) geomagnetic storms on Aug. 8 with a slight chance of reaching strong (G3) levels.
That means there's a window of opportunity for aurora sightings at northern latitudes — weather and dark skies permitting.
The exact timing of the CME's arrival and whether it will spark significant geomagnetic storming remains uncertain.
While solar physicists expect the CME to graze Earth's magnetic field, even a glancing blow could be enough to trigger auroras, depending on the CME's speed and magnetic orientation when it arrives.
NOAA's Kp index forecast suggests activity could begin as early as 11:00 p.m. EDT on Aug. 7 (0300 GMT on Aug. 8), with moderate G2 storming possible from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. EDT (0600–0900 GMT) on Aug. 8.
That means tonight may offer the best aurora viewing window for parts of the northern U.S. The Kp index is a scale from 0 to 9 used to measure geomagnetic activity. The higher the number, the more likely auroras are to be visible at mid-latitudes, away from the poles.
Meanwhile, the U.K. Met Office forecasts a later impact, suggesting the CME may arrive during the daylight hours of Aug. 8, pushing storming potential into the overnight hours of Aug. 8–9 instead.
So, be ready to hunt for auroras either tonight or tomorrow night, as it all depends on when the CME arrives and whether it triggers geomagnetic storm conditions.
Solar storms are famously unpredictable, so it's worth keeping an eye on the skies both nights.
Based on the NOAA forecast, we've listed 18 U.S. states that appear fully or partially above the aurora view line.
They are approximately ordered from most likely to least likely to see the northern lights based on their proximity to the aurora oval's center and how much of each state is within or near the view line.
States that could see the northern lights tonight
Alaska
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan
Maine
South Dakota
Vermont
New Hampshire
Idaho
Washington
Oregon
New York
Wyoming
Iowa
Nebraska
Illinois
But remember, auroras are fickle; sometimes they appear much farther south than predicted, and other times they barely show up at all. Many conditions have to align for the perfect display.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-may-be-visible-in-these-18-states-tonight-august-7-8
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLBlZuZYirE (Solar Storm Watch, More Solar Flares, Coronal Hole | S0 News Aug.7.2025)
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-finds-new-evidence-for-planet-around-closest-solar-twin/
https://esawebb.org/media/archives/releases/sciencepapers/weic2515/weic2515a.pdf
https://esawebb.org/media/archives/releases/sciencepapers/weic2515/weic2515b.pdf
NASA’s Webb Finds New Evidence for Planet Around Closest Solar Twin
Aug 07, 2025
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found strong evidence of a giant planet orbiting a star in the stellar system closest to our own Sun.
At just 4 light-years away from Earth, the Alpha Centauri triple star system has long been a compelling target in the search for worlds beyond our solar system.
Visible only from Earth’s Southern hemisphere, it’s made up of the binary Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, both Sun-like stars, and the faint red dwarf star Proxima Centauri.
Alpha Centauri A is the third brightest star in the night sky. While there are three confirmed planets orbiting Proxima Centauri, the presence of other worlds surrounding Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B has proved challenging to confirm.
Now, Webb’s observations from its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) are providing the strongest evidence to date of a gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A. The results have been accepted in a series of two papers in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
If confirmed, the planet would be the closest to Earth that orbits in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. However, because the planet candidate is a gas giant, scientists say it would not support life as we know it.
“With this system being so close to us, any exoplanets found would offer our best opportunity to collect data on planetary systems other than our own.
Yet, these are incredibly challenging observations to make, even with the world’s most powerful space telescope, because these stars are so bright, close, and move across the sky quickly,” said Charles Beichman, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech’s IPAC astronomy center, co-first author on the new papers.
“Webb was designed and optimized to find the most distant galaxies in the universe. The operations team at the Space Telescope Science Institute had to come up with a custom observing sequence just for this target, and their extra effort paid off spectacularly.”
Image A: Alpha Centauri 3 Panel (DSS, Hubble, Webb)
Several rounds of meticulously planned observations by Webb, careful analysis by the research team, and extensive computer modeling helped determine that the source seen in Webb’s image is likely to be a planet, and not a background object (like a galaxy), foreground object (a passing asteroid), or other detector or image artifact.
The first observations of the system took place in August 2024, using the coronagraphic mask aboard MIRI to block Alpha Centauri A’s light.
While extra brightness from the nearby companion star Alpha Centauri B complicated the analysis, the team was able to subtract out the light from both stars to reveal an object over 10,000 times fainter than Alpha Centauri A, separated from the star by about two times the distance between the Sun and Earth.
