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First Copernicus Sentinel-4 images showcase Europe's hourly air pollution watch
21 October 2025
The first preliminary images from the European Union's Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission on Meteosat Third Generation Sounder 1 offer an early glimpse of the new capability to monitor air pollutants across Europe every hour, which will enable timelier warnings to help save lives, improve life quality and benefit economies.
Air pollution is Europe's greatest environmental health threat, and despite progress in recent decades to reduce its burden, it was still attributed to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths in 2022.
The European Union's Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission, operating on board EUMETSAT's Meteosat Third Generation Sounder 1 (MTG-S1) satellite, has begun delivering its first preliminary images from space, marking a major milestone in Europe's air quality monitoring capacity.
The mission's hourly data streams will support authorities in delivering timely air quality forecasts and health warnings to help save lives, improve quality of life, and reduce associated environmental costs and economic damage across the continent.
The first images, captured on 8 October 2025 and released to the world today, demonstrate Copernicus Sentinel-4's remarkable capability to track multiple pollutants and trace gases across Europe and surrounding regions.
The images reveal nitrogen dioxide hotspots over Italy's Po Valley, elevated ozone levels across the Balkans, Bulgaria, and Greece and sulphur dioxide plumes from both natural and anthropogenic sources.
Copernicus Sentinel-4 is still undergoing commissioning so these early first images represent just a taster of what is to come: once operational, the mission will provide unprecedented hourly views of such pollutants across Europe from geostationary orbit.
The hourly capability will enable experts to track how pollution varies throughout the day – such as traffic peaks during rush hour – and observe pollutants like ozone as they form, revealing differences between city centres and suburbs and providing authorities with more precise information to protect public health.
Following MTG-S1's successful launch on 1 July, Copernicus Sentinel-4 is now in its commissioning phase, where teams are testing and fine-tuning systems to ensure optimal performance.
While these first images show the mission is already working well, the commissioning process ensures that the underpinning data meets the rigorous accuracy and reliability standards essential for operational use.
Once commissioning is complete, these critical data streams will enhance existing atmospheric monitoring capabilities with unprecedented hourly coverage of atmosphere over Europe and surrounding regions from space.
Phil Evans, Director-General of EUMETSAT, said: “Exposure to pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, and fine particulate matter affects millions of Europeans every day, costing society hundreds of billions of euros annually.
Copernicus Sentinel-4 represents a fundamental advance in our ability to monitor these pollutants. These first images demonstrate the mission's transformative potential to save lives and improve health outcomes by feeding into better air quality and climate monitoring across Europe.
EUMETSAT is proud to host the Sentinel-4 instrument aboard our MTG-S satellite and to be part of this landmark European collaboration. We now look forward to operating the mission throughout its lifetime, ensuring a continuous flow of critical data to ensure maximum impact.”
Lieven Bydekerke, EUMETSAT Copernicus Programme Manager, said:
“These first data provide an exciting early glimpse of Copernicus Sentinel-4's ability to capture rapid changes in air pollution across an entire continent – tracking how pollutants that are a major cause of respiratory and cardiovascular disease move and evolve throughout the day.
Hourly observations of these hazardous pollutants over the whole of Europe have never been possible before.
As we work to make the mission’s data operational as quickly as possible, these incredible first observations demonstrate the power of European collaboration and value of hosting multiple instruments on a single platform.”
Developed under the Copernicus programme, the Earth observation component of the European Union Space Programme, the mission is implemented through a partnership between the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and EUMETSAT.
EUMETSAT operates the MTG-S1 satellite platform and is responsible for processing and disseminating the data to users worldwide.
Sentinel-4 will greatly improve Europe’s air quality forecasts through the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), which is operated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
https://www.eumetsat.int/first-copernicus-sentinel-4-images-showcase-europes-hourly-air-pollution-watch
Cyprus joins European Space Agency as an Associate Member
23/10/2025
The Republic of Cyprus has signed an Associate Agreement with the European Space Agency, and is expected to become an Associate Member in the coming months.
ESA and Cyprus have cooperated successfully for a decade, with Cyprus becoming a European Cooperating State in 2017.
Delegations from all 23 ESA Member States witnessed the signing of the Associate Agreement, by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher on behalf of the Member States and Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of the Republic of Cyprus. Cyprus will proceed with ratification and plans to achieve associate membership by early 2026, during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January to June 2026.
With Cyprus's ratification, ESA will have four active Associate Member states: Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia.
Cyprus is establishing itself as a centre for telecommunications, Earth observation, and navigation by taking advantage of its strategic location and favourable climate.
With a national space strategy and space law in place, complemented by effective organisation and inter-ministerial collaboration, Cyprus has grown its space team, forming industry links and taking part in ESA activities, resulting in increased international cooperation. Building on these established national strengths, Cyprus will indicate its subscriptions to ESA's optional programmes during next month's Ministerial Council to be held on 26 and 27 November in Bremen.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher congratulated the Deputy Minister Damianou, lauding the progress Cyprus has made since its first Cooperating Agreement with ESA in 2009:
“Together, we have transformed and elevated the Cypriot space sector and aligned our vision and interest.
I would like to honour the personal investment of those who made this possible – the delegation of Cyprus to ESA, my staff, the decision-makers, industry, and many more.
"To the government of Cyprus, thank you for your commitment to space and to the spirit of European cooperation. To the people of Cyprus, welcome to a journey of discovery, innovation and shared progress. Welcome to ESA!”
