TYB
NASA Briefed Employees This Morning (Audio)
September 4, 2025
NASA held an internal all hands briefing this morning. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said that is giving a lot of authority to the new NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya.
Duffy is not sure how long he will be acting Administrator since there are no plans in place but that could change. Duffy said that American needs to get to the Moon before China and then go on to Mars.
He used the phrase “manifest destiny to the stars” to describe the rationale. Duffy said that the President’s Budget Request for FY 2026 is the NASA budget and that it is enough for NASA to be able to accomplish its mission.
But Duffy would try to get more money if needed. Duffy said that NASA is under a tight time schedule to get back to the Moon and that things need to change like increasing programmatic pace.
Looking into safety, in echoing the Department of Transportation and FAA, Duffy said “sometimes we can let safety be the enemy of making progress .”
https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/nasa-briefed-employees-this-morning-audio/
https://soundcloud.com/keith-cowing/nasa-acting-administrator-addresses-the-agency
https://x.com/SecDuffy
Summer Heat Lingers in the West
September 3, 2025
September 2025 kicked off with a stretch of unseasonably high temperatures across much of western North America.
New heat records were set in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest as a zone of high pressure known as an omega block settled over the region for several days.
This map shows air temperatures in North America on September 3, 2025, at 2 p.m. Pacific Time, modeled at 2 meters (6.5 feet) above the ground.
It was produced by a version of the GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) model, which uses mathematical equations to represent physical processes in the atmosphere.
The darkest reds indicate areas where temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
On September 3, a new high temperature record for September in Canada—40.8°C (105.4°F)—was set in Ashcroft, British Columbia, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Vancouver.
That sort of heat is more common this time of year in parts of the U.S. Southwest, in places like Phoenix, Arizona.
Temperatures also soared east of the Cascade Range in Washington state, where Spokane tied its daily record of 36.7°C (98°F) on September 3.
The previous two days, temperatures topped out at 37.2°C (99°F), the highest in September for that location in a record extending back to 1881.
The scorching start to September comes on the heels of a drier-than-normal summer in the region.
The conditions have contributed to several large fires burning out of control in British Columbia at a time when it’s more typical for seasonal rains to be rolling in.
While a blocked high-pressure system concentrated heat out west, more autumn-like temperatures nosed down into the interior of the continent.
The cold front’s arrival brought sharp temperature drops to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and other places across the eastern Prairies and northern Ontario.
Forecasters warned of early-season frost and even snow flurries with the change in weather.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154754/summer-heat-lingers-in-the-west
Vintage NASA: See Voyager’s 1990 ‘Solar System Family Portrait’ Debut
Sept. 4, 2025
In archival footage of a historic NASA news conference, the mission reveals history-making images of six planets in our solar system, including a tiny speck called Earth.
This week marks 48 years since the Sept. 5, 1977, launch of NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to study Jupiter and Saturn up close.
Nearly a half-century later, Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 are still exploring, only now they’re in the outer reaches of our solar system.
To celebrate, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is sharing an archival video of the June 6, 1990, press conference following the conclusion of the mission’s planetary explorations.
In the briefing, mission representatives reveal Voyager’s “Solar System Family Portrait,” a mosaic comprising images of six of the solar system’s eight planets, taken by Voyager 1 on Feb. 14, 1990, when the spacecraft was beyond the orbit of Neptune — about 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun.
Each planet is a mere pinprick of light, taking up only about one pixel.
In the press conference, Voyager science team member and renowned science communicator Carl Sagan dubs the image of Earth the “Pale Blue Dot” and shares a few lines of what would eventually become an essay about the humbling image.
“This is where we live — on a blue dot,” Sagan said. “That’s where everyone you know and everyone you have heard of and every human being who ever lived lived out their life.
It’s a very small stage in a great cosmic arena. And again, just speaking for myself, I think this perspective underscores our responsibility to preserve and cherish that blue dot, the only home we have.”
Voyager 1 launched two weeks after its twin, Voyager 2. The pair’s primary mission included close flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, as well as some of their moons.
Although they weren’t the first spacecraft to visit the two gas giants, their discoveries were many.
Voyager 2 went on to fly by Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989 on an extended mission that yielded other key findings. (The spacecraft remains the only one to visit those planets.)
The press conference provides a chance to watch longtime Voyager project scientist Ed Stone recap those and other discoveries — and to look into the future of the spacecraft, which had already begun their interstellar mission, with the two probes continuing on their trajectories away from the Sun and out of the solar system.
The primary goal of the new Voyager Interstellar Mission was to find the boundary of the heliosphere, a bubble of charged particles and magnetic fields created by the Sun, and to sample interstellar space beyond it.
This boundary at the time was at an unknown distance and is undetectable by telescopes.
“The space between the stars, interstellar space, is filled with a very dilute gas called the interstellar medium, and each star blows a bubble into that gas,” Stone said.
“We don’t know how large the Sun’s bubble is. … The boundary of this bubble may be 100 times as far as the distance from the Earth to the Sun. No one knows!”
It turned out that the heliosphere was even farther than Stone’s guess.
At the start of the interstellar mission, Voyager 1 was about 40 times farther from the Sun than Earth is, or 40 astronomical units, and Voyager 2 was about 31 times farther from the Sun than Earth is, or 31 astronomical units.
When Voyager 1 exited the heliosphere and entered interstellar space in 2012, it was about 11 billion miles (18 billion kilometers) from the Sun, or 122 astronomical units.
Voyager 2, traveling slower and in a different direction, exited the heliosphere in 2018 at about the same distance, 119 astronomical units from the Sun.
The Voyagers also found that the boundary region shields the solar system from about two-thirds of cosmic rays that are present in nearby interstellar space.
Today, Voyager 1 and 2 are about 15 billion miles (25 billion kilometers) and 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth, respectively.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/vintage-nasa-see-voyagers-1990-solar-system-family-portrait-debut/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aty-PMtS7Dc
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4641-4648: Thinking Outside and Inside the ‘Boxwork’
Sep 04, 2025
Earth planning week: Aug. 25, 2025.
This week Curiosity has been exploring the boxwork unit, investigating both the ridges and the hollows to better characterize them and understand how they may have formed.
We’ve been doing lots of remote science, contact science, and driving in each plan. In addition, we have our standard daily environmental observations to look at dust in the atmosphere.
We can still see distant targets like the crater rim, but temperatures will soon begin to warm up as we start moving into a dustier part of the year.
And after each drive, we also use AEGIS to do some autonomous target selection for ChemCam observations. I was the arm rover planner for the 4645-4648 plan on Friday.
For Monday’s plan (sols 4641-4642), after a successful weekend drive Curiosity began on the edge of a boxwork ridge.