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Image B: Alpha Centauri 3 Panel (Webb MIRI Image Detail)
While the initial detection was exciting, the research team needed more data to come to a firm conclusion.
However, additional observations of the system in February 2025 and April 2025 (using Director’s Discretionary Time) did not reveal any objects like the one identified in August 2024.
“We are faced with the case of a disappearing planet! To investigate this mystery, we used computer models to simulate millions of potential orbits, incorporating the knowledge gained when we saw the planet, as well as when we did not,” said PhD student Aniket Sanghi of Caltech in Pasadena, California. Sanghi is a co-first author on the two papers covering the team’s research.
In these simulations, the team took into account both a 2019 sighting of the potential exoplanet candidate by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, the new data from Webb, and considered orbits that would be gravitationally stable in the presence of Alpha Centauri B, meaning the planet wouldn’t get flung out of the system.
Researchers say a non-detection in the second and third round of observations with Webb isn’t surprising.
“We found that in half of the possible orbits simulated, the planet moved too close to the star and wouldn’t have been visible to Webb in both February and April 2025,” said Sanghi.
Image C: Alpha Centauri A Planet Candidate (Artist's Concept)
Based on the brightness of the planet in the mid-infrared observations and the orbit simulations, researchers say it could be a gas giant approximately the mass of Saturn orbiting Alpha Centauri A in an elliptical path varying between 1 to 2 times the distance between Sun and Earth.
"If confirmed, the potential planet seen in the Webb image of Alpha Centauri A would mark a new milestone for exoplanet imaging efforts," Sanghi says. "Of all the directly imaged planets, this would be the closest to its star seen so far.
It's also the most similar in temperature and age to the giant planets in our solar system, and nearest to our home, Earth," he says.
"Its very existence in a system of two closely separated stars would challenge our understanding of how planets form, survive, and evolve in chaotic environments."
If confirmed by additional observations, the team’s results could transform the future of exoplanet science.
“This would become a touchstone object for exoplanet science, with multiple opportunities for detailed characterization by Webb and other observatories,” said Beichman.
For example, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch by May 2027 and potentially as early as fall 2026, is equipped with dedicated hardware that will test new technologies to observe binary systems like Alpha Centauri in search of other worlds.
Roman’s visible light data would complement Webb’s infrared observations, yielding unique insights on the size and reflectivity of the planet.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory.
Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.
Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
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Vulcan Centaur rocket to launch 1st national security mission on Aug. 12
August 6, 2025
United Launch Alliance's (ULA) new Vulcan Centaur rocket will conduct its first-ever national security launch next week, if all goes according to plan.
ULA announced on Tuesday (Aug. 5) that it's targeting Aug. 12 for USSF-106, a U.S. Space Force mission that will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
"This is the first national security space launch aboard the certified Vulcan rocket. The Vulcan rocket will deploy the USSF-106 mission directly to geosynchronous (GEO) orbit using the high-performance Centaur V upper stage," ULA said via X on Tuesday.
Vulcan Centaur — the replacement for ULA's venerable Atlas V rocket — has two flights under its belt to date, both of which have been successful.
The first one, which flew in January 2024, sent Astrobotic's robotic Peregrine moon lander to Earth orbit. (Peregrine suffered a crippling anomaly shortly after it deployed from the rocket's Centaur upper stage and ended up crashing back to Earth.)
Vulcan's second flight, in October 2024, was a test mission that flew with an inert mass simulator as a payload. The mass simulator took the place of Sierra Space's Dream Chaser space plane, the originally planned payload, which wasn't ready in time for the launch.
Vulcan powered through a problem on that second flight — the failure of of an engine nozzle on one of its two solid rocket boosters (SRBs).
Its performance on those two missions impressed the Space Force enough to certify Vulcan Centaur for national security missions, a huge milestone for ULA that was announced in March.
The decision doubled the number of currently certified U.S. national security launch providers; SpaceX had been the only company that could loft such payloads.
(ULA's Atlas V launched many national security missions over the years, but no such payloads are on its docket ahead of its retirement in 2030 or so.)
"Assured access to space is a core function of the Space Force and a critical element of national security," Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, the Space Force's program executive officer for assured access to space, said in a statement in late March.
"Vulcan certification adds launch capacity, resiliency and flexibility needed by our nation's most critical space-based systems."