Minister Damianou said: “Today marks a significant milestone for Cyprus, reflecting our readiness to play an active and meaningful role within Europe’s growing space landscape.
Over the past years, we have built the expertise and structures needed to participate effectively in the space domain.
Cyprus’ unique position at the intersection of four regions, combined with our elevated geopolitical role, enables us to serve as a trusted, stable, and secure gateway for global space operations, bringing both strategic and operational value.
"Looking ahead to Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026, we see space as a vital pillar of Europe’s growth, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy.
We remain committed to fostering strong partnerships and advancing policies that translate Europe’s space ambitions into tangible benefits for its citizens and economy.”
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Cyprus_joins_European_Space_Agency_as_an_Associate_Member
Detecting Smaller Methane Leaks from Space
23/10/2025
Methane accounts for approximately one-third of global temperature rise over the last decade, making it the second most impactful greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.
The oil and gas industry is responsible for roughly one-third of human-caused methane emissions, and detailed surveys consistently reveal that about half of all leaks at these facilities are unknown to their operators at any given time.
New regulations in the US, Canada, and Europe focus on emissions above 100 kg/hr – the current detection limit for satellite monitoring.
But research shows that only detecting and fixing leaks at this level would address just 25% of total methane emissions from the sector. The remaining 75% comes from smaller leaks.
A recent ESA Discovery study has shown it's feasible to build a satellite instrument capable of detecting leaks ten times smaller – opening the door to drastically reducing methane emissions from the energy industry.
"Detailed surveys of oil and gas facilities show that if we only detect and fix 100 kilograms per hour leaks and above, that's only about 25% of what the oil and gas industry leaks," explains Neil Rowlands, the project engineer at Honeywell who led the study.
"If we go to 10 kilograms per hour, we're getting 75% of the leaks."
Small satellites, big impacts
The 'Precise Methane Leak Detection from Orbit' study developed a concept for a narrowband imaging instrument that could achieve this tenfold improvement in sensitivity.
The proposed design would use a 25 cm aperture to image 5 km × 5 km regions of the ground at 10 m resolution, spending around 30 seconds observing specific targets.
The project brought together Honeywell in Canada with atmospheric modelling expertise from the University of Saskatchewan. Canada is ESA's only non-European cooperating state, enabling Canadian companies to participate in ESA's early-stage research programmes.
Weighing approximately 30 kg, the instrument concept is too large for CubeSats, but small enough that a constellation of microsatellites providing regular revisit times over facilities worldwide is economically viable.
The oil and gas industry has always known that methane leaks represent wasted product.
Most major companies run leak detection and repair (LDAR) programmes using ground-based sensors. But these cannot provide continuous monitoring of distributed facilities with 100% coverage.
"The other advantage of having a more sensitive system would be to give operators a heads up and allow them to fix things before they reach the regulatory threshold," says Rowlands.
"LDAR surveys using ground crews can't be done continuously, and third-party surveys with airborne LIDAR consistently find that operators are unaware of about half their leaks.
Satellite monitoring that provides a good survey every week or two would be a huge benefit for identifying and fixing those leaks."
From product loss to climate action
Applied worldwide to the oil and gas industry, reducing methane leaks by 75% could reduce global warming by approximately 0.15°C by 2050.
The leaked methane also represents lost revenue – for the US alone, around US$2.5 billion in product currently escaping into the atmosphere.
"ESA's Discovery Programme focuses on exploring and maturing promising new ideas so they can evolve into future ESA missions or technologies,” says Iga Szczesniak, ESA lead on the project.
"This study rethinks methane detection by proposing a novel design for a satellite-based sensor and analysing the trade-off between instrument size and resolution to enable more precise applications.
It also demonstrates strong commercial potential and could contribute to climate change mitigation, providing motivation for further development and a possible new space mission."
The feasibility study has laid the groundwork for two parallel developments - construction of a working prototype to demonstrate the technology and a full mission concept study to determine how many satellites would be needed, define the ground segment requirements, and develop a business case.
The potential customers aren't just oil and gas companies looking to avoid fines and reduce waste. Environmental monitoring agencies and NGOs concerned with climate action would also benefit from more precise, continuous monitoring of methane emissions.
The project was proposed through ESA's Open Space Innovation Platform, which seeks out promising new ideas for space research, and was funded by the Discovery element of ESA's Basic Activities.
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/Detecting_Smaller_Methane_Leaks_from_Space
China-led moon mission’s water probe will be ‘first for humanity’: space agency
2:00pm, 23 Oct 2025
China could beat the United States to become the first country to find water on the moon, with all international payloads already handed over for its next robotic lunar mission which is slated for launch in August.
Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer for the Chang’e-7 mission, said the spacecraft’s development was progressing smoothly, with scientific instruments from six national partners and one NGO delivered to the China National Space Administration.
The instruments have been provided by China’s traditional partner Russia along with Egypt and a number of US space allies including Bahrain, Thailand, Italy and Switzerland, as well as Hawaii-based NGO the International Lunar Observatory Association.
The mission will focus on studying the environment and searching for water ice near the moon’s south pole – a vital resource for future crewed space exploration because of its potential to be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen and even rocket fuel.
The Chang’e-7 spacecraft is the most complex ever built for China’s lunar programme, Tang told state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday. It would consist of an orbiter, lander, rover, hopper and a relay satellite, she said.
Wu Weiren, chief designer of the country’s lunar exploration programme, said Chang’e-7 was likely to touch down “at a spot with more than 100 days of continuous sunlight” – ideal for long-term operations.