We did a lot of imaging, including Mastcam mosaics of “El Alto," an upturned rock near a wheel, the ridge forming the south side of the Mojo hollow, “Sauces,” our contact science target, and “Navidad,” an extension of our current workspace.
We also took ChemCam LIBS of Sauces and an RMI mosaic. The rover planners did not find any bedrock large enough to brush, but did MAHLI and APXS on Sauces.
Ready to drive, Curiosity drove about 15 meters (about 49 feet) around the ridge to the south and into the next hollow, named “Mojo."
In Wednesday's plan (sols 4643-4644), Curiosity was successfully parked in the Mojo hollow. We started with a lot of imaging, including Mastcam mosaics of the ridges around the Mojo hollow, a nearby trough and the hollow floor to look for regolith movement.
We also imaged a fractured float rock named “La Laguna Verde.” ChemCam planned a LIBS target on “Corani,” a thin resistant clast sticking out of the regolith, a RMI mosaic of a target on the north ridge named “Cocotoni,” and a long-distance RMI mosaic of “Babati Mons,” a mound about 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) away that we can see peeking over the rim of Gale crater! With no bedrock in the workspace, the rover planners did MAHLI and APXS observations on a regolith target named “Tarapacá.”
The 12-meter drive in this plan (about 39 feet) was challenging; driving out of the hollow and up onto the ridge required the rover to overcome tilts above 20 degrees, where the rover can experience a lot of slip.
Also, with the drive late in the day, it was challenging to determine where Curiosity should be looking to track her slip using Visual Odometry without getting blinded by the sun or losing features in shadows.
Making sure VO works well is particularly important on drives like this when we expect a lot of slip.
Friday’s plan, like most weekend plans, was more complex — particularly because this four-sol plan also covers the Labor Day holiday on Monday.
Fortunately, the Wednesday drive was successful, and we reached the desired parking location on the ridge south of Mojo for imaging and contact science.
The included image looks back over the rover’s shoulder, where we can see the ridge and hollow. We took a lot of imaging looking at hollows and the associated ridges.
We are taking a Mastcam mosaic of “Jorginho Cove,” a target covering the ridge we are parked on and the next hollow to the south, “Pica,” a float rock that is grayish in color, and a ridge/hollow pair named “Laguna Colorada.”
We also take ChemCam LIBS observations of Pica and two light-toned pieces of bedrock named “Tin Tin" and ”Olca."
ChemCam takes RMI observations of “Briones,” which is a channel on the crater rim, "La Serena,” some linear features in the crater wall, and a channel that feeds into the Peace Vallis fan.
After a week of fairly simple arm targets, the rover planners had a real challenge with this workspace. The rocks were mostly too small and too rough to brush, but we did find one spot after a lot of looking.
We did DRT, APXS, and MAHLI on this spot, named “San Jose,” and also did MAHLI and APXS on another rock named “Malla Qullu.”
This last drive of the week is about 15 meters (about 49 feet) following along a ridge and then driving onto a nearby one.
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4641-4648-thinking-outside-and-inside-the-boxwork/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/science-updates/
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/upcoming-launch-to-boost-nasas-study-of-suns-influence-across-space/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SfbQ-HxmYs
Upcoming Launch to Boost NASA’s Study of Sun’s Influence Across Space
Sep 04, 2025
Soon, there will be three new ways to study the Sun’s influence across the solar system with the launch of a trio of NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spacecraft.
Expected to launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 23, the missions include NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1) spacecraft.
The three missions will launch together aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
From there, the spacecraft will travel together to their destination at the first Earth-Sun Lagrange point (L1), around one million miles from Earth toward the Sun.
The missions will each focus on different effects of the solar wind — the continuous stream of particles emitted by the Sun — and space weather — the changing conditions in space driven by the Sun — from their origins at the Sun to their farthest reaches billions of miles away at the edge of our solar system.
Research and observations from the missions will help us better understand the Sun’s influence on Earth’s habitability, map our home in space, and protect satellites and voyaging astronauts and airline crews from space weather impacts.
The IMAP and Carruthers missions add to NASA’s heliophysics fleet of spacecraft.
Together, NASA’s heliophysics missions study a vast, interconnected system from the Sun to the space surrounding Earth and other planets to the farthest limits of the Sun’s constantly flowing streams of solar wind.
The SWFO-L1 mission, funded and operated by NOAA, will be the agency’s first satellite designed specifically for and fully dedicated to continuous, operational space weather observations.
As a modern-day celestial cartographer, IMAP will investigate two of the most important overarching issues in heliophysics: the interaction of the solar wind at its boundary with interstellar space and the energization of charged particles from the Sun.
The IMAP mission will principally study the boundary of our heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the solar wind that encapsulates our solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond. The heliosphere protects the solar system from dangerous high-energy particles called galactic cosmic rays. Mapping the heliosphere’s boundaries helps scientists understand our home in space and how it came to be habitable.
“IMAP will revolutionize our understanding of the outer heliosphere,” said David McComas, IMAP mission principal investigator at Princeton University in New Jersey.
“It will give us a very fine picture of what's going on out there by making measurements that are 30 times more sensitive and at higher resolution than ever before.”
The IMAP mission will also explore and chart the vast range of particles in interplanetary space.
The spacecraft will provide near real-time observations of the solar wind and energetic particles, which can produce hazardous conditions not only in the space environment near Earth, but also on the ground.
The mission’s data will help model and improve prediction capabilities of the impacts of space weather ranging from power-line disruptions to loss of satellites.
1/2
Imaging Earth’s exosphere: Carruthers Geocorona Observatory
The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, a small satellite, will launch with IMAP as a rideshare.
The mission was named after Dr. George Carruthers, creator of the Moon-based telescope that captured the first images of Earth’s exosphere, the outermost layer of our planet’s atmosphere.
The Carruthers mission will build upon Dr. Carruthers’ legacy by charting changes in Earth’s exosphere.
The mission’s vantage point at L1 offers a complete view of the exosphere not visible from the Moon’s relatively close distance to Earth.
From there, it will address fundamental questions about the nature of the region, such as its shape, size, density, and how it changes over time.
The exosphere plays an important role in Earth’s response to space weather, which can impact our technology, from satellites in orbit to communications signals in the upper atmosphere or power lines on the ground.
During space weather storms, the exosphere mediates the energy absorption and release throughout the near-Earth space environment, influencing strength of space weather disturbances.
Carruthers will help us better understand the fundamental physics of our exosphere and improve our ability to predict the impacts of the Sun’s activity.
“We’ll be able to create movies of how this atmospheric layer responds when a solar storm hits, and watch it change with the seasons over time,” said Lara Waldrop, the principal investigator for the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
New space weather station: SWFO-L1
Distinct from NASA’s research satellites, SWFO-L1 will be an operational satellite, designed to observe solar activity and the solar wind in real time to provide critical data in NOAA’s mission to protect the nation from environmental hazards. SWFO-L1 will serve as an early-warning beacon for potentially damaging space weather events that could impact our technology on Earth.
