Triples chekt
TYB
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/03/jared-isaacman-confidential-manifesto-nasa-00633858
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/11/capitol-hill-is-abuzz-with-talk-of-the-athena-plan-for-nasa/
https://nasawatch.com/trumpspace/what-does-kim-think-about-athena/
A confidential manifesto lays out Isaacman's sweeping new vision for NASA
11/03/2025 05:26 PM EST
When Jared Isaacman was the nominee for NASA chief this spring, the billionaire entrepreneur wrote an opus proposing drastic changes to the agency.
And that document — now that he’s back in the running — could complicate his surprise comeback. The 62-page plan, obtained by POLITICO, proposes outsourcing some of NASA’s missions to the private sector and treating the government agency more like a business.
The draft, known as “Project Athena,” not only showcases Isaacman’s radical vision for the space agency. It comes as he reemerges as a potential candidate for the position against acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy.
The longtime space enthusiast gave the confidential manifesto to Duffy this summer, according to two people familiar with the plan, but never meant for it to go public. Isaacman and Duffy are now battling for control of the agency and President Donald Trump’s support.
“This approach is fully consistent with what I discussed at my Senate hearing and in my responses to the Commerce committee’s questions for the record,” Isaacman said in a statement. “And I stand by it.”
Isaacman wrote the document before the administration withdrew his nomination in May over previous donations to Democrats and his relationship with Elon Musk, with whom Trump had a falling out.
Duffy did not respond to a request for comment.
Project Athena, which Isaacman said started as a much longer document, was “uniquely prepared for a single audience.”
The goal, Isaacman said, is to “reorganize and reenergize NASA, focus the agency on American leadership in space, unlock the orbital economy, and accelerate world-changing discoveries.”
Some NASA specialists agree the agency needs an overhaul to function effectively in a new space age, particularly as the U.S. competes with China above Earth.
But many of these proposals, which would likely require congressional approval, would represent a seismic shift in how the space agency has operated.
This has concerned some tied to NASA. It’s “bizarre and careless,” said one former NASA official, who like others, was granted anonymity to discuss the document.
Isaacman’s manifesto would radically change NASA’s approach to science. He advocates buying science data from commercial companies instead of putting up its own satellites, referring to it a “science-as-a-service.”
The document also recommends taking “NASA out of the taxpayer funded climate science business and [leaving] it for academia to determine.”
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Critics argue that such a move misunderstands the nature of scientific funding, since science, by its nature, isn’t a commercial venture. And academia uses NASA grant dollars to do some of its science work.
But one of the people familiar with the plan said Isaacman was referring to Earth observation missions as an area where NASA could buy data from commercial constellations, and wasn’t referring to all of NASA’s science missions.
Isaacman also recommended the agency “terminate” NASA’s Space Launch System, the heavy-lift rocket developed for the Artemis moon missions, and the Gateway lunar space station after two more planned missions.
The document pitches eventually incorporating elements of the programs into a nuclear propulsion program.
That position aligns with Trump’s budget request, which proposed canceling Gateway and ending SLS after the third Artemis moon mission.
But lawmakers have since added funding for additional Artemis missions, IV and V, into this summer’s reconciliation bill.
The plan also calls for NASA to investigate the “relevance and ongoing necessity” of every agency center and find ways to modernize them.
It points to California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, among others, as having a “very expensive” contract structure and says the agency must increase the “output and time to science KPI,” business-speak for determining how much value missions provide.
The document also proposed a case study for the agency to look at the lab’s purpose, asking with a seemingly skeptical tone, “What is ‘built’ at JPL?”
It also proposes consolidating mission control functions across various NASA centers into Johnson Space Center in Texas, which would become the “human spaceflight center of excellence for NASA and eventually all commercial spaceflight missions,” according to the document.
Other recommendations include shifting aeronautics work from Langley Research Center in Virginia, centralizing aviation programs in Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, and to “flatten and streamline” NASA’s headquarters.
Isaacman pitched consolidating those aviation programs, which span multiple centers, “into single organization and location with limited detachments” and canceling “programs not moving the needle.”
Another major section, co-authored with former SpaceX lead propulsion engineer Lewis Gillis, lays out a nuclear electric propulsion strategy — technology that Isaacman views as essential for traveling to Mars and around the solar system.
The document worried some industry representatives, who said the proposal seemed out of touch with how the government agency operates.
Putting all of these plans into writing is a “rookie move,” and “presumptuous,” said an industry insider who has seen the document and thought it would stoke congressional skepticism around his nomination.
Many of these ideas would need congressional approval to enact, and Congress could always block them.
If he’s renominated, Isaacman may have to disavow some of the plans he wrote just months ago, the person said, and answer a lot of questions from lawmakers.
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Reducing Computational Barriers in Space Science
04/11/2025
Modern space missions, and the research, development and engineering that underpin them, generate enormous datasets that can overwhelm traditional analysis methods.
A recent ESA Discovery project has developed new tools to tackle this challenge, enabling researchers to analyse extremely large datasets using mathematical techniques that were previously computationally challenging.