After the landing, the hopper will dive into the deep lunar craters where it will conduct on-site analysis and test for water, Wu told CCTV.
“The mission is both challenging and honourable. If we can confirm the presence of water on the moon, that would be one of the greatest contributions to mankind,” he said.
Washington and the Nasa leadership have repeatedly said the two countries were in a race to land astronauts on the moon. While China has aimed for no later than 2030, Nasa’s goal is set at mid-2027 at the earliest, though the programme faces major technical hurdles.
In terms of the search for lunar water, no US mission is currently on track to beat China’s timeline. Earlier this year, Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 lander and Nasa’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter – both intended to search for water ice on the moon – failed to reach lunar orbit.
Nasa cancelled 2024 plans for its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (Viper) to look for ice near the moon’s south pole, later reviving the mission for a 2027 launch at the earliest.
In a recent interview with Beijing-based China Science Daily, Yu Dengyun, chief designer of China’s fourth phase of lunar exploration, outlined some of the unique challenges facing the Chang’e-7 mission.
“Many of these challenges are firsts for humanity and the risks are indeed high,” he said. “Even if no other country has done it before, we’re still setting new scientific goals for ourselves.”
Temperatures at the landing site, which sits above 85 degrees south latitude, will be extremely low, reaching highs of around minus 110 degrees Celsius (minus 166 degrees Fahrenheit) and potentially dropping below minus 230 inside the shadowed craters.
Meanwhile, the terrain is exceptionally rugged, which means the spacecraft must achieve a very precise landing in harsh conditions. “If Chang’e-4’s landing area was a tennis court, Chang’e-7’s is a ping-pong table,” Yu said.
Lighting and communication would also be far more difficult than in previous missions, he added. The sun near the lunar pole never rises more than a few degrees above the horizon, casting long shadows that will complicate navigation and power generation.
According to a 2024 paper in National Science Review, Chang’e-7’s preferred landing site lies in the region of Shackleton crater, a deep impact basin at the moon’s south pole where sunlight and shadow coexist in extreme contrast.
Nasa has similarly identified the rim and nearby ridges of Shackleton as top candidate destinations for its crewed Artemis III mission, with a similar goal of detecting water ice in one of the best-studied permanently shadowed craters.
Chang’e-8, scheduled for launch around 2029, will focus on testing in situ resource utilisation – the ability to build and produce materials directly from lunar soil, according to the CCTV report.
One of the Chang’e-8 mission’s main goals will be to explore the feasibility of constructing facilities on the moon using local materials. It will verify technologies that use high temperatures to melt lunar regolith as well as 3D print structural components.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329997/china-led-moon-missions-water-probe-will-be-first-humanity-space-agency
First Partner to the Stars: Muon Space Adopts Starlink Lasers for Millisecond Data Transfer
Oct. 22, 2025 3:41 p.m. PT
Satellites firing lasers at each other in space sounds like science fiction, but it's happening right now, as terabytes of data quickly pass across the Starlink network.
Muon Space satellites are set to adopt the technology, enabling a near future when they transfer data as easily as we access the internet on the ground.
This week, Muon announced it will incorporate Starlink's mini laser technology into its upcoming Halo spacecraft, with the first outfitted satellite going up in 2027.
Starlink satellites communicate with each other using lasers, creating a mesh network in low-Earth orbit, or LEO. The tech supports 25Gbps connections between satellites at a range of up to 4,000 kilometers.
Higher data speeds are available at shorter distances.
Muon Space will be the first company outside of Starlink parent SpaceX to use the mini laser technology on its satellites.
Satellites typically suffer from bottlenecks like latency when communicating with ground stations, and lag when traveling between them.
"Most of the Earth observation and analytics in space have been constrained at a systems level by this little straw of connectivity, which gets pinched most of the time and only gets connected once in a while," Muon Space's president, Gregory Smirin, told CNET.
With the mini laser technology, Muon satellites will join the Starlink network for real-time data access and high-bandwidth streaming.
Muon says latency gets reduced to milliseconds. It also noted that data is end-to-end encrypted to maintain the security of customer information.
Normally, this kind of announcement is intended to excite Muon's existing and potential corporate customers, but the broader implications of the technology will also be felt by everyday people.
Smirin equated the adoption of the mini laser technology on satellites to the shift from the days when people connected to the internet using dial-up modems to the always-on access that's prevalent today.
"Even in 2027, you're going to start to see the impact of this kind of persistent connectivity on services that will be visible to individuals," Smirin said. "Space is becoming a ground truth enabler."
For example, Muon Space is the hardware supplier behind FireSat, the system of satellites developed in conjunction with Google and the Earth Fire Alliance to locate and track wildfires from space.
In July, the companies released the first FireSat images from an initial protoflight satellite in orbit for testing.
Smirin explained that reducing latency will help operators track a fire's direction and progress. He cited this year's wildfires in Los Angeles, when the winds and smoke prevented aircraft from flying overhead to make accurate observations.
With FireSat, you could get that information on an ongoing basis, enabling responders to better establish perimeters for personnel and equipment.
"We're providing five to ten times the capacity that the rest of the new space industry is providing, so this is a massive step forward," he said.
Smirin said the company is confident in the technology. After all, these are the same terminals Starlink uses to operate its global mesh network.
"It's operating today for everyone, and it's reliable, and now it's about bringing that capacity to organizations outside of Starlink."