SWFO-L1 will observe the Sun’s outer atmosphere for large eruptions, called coronal mass ejections, and measure the solar wind upstream from Earth with a state-of-the-art suite of instruments and processing system.
This mission is the first of a new generation of NOAA space weather observatories dedicated to 24/7 operations, working to avoid gaps in continuity.
“SWFO-L1 will be an amazing deep-space mission for NOAA,” said Dimitrios Vassiliadis, SWFO program scientist at NOAA.
“Thanks to its advantageous location at L1, it will continuously monitor the solar atmosphere while measuring the solar wind and its interplanetary magnetic fields well before it impacts Earth — and transmit these data in record time.”
With SWFO-L1’s enhanced performance, unobstructed views, and minimal delay between observations and data return, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasters will give operators improved lead time required to take precautionary actions that protect vital infrastructure, economic interests, and national security on Earth and in space.
2/2
fuck yeah
Hubble Spies Galaxy with Lots to See
Sep 05, 2025
While it may appear as just another spiral galaxy among billions in the universe, this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals a galaxy with plenty to study.
The galaxy, NGC 7456, is located over 51 million light-years away in the constellation Grus (the Crane).
This Hubble image reveals fine detail in the galaxy’s patchy spiral arms, followed by clumps of dark, obscuring dust.
Blossoms of glowing pink are rich reservoirs of gas where new stars are forming, illuminating the clouds around them and causing the gas to emit this tell-tale red light.
The Hubble observing program that collected this data focused on the galaxy’s stellar activity, tracking new stars, clouds of hydrogen, and star clusters to learn how the galaxy evolved through time.
Hubble, with its ability to capture visible, ultraviolet, and some infrared light, is not the only observatory focused on NGC 7456.
ESA’s XMM-Newton satellite imaged X-rays from the galaxy on multiple occasions, discovering many so-called ultraluminous X-ray sources.
These small, compact objects emit terrifically powerful X-rays, much more than researchers would expect, given their size.
Astronomers are still trying to pin down what powers these extreme objects, and NGC 7456 contributes a few more examples.
The region around the galaxy’s supermassive black hole is also spectacularly bright and energetic, making NGC 7456 an active galaxy.
Whether looking at its core or its outskirts, at visible light or X-rays, this galaxy has something interesting for astronomers to study!
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-spies-galaxy-with-lots-to-see/
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/the-turtles-and-the-nudists-will-have-to-migrate-spacex-plan-for-starship-launches-from-florida-sparks-debate-among-space-coast-residents
https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/SpaceX_Falcon_SLC_40_EA
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1960483224481583279
'The turtles and the nudists will have to migrate': SpaceX plan for Starship launches from Florida sparks debate among Space Coast residents
September 5, 2025
The people have spoken about SpaceX's plans to launch its Super Heavy Starship from Florida — and they have a lot to say.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has concluded a series of public meetings as part of its draft environmental impact statement (EIS) process for approving Starship liftoffs from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Florida's Space Coast.
The hearings, which included in-person sessions at KSC and nearby Cape Canaveral, were designed to collect public input before the FAA finalizes its environmental review and decides whether or not to grant SpaceX a license for Florida Starship launches.
The agency emphasized that the completion of the EIS doesn't guarantee approval — SpaceX must also meet safety and financial requirements — but construction of a new Starship tower and infrastructure has been underway at KSC's Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A) for more than a year, and not all of the area's residents are happy about it.
While the FAA says that risks to public safety and property are low, the scale and frequency of Starship operations would mark a dramatic shift for the Space Coast, raising questions about how the surrounding communities, environment and infrastructure would adapt.
Starship is SpaceX's next-generation, liquid-oxygen/liquid-methane-fueled heavy lift launch vehicle.
In Starship's final version, its stacked Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage will stand nearly 500 feet (150 meters) tall over KSC's coastline and produce more than 16 million pounds of thrust using 33 Raptor engines at liftoff.
Both stages are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, a key breakthrough that SpaceX thinks will be revolutionary.
Company founder and CEO Elon Musk views Starship as the Mars spacecraft that will make human life multiplanetary, ferrying up to a million people to the Red Planet by the 2060s.
In the near term, Starship will be used to launch SpaceX's increasingly large Starlink internet satellite megaconstellation and other customer payloads, as well as crewed missions to Earth orbit and the moon.
Starship is central to NASA's Artemis 3 mission, which is designed to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo.
NASA has contracted Starship as the Human Landing System (HLS) for the mission, tapping the spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the moon's south polar region. Currently, the space agency is targeting 2027 to launch Artemis 3.
To accomplish this, SpaceX needs to graduate Starship from its development-and-test phase, which is centered at the company's south Texas Starbase manufacturing facility, and begin operational launches at LC-39A.
According to the draft EIS, SpaceX is seeking approval for up to 44 launches and landings of Starship and Super Heavy from the launch complex each year, with touchdowns being dispersed between returns to the Cape or droneship landings in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
SpaceX is already on a yearly cadence of more than 100 Falcon 9 rocket launches from Florida, each of which requires multiple beach closures and safety zones that disrupt maritime and air traffic routes.
Starship's significantly larger size means those zones will expand, and the safety of, and impacts to, residents in the area are being put under a microscope.
During the public hearings, some residents and community members expressed strong concerns about the scale of the proposal. The FAA's in-person meetings consisted of a prerecorded video presentation but did not permit time for comments to be made publicly.
Instead, the FAA hired a stenographer to type people's dictated statements and provided addresses for people to send their input.
A Sept. 3 meeting held digitally over Zoom, however, did allow time for the public to make their voices heard, offering three minutes for anyone who wanted to speak.
1/3
The FAA's analysis notes that Starship operations could require more than 60 closures annually of Playalinda Beach — a public beach that's part of the Canaveral National Seashore — as well as frequent maritime and airspace restrictions that may delay flights from Florida airports by 40 minutes to two hours.
John Tiliacos is the chief operating officer at Tampa International Airport. He commented during the Zoom meeting that Starship will cause delays to flights across nearly the entire state of Florida.
"There is the potential that there's going to be significant impact to commercial aviation and the traveling public," he said. "That's something that certainly the FAA needs to give consideration to and, frankly, come up with a plan to mitigate."
Noise modeling shows that Starship could wake 10% to 14% of residents during nighttime launches and up to 42% during Super Heavy booster landings, which take place about several minutes after liftoff.
For people living in mobile homes and campers, those rates rise to as high as 82%.