The 'ESAPCA: enabling the analysis of extremely large data sets by scalable and hardware-accelerated PCA and DMD' project, undertaken by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), has created software that makes powerful data analysis techniques –
including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) – accessible scientists and engineers who are not experts in High-performance Computing (HPC).
These methods are essential for finding patterns in complex datasets, from atmospheric measurements to spacecraft engineering data.
These techniques rely on a fundamental mathematical tool called Singular Value Decomposition (SVD).
SVD breaks down complex datasets into their underlying linear patterns - PCA uses this to identify the main directions of variation in data, while DMD applies it to understand how dynamic systems evolve over time.
However, as datasets grow larger, the computational requirements increase dramatically. For space applications dealing with years of continuous observations or high-resolution imaging data, this can make certain analyses impossible on conventional computing systems.
The 18-month project aimed to develop parallel, GPU-accelerated implementations of SVD and related data science techniques that could work on high-performance computing systems whilst remaining accessible within the Python data science ecosystem.
Dr Fabian Hoppe, who led the technical development at DLR's Institute of Software Technology, explains the challenge: "We research and develop high-quality software solutions for space, aeronautics, energy, transport and security."
The challenge is particularly acute in materials engineering and manufacturing applications within ESA.
"In additive manufacturing, when we inspect cases or we simulate cases and compile them with experimental data, we often get single time series datasets that are 100 gigabytes," says Dr Michael Mallon, ESA’s lead for the project.
“And for training and improvement of these, we need hundreds, if not thousands of those datasets."
Such massive datasets cannot be processed on conventional systems. The ESAPCA solution integrates these analysis techniques into the Heat research software library, which is a collaboration between DLR, Jülich Research Centre (FZJ), and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
It provides parallel and GPU-accelerated computing capabilities whilst maintaining compatibility with Python tools like NumPy and scikit-learn. This approach means researchers can use familiar interfaces to process datasets that would be impossible to handle on a single computer.
The software – which is released as an open-source library under an MIT licence - can distribute work across multiple GPU and CPU nodes, with the team demonstrating compatibility across different hardware vendors.
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/Reducing_Computational_Barriers_in_Space_Science
ESA and AfSA join forces for systems engineering training
04/11/2025
From 7 to 10 October 2025, Europe and Africa took another important step toward deepening their cooperation in space.
At the ESA Education Training and Learning Facility in ESEC-Galaxia, Belgium, young engineers from across both continents came together for the Space Systems Engineering Training Course, jointly supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the African Space Agency (AfSA).
The course was held under the umbrella of the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme (AESPP), which is a flagship of the Global Gateway funded by the European Commission, DG INTPA.
Co-implemented by ESA and AfSA, the AESPP seeks to strengthen cooperation across the full space value chain, from satellite manufacturing and data applications to policy and institutional development.
This year’s course brought together 30 students from 24 nationalities, including 13 participants from Africa.
Their presence symbolised more than an exchange of technical knowledge: it marked a growing strategic and educational alliance between Europe and Africa, rooted in shared ambitions for sustainable space development.
“This training goes beyond engineering,” said Nigel Savage, ESA Academy Training Administrator. “It’s about creating the conditions for genuine partnership, where expertise, opportunities, and visions are shared across continents.”
“For AfSA, the collaboration represents a milestone in advancing African capacity building within the global space community,” according to Hamdi Kacem from AfSA.
“Every investment in infrastructure or technology must be matched — and even surpassed — by investment in people.”
Participants delved into essential topics such as requirements engineering, mission architecture, budgeting, and risk management.
One of the course highlights was a dynamic simulation exercise where students faced real-world challenges in time and risk management — a fast-paced, interactive game designed to replicate the decision-making pressures of space project environments.
The experience encouraged teamwork, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving, mirroring the collaborative spirit of ESA missions.
Thanks to the expert guidance of ESA professionals and the practical, experience-based format, students concluded the course with a solid foundation in space systems engineering, equipped with valuable tools to apply in their future academic and professional journeys.
However, the broader story was one of space diplomacy through education. The exchange of ideas, perspectives, and approaches highlighted how technical training can serve as a foundation for strategic collaboration.
For a Liberian participant, the experience was highly educational: “Participating in the ESA Academy Space System Engineering Training Course […] provided practical knowledge in mission design, payload analysis, and system engineering.
As Liberia's representative, I enhanced technical, teamwork, and leadership skills through collaboration with international participants.”
ESA and AfSA plan to continue expanding their joint training initiatives in New Space engineering under the AESPP, paving the way for future cooperation in research, innovation, and technology transfer.
Each course builds on the same vision, that the future of space exploration is inclusive, interconnected, and collaborative.
With every new cohort of students trained under this partnership, the message becomes clearer: Europe and Africa are engineering a shared future among the stars.
https://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy/ESA_and_AfSA_join_forces_for_systems_engineering_training
Robotic exosuit trousers could boost astronauts' movement in space missions
November 4, 2025
Astronauts could soon be able to move more freely thanks to a soft robotic exosuit developed by researchers at the University of Bristol.