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/vulcan-centaur-rocket-to-launch-1st-national-security-mission-on-aug-12
https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1952833463125721164
https://www.youtube.com/@unitedlaunchalliance
Muon Space Unveils the First Mission of its Upgraded Bus
August 7, 2025
Californian satellite manufacturer Muon Space pulled back the curtain on its latest satellite bus—an upgraded version of its MuSat, called MuSat XL—that will fly up to 300kg of payload in LEO.
The big reveal comes alongside the announcement of the first XL customer, Hubble Network, which is the Seattle-based startup building a constellation of Bluetooth-detecting sats for asset tracking.
Party bus: The MuSat XL gives satellite operators a few major upgrades over the previous MuSat platform.
More capacity: MuSat XL has a total launch mass of 500kg, more than twice that of the smaller model’s 200 kg.
More power: MuSat XL is equipped with more solar arrays, providing payloads 1kW of average power in orbit—5x greater than MuSat’s 200W.
Better connection: MuSat XL also opens the door for future constellation customers to use optical communications links between satellites, which helps operators send data to ground stations with lower latency.
“Launch is going to make it such that there’s more and more incentive to put more payload, mass, and power in orbit. And so we see our kind of platform product line evolving with that,” Jonny Dyer, Muon’s CEO, told Payload.
Muon’s strategy is to continue building out the capabilities within its satellite offering, and selling entire systems to support payloads instead of just buses.
Dyer estimated that 90%+ of the XL satellite package was developed in-house, which makes integrating a payload easier than competitors who focus on COTS parts that don’t always play nice.
The sat package includes Muon-designed avionics, operating system, power, attitude control, communications systems, and propulsion tech from Starlight Engines (which Muon acquired this year).
Loud and clear: Hubble is building a 60-sat constellation that can detect Bluetooth signals from space. The company operates seven cubesats in orbit, each equipped with ~100 antennas to listen for Bluetooth signals.
Hubble’s idea was to increase the number of antennas per satellite to over 2,000, which means the company was in the market for a larger bus with a lot more power.
Despite being more expensive than cubesats, MuSat XL improves Hubble’s economics on multiple fronts, according to Alex Haro, Hubble’s CEO.
Longevity: Hubble’s cubesats have a life expectancy of three to five years, but the company expects the MuSat XLs to last seven to ten.
Detection quality: MuSat XL’s ability to host and power 20x more antennas than Hubble’s cubesats allows each sat to hear much weaker Bluetooth outputs. That capability opens the door for use cases inside of buildings, and for increasing the battery life of terrestrial transmitters.
Capacity: Having more antennas on orbit means that Hubble can detect a much wider pool of Bluetooth transmitters. Hubble in turn can begin selling services to customers with tens to hundreds of millions of devices, and increasing their total pool of connected devices to the billions.
Timing: Hubble’s first two MuSat XL sats are expected to launch their demo missions in the first half of 2027, and Hubble plans to work with Muon to have the full 60-sat constellation operational by the end of 2028.
https://payloadspace.com/muon-space-unveils-the-first-mission-of-its-upgraded-bus/
https://trt.global/afrika-english/article/d1cade4eae26
Africa's gateway to the Moon: Somalia set to blast off into space with Türkiye's help
August 7, 2025
Somalia is preparing to become the first African country to launch satellites from its soil, a development few would have predicted for a nation still rebuilding from three decades of civil war.
The $6-billion space partnership with Türkiye comes just 13 years after Somalia formed its federal government, when most international assistance focused on basic security and infrastructure.
Now, a spaceport is under construction along the Indian Ocean coast, with the first launch planned for late 2025.
"Having a satellite launched from Somalia into space is a monumental achievement that represents more than a few billion dollars," Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says of the plan.
The partnership with Türkiye represents one of the largest foreign investments in Somalia's history and marks a significant shift in both countries' strategic priorities, mainly harnessing the tailwind for an economic and scientific surge.
Geographical advantage
Somalia is positioned just above the equator, straddling the northern and southern hemispheres. Scientifically, this makes it one of the best possible locations on Earth for a rocket lift-off.
Rockets launched from equatorial locations benefit from Earth's maximum rotational velocity –approximately 1,670 kmph – while reducing fuel requirements and increasing payload capacity.
The designated 30×30 km site along Somalia's extensive coastline, the longest in mainland Africa, also provides a clear eastward trajectory over the Indian Ocean under the Horn of Africa's consistently clear skies, ensuring spent rocket stages fall safely away from populated areas.