While the FAA projects a low probability of structural damage outside KSC, noise levels within Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral could occasionally exceed thresholds to cause minor cosmetic building damage.
They estimate a 1-10,000 chance of small windows breaking from sonic boom pressures associated with Starship and Super Heavy landings.
The FAA also completed a health risk analysis to assess the dangers of hearing loss from such events and found it to be minimal, though the draft EIS acknowledges that repeated nighttime awakenings could cause significant annoyance and compatibility issues for residential land use.
Residents spoke up about the FAA's noise figures, saying projections don't take deeper human health concerns into consideration.
Robyn Memphis, a graduate student in neuroscience and psychology, cautioned that the estimated awakenings from launch noise and sonic booms could carry lasting consequences:
"Chronic sleep disruption is not just inconvenient," she said. "This is directly linked to depression, anxiety … cardiovascular disease, even suicide risk. And being in Florida, we have many veterans and trauma survivors in the community."
Ken Kremer, a Titusville resident, chemist, and member of the news media, told Space.com that the plan risks alienating locals if beach access is repeatedly cut off for launches and scrubs.
"The FAA and SpaceX need to be mindful of the local community, because we want to get people on board with space … and the way they have it right now, they're kind of antagonizing a lot of people," he said.
The FAA's 60-closure estimate equates to nearby beaches closing for a cumulative two full months per year.
More than just the local population, many worry how Starship operations will affect tourism, a major contributor to the Space Coast's economy.
Christina Fisher, a Brevard County resident, pointed to the reality of frequent launch delays, warning that closures would extend well beyond the estimated schedule.
"It's going to create an immovably large number of days of beach closures for Playalinda and Canaveral National Seashore, because we all know every rocket launch gets slipped 20 times."
Lisa Mickey, who is involved with several conservation nonprofits in Volusia County, warned that the ecosystem and tourism draw of the region could both suffer.
"When you talk about the animals that live here, the health of the estuary, the cleanliness of our beaches … there is a certain quality of life here."
"[The Indian River Lagoon] considered the most biologically diverse estuary in North America," Mickey said, citing the more than 4,000 species that call the area home.
"People come and take fishing guided tours, people take ecotours and kayak tours. This area generates a lot of money, a lot of tourism."
Blair Wiggins worked as a fishing guide on the Space Coast's Indian River Lagoon during the space shuttle program. He recalls wildlife reacting strongly to the shuttles' widespread vibrations.
"The noise and vibrations … kept the fish down for a good day, day and a half … the birds would scatter, they wouldn't come back," Wiggins said.
2/3
Some people had a more optimistic outlook, however. Kelly San Antonio, an environmental scientist at Bethune-Cookman University, noted her team's research studying vegetation around existing active launch pads.
Their findings suggest that methane-fueled rockets may prove less damaging to vegetation than legacy solid rocket boosters: "Surprisingly, the impact … while detectable, was on a smaller scale than the solid rocket engine vehicles."
Canaveral National Seashore receives more than a million visitors each year. Some of those beachgoers flock to Playalinda, specifically, for its remote setting and … openness.
Erich Schuttauf, executive director of the American Association for Nude Recreation, said that restricting Playalinda Beach would displace regular (non-nude) visitors into neighboring Volusia County, which he predicted would cause conflicts in nude sections of the beach between locals and newcomers.
Schuttauf was not the only nudist on the Sept. 3 Zoom call. Deborah Sue Stevens, calling in from California, said places like Playalinda are crucial for people who travel to places where public nudity is legal.
And there are a lot of them, according to Stevens. "It's probably a quarter million people that travel and think like I do, who look for destinations that are beautiful and surrounded by like-minded people," she said.
Max West didn't agree. West says he plans to move to Florida to photograph Starship launches. "I'm not going to say that there is zero environmental impact there," he said, but added there might have to be some "little sacrifices" along the way.
"The turtles and the nudists will have to migrate," West said. "That's the cost that you have to pay for this incredible stuff that's happening."
Other commenters pointed out the potential effects at nearby Port Canaveral, which hosts up to 10 ships per day, and millions of tourists year-round.
"You've got the port, the second-busiest cruise terminal in the world," Kremer pointed out. "You don't want to disrupt all of that." He noted that maritime exclusion zones would overlap with areas heavily trafficked by cruise ships and cargo vessels.
Bob Zales, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, described direct losses for commercial fishermen who already work around launch windows. "Because of the launch times they have, they're restricted from getting to their fishing grounds," he said.
After restrictions are lifted, Zales said, pieces of rocket debris get caught in nets, tearing them and further eating away at valuable time. "They lose income from having to repair those," Zales said. "They lose time from shrimping. So there's a big economic loss here."
Longtime Brevard resident Lori Guisewite, a NASA Social alum and real estate professional, tied the debate to patterns she's seen in the housing market, warning that SpaceX's expansion could echo what she called "shameful" land grabs in Brownsville, Texas:
"They overtook the area, altered the legislation, the laws. Now they get to make their own laws," she told Space.com.
SpaceX currently launches the Falcon 9 from two separate pads in Florida: LC-39A and SLC-40 (as well as Vandenberg Space Force Base in California).
Until recently, SLC-40 had been licensed for up to 50 launches per year. Recent upgrades to that pad's facilities, though, prompted SpaceX to apply for an increase to that number, which the FAA announced Sept. 2 it will approve for up to 120.
Brad Whitmore said he lives about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Cape's launch facilities. "It's not uncommon at all for the windows in my house to shake for two minutes … and I've seen as much as four," he said.
"With this great increase in launches of Falcon 9 and bringing in a rocket with approximately four times as many engines, I can interpolate that this is going to get a whole lot more interesting. The noise and vibration in our area is currently very significant."
Others voiced support for SpaceX's plans, eager to welcome Starship to the Space Coast. Evan Fine, a 21-year-old aspiring law student, spoke in favor of approving launches, arguing that rejecting the plan would halt progress.
"Accepting the no-action alternative to this EIS will only result in stagnation, and the stagnation of achievements and technology go hand in hand with the stagnation of culture, national will and determination," he said.
The FAA will accept public comments on the draft EIS through Sept. 22 before preparing a final version later this year.
Locals wishing to add their voice can submit comments electronically at www.regulations.gov, using Docket ID FAA-2024-1395, or through the mail, addressed to Ms. Eva Long, FAA Environmental Protection Specialist, c/o Leidos, 2877 Guardian Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.
A final "Record of Decision" is expected in Winter 2025, which will determine whether SpaceX receives the license to begin Starship launches from Florida.