Not only does the technology have extraterrestrial benefits, but it could also help people who need support with their mobility on Earth too.
The soft robotic exosuit is designed to resemble a garment and is mostly made of fabric material.
Worn underneath the spacesuit, the exosuit features artificial muscles that work automatically to help astronauts reduce muscular fatigue while maintaining natural movements during future moon and Mars missions.
Last month, Dr. Emanuele Pulvirenti, Research Associate in the University of Bristol's Soft Robotics Lab, traveled to the University of Adelaide, Australia, home to the Exterres CRATER facility—the largest simulated lunar environment in the Southern Hemisphere.
Here the exosuit was tested as part of an international 'proof of concept' simulated space mission run by the Austrian Space Forum.
Dubbed the 'World's Biggest Analog', the mission saw 200 scientists from 25 countries working together on different experiments and operational simulations across four continents and reporting back to the mission control base in Austria.
The ADAMA mission organized by ICEE.space, which Dr. Pulvirenti was part of, was the first time a soft robotic exosuit had been integrated into a spacesuit, and the first field test of its kind.
The experiments evaluated comfort, mobility and biomechanical effects when performing planetary surface tasks such as walking, climbing and load-carrying on loose terrain.
Dr. Pulvirenti handmade the exosuit himself, teaching himself to sew as part of the process.
"Fortunately my grandmother worked as a tailor and she was able to give me some advice," said Dr. Pulvirenti. He developed the lightweight exosuit alongside Vivo Hub colleagues at the University of Bristol.
The artificial muscles in the suit consist of two layers: an outer nylon layer and an inner thermoplastic layer that allows airtight inflation.
The anchoring components, such as the waistband and knee straps, are made from Kevlar for high strength and tension resistance.
Dr. Pulvirenti said, "The hope is that this technology could pave the way for future wearable robotic systems that enhance astronaut performance and reduce fatigue during extra-vehicular surface activities.
"I would love to continue developing this technology so that it could eventually be tested at the International Space Station."
Dr. Pulvirenti explained, "It's exciting that this technology could also potentially benefit people too.
This exosuit is assistive, meaning it artificially boosts the lower-limb muscles, but we have also separately developed a resistive exosuit, which applies load to the body to help maintain muscle mass.
"Our next goal is to create a hybrid suit that can switch between assistance and resistance modes as needed, which could be of great benefit for people in need of support with mobility going through physical rehabilitation."
https://phys.org/news/2025-11-robotic-exosuit-trousers-boost-astronauts.html
Record-Breaking Optical Power Beaming Proves Path to Scalable Power Grid for Space
Nov 04, 2025, 09:00 ET
Star Catcher Industries, Inc. ("Star Catcher"), the pioneering space energy company building the first orbital power grid, has set a new world record for wireless optical power transmission, surpassing the previous benchmark set by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
In less than eight months since debuting its power beaming technology, Star Catcher recently completed a series of historic optical power beaming tests at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to validate core technologies for its orbital energy grid, the Star Catcher Network.
Using an advanced suite of multi-wavelength lasers, the team delivered more than 1.1 kW of electrical power to commercial off-the-shelf solar panels at Space Florida's Launch and Landing Facility.
The most recent record high was 800 watts set by DARPA in May 2025. Star Catcher delivered more than 10 megajoules of energy throughout the test campaign.
To date, Star Catcher has signed six Power Purchase Agreements collectively valued in the tens of millions of dollars in annual recurring revenue through the end of the decade.
These agreements have been signed with organizations operating across core markets including orbital data infrastructure, remote sensing, and satellite platforms.
"Our existing Power Purchase Agreements confirm that the market understands both the value and scalability of our technology to revolutionize power delivery beyond Earth," said Andrew Rush, CEO and Co-Founder of Star Catcher.
"These real-world results offer definitive proof of the soundness and maturity of our approach to building a resilient orbital power grid."
Power generation is the fundamental limiting factor of space-based capabilities.
Today's satellites can't generate enough power on their own to keep up with the growing demands of modern space missions such as direct-to-cell connectivity, AI-powered Earth observation, and agile maneuvering for defense applications.
Using space-based optical power beaming, the Star Catcher Network collects and concentrates sunlight in orbit, refines it into optimized wavelengths for spacecraft solar panels, and wirelessly transmits it to client satellites, allowing them to generate two to ten times more power, on-demand, with no retrofit required.
"Space has waited decades for its energy revolution," said Howard Morgan, Chair and General Partner of B Capital. "Star Catcher just delivered it."
During the demonstration, Star Catcher delivered one to ten Suns of optical energy to multiple commercial off-the-shelf single- and triple-junction solar panels commonly used in space, confirming compatibility with standard spacecraft hardware, and validating the company's approach to "supercharge" satellites with significantly more power via highly concentrated beams of light.
Among them was an Astro Digital triple-junction solar panel — the same hardware used on the company's flight-proven satellite buses — demonstrating readiness to power customer missions in orbit.