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/starlink-charges-hurricane-survivors-equipment-fees-for-free-internet-offer/
https://twitter.com/michaelnicollsx/status/1960128429002510351
Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales to Form Massive European Space Company to Compete with U.S. Rivals
October 23, 2025
The European space industry is witnessing a shake-up today as one of the continent’s biggest consolidation moves is now public.
Airbus, Leonardo and Thales announced Thursday that they have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a leading European space company to rival SpaceX’s Starlink in the United States.
Airbus will contribute with its Space Systems and Space Digital businesses, coming from Airbus Defence and Space.
Leonardo will contribute with its Space Division, including its shares in Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space. Thales will mainly contribute with its shares in Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio, and Thales SESO.
The combined entity will employ around 25,000 people across Europe. Ownership of the new company will be shared among the parent companies, with Airbus, Leonardo and Thales owning respectively 35 percent, 32.5 percent and 32.5 percent stakes.
It will operate under joint control, with a balanced governance structure among shareholders.
This new company will pool, build and develop a comprehensive portfolio of complementary technologies and end-to-end solutions, from space infrastructure to services (excluding space launchers).
It will aim to accelerate innovation in this strategic market, in order to create a unified, integrated and resilient European space player.
The move is aimed to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in space, a major sector that underpins critical infrastructure and services related to telecommunications, global navigation, Earth Observation (EO), science, exploration and national security. This new company also intends to serve as the trusted partner for developing and implementing national sovereign space programs.
“This proposed new company marks a pivotal milestone for Europe’s space industry. It embodies our shared vision to build a stronger and more competitive European presence in an increasingly dynamic global space market.
By pooling our talent, resources, expertise and R&D capabilities, we aim to generate growth, accelerate innovation and deliver greater value to our customers and stakeholders.
This partnership aligns with the ambitions of European governments to strengthen their industrial and technological assets, ensuring Europe’s autonomy across the strategic space domain and its many applications,” Guillaume Faury, CEO, Airbus, Roberto Cingolani, CEO and General Manager, Leonardo and Patrice Caine, Chairman & Chief CEO, Thales, said in a joint statement.
https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2025/10/23/airbus-leonardo-and-thales-to-form-massive-european-space-company-to-compete-with-u-s-rivals/
https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/super-earth-less-than-20-light-years-away-is-an-exciting-lead-in-the-search-for-life
https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/newly-discovered-super-earth-offers-prime-target-search-alien-life
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae0e20
Super-Earth less than 20 light-years away is an exciting lead in the search for life
October 23, 2025
A super-Earth exoplanet in the habitable zone of its star has been detected less than 20 light-years away, putting it near the top of the list for best places to look for life beyond our solar system.
The planet, known as GJ 251c, orbits a red dwarf star 18.2 light-years away in the constellation of Gemini, the Twins. The planet's mass is four times greater than that of Earth, making it a 'super-Earth' — a rocky planet larger and more massive than our own.
"While we can't yet confirm the presence of an atmosphere or life on GJ 251c, the planet represents a promising target for future exploration," said Suvrath Mahadevan, who is a professor of astronomy at Penn State University, said in a statement.
In the habitable zone, sometimes referred to as the Goldilocks zone, conditions are just right for liquid water to exist on the surface of a planet with an appropriate atmosphere.
GJ 251c was discovered thanks to observations spanning over 20 years, during which scientists looked for a slight wobble of the world's parent star incurred by the planet's gravity.
As the star wobbles ever so slightly toward and away from us, we see a Doppler shift in its radial velocity that can be measured with a spectrograph.
One other planet is known to exist in the system, GJ 251b, which was discovered in 2020 and orbits its star every 14 days at a distance of 7.6 million miles (12.2 million kilometers).
Using archive data from telescopes worldwide, a team of astronomers, including Mahadevan, was able to refine the accuracy of the radial velocity measurements for planet GJ 251b
The team then combined this refined data with brand new, high-precision observations from the Habitable-Zone Planet Finder (HPF), which is a near-infrared spectrograph on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory in Texas.
This revealed a second planetary signal belonging to a four-Earth-mass world orbiting the star every 54 days. That was then confirmed by measurements with the NEID spectrograph on the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.
Though it may sound straightforward, in reality, the challenge of detecting the planet was formidable.
Stars are constantly roiling and churning as convective bubbles burst through to their visible surfaces and prominences splutter into space.
This creates a noisy background of what's called asteroseismic activity that manifests as Doppler shifted lines in the star's spectrum.
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Picking out the Doppler shifted radial velocity signals from this noise is tricky, requiring a great deal of modeling what a planetary signal should look like.
"This is a hard game in terms of trying to beat down stellar activity as well as measuring its subtle signals, teasing out slight signals from what is essentially this frothing, magnetospheric cauldron of a star-surface," said Mahadevan.
Now that we know about the planet, astronomers can plan future observations.
GJ 251c is probably a little bit too far away from its star for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to search for signs of an atmosphere around it.
The next generation of 30-meter-class telescopes might be able to detect the planet's atmosphere via a method of searching for light reflected off its surface or atmosphere, but it will likely require the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which is a planned giant space telescope that is hoped to launch in the 2040s, to fully characterize GJ 251c.
"We are at the cutting edge of technology and analysis with this system," said Corey Beard of the University of California, Irvine, who participated in the research. "We need the next generation of telescopes to directly image this candidate."
Although GJ 251c is described by Mahadevan as being "one of the best candidates in the search for an atmospheric signature of life," referencing how we will search for biosignatures in the planet's atmosphere, there remains an elephant in the room: its star.