3/3
https://www.space.com/astronomy/gravitational-waves-reveal-stellar-graveyard-packed-with-neutron-star-and-black-hole-mergers
https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1207014_en.html
https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.18082
Gravitational waves reveal 'stellar graveyard' packed with neutron star and black hole mergers
September 5, 2025
Using gravitational waves, tiny ripples in space-time first predicted by Albert Einstein back in 1915, astronomers have discovered that a "stellar graveyard" is packed with mergers between extreme stellar remnants like black holes and neutron stars, created when massive stars die in supernova explosions.
Evidence of these mergers also came in the form of the most massive binary black holes "heard" in this domain of gravitational waves to date.
The newly analyzed data — collected by the gravitational wave detectors LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), Virgo and KAGRA (Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector) — doubles the number of known "mixed mergers" between black holes and neutron stars, from 1 to 2.
In total, 128 new mergers of various types were "heard" during the fourth operating run of LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA between May 2023 and January 2024, the first nine months of its 18-month 4th operating run (O4).
"This new update really highlights the capabilities of both the international network of gravitational-wave detectors and the analysis techniques which have been developed to dig very faint signals out of the data," team leader Daniel Williams, a researcher at the Institute for Gravitational Research (IGR) at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, said in a statement.
"What we've observed in the first part of the two-year-long fourth observing run has broadened our understanding of the cosmic graveyard: we’ve seen the heaviest black holes yet," Williams added.
The new research could help scientists better understand the stellar cycle of life and death that births black holes and neutron stars, and could also shed light on the process that sees black holes increase in size by colliding and merging.
"In a similar way to how a paleontologist can learn about long-extinct dinosaurs by looking at their fossilized bones, we can learn about stars by looking at their black hole or neutron star remains," said team member Christopher Berry, also of the IGR.
"The biggest stars live the shortest lives, so they can be hard to study in other ways.
Stars live their lives in many different environments. Some form in dense stellar environments like nuclear star clusters, where millions of stars are in close proximity," Berry added.
"Here, we might expect that following a binary black hole merger, the remnant black hole could find a new partner and merge again, forming an even bigger black hole."
Berry said that, with GWTC-4.0 (Version 4.0 of the Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog), LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA scientists have seen telltale hints that some of the sources could come from black holes that are themselves the result of previous mergers.
1/2
"Teasing out the black holes formed from collapsing stars from those formed from previous mergers will tell us about how stars live their lives, and where they live their lives across the universe," Berry continued.
Not only could this research paint a more complete picture of the life and death of stars that are at least eight times as massive as the sun, but it could also help better understand the speed at which the universe is expanding.
"The universe is expanding, and the speed at which it is doing so is known as the Hubble Constant. A unique feature of black hole mergers is that we can tell how far away they were directly from our observation," said team member and IGR researcher Rachel Gray.
"This means that each merger we detect gives some information about the universe's expansion rate.
"By combining this information from many mergers, we can improve our measurement of the Hubble Constant, helping to answer one of the big unanswered questions of modern astronomy: exactly how fast is the universe expanding?"
The new data set contains a gravitational signal called GW230814, which is the loudest detected by these instruments to date. Detections like these are also the perfect way to test Einstein's 1915 theory of gravity, general relativity, in which gravitational waves were first postulated.
"The louder the signal, the more precise our measurements of any potential deviations," IGR scientist and team member John Veitch said. "So far, Einstein has passed every test, but we will keep looking closer!
For these types of analysis, it is very important to have observations from multiple gravitational-wave detectors, so you can cross-reference the signal in both."
All this has been made possible by upgrades to LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA performed from 2020 onward that have boosted the sensitivity of these gravitational wave detectors, based in the U.S., Italy and Japan, respectively.
"During the fourth observing run, the detectors have routinely been able to make measurements more than 25% more sensitive than in the previous observing run," IGR researcher Andrew Spencer said. "This allows us to observe a much larger fraction of the universe."
One thing that is absent here are the flashes of light that should have accompanied the two observed mixed mergers between black holes and neutron stars, represented by the gravitational wave signals GW230529 and GW230518.
"This time around, we didn’t see anything except for gravitational waves from these mergers, but exciting new telescopes such as the Vera Rubin Telescope mean that making coincident detections of gravitational waves and light is becoming much more likely," Williams concluded.
2/2
Element U.S. Space & Defense Appoints Jasminka Otton as General Manager of Orlando, FL Laboratory, Bolstering Advanced Space Testing
Sep 4, 2025 8:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Element U.S. Space & Defense, a leading provider of test and engineering services and a trusted partner to organizations like NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and key industry leaders, today announced the appointment of Jasminka Otton as General Manager of its Orlando, Florida laboratory.
Otton will lead strategic operations and drive the continued advancement of the facility’s mission-critical testing capabilities.
Otton brings over two decades of extensive experience in program management, operations, and strategic planning across diverse international markets, including the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.
Her proven track record includes successfully leading multimillion-dollar programs, consistently driving revenue growth, enhancing operational efficiency, and improving program performance through innovative strategies.
She is known for her transformational leadership, fostering positive team environments, optimizing operations, and achieving critical objectives.
Jasminka holds a Master's degree in Strategic Management from Penn State. Beyond her professional achievements, she is a dedicated CrossFit athlete and enjoys her family life with her teenage son, her boyfriend, and their two dogs, Luna and Whisky.
Her appointment reinforces Element U.S. Space & Defense’s commitment to attracting top-tier talent and leveraging strategic locations like Orlando to provide the critical testing and validation services that are built to perform and engineered to matter.
“Jasminka’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in managing complex programs align perfectly with Element U.S. Space & Defense’s commitment to delivering custom test solutions for strategic projects and programs,” said Britton Kreitz, Senior Vice President of Operations at Element U.S. Space & Defense.
“Her strategic vision will be instrumental in expanding our testing capabilities and ensuring we continue to provide the highest level of service from our Orlando facility.”
The Element U.S. Space & Defense Orlando laboratory is a cornerstone of the company’s services, serving as a critical hub for the rigorous testing of advanced space systems.
Strategically located right along the Space Coast and in close proximity to Huntsville, AL, the facility is in a prime location to be able to support the U.S. Space Force and other space partners with mission-critical and proprietary programs.
Key testing capabilities at the Element U.S. Space & Defense Orlando lab include:
Dynamic Testing: Covering acceleration, mechanical shock, transportation simulation, drop testing, and vibration.
Climatic Testing: Environmental simulation to assess product performance under harsh conditions.
Hydraulics Testing: For endurance, impulse, burst and proof pressure, and more.
EMC/EMI Testing: Services for electromagnetic interference and compatibility, including radiated susceptibility and emissions, indirect lightning effects, electrical power characteristics testing, and electrostatic discharge.
The Orlando facility is accredited by A2LA to the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard, ensuring high standards of quality and accuracy in all testing methods.