Star Catcher also delivered power to several customer payloads representing key market segments such as space data centers, in-space manufacturing, and remote sensing.
The systems operated on beamed power as customers conducted live experiments, demonstrating both hardware compatibility and strong interest in this emerging power infrastructure.
Among the demonstrations, Star Catcher wirelessly transmitted energy to Intuitive Machines' Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) and recharged its onboard batteries.
This capability showcases how Star Catcher's technology could expand the operational envelope of LTVs, enabling more science and continuous operations through the two-week lunar night and within permanently shadowed regions.
Star Catcher will launch its first on-orbit power beaming demonstration in 2026.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/record-breaking-optical-power-beaming-proves-path-to-scalable-power-grid-for-space-302603462.html
https://www.8newsnow.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/863942711/global-space-awards-dedicates-evening-to-honor-the-legacy-and-extraordinary-contributions-of-captain-james-lovell/
https://globalspaceawards.com/
GLOBAL SPACE AWARDS DEDICATES EVENING TO HONOR THE LEGACY AND EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTIONS OF CAPTAIN JAMES LOVELL
Nov 03, 2025, 2:23 PM ET
The Global Space Awards (GSA), the first international event dedicated to celebrating the achievements defining today’s Golden Era of Space, hosted by world-renowned physicist and bestselling author Brian Greene, has announced it will dedicate the event to the memory and outstanding achievements of the extraordinary and iconic Captain James Lovell.
A special inaugural James Lovell Legacy Award will be presented to his family, launching the award’s initiative to recognize those whose lifetime of leadership, service, and courage have left an enduring impact on humanity’s progress in space.
The Lovell Family responds to the tribute, “We are deeply honored that this evening's Global Space Awards is dedicated to the remarkable legacy of our father, Captain James Lovell, a true pioneer whose courage and vision continue to inspire generations.
As my father often reminded us, ‘There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened.
To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen.’ His words continue to guide not only our family, but all those who dare to dream beyond the horizon.
We are profoundly grateful to see his legacy honored among those who continue to make things happen in space exploration.”
Sanjeev Gordhan of the Global Space Awards CIC continues, “We are deeply honored to welcome the Lovell family as we celebrate the extraordinary legacy of their father, Captain James Lovell.
A true American treasure and one of the bravest men ever to journey into space, Captain Lovell’s courage and leadership have inspired generations.
It is both fitting and meaningful that the inaugural James Lovell Legacy Award be dedicated to him and presented to his family in recognition of his remarkable contributions to space exploration and his enduring impact on humanity’s quest for discovery.”
The James Lovell Legacy Award will be an annual award given to the individual who honors the spirit of Commander James Lovell, whose heroism, calm under pressure, and unwavering commitment to exploration exemplify the very best of humanity in the face of the unknown.
It celebrates those whose legacy is not measured only by the missions flown or the technologies pioneered, but by the inspiration they leave for generations to come and the foundations they have built.
The Global Space Awards event will take place at The Natural History Museum, London on Friday, December 5.
It will feature an awards ceremony and black-tie gala dinner, honoring the innovators, investors, and organizations shaping the future of space—from lunar bases and in-orbit manufacturing to sustainable space economies that benefit life on Earth today. Finalists will be announced in early November.
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Until now, there has been no unified global platform recognizing these historic accomplishments.
The Global Space Awards were created to fill that void—shining a spotlight on the breakthroughs, technologies, and visionaries setting new benchmarks for space innovation at one iconic annual event.
The GSA’s core values are based on: innovation, global collaboration, inspiration, integrity and sustainability.
The inaugural Global Space Awards will be overseen by a Steering Committee of highly respected industry leaders.
They include Anna Hazlett, Founder & CEO of AzurX and member of the AED 2 billion Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) Advisory & Decision Committee, Andrew Robb, Partner & EMEA Space Practice Leader at Deloitte, Sanjeev Gordhan, General Partner at Type One Ventures, and Hidetaka Aoki, Co-founder and director at Space Port Japan, co-founder of SPACETIDE Foundation and Space Evangelist.
In addition to the James Lovell Legacy Award, the evening will feature the presentation of the following awards:
Playmaker of the Year Award – Awarded to an individual whose defining move this year shifted the trajectory of the space economy. This award celebrates the power players creating momentum across the ecosystem
Super Scaler of the Year Award – Awarded to a Space company that has demonstrated exceptional commercial growth over the past year. Whether through market expansion, revenue milestones, operational scaling, or capital raised, this award recognizes the breakout businesses charting a path to rapid growth.
Space Investor of the Year Award – Awarded to an investor (angel or institutional) or investment firm who, over the past 12 months, has most meaningfully accelerated the growth and trajectory of their portfolio companies. This award recognizes strategic capital, deep conviction, and hands-on partnership that unlocks real progress.
Partnership of the Year Award – Awarded jointly to a Space company and its corporate or public sector partner(s) whose collaboration has delivered exceptional impact over the past year. This award celebrates partnerships that achieve tangible results, scale technology, and push the boundaries of what’s possible through cross-sector innovation.