At 36% of the mass of our sun, the star GJ 251 is a red dwarf. Astronomers have now found numerous rocky planets in the habitable zone of red dwarfs, including Proxima Centauri b, TRAPPIST-1e and f, and Teegarden's Star b.
However, red dwarfs are notorious for having violent tempers that bely their diminutive stature, releasing regular powerful flares that can over time strip a planet of its atmosphere.
For example, the JWST's observations of the inner three planets of TRAPPIST-1 find no evidence for an atmosphere, while its observations of the fourth planet, e, are so far inconclusive.
Some astronomers are now growing skeptical that Earth-like worlds can thrive around red dwarfs.
What GJ 251c has going for it is that it is slightly farther away from its star than habitable zone planets found around other red dwarfs are.
This is thanks to its star being a little more massive than those other stars and therefore hotter, pushing the habitable zone farther out.
It is possible that GJ 251c is far enough away from its star to have avoided the worst of its temper tantrums, and, if armed with a thick atmosphere and strong planetary magnetic field, it could have resisted the star's stellar wind from stripping its atmosphere away.
However, at present, this remains guesswork. "We made an exciting discovery," said Mahadevan, "But there’s still much more to learn about this planet."
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Scientists watch rings forming around a solar system world for the 1st time
October 23, 2025
Saturn isn't the only planet in our solar system with a ring system. While Saturn's rings are the most dramatic, the three other gas giants — Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus — each have a ring system as well. But the fun doesn't stop there.
Astronomers have also spotted rings around smaller celestial bodies: dwarf planets Haumea and Quaoar, as well as centaur Chariklo.
Now, 2060 Chiron, better known as just Chiron, is the latest celestial body to join the party.
In analyzing observations of Chiron taken by Brazil's Pico dos Dias Observatory in 2023, astronomers have just spotted four rings plus diffuse material around this icy centaur, which was first sighted in 1977.
Centaurs are a class of celestial objects that are a cross between comets and asteroids, located between Jupiter and Neptune.
Chiron, which orbits the sun between Saturn and Uranus, is composed of rock, water ice, and organic compounds, and it's approximately 125 miles (200 kilometers) in diameter.
Its rings — thought to be made of water ice and rocky material, potentially from a collision between Chiron and another celestial body — circle the centaur at approximately 170 miles (273 km), 202 miles (325 km), 272 miles (438 km) and 870 miles (1,400 km) from its center.
The distant fourth ring, researchers note, might not ultimately be stable enough to be considered a ring, so further observations are necessary.
What's special about Chiron's rings is that they're still forming; this marks the first time astronomers have ever seen a ring system under formation.
By comparing the 2023 observations to previous ones from 2022, 2018, and 2011, researchers determined that the ring system has been evolving rapidly.
"It is an evolving system that will help us understand the dynamical mechanisms governing the creation of rings and satellites around small bodies, with potential implications for various types of disk dynamics in the universe," astronomer Braga Ribas of the Federal University of Technology-Parana and the Interinstitutional Laboratory of e-Astronomy in Brazil, who co-authored a study on the research, told Reuters.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/solar-system/scientists-watch-rings-forming-around-a-solar-system-world-for-the-1st-time
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae0b6d
When is a 'double fireball' not a 'double fireball'? Wild meteor videos explained by a trick of the light
October 22, 2025
Onlookers were dazzled on the night of Oct. 16 when a bright green fireball blazed earthward in the skies over several Eastern Seaboard U.S. states, leaving a short-lived glowing trail in its wake as it streaked earthward before flaring and disappearing as it neared the horizon.
As if that wasn't spectacular enough, a video of the event captured from North Branford, Connecticut appeared to show a second bright meteor moving in perfect formation with the fireball, before disappearing at the exact same moment as it approached Earth's surface.
The seemingly incredible event appeared to repeat a day later on Oct. 17, when yet another fireball was observed blazing through the skies over North Branford — albeit from a different location — accompanied by a second meteor moving in absolute harmony.
Were these rare 'double' meteors, or just a trick of the light?
According to fireball expert Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society, these double fireball events may have been nothing more than an optical illusion of sorts created by anti-fogging measures fitted to the outside of the skywatching camera systems.
"These fireballs were captured by the same type of camera systems which are prone to produce "double fireballs" on the brightest events," Lunsford told Space.com in an email.
"These cameras are housed under a clear acrylic dome that are probably the cause of these double events. You will notice that the secondary fireballs are in the exact same place in relation to the main event in both videos."
So, if you see spectacular videos of double fireballs circulating online, know that it may just be a trick of the light.
Be sure to check out our handy guide to photographing fast-moving meteors, along with our roundups of the best lenses and cameras for astrophotography if you're interested in capturing your own shot of a dramatic fireball event!
https://www.space.com/stargazing/meteor-showers/when-is-a-double-fireball-not-a-double-fireball-wild-meteor-videos-explained-by-a-trick-of-the-light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dytDOoumZpA
SpaceX SpainSat NG II Mission
October 23, 2025
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 23 for Falcon 9’s launch of the SpainSat NG II mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The four-hour window opens at 9:30 p.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Friday, October 24 at the same time.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app.
Due to the additional performance required to deliver this payload to orbit, this will be the 22nd and final flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat IS-40e, SES O3b mPOWER-C, Ovzon-3, Eutelsat 26D, Turksat 6A, Maxar 2, SXM-9, and 12 Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/spainsatngii
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-record-breaking-139th-rocket-launch-2025
Russian industrial facility hit by deadly explosion
22 Oct, 2025 19:51
At least ten people have been killed after a major explosion rocked a manufacturing plant in the Russian city of Kopeysk on Wednesday, local authorities have said.