For more information about Element U.S. Space & Defense’s portfolio of testing laboratories, visit www.elementdefense.com.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250904603255/en/Element-U.S.-Space-Defense-Appoints-Jasminka-Otton-as-General-Manager-of-Orlando-FL-Laboratory-Bolstering-Advanced-Space-Testing
Space Development Agency's First Tranche 1 Mission
September 5, 2025
September 10, 2025 04:58 - 07:27 PT
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, September 10 at 7:12 a.m. PT for a Falcon 9 launch of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) first Tranche 1 mission to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Thursday, September 11 at 7:04 a.m. PT.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about 10 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 will be the sixth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched five Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
The space vehicles launched during this mission will serve a part of SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a new layered network of satellites in low-Earth orbit and supporting elements that will provide global military tactical communication and missile warning, indication, and tracking capabilities.
There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sda-t1tl-b
Huntsville leaders confident, excited for U.S. Space Command Headquarters transition
September 4, 2025
Local leaders gathered Wednesday for a roundtable media briefing to reaffirm that Huntsville is prepared, excited and ready to welcome U.S. Space Command to its new permanent headquarters at Redstone Arsenal.
The move is expected to bring approximately 1,400 direct jobs to the region over the next five years. Mayor Tommy Battle emphasized the gradual pace of growth and Huntsville’s proven track record in managing large-scale expansions.
“For those concerned about growth, the numbers tell the story,” Mayor Battle said. “We’re talking about 280 people a year. Some will live in Huntsville, some in Madison and some in communities across north Alabama.
This is a very manageable number, and it’s also a tremendous opportunity.”
Of course, it’s unlikely that all current Space Command employees in Colorado will relocate to the Huntsville area.
Many of those positions will likely be filled by the highly skilled workforce already based here, further reducing the number of relocating residents.
Huntsville has successfully navigated similar workforce transitions in the past, from the 5,000 jobs that came with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in the early 2000s to Mazda Toyota Manufacturing’s addition of 4,000 jobs in recent years.
In each case, Huntsville planned ahead, invested wisely and welcomed new residents without straining city services.
The working relationships between agencies based at Redstone Arsenal and Space Command are already strong and bringing Space Command to the same location will only enhance those relationships.
“If you look at the commands that we have here, everything from NASA to FBI to the Missile Defense Agency, the synergy is already there between those commands,” said Redstone Arsenal Deputy Garrison Commander Martin Traylor.
“Most of those elements are already dealing with Space Command on a daily basis now anyway.
It just makes it a lot easier because now, in addition to being able to communicate over their secure communications networks, they can literally go down the street and see people face to face.
It’s hard to put a price on a relationship factor of leadership like that. It’s going to have a tremendous impact on the national security and operational level of Space Command being here. It’s going to be a win for Space Command.”
Infrastructure remains a central part of that preparation. Projects such as the widening of Research Park Boulevard, expansion of Cecil Ashburn Drive, Memorial Parkway overpasses and the Northern Bypass have strengthened connectivity.
Additional investments, including Resolute Way – a future connector from I-565 to Gate 9 at Redstone Arsenal and a number one priority – are already in motion.
“Over the past two decades, Huntsville has pursued a forward-looking growth strategy,” Mayor Battle said. “We’ve invested in roads, diverse housing, schools and workforce programs.
Our community is mission-ready to support Space Command with a strong military presence, a skilled workforce and a culture of innovation.”
Mayor Battle was joined by Madison County Commission Chair Mac McCutcheon, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, State Rep. Rex Reynolds, Redstone Arsenal Deputy Garrison Commander Martin Traylor, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber President & CEO Chip Cherry, and Chamber Senior Vice President Lucia Cape.
Together, the group highlighted the deep partnerships among local, state, and federal leaders working to ensure a seamless transition.
“What you see at this table is a partnership,” McCutcheon said. “Space Command is coming to a community that is already ready. Everything is in place to support this mission and strengthen national security.”
With thoughtful planning and collaboration, leaders say the future looks bright for both Space Command and the community it will now call home.
“If we just do a good job of offering multiple opportunities within multiple quality neighborhoods or cities, the families will choose where they want to live,” Madison Mayor Paul Finley said.
“We are responsible for the infrastructure. That’s what we’re working on, and I think the school districts in this area are just phenomenal – both on the high school level and the secondary (college) level.
We just continue to get bigger, better and stronger because we just don’t care who wins. We just want to continue to win.”
https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/huntsville-leaders-confident-excited-for-u-s-space-command-headquarters-transition/
https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/videos/huntsville-welcomes-u-s-space-command-media-roundtable/
https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2025/09/space-command-team-already-in-huntsville-to-begin-process-of-move-to-redstone.html
https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/4294143/askpolaris-project-highlights-ussfacademia-partnerships-genai-mission-focused-s
AskPolaris Project Highlights USSF/Academia Partnerships, GenAI Mission-Focused Solutions
Sept. 4, 2025
Imagine you’re a U.S. Space Force Guardian working at Space Systems Command (SSC)and you’re on a deadline to complete an important project. But you’re having problems connecting your laptop to the VPN (virtual private network).
You could call SSC’s Atlas IT Support Center, but you might have to wait for a bit to have a technician help you. Wouldn’t it be great if you could solve your problem NOW?
In a few months, SSC users may be able to do just that, thanks to “AskPolaris,” one of the winning projects from the USSF’s inaugural 2024 GenAI Challenge.
AskPolaris is an innovative, mission-aligned AI solution currently under development, said Wuan Perkins, program manager for Order66, a software factory within SSC’s S6 organization.
“AskPolaris is not just another AI tool,” Perkins said. “It’s a mission enabler that reduces downtime, empowers users to fix issues immediately, and frees IT technicians to focus on more complex problems critical to mission success.”
“If an issue has already been solved before, AskPolaris can immediately suggest the same solution, saving time for both users and technicians.” Perkins added.
“If a problem has already been solved, AI immediately points the user to the same fix — no waiting required.”
“We found during user research that the majority of IT support requests are common and reoccurring,” added Paul Miranda, lead user experience designer for the team.
“For example, trouble logging into a laptop or troubleshooting VPN issues, and other minor issues.
A lot of that makes up the bulk of IT tickets, and that takes time away from IT help desk technicians tending to more complex problems and high-impact projects.”
“We’re not just developing AI capabilities for the sake of developing AI capabilities,” Miranda added.
“We start with ‘What technological capabilities can we leverage to help solve problems for Guardians, Airmen, civilians – basically, everyone in the command and beyond Space Force as well.
It’s really about how do we make an impact for people so we can develop and design a tool that helps them do their jobs.”
“Through human-centered design, or what the team internally refers to as ‘Guardian-Centered Design’ they developed a solution that focuses on the needs of people, balanced with the needs of the mission and technology implementation,” Miranda said.