Innovation Breakthrough Award – Awarded to a Space company pushing the boundaries of what’s technically possible. This award recognizes radical product or service innovations, DeepTech achievements, or breakthrough moments that set new benchmarks for the sector.
Science Breakthrough Award – Awarded to a research team or individual whose scientific contribution is advancing our understanding of Space, enabling new Space technologies, or altering Space policies. This award spotlights the foundational projects that underpin Space innovation and drives the broader Space ecosystem.
Sustainability for Earth Award – Awarded to a Space company achieving measurable impact on Earth through Space technology. This award celebrates space-derived innovations that address pressing problems on our planet.
Sustainability for Space Award – Awarded to a Space company making the most significant contribution to the long-term sustainability of Space. This award celebrates tangible progress toward a responsible future in orbit.
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Scientists create world’s first plasma fireballs to solve space magnet mystery
Nov 04, 2025 08:32 AM EST
In a world first, plasma “fireballs” have been created in the lab setting using the Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator at CERN, Geneva.
The Oxford-led international science team experimented to crack the long-running puzzle of the Universe’s hidden magnetic fields and missing gamma rays.
“Our study demonstrates how laboratory experiments can help bridge the gap between theory and observation, enhancing our understanding of astrophysical objects from satellite and ground-based telescopes,” said Professor Gianluca Gregori, lead researcher from the Department of Physics, University of Oxford.
Testing two theories in the lab
The research was specifically designed to investigate a key mystery surrounding blazars, which are active galaxies with supermassive black holes launching particle jets.
These jets produce extremely high-energy gamma rays (TeV), which, as they travel across space, create a cascade of electron-positron pairs.
These pairs are expected to scatter off the cosmic microwave background and then to produce lower-energy gamma rays in the GeV range.
However, these GeV rays are consistently missing from observations by telescopes like Fermi.
Scientists had proposed two main hypotheses for the missing radiation.
Weak intergalactic magnetic fields are deflecting the pairs and steering the resulting GeV rays away from Earth.
Or the electron-positron pair beams become unstable as they propagate, generating internal magnetic fields that dissipate the beam’s energy before the GeV rays can be produced.
The researchers utilized CERN’s HiRadMat facility and the Super Proton Synchrotron to generate electron-positron pairs and accelerate them through a meter of plasma, thereby testing the theories.
The experiment successfully created a scaled laboratory model of a blazar jet traveling through space.
To test the disruption theory, the researchers directly examined the effects of beam-plasma instabilities by measuring the jet’s beam profile and associated magnetic field signatures.
Unexpected stability points to primordial magnetism
Surprisingly, the outcome defied expectations. The pair beam stayed narrow and almost parallel, showing little disruption or evidence of self-generated magnetic fields.
Scaling the experimental findings up to cosmic distances suggests that beam-plasma instabilities are not strong enough to explain the absence of the GeV gamma rays.
This outcome directly supports the competing hypothesis: that a relic intergalactic magnetic field is indeed present throughout the cosmos, consistently deflecting the particle pairs and causing the GeV emission to miss Earth.
“These experiments demonstrate how laboratory astrophysics can test theories of the high-energy Universe.
By reproducing relativistic plasma conditions in the lab, we can measure processes that shape the evolution of cosmic jets and better understand the origin of magnetic fields in intergalactic space,” said Professor Bob Bingham, co-investigator from the STFC Central Laser Facility and the University of Strathclyde.
Despite resolving one mystery, the findings introduce a new puzzle: if the intergalactic medium has a magnetic field, how could it have been generated in the extremely uniform early Universe?
The researchers suggest that the answer to the origin of the magnetic field may involve new physics beyond the Standard Model.
The facilities like the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will deliver higher-resolution data to test these new ideas and further unravel the secrets of the magnetic cosmos.
https://interestingengineering.com/science/scientists-create-worlds-first-plasma-fireballs
https://home.cern/news
https://theconversation.com/setis-noahs-ark-a-space-historian-explores-how-the-advent-of-radio-astronomy-led-to-the-ussrs-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-262402
SETI’s ‘Noah’s Ark’ – a space historian explores how the advent of radio astronomy led to the USSR’s search for extraterrestrial life
November 4, 2025 8:15am EST
As humans began to explore outer space in the latter half of the 20th century, radio waves proved a powerful tool.
Scientists could send out radio waves to communicate with satellites, rockets and other spacecraft, and use radio telescopes to take in radio waves emitted by objects throughout the universe.
However, sometimes radio telescopes would pick up the artificial radio signals from telecommunications.
This interference threatened sensitive astronomy observations, causing inaccurate data and even damaging equipment. While this interference frustrated scientists, it also sparked an idea.
During the Cold War, a new field emerged at the intersection of radio astronomy and radio communications.
It put forward the idea that astronomers could search for radio communications from possibly existing extraterrestrial civilizations. Astronomy usually dealt with observing the universe’s natural phenomena.
But this new field made the detection of technologically, or artificially produced radio waves, the object of a natural science.