The blast was reported by Aleksey Teksler, the governor of Chelyabinsk Region, who initially put the death toll at four.
Later, however, he said that five more people died, with five others injured, and that medical teams were doing their best to treat them. Officials are also verifying reports of possible missing persons, Teksler added.
The governor also reported that a second blast had occurred at the facility and that emergency services were working at the scene.
The incident appears not to be linked to any drone attacks, the governor stated, adding that there is also no threat to the city’s residents or the surrounding infrastructure.
A video obtained by RT shows the moment of the explosion and a fire ball rising over the facility.
Ukrainian drone attacks have been a concern in Russian regions in recent months. Kiev has routinely launched raids deep into the country, targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas in attacks that often led to civilian casualties.
This month alone, Ukrainian drone strikes have killed six civilians in Belgorod and Kherson regions, as well as causing a major power outage in Western Russia.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has also recently threatened Belgorod and Kursk regions with blackouts.
Russian officials have accused Ukraine of “terrorism” over the attacks. Moscow has launched retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian military sites in response, including drone assembly facilities.
https://www.rt.com/russia/626840-russia-explosion-chelyabinsk/
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/10/23/ukrainian-drones-strike-major-russian-oil-refinery-near-moscow-for-sixth-time-this-year-video/
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/10/23/russian-drone-directly-strikes-civilian-vehicle-two-ukrainian-journalists-die/
https://en.apa.az/europe/powerful-explosion-occurred-at-ryazan-oil-refinery-after-drone-strike-481640
Kazakhstan says it is tightening control of airspace after drone explodes over its territory
Updated: Oct 23, 2025, 03:22:02 PM IST
Kazakhstan's defence ministry said on Thursday that it was tightening control of the country's airspace after a drone of "unknown origin" exploded in the country's west, close to the border with Russia.
In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said that the explosion occurred in a remote area around 180km (111 miles) miles west of the Russian city of Orenburg, which was hit by Ukrainian drones last week.
The ministry gave no indication as to the drone's origin, but said: "Consultations are also underway with foreign partners who may potentially own these devices."
Kazakhstan has been hit by the fallout of an escalating campaign of Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian energy targets.
The drone strike on Russia's Orenburg gas plant, which processes gas from Kazakhstan's Karachaganak field, sharply reduced the plant's capacity for several days.
Kazakh officials earlier this month announced sweeping price freezes on fuel and utility tariffs, with the country's energy minister on Wednesday blaming Ukraine war fallout for issues on the fuel market.
Astana has walked a diplomatic tightrope on the war in Ukraine, maintaining warm ties with Moscow whilst also stressing its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/kazakhstan-says-it-is-tightening-control-of-airspace-after-drone-explodes-over-its-territory/articleshow/124759262.cms?from=mdr
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/unknown-drone-explodes-in-kazakhstan-near-1761224920.html
Nigerian military confirms fierce battles, says terrorists used armed drones, RPGs
October 23, 2025
The Nigerian Army says the troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), a joint task force, repelled multiple coordinated attacks by terrorists across the North-east joint operations area, killing at least 50 of them.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that suspected fighters of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) ambushed military positions in Dikwa and Mada, in Borno State, engaging the troops in gun battles in the early hours of Thursday.
According to a Facebook statement by Sani Uba, the North-east spokesperson for the OPHK, the attacks occurred between midnight and 4 a.m. when terrorists simultaneously targeted troop locations in Dikwa, Mafa, Gajibo (all in Borno State), and Katarko in Yobe State.
Mr Uba, a lieutenant colonel, said the insurgents deployed armed drones and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
“Some vehicles and buildings were also gutted by fire from the terrorists’ armed drones and RPG fire during the battle, especially in Mafa and Dikwa, where a part of the defences were momentarily breached,” he stated.
The confirmation by the army that terrorists are now using armed drones shows that, despite military efforts, the terrorists are getting more sophisticated.
Noting that the troops “stood firm, fought gallantly, and professionally repelled the attacks,” Mr Uba listed weapons recovered to include: 38 AK-47 rifles, seven PKT machine guns, five RPG tubes, two GPMGs, and several hand grenades, along with thousands of assorted ammunition rounds.
He added that more than 70 wounded terrorists were still being pursued by ground forces with close air support.
“The coordinated offensive response was supported by air platforms of the Air Component Command of OPHK,” the statement read.
“The precision strikes, coupled with enhanced battlefield awareness provided by Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets, gave troops overwhelming leverage to respond with lethal force.”
Mr Uba said intelligence reports indicated that the terrorists who attacked Dikwa and Gajibo infiltrated from Cameroon, while those who launched the assault on Katarko advanced from the Timbuktu Triangle, a notorious insurgent hideout.
He also confirmed that some troops sustained injuries and were receiving treatment, while several vehicles and buildings were damaged during the firefight.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/830248-nigerian-military-confirms-fierce-battles-says-terrorists-used-armed-drones-rpgs.html
World capital under blistering drone attack in huge civil war humanitarian crisis
Updated: 12:18 ET, Thu, Oct 23, 2025
A Sudanese paramilitary force launched blistering drone attacks on its capital city and main airport, a day after the first passenger flight landed in two years.
Sudan has been fighting a civil war since April 2023 after the Sudanese military and the paramilitary force, Rapid Support Forces, turned on one another, unleashing the world's current largest humanitarian crisis as famine rages on in the hardest hit areas of the northeastern African country.