Polaris directly supports SSC’s digital modernization efforts and demonstrates how AI tools can accelerate knowledge access and decision-making across the enterprise, which ultimately empowers warfighters and mission success.
The AskPolaris story began last year, when the USSF invited Guardians and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) personnel to create solutions to Space Force problem statements leveraging GenAI.
GenAI, or generative AI, refers to AI systems that can create new content based on the data they are trained on.
It uses large language models, complex algorithms and is frequently used for customer service portals, computer code generation and content creation, including illustrations and text.
1/3
This hackathon-style challenge launched Sept. 12, 2024 in three Space Force “ecosystems” across the country: Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, and Washington, D.C.
“The Space Force GenAI Challenge is a way to crowdsource new ideas, with the baseline concept that there’s a lot of smart people in our organization and in order to really be the best, we need to leverage everyone,” said USSF SMSgt Mike Sullivan, senior enlisted leader of the Delta 12 staff.
“When it comes to talent management, you may have an Airman working as a security forces defender, checking IDs at the gate, but he’s the best Python developer we don’t know about, because we’re leveraging him as a security forces defender,” Sullivan said.
“When that Airman goes home after checking IDs all day, they’re a tinkerer, they’re an innovator and they’re doing it because that’s what they enjoy.
We need to find those innovators and leverage their knowledge and experience to benefit the Space Force.”
During a six-week bootcamp sponsored by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), participants used seven AI-powered innovation tools (custom GPTs) to learn how to think differently, do human-centered design, and solve problems.
There were approximately 50 Guardians and ten teams at the boot camp, Perkins said, and the SSC team, Team OrbIT (Order 66) emerged as the winner.
From there, the teams joined the DIU Capstone Program and continued building their project with six students from the University of Central Florida over two semesters, from building early architecture to integrating with Azure SQL environments and working within the Atlas Design System, Perkins said.
Beverly Seay, senior strategic advisor with DIU, said, “The AskPolaris project is a powerful example of how DIU’s innovation programs can bring together Guardians and university talent to rapidly deliver solutions that matter.
By engaging UCF students through the Capstone program under the mentorship of our bootcamp winners, we’re not only accelerating development of a mission-critical capability but also inspiring and preparing the next generation of innovators to contribute to our national security."
Richard Leinecker, associate lecturer of computer science at UCF, served as the mentor for the project, working with a team of five students over two semesters as they developed a “proof-of-concept” for AskPolaris.
UCF has done similar projects with organizations ranging from the U.S. Army to Lockheed Martin, Leinecker said.
The students get real-world experience and an opportunity to work on projects that go beyond a typical classroom assignment, and the organizations get to work with students trained on cutting-edge technology with a fresh take on the problem sets presented.
Anthony Fetyko, 22, UCF student developer on the project, called it the “highlight of my four years at UCF.”
“I don’t think I gained any other experience as valuable as this one,” said Fetyko, who is now pursuing a master’s degree in machine learning at Georgia Tech.
“The work environment, working with professional partners… it made me feel like I was working on a real job.”
2/3
Many companies are looking to incorporate AI and Machine Learning to streamline tasks, similar to the goals of AskPolaris, and the ability to work on a project that has the potential to be widely used and help the Space Force was invaluable, he said.
“I thought the process all the way through was really smooth and communication was great from both ends,” Fetyko, said.
“Because of all the people they provided us, we were able to get any questions or feedback that we needed at any time, which I thought was really great.”
Perkins said it was exciting to work on a project that brought together SSC personnel and UCF students – some of whom might become Guardians in the future.
“This work connects with everyone differently,” Perkins said. “For me, it’s about advancing the mission and building a solution that can scale across the enterprise.”
“Because the Space Force is still new, there’s great opportunity to make a real impact,” Perkins continued.
“Seeing young professionals eager to contribute — and energized by working with the Space Force — shows how this effort can inspire the next generation.”
Next, the team will continue with agile development sprints focused on core user experience, knowledge graph integration and UI (user interface) refinement.
In October, AskPolaris will be deployed into a secure production environment to support staging and test environments.
By November, the team hopes to conduct UAT (user acceptance testing) and integrate pilot testers from across SSC, with the goal of delivering MVP to a broader user group for real-world application and feedback.
In January, the team will evaluate pilot feedback, plan a full rollout of the product and identify sustainability needs for long-term support.
AskPolaris is designed to work with users, whether they’re familiar with AI or not, through a feature called “Prompt Assistance” which intuitively guides users through the process of getting their issues resolved, Miranda explained.
When a Guardian signs up to use AskPolaris, he or she will fill out a quick on-boarding survey that will assess the user’s IT experience level.
Over time, the AskPolaris will learn more about each user and adapt its solutions to fit them, Miranda said.
For example, someone who’s not very tech savvy may get a solution that spells out a fix step-by-step in simple terms, compared to a more complex solution for someone who contributes to the Linux kernel as a hobby and treats stack traces like light bedtime reading.
This enables Polaris to deliver a more personalized experience, much like in an in-person customer service experience, Miranda said.
The team also conducted contextual research where they spent time observing and learning from the close interaction between customers and IT technicians.
This enabled them to translate some of the familiar in-person experience customers have into the design of the product.
“Instead of just building an application, the team spent months conducting user research to truly understand IT customers,” Perkins said.
“That way, we could design a tool that delivers the right solutions while also providing a seamless user experience.”
Perkins added that the team plans to continue its partnership with UCF, not only on AskPolaris but also on future emerging technology projects within SSC Software Development.
3/3
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4294649/buckley-sfb-supports-ulchi-freedom-shield-25/
Buckley SFB supports Ulchi Freedom Shield 25
Sept. 4, 2025
The operations floor buzzed with activity as screens flashed exercise data and voices traded rapid updates across the room.
Among the thousands participating in exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield 25, a select group of Airmen and Guardians from Buckley Space Force Base brought their expertise to South Korea for the combined, joint, all-domain exercise running Aug. 18-28.
UFS25 is a defense-focused training event that strengthens the partnership between South Korea and the U.S., enhancing the alliance’s combined defense posture through realistic, all-domain scenarios.
The exercise spans land, sea, air, space, cyber and information operations, blending live-fire events with large-scale simulations.
It also incorporates specialized training such as noncombatant evacuation operations and countering weapons of mass destruction, with participation from United Nations Command.
Buckley SFB’s presence is felt in subtle but critical ways.
In one section of the air operations center, intelligence specialists worked alongside the Republic of Korea air force, building simulated threat reports and fusing disparate information into a clear picture for commanders.
“Our primary focus was assisting the Seventh Air Force intelligence director in coordinating and completing requests for information from multiple sources, including senior U.S. and ROK leadership in the Combined Air Component Command,” said 1st Lt. Darryl Hofstee, 566th Intelligence Squadron overhead collection manager.