This field has continued today and is now called the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI. SETI encompasses all that scientists do to search for intelligent life beyond Earth.
It includes one of the original uses of radio telescopes: to study signals from across the galaxy in hopes of detecting intelligent messages.
When the idea behind SETI was first proposed and pursued in the 1960s, only two countries, the U.S. and the USSR, had the technical capability for it. As the only space powers at the time, they were the key actors affected by radio frequency interference.
As a historian of science, I’ve worked to make sense of what happened throughout the history of Soviet SETI during the space race by analyzing a range of primary sources.
SETI captured the scientific imagination of many prominent Soviet astronomers in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Astronomers have not yet confirmed any detection of radio signals – or any other kinds of signs – from extraterrestrial civilizations.
But many scientists are still searching, even as their bold ideas run into obstacles. Some evidence suggests humans might be the only intelligent life in the universe.
Soviet SETI: The golden age of radio astronomy
SETI is intertwined with the profound changes brought by radio astronomy.
Up until the second part of the 20th century, scientists could see astronomical objects and phenomena only in optical or visible light. Optical light is the same kind of light that the human eye is sensitive to.
After World War II, scientists figured out that they could peacefully use radar antennas, developed for use in that war, to detect radio signals coming from objects out in the universe.
Deciphering these signals allowed researchers to study astronomical objects in the universe. They learned, for example, about the most abundant element: hydrogen.
In the former Soviet Union, the prominent radio astronomy pioneer Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky played a key role in detecting radio signals from hydrogen.
Scientists knew that every chemical element would absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others, and the light signals that an object absorbed or reflected could tell astronomers what element it was.
Most hydrogen could not be observed directly in optical light, so astronomers didn’t spot it out in space until they started looking beyond the visible light spectrum.
Shklovsky figured out how to detect hydrogen with radio waves, which helped astronomers map the distribution and motion of hydrogen gas in and between galaxies.
Historians generally consider the year 1960 the start of the golden age of radio astronomy. After the detection of hydrogen, astronomers discovered previously unknown types of stars, such as pulsars and quasars.
These phenomena offered scientists new insights into the nature of astrophysical phenomena and fundamental physics.
Shklovsky later grew fascinated with the possibility of using radio waves to contact other intelligent beings in the universe. In 1960, he published an article on this topic in one of the country’s most prestigious scientific journals.
Shklovsky’s article soon expanded into a widely popular book called “Universe, Life, Intelligence,” published in 1962. That same year, the USSR’s Academy of Sciences sent its first radio message in the direction of Venus from a radar in Crimea.
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The experiment involved bouncing radio signals off the surface of Venus to transmit the following words using Morse code: Lenin, USSR and mir, which in Russian means both world and peace.
Even though statistically increasing radio interference risk, this message was mainly symbolic. The Soviet Union wanted to depict its technological might and wasn’t expecting to communicate with extraterrestrials.
Soviet SETI was thus not yet a real pursuit.
Starting an organized search
Shklovsky and the majority of other radio astronomers pursuing the search for extraterrestrial intelligence were all located in central Russia at the time.
The USSR Academy of Sciences was also located there. But this group needed more formal measures to move their search from a few initiatives into a coordinated effort.
Due to concerns over unwanted public attention, the scientists organized a conference far from Moscow, at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory in the Soviet Republic of Armenia, in 1964.
At this conference, researchers formed a group specifically dedicated to studying artificial radio signals from space. With this group, SETI became a top-down, state-led activity.
With this validation, scientists could now theoretically look for artificial signals, potentially from an alien origin. However, any discussions about artificial radio signals were subject to strict government surveillance, given the fact that military satellites depended on them, too.
Soviet scientists faced several obstacles. For example, their own government’s secrecy made coordination difficult. The Cold War also set limits on developing SETI internationally.
However, they had a green light to search and study peculiar signals they suspected had artificial origin.
International collaboration
Efforts to collaborate internationally on artificial signals culminated in 1971 with a symposium, again at Byurakan.
There, about 50 scientists – the majority from the U.S. and the USSR, but also some from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the U.K. and Canada – agreed to disagree on how to best conduct SETI.
Some in attendance compared this gathering to Noah’s Ark, because an almost equal number of prominent scientists from East and West of the Iron Curtain managed to meet that year.
And the gathering took place in Armenia at the foot of Mount Ararat, located in neighboring Turkey. This mountain is where archaeologists believe Noah’s Ark may have beached.
After almost a week of discussion at Byurakan, the two geopolitical blocks designated an official SETI group.
That group still exists today, and it still connects researchers all around the world who conduct SETI research.
Given the secrecy around radio signals in space, this international SETI group marked a momentous diplomatic achievement at the height of the Cold War.
SETI started in the Soviet Union with a few strong Moscow-based initiatives. It continued through group events in Armenia – from the first state-level Soviet conference to the international one.
SETI is the first and only domain of astronomy to study artificial radio signals themselves. It indirectly addressed radio frequency interference during a time when these frequencies were highly unregulated.
Stakeholder countries eventually addressed their radio frequency interference issues with international agreements on radio frequency usage and allocation.