The drones were intercepted by the Sudanese military and caused no damage, according to a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Neither the RSF nor the military has acknowledged the attack at press time.
The airport only reopened once the Sudanese military recaptured the capital of Khartoum in March from the RSF, spending months repairing the facility.
The drone attack comes as the country faces a worsening humanitarian crisis.
A joint statement was recently released by the International Organization for Migration and other U.N. agencies calling for “urgent international attention on the crisis in Sudan, to address the immense suffering and growing dangers to the population.”
The groups also called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians, especially children, and unhindered humanitarian access to all affected populations, including a UN presence throughout the country.”
According to the World Health Organization, more than 40,000 people have been killed during the war, while 30 million remain in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
The epicenters of violence that have been hardest hit are Darfur and Kordofan, where famine has been detected.
The provincial capital of El-Fasher has been under siege for over a year, where the U.N. estimates that some 260,000 civilians remain trapped.
“What I witnessed in Darfur and elsewhere this week is a stark reminder of what is at stake: Children facing hunger, disease and the collapse of essential services,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s deputy executive director, in a statement.
“Entire communities are surviving in conditions that defy dignity."
https://www.the-express.com/news/world-news/188253/sudan-civil-war-drone-attack
Nordic nations sign deal to boost drone capabilities
October 23, 2025
Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark are collaborating for the joint procurement of uncrewed aircraft systems and related technologies.
This initiative was formalised with the signing of a Technical Arrangement in Helsinki, Finland on 22 October 2025.
Finland’s Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said: “We will facilitate multinational operations in the Nordic region by enhancing cooperation in the field of unmanned aircraft systems.
We will also intensify Nordic cooperation to support Ukraine. “As the technology develops and needs for updates continue, there is every reason for Nordic cooperation in this field.
In addition, growing common procurement volumes enable the industry to increase its production capacity, and reduce the countries’ national procurement costs.”
In addition, the scope of this collaboration will include increasing efforts in research and development, training, and the exchange of information.
There are separate procurements planned for micro-sized drones through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency partnership and mini-sized drones under existing framework agreements with Denmark’s Ministry of Defence.
Nordic armaments directors signed both the Technical Arrangement and Implementation Agreements during the meeting in Helsinki.
The cooperative effort follows a strategic partnership agreement established in June between Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Norwegian defence company Nammo.
This partnership is aimed at the strengthening ammunition supply and overall defence readiness and covers the provision, manufacture, and maintenance of ammunition.
Recently, NATO opened its third Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Bodø, Norway.
The centre is set to enhance NATO’s capacity to oversee air operations across the Nordic region, the Arctic, and broader territories within the alliance.
https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/nordics-drone-procurement-deal/?cf-view
Power restored to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant
23 Oct, 2025 13:19
Off-site power supply to Russia’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest facility of its kind, has been restored after a 30-day disruption, the plant’s management announced on Thursday.
Although the plant’s reactors remain in a cold shutdown state, electricity is still required to maintain operational safety.
The outage began in late September after a Ukrainian strike severed the last remaining high-voltage transmission line, forcing the facility to switch to on-site diesel generators.
According to the statement, engineers have successfully reconnected the Dneprovskaya power line, while repairs on another grid connection that was damaged in May are ongoing.
The plant described the incident as “unprecedented in the history of nuclear power,” noting that no other station has operated on emergency power for such an extended period.
The management expressed gratitude to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for mediating with Ukrainian representatives to secure the ceasefire necessary for the work to proceed.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk confirmed that the Dneprovskaya line had been restored but blamed Russia for the initial damage in September.
Located in the city of Energodar, the plant is situated in Zaporozhye Region, which voted to join Russia in 2022 – a decision not recognized by Kiev or its Western backers.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the area around the facility, calling such actions reckless and extremely dangerous.
The IAEA maintains observers at the site but has refrained from assigning responsibility for the attacks, a stance Moscow says encourages further provocations by Ukrainian forces.
https://www.rt.com/russia/626863-zaporozhye-plant-power-restored/
Met Police roll out ‘eye in the sky’ drone fleet to fight crime across London
OCtober 22, 2025
A new Scotland Yard trial will see drones launched remotely in London to support police officers responding to 999 calls, solving crime and locating fugitives.
The aircraft can arrive at an emergency in just two minutes and from there stream live footage back to trained operators in a control room.
The Metropolitan Police said drones will be used for a variety of incidents, including searching for missing people, tracing suspects or capturing evidence at the scene of an incident quicker.
The project has initially started in Islington with the aim of rolling it out to the West End and Hyde Park before December.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor believes the technology can be quicker, quieter, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than existing police helicopters, while delivering the same operational effects.
The national lead for drones said: “We are building a Met that is more precise and efficient than ever before, and this new technology gives us a vital new tool to tackle crime in the capital.”
He added: “Aerial support to policing has always added huge value, because it gives us the ability to make informed decisions about deployment and look for people – that is a lot harder to do on the ground.
“By getting that immediate response with a drone, we’re going to have more precise information, we’re capturing best evidence at the very earliest opportunity, but most importantly, where scenes are chaotic or witnesses are confused, it allows us to inform our own decisions about how many officers, which assets we should deploy, and critically, if suspects or offenders are making away from the scene, we can quickly identify them and bring them into custody without the need for large, expansive area searches.”
AC Taylor also said drones traditionally are piloted by an individual who always has to be able to see that drone and watch it flying, but these “will fly autonomously by itself to a scene”.