Win-win alliance
The Somali facility addresses several key objectives in Türkiye's 10-year space roadmap that was announced in 2021, including plans to achieve a hard Moon landing by 2028, build a national Global Navigation Satellite System comparable to GPS, and test long-range missile capabilities.
The site offers Türkiye a low-latitude launch platform outside NATO's operational sphere, providing both political flexibility and the ability to test military payloads alongside civilian satellites.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reportedly shared the "good news" about preparations for the Somali space base being underway during a closed-door meeting with the ruling AK Party's central executive committee.
Turkish defence officials have since confirmed that the facility will serve as a long-range missile testing facility, supporting the Tayfun and Cenk missile systems designed for extended-range strikes, and making it a rare dual-use installation for both space and defence applications.
From Somalia's standpoint, the spaceport promises never-before economic benefits, including creating jobs across construction, logistics and STEM.
Technology transfer provisions and training programmes written into the agreement aim to develop local expertise in aerospace and allied industries.
"I believe the long-term strategic benefits of this project far outweigh the immediate financial gain. The long-term benefits of this project are immense.
The project will be a catalyst for knowledge and innovation, generating new skills, building capacity among our youth, and creating new jobs," says President Mohamud.
"A core component of the agreement is to enhance the knowledge base of young Somalis, thereby paving the way for the emergence of new industries and services."
Somalia's parliament has already approved the project, indicating broad political support despite billions of dollars being at stake.
Regional implications
Türkiye's investment in Somalia is an extension of its African engagement strategy and growing "win-win influence" on the continent.
Turkish presence in the Horn of Africa already ranges from military training missions and port operations to dispensing humanitarian aid. A spaceport in Somalia marks a quantum leap in ambition.
Rather than traditional development assistance, this positions Türkiye as a serious global player in advanced technology and aerospace capabilities.
As construction proceeds at the undisclosed location, the partners couldn't be more eager to reach for the stars.
Both nations are betting big on what seems like an unconventional partnership. Somalia gains access to cutting-edge technology and thousands of jobs, while Türkiye secures an equatorial launch site that meets its requirements.
The countdown to a new era of cooperation has begun.
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Space Company Firefly Poised for Wall Street Debut
Aug. 7, 2025 7:00 am ET
Firefly Aerospace pulled off a moon landing earlier this year. Its next destination: Wall Street.
The Cedar Park, Texas-based space company sold more than 19 million shares in its initial public offering at $45 apiece, raising $868 million.
The stock is set to start trading midday Thursday on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the symbol FLY.
Bankers and traders will be closely tracking the shares’ performance as a sign of both the U.S. IPO market strength and investor interest in space companies.
Firefly’s offering comes a week after collaborative design-software company Figma’s shares jumped 250% in their own stock-market listing, fueling chatter among investors and bankers about whether the stock was underpriced at its offering.
Firefly shares also stoked high demand among investors—the company ended up raising its targeted price range for the listing and pricing above that raised range.
It also sold more shares than planned, which could help it avoid the limited supply issue that contributed to Figma’s first-day run-up.
The U.S. IPO market is picking up steam after three years of relative dormancy.
New listings are performing strongly, both on their first day of trading as seen by Figma and Circle Internet Group’s stocks, and have on average outperformed the broader market.
paywall
https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/firefly-aerospace-ipo-fly-92c0fe20
Buick Electra Orbit Concept Blends Sleek Space Age Styling With Futuristic Tech
Thursday, August 07, 2025, 11:31 AM EDT
This week, GM's Chinese design house unveiled the Buick Electra Orbit, a rather attractive electric concept that takes inspiration from 1950s GM Motorama dream cars and takes them into the (near?) future.
With sleek elongated proportions and a silhouette that harks back to the Golden Age of space-age concepts, the Electra Orbit, conceived and developed by the GM China Advanced Design Center, serves as a visionary experiment of what a luxury EV can be.
Stuart Norris, Vice President of Design for GM China and GM International, emphasized the car's dual identity saying, "Electra Orbit is a bold exploration of what Buick can be when we blend heritage inspiration with visionary innovation.
By reinterpreting space-age motifs and pushing electric-architecture freedoms, we wanted to create a concept that feels both familiar in its Buick DNA and thrillingly new."
The design is elegant yet quite dramatic. At nearly 20 feet long, 6.5 feet wide, and riding on massive 24 inch wheels, the Orbit boasts a low-slung body that looks more like a spacecraft ready for takeoff.