An international committee approved a feasible and comprehensive radio frequency allocation plan for the first time in the 1970s. This plan has been revised and renewed ever since.
Today, space scientists and astronomers use an internationally agreed upon plan to minimize this interference.
Remarkably, SETI began even before this allocation plan. SETI continues its rich legacy today by continuing to search for signals – and along the way discovering new astrophysical objects and phenomena.
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Hubble sees spiral galaxy in Lion's heart
Nov. 4, 2025
Located in the constellation Leo, spiral galaxy NGC 3370 has long been a favorite among astronomers. NGC 3370 is part of a small galaxy group that also other galaxies studied by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Studying these galaxies together helps astronomers understand how galaxies interact, evolve and influence one another over cosmic timescales.
What is it?
Spiral galaxies are among the most striking and familiar structures in the universe. Characterized by graceful, winding arms that spiral out from a bright central bulge, these systems are rich with both young and old stars, swirling gas and cosmic dust.
The Milky Way, our own galactic home, is one such spiral, and studying other examples like NGC 3370 provides astronomers with clues about how galaxies form and evolve.
Where is it?
Spiral galaxy NGC 3370 is located 90 million light years away in the Leo constellation.
Why is it amazing?
NGC 3370 is home to two types of celestial landmarks that have helped astronomers chart cosmic distances with precision: Cepheid variable stars and Type la supernovas.
Cepheids are pulsating stars whose brightness rises and falls in predictable cycles, the longer the period of pulsation, the more luminous they are.
Meanwhile, Type la supernovas occur when a white dwarf star undergoes a thermonuclear explosion, reaching nearly the same peak brightness each time.
By comparing how bright these objects appear from Earth with how bright they actually are, astronomers can calculate their distances, and in turn, measure how quickly the universe is expanding.
Together, these "standard candles" form the backbone of the cosmic distance ladder, a framework that has shaped our modern understanding of cosmic scale and motion.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/hubble-sees-spiral-galaxy-in-lions-heart-space-photo-of-the-day-for-oct-30-2025
See 2 of Jupiter's moons cast vast shadows over the planet early on Nov. 5
November 4, 2025
Turn a telescope to the eastern sky in the hours following midnight on Nov. 5 to see two colossal shadows darken the cloud tops of the gas giant Jupiter as the Galilean moons Io and Europa pass between the colossal world and the sun.
Jupiter will be visible as a bright point of light roughly 30 degrees high in the eastern sky at 12:13 a.m. EST (0513 GMT) on Nov. 5.
During this time, the shadows of both moons will be visible darkening the Jovian disk as it shines below the bright "twin" stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini.
Remember, the width of your clenched fist held at arm's length is roughly equivalent to 10 degrees in the night sky.
Sadly, Jupiter is too distant for the shadow transits to be spotted with the naked eye.
However, a telescope with an aperture of 6-inches or more with a magnification between 100X to 150X under good atmospheric conditions will provide a good view of the shadows, while helping to resolve details in the gas giant's stormy surface.
Io's shadow will be visible darkening Jupiter's right hand side slightly below the equator as the double shadow transit gets underway shortly after midnight on Nov. 5, though eager stargazers will also be able to track it as it moves left to right across the gas giant's disk in the preceding two hours.
The moon itself will also be visible to the shadow's left, sharing the same cloud band.
Meanwhile, Europa's shadow will be visible encroaching on the extreme left of Jupiter's disk at the outset of the double transit, slightly farther from the Jovian equator. It will remain visible for a little under three hours — long after Io's umbral outline has slipped from view.
Jupiter plays host to a swarm of over 90 diverse moons, though only the largest four Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa — also known as the Galilean moons after famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei — are easily visible through an amateur telescope.
Stargazers hoping to catch a closer glimpse at Jupiter and its moons should check out our roundups of the best telescopes for viewing the night sky, while those new to the pastime may want to peruse our roundup of the best smartphone astronomy apps for navigating the post sunset realm.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/see-2-of-jupiters-moons-cast-vast-shadows-over-the-planet-early-on-nov-5-2025
human or non human?
Watch Europe's powerful Ariane 6 rocket launch today for the 4th time ever
November 4, 2025
Europe's Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket is scheduled to launch today (Nov. 4) for the fourth time ever, and you can watch the action live.
An Ariane 6 is scheduled to lift off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana today at 4:03 p.m. EST (2103 GMT; 6:03 p.m. local time in Kourou), carrying the Sentinel-1D Earth-observation satellite to low Earth orbit (LEO).
You can watch the action live here at Space.com courtesy of Arianespace, or directly via the France-based company, which operates the Ariane 6 for the European Space Agency (ESA). Coverage will begin about 30 minutes before launch.
The Ariane 6 is the successor to the Ariane 5, which retired in July 2023 after 27 years of service. The new rocket debuted with a checkered July 2024 test flight, then followed that up with two fully successful operational launches, in March and August of this year.
Ariane 6 will go for three in a row today with the launch of Sentinel-1D, which is part of the European Union's Copernicus Earth-observation program.