This new pilot, known as Drone as First Responder, is being introduced across the capital under a National Police Chiefs’ Council’s programme.
The devices are housed in special boxes on the roofs of selected police buildings, where they sit charging and waiting for a call to launch, the Met said.
Control room staff make the decision to deploy and it will be remotely launched to the incident.
Once overhead a scene, the drone’s imagery will be transmitted in real-time to the specific control room or mobile user, supporting the police response and recording footage for evidence.
At the end of the deployment, the drone will return to its landing area and the weather-proof box will close so it can be charged and prepared for its next mission.
Other police forces - such as Norfolk, Cleveland Police, West Midlands, Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Thames Valley - are also in the trial phase of this technology, which has been pioneered by the NPCC.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/met-police-drones-crime-london-islington-west-end-b1254336.html
https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/yosemite-drone-pilots-in-national-parks-21114340.php
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPpB9AHEQQm/
Drone pilots are behaving very badly in national parks
Oct 23, 2025
The mechanical buzz of drones has been a growing issue in national parks for years.
And in step with increases in other illegal activities like BASE jumping and “bear jam” wildlife harassment, drone incidents have also increased during the ongoing federal government shutdown, according to tour guides who frequent Yosemite National Park.
Elisabeth Barton, a founding member of the Echo Adventure Cooperative, has heard from fellow guides who lead tours in the park that “there are lots of drones in the skies, like everywhere,” she told SFGATE.
Her team usually sees about one drone a week during normal operations, she said, but during the government shutdown, they’re seeing multiple drones within a single tour.
One of the cooperative’s guides even saw five in one day at the pullout for El Capitan, she added, and other hotspots for drone activity have included Tunnel View, Glacier Point and Bridalveil Fall.
Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, disputed that there’s been an increase in drone activity during the shutdown.
But Peace acknowledged that drones have become more of a problem in general, and an unsigned email from the Park Service’s public affairs office offered a theory as to why.
“In recent years, park officials have observed a rise in illegal drone activity, which they attribute to the increasing affordability and availability of consumer drones,” the email said.
“In response, Yosemite has expanded signage at park entrances and key visitor areas to remind the public of drone restrictions.
“During the current government shutdown, there have been sporadic reports of unauthorized drone use. Law enforcement rangers are responding to incidents as they arise.”
Drone use in U.S. national parks has been banned since 2014, when the National Park Service prohibited their operation after a wave of noise complaints, wildlife harassment incidents and a few high-profile crashes — including into Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring.
The rules are strict: Unless granted special permission, flying a drone in a national park can lead to penalties of up to $5,000 and six months in jail.
Tour guide Bryant Burnette has been working with the Echo Adventure Cooperative in the park for about 15 years. He said visitation has spiked during the shutdown, which he referred to as “a double-edged sword.”
“For every person coming in, being careful and trying to keep the park clean, there’s another visitor making a negative impact,” he said. “It’s not our job to police visitors.
We try to take the educational approach — let people know that what they’re doing is illegal. Most people are grateful and pack up quickly, whether they genuinely didn’t know or not.”
When Burnette and other guides run into a drone operator, they typically report it to an official Park Service line.
Burnette usually leaves a message with all the pertinent information, he said, and whether a ranger responds to the scene depends on availability.
Enforcement also depends on where the drone is spotted — Yosemite covers 1,187 square miles, about the size of Rhode Island.
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For the first time in his career, Burnette says he’s regularly running into operators who are responding negatively to being reminded of the rules.
“I don’t know if it’s what’s going on in the world, but people have been less friendly recently,” he said. “I’ve had people tell me that they don’t care and even one guy who said nothing and just flipped me off.”
SFGATE reached out to several other tour operators and hotels in Yosemite to ask about drones. Most said they hadn’t noticed any increased activity, but also that it was a problem they witnessed with some regularity.
Yosemite isn’t the only national park where the buzz of drones has been on the rise.
A recent video shot at Great Smoky Mountains National Park shows a drone operator harassing wildlife.
The video, which was posted on the popular touronsofnationalparks Instagram page, captures a small drone moving within a few feet of a bear in a tree before panning over to the drone operator on the side of the road.
“Not only was that guy operating a drone inside the park, he eventually chased the bear out of the tree with it!” the cameraperson told touronsofnationalparks.
“I couldn’t believe he was doing that. I took the footage and his license plate number to the rangers and it was enough evidence to prosecute, so they ticketed him for it.”
In June, a similar incident occurred in Yellowstone when a visitor was charged with “buzzing” an osprey nest with a drone.
“People are always ignoring the rules or trying to find loopholes,” Burnette said. “Sure, it’d be nice to shoot our own videos across Yosemite, but I know we’d be affecting things like peregrine falcon habitats. It’s not worth it.”
DJI, a leading drone manufacturer, released a promotional video for its Mavic 4 Pro model earlier this month that featured footage filmed in restricted or banned areas, including U.S. national parks and Navajo tribal lands.
The video drew criticism for possibly violating drone regulations, prompting DJI to quietly remove it. The incident sparked debate over responsible drone use and compliance with airspace restrictions.
Even major companies are getting flak for filming in national parks. The Park Service occasionally uses uncrewed aircraft for official purposes when authorized by a superintendent.
These operations may include activities such as search and rescue, firefighting, scientific research or aerial documentation.
While the Park Service does have the authority to issue drone permits, it rarely grants them to the public, reserving approval primarily for administrative or special-use cases.
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