The flowing lines and extended McLaren Speedtail-esque rear end (complete with deployable wings for improved drag and downforce) are reminiscent of classic jet-age design principles.
Completing the exterior is a custom neutral metallic paint coat simply called Space.
Accessing the cabin is an event in itself, thanks to the dramatic front and rear scissor-style doors that swing space-ward and in opposing directions.
Inside, there's a 2+2 seating layout that feels more like a first-class lounge than a car. The centerpiece is a sweeping, arch-shaped Ring display that spans from A-pillar to A-pillar, creating an immersive digital UX.
The instrument panel and steering wheel reconfigure across driving modes, shifting from a driver-focused setup to a more relaxed, autonomous comfort setting.
The futuristic elements don’t stop there. A spherical, glowing crystal ball-like controller in the center console offers physical command, while a holographically-projected AI assistant serves as the car's digital brain atop the dash.
Perhaps inspired by the Mars landscape, the designers incorporated a rich red clay-inspired palette to much of the interior, as well as custom brocade patterns, all complemented by high-end fabrics and crystal accents.
Even the flooring isn't spared from the theme: the Digital Illusion Carpet pulses with ambient light to recreate the movement of celestial bodies.
https://hothardware.com/news/buick-electra-orbit-concept-blends-sleek-space-age-styling-with-futuristic-tech
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/08/gm-unveils-new-buick-electra-orbit-sedan-concept/
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/nitmre-ai-airlift-nightmare/
How An AI Called NITMRE Could Prevent Airlift Nightmares
Aug. 6, 2025
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam—Moving military cargo across an ocean in a hurry is a tough job.
Air Force flight crews and planners must juggle diplomatic clearances, airfield conditions, availability of troops and equipment to move pallets, and—perhaps most important—who to talk to when plans change.
Air Force transport and tanker fleets have long struggled to adapt to mid-flight changes, since they rely on radios that can only communicate within visual range.
That posed a major challenge for troops during Mobility Guardian, Air Mobility Command’s premier training exercise, in 2023, prompting the command to take a closer look.
Two years later, new artificial intelligence software powered by in-flight Wi-Fi kept C-130 transport crews ahead of the curve this summer at a massive Air Force war game in the Pacific.
“Connectivity gives you the ability to stay flexible and adaptive in your logistics chain,” said Lt. Col. James Vanderneck, who ran a detachment of C-130s flying airlift missions between Guam and nearby islands during the event, known as the Department-Level Exercise.
AI enhances that flexibility by changing how Airmen report and document information up and down the chain of command, he said.
Some 12,000 Airmen and Guardians came together at the event that began July 8 to practice air combat, airlift, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and other missions alongside other U.S. armed forces and America’s foreign allies and partners, as they would if the U.S. goes to war with China.
In a region defined by long-haul flights, the fleet of six C-130s from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., and Dyess AFB, Texas, was tasked with a more tactical mission: moving small amounts of cargo over short distances.
To make sure equipment got from Point A to Point B, Hercules crews had the help of the Airlift Tanker Open Mission Systems (ATOMS) kit, a backpack-sized device that acts as a mobile hotspot for secure and commercial Wi-Fi in flight.
In-flight Wi-Fi helps with even the shorter hops, as it makes changing plans easier when crews face temperamental tropical weather or an unexpected lack of ground equipment for moving cargo.
It also helps crews send in their mission recaps much faster, “which is crucial, because the longer lessons learned sit on someone’s mind before getting written down, the fewer details they usually have,” Vanderneck said.
Without ATOMS, just getting the C-130s and crews into theater would have been much more difficult.
Vanderneck, who also commands the 41st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock AFB, said ATOMS allowed the officer in charge of C-130 flight planning to keep working on the long ride to Guam instead of scrambling to get up to speed once they arrived.
“He’s able to get information to continue his planning and to make sure everything stayed on track, which is, I think, part of the reason why we showed up here with everything still functioning,” said Vanderneck.
The connectivity afforded by ATOMS is just the start, as crews must find what they need amid the piles of data they pass back and forth.
“Knowing what information is important or of value, and when it’s of value is crucial,” Vanderneck said. “That part is the hardest.”
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Enter the Next-Generation Information Technology for Mobility Readiness Enhancement project, or NITMRE (pronounced “nightmare”), an Air Mobility Command initiative to build AI tools that comb through group chats, documents, and other sources to tell Airmen who they need to talk to, what forms they need to fill out, and what topics are trending so they can hit the ground running in new locations.