“Intel provides the critical assessments that allow commanders to make informed decisions in real time.”
Hofstee noted that while his work at Buckley SFB typically emphasizes tactical and operational impacts, UFS25 offered an invaluable opportunity to operate on a broader scale.
He was able to expand his knowledge and see how U.S. Air Force senior leadership thinks during a conflict.
“Experiencing that mix of tactical, operational and strategic decision-making has been extremely beneficial, and it’s a perspective many don’t get the chance to see,” Hofstee added.
Just across the hall, U.S. Space Force Guardians brought a space domain perspective into the fight. Sgt. Hannah Powers, 72nd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron Detachment 7, foreign instrumentation signals intelligence journeyman, worked in the Intelligence Cell as an analyst.
Her role, along with many other Guardians, was to maintain space domain awareness over the Korean Peninsula and ensure commanders understood how events unfolding in orbit could impact operations on the ground.
1/2
“Collaborating with Airmen, Guardians and ROK members, each bringing unique skill sets, has been incredible,” Powers said.
“The wealth of knowledge around the table is amazing, and the conversations we have to achieve our common goals show how powerful true integration can be.”
Far from being outside the operational fight, the first sergeant’s role is woven directly into the fabric of the mission.
Senior Master Sgt. Ryan McCammon, Space Base Delta 2 first sergeant, has been on the ground in South Korea for more than a month, helping to transform an empty stretch of land into what participants call “Tent City.”
Working with his team, he set up 26 tents and oversaw the creation of a safe, functional living environment for nearly 500 augmentees.
For McCammon, the job goes far beyond accountability and schedules.
He spends his days checking in with Airmen and Guardians while making sure the basics of rest, morale and well-being are taken care of.
“Readiness isn’t just about equipment and plans,” he said. “It’s about people.”
That people-first approach has meant everything from ensuring Airmen and Guardians understand local customs and courtesies as representatives of the U.S. Air Force, to collecting feedback and adjusting living conditions in real time.
McCammon described it as building not just tents, but a culture of resilience, a space where individuals can reset, recharge, and be mentally ready for the mission ahead.
While McCammon and his team focused on the human side of readiness, Buckley SFB’s footprint extended into the information environment as well.
Staff Sgt. Danielle McBride, Space Base Delta 2 public affairs craftsman, played a critical role in monitoring media across the peninsula, countering misinformation, and keeping senior leaders informed of how U.S. and ROK activities were being perceived.
By maintaining awareness of the information domain, public affairs supported the exercise’s larger goal of demonstrating alliance transparency and credibility to both partners and adversaries alike.
Though just a handful among thousands, the Airmen and Guardians from Buckley SFB carried weight far beyond their numbers.
Their contributions, from monitoring adversary movements, to building and sustaining the human foundation of the mission, reflected the diverse expertise required to execute a modern, all-domain exercise like UFS25.
As the exercise concluded, each specialty fulfilled its mission, but it was the cohesion between them that showcased the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance.
For Buckley SFB’s Airmen and Guardians, that unity was forged not only through advanced capabilities, but through leadership committed to ensuring the people behind the mission remain ready to carry it forward.
2/2
SSC hosts Industry Day in preparation for National Security Space Launch
Sept. 4, 2025
Representatives from 17 commercial space companies joined officials from Space Systems Command Aug. 19 for a National Security Space Launch Industry Day to assist commercial launch service and space capability providers in planning for NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 on-ramp opportunities.
“The National Security Space Launch program is our nation’s most reliable source for delivering critical space capabilities to the joint forces when and where needed,” said Col. Eric Zarybnisky, program executive officer for Space Systems Command Assured Access to Space.
“We continue to look for more flexibility and agility from a variety of launch service providers offering multiple distinct launch vehicles and launch locations, all with the ability to execute rapidly from requirement to launch.”
During the event, which took place at the Aerospace Corporation, the NSSL team – including Zarybnisky, Lt. Col. Douglas Downs, materiel leader for Phase 3; Maj. Ryan Watson, Lane 1 technical lead; and Col. Douglas Pentecost, outgoing deputy program executive officer for AATS – shared updates with industry attendees on the most current program information.
Later that afternoon, during one-on-one sessions, the NSSL team sought to learn more from emerging launch providers about what capabilities they can bring to the fight.
An overview of the Space Development Agency mission was also provided by Kenneth Roads, SDA’s launch program manager.
The Industry Day event was designed as a planning opportunity for commercial space companies, prior to officials looking to seek proposals at a later, to-be-determined date.
SSC’s AATS manages the Defense Department’s two launch programs: National Security Space Launch and the Rocket Systems Launch Program.
Under NSSL, Phase 3, Lane 2, SSC’s AATS has three launch providers currently on contract: SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin.
Lane 2 missions are considered “no fail” missions and launch providers must meet stringent criteria to qualify.
NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 is designed to encourage new launch providers, through annual on-ramps and missions with slightly higher risk tolerance.
Lane 1 provides awardees who can meet a subset of NSSL requirements the opportunity to compete for approximately 20 missions over the next four years via annual task order competitions.
Lane 1 consists of multiple award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contracts with an ordering period through Fiscal Year 2029 and a single five-year option that could extend the ordering period through FY34.
Lane 1 launch services will be procured via Launch Service Task Orders.
The NSSL program has implemented a tiered mission assurance approach on Lane 1 that inherently accepts a higher risk-to-mission success to address mission specific needs.
Tier 0 is considered like a commercial launch, with Federal Aviation Administration certification; Tiers 1, 2, and 3 have decreasing levels of risk acceptability and more government oversight.
SSC’s initial Phase 3 Lane 1 IDIQ contract was awarded on June 13, 2024, to Blue Origin, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.
The first IDIQ on-ramp award for fiscal year 2025 was issued on March 27 to Rocket Lab and Stoke Space.
The NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 multiple award IDIQ contract provides multiple on-ramping opportunities to allow emerging providers or systems to compete when ready.
The second annual Lane 1 on-ramp award is expected in Spring 2026. Requests for proposals will be issued in October 2025, with proposals due in December.
Assured Access to Space executes the U.S. Space Force’s core function of Space Access, performing the space lift and range control missions.
t secures reliable and responsive launch services to deploy the space-based capabilities needed by our nation’s warfighters, intelligence professionals, decision-makers, allies and partners.
Additionally, it operates and sustains resilient and ready launch and test infrastructure to project on-orbit warfighting capability through all phases of conflict and to expand U.S. economic, technological, and scientific leadership.
Further, AATS delivers servicing, mobility, and logistics capabilities that operate in, from, and to the space domain.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4294271/ssc-hosts-industry-day-in-preparation-for-national-security-space-launch/