One source NITMRE pulls data from is the Air Force Global Decision Support System, a website where planners iron out details like where an airlift or air refueling mission is going and at what time, what cargo is shipping, and a crew manifest. When crew lists change, manually updating the group chat is a headache. But NITMRE does it automatically.
“Most of the problem in communications is, ‘Who am I supposed to be talking to?’” Vanderneck said. “NITMRE recognizes patterns and adds the new person. It puts everybody into one room.”
NITMRE also acts as a kind of search engine, allowing Airmen to search for a flight’s radio call sign and pull up a chat channel with that flight or find their concept of operations. If that flight is going to Tinian, for example, the CONOP can tell later crews how to land there, who to call to move cargo, and how far out to call.
Alternatively, if the weather is too bad to land at Wake Island, for example, air traffic controllers could use NITMRE to find any inbound flights, then post in ChatOps, the Air Force’s secure messaging system, telling those flights to turn around.
“Instead of burning gas most of the way there and setting yourself up for maybe a nightmare scenario, instead NITMRE is stepping in and saving the day,” Vanderneck said.
Air Mobility Command has worked on NITMRE for years with partners such as MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, a national security technology incubator.
“Our missions are very time-dependent, so we have to synthesize a lot of information quickly,” Col. Joseph Monaco, director of strategy at AMC’s 618th Air Operations Center, said in an MIT press release in April.
“This feature can really cue us as to where our efforts should be focused.”
Instead of manually scrolling through long ChatOps conversations to find an answer, NITMRE can identify trending topics such as “crew members missing Congo visas, potential for delay” and summarize the key parts of the conversation, the release explained.
Like any AI application, NITMRE can make mistakes. Vanderneck said the software inadvertently put a local command post in a C-130 crew chat during the DLE, which led to the command post mistakenly alerting the crew for a flight.
MIT researchers are also working to refine NITMRE’s semantic search tool so that it can better understand users’ questions.
Of course, to use NITMRE, Airmen first must be connected to the internet, a luxury not guaranteed in a future conflict where adversaries could target U.S. communication networks. Vanderneck said comms troops played a critical role at the DLE in setting up connections that allowed participants to move forward.
“That doesn’t mean that we couldn’t operate without the connectivity,” the lieutenant colonel said. But without it, “you start to buy up risk, because if I can’t check certain things, well, then I don’t know that information, and I have to send my guys out the door with more unknowns, and more unknowns means greater risk.”
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US Army Launches Sweeping Overhaul to Bolster Integrated Air, Missile, and Space Defense
August 7, 2025
The US Army is undertaking a comprehensive modernization campaign to counter growing air and missile threats, driven by adversaries such as China and Russia who are rapidly advancing their space and strike capabilities.
Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commanding general of the service’s Space and Missile Defense Command, said at a conference in Alabama that the effort reflects a strategic shift toward integrated deterrence in increasingly contested domains.
Key elements of the effort include deploying artificial intelligence-enabled systems, enhancing counter-space capabilities, and strengthening coordination across air, missile, and space operations.
To support the strategy, the army is expanding its force structure and operational footprint. This includes fielding new Patriot battalions equipped with the Lower-Tier Air-and-Missile Defense Sensor radar, Indirect Fire Protection Capability battalions, and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems batteries.
The new units are intended to build a more layered and resilient air defense posture, incorporating lessons learned from recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The service is also set to launch the 40D Space Operations Military Occupational Specialty in October, its first space-specific role for enlisted personnel, which will provide close space support to military operations and help integrate space capabilities into corps-level training and exercises.
‘Leaner, Faster, and More Lethal’ by 2040
At the event, Gainey noted that the army is building toward its 2040 Air and Missile Defense Strategy, which calls for modular, tailorable formations spread across terrains and integrated with joint and allied forces.
He stressed that today’s conflicts demand formations that are “leaner, faster, and more lethal,” integrating human-machine teaming, AI-driven decision-making, and offensive and defensive launch systems.
Aligning with the initiative, the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command will continue to play a key role in shaping future homeland defense systems in collaboration with the US Northern Command, Space Command, and the Missile Defense Agency.
“We’re not waiting for solutions to come to us,” Gainey said. “We’re creating them – because air and missile defense is the Army’s offensive line. If we don’t stop the rush, fires and maneuver can’t succeed.”
https://thedefensepost.com/2025/08/07/us-air-missile-space-defense/
https://www.army.mil/article/287587/gainey_addresses_2025_smd_symposium