The Sentinel-1 series of satellites capture detailed radar imagery of Earth, "performing in all weathers, day and night," ESA officials wrote in a Sentinel-1D mission description.
"This service is vital for disaster response teams, environmental agencies, maritime authorities, climate scientists — and other users who depend on frequent updates of critical data."
Three Sentinel-1 satellites have launched to date, and two of those remain operational (Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1C). Sentinel-1D will replace Sentinel-1A, which has been eyeing Earth from orbit for 11 years — well beyond its planned operational lifetime, according to ESA.
"The Sentinel-1D satellite will work in tandem with Sentinel-1C to generate timely data," agency officials wrote in the description. "Both satellites have a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instrument on board, which captures high-resolution imagery of Earth's surface.
They are also equipped with Automatic Identification System (AIS) instruments to improve detection and tracking of ships."
'Today's launch will be Europe's fifth orbital mission of 2025. In addition to the two previous Ariane 6 flights, Arianespace's Vega C smallsat launcher has aced two missions so far this year, in April and July.
For context, SpaceX has launched 140 missions of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket in 2025. More than 70% of those flights have been devoted to building out the company's Starlink megaconstellation in LEO.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/europe-ariane-6-fourth-launch-sentinel-1d
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKbEavYCVk
Satellite images show parts of Jamaica in ruins after record-breaking Hurricane Melissa
November 3, 2025
With the help of satellites, we are beginning to get an understanding of just how catastrophic Hurricane Melissa was.
On Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa became the fourth hurricane in 75 years to make landfall on the island of Jamaica and shattered several Atlantic hurricane records.
It is now tied with the 1935 "Labor Day" hurricane for the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall on record, according to Yale Climate Connections.
As of Oct. 31, at least 50 deaths have been reported in the storm's wake, and total damages could reach over $50 billion, according to Reuters. The full impact of the storm is still being assessed.
Satellite photos released by Vantor Technology (formerly Maxar) are beginning to reveal the extent of the damage left in Melissa's wake, which left the island of Jamaica unrecognizable in many parts.
Vantor Technology recently shared imagery on X showing several locations throughout the island nation that flooded or were damaged by high winds brought by Hurricane Melissa.
Following Hurricane Melissa, Vantor made its satellite imagery available for free in order to help rescue and recovery efforts.
"This imagery can be used by frontline organizations and geospatial community members to map changes on the ground and identify the most severely impacted areas, helping ensure resources are allocated quickly and effectively," Vantor wrote alongside the images.
Imagery like this is useful to first responders and other organizations on the front lines as it can help them locate where the hardest hit areas are and where immediate help is needed most.
And as the flood waters begin to recede, responders can also use satellite imagery to determine when it's safe to get into those areas to search for survivors and survey the damage.
There were only two hurricanes before Melissa, Hurricane Charlie and Hurricane Gilbert, that reached the status of a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale when they made landfall on Jamaica.
But Melissa surpassed every Jamaican hurricane and is now ranked as the strongest ever to landfall on the island, reaching a Category 5 storm last week with sustained winds at 185 miles per hour mph (298 km/h).
https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/satellite-images-show-parts-of-jamaica-in-ruins-after-record-breaking-hurricane-melissa
A full moon with a chance of fireballs: Don't miss the Southern Taurid meteor shower peak tonight
November 4, 2025
Heads up stargazers! The Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks overnight on Nov. 4-5, when a flurry of bright meteors could potentially be seen streaking through Earth's sky as our planet passes through the outer edge of a debris swarm shed by the wandering comet 2P/Encke.
Shooting stars are seen when shards of ancient comets collide with Earth's atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles per hour, which swiftly burn up in a magnificent display as they're overwhelmed by the friction created by collisions with air molecules in the atmosphere.
The Southern Taurids are known for producing spectacular fireballs, as particularly large pieces of interplanetary debris can slam into our planet that can produce meteors that can momentarily turn night to day as they flare to life in the night sky.
2025 happens to be a "swarm year" for the Southern Taurids, which could see the shower put on a particularly impressive show during the Nov. 4-5 peak, when up to 10 bright meteors may be visible each hour, sharing the skies with a near-full moon.
However, the light from the moon may mean that only the brightest meteors will be visible.
Swarm years are thought to occur as Earth passes through a region of Encke's debris trail containing a mass of particularly large commentary fragments.
"We encounter these larger meteors about twice a decade at irregular intervals," American Meteor Society expert Robert Lunsford told Space.com in an email.
"Normal Taurid particles are usually the size of pea gravel with a few larger particles mixed in. The swarm particles are only the size of baseballs up to basketballs, but will appear as fireballs from the ground instead of normal meteors."
A good time to look out for Southern Taurid meteors is in the hours following midnight on the days surrounding the shower's peak, according to EarthSky.org.
Shooting stars associated with the shower will be visible streaking away from a point of origin called a radiant located in the constellation Taurus, which rises above the horizon shortly after sunset and climbs to its highest point in the southern sky in the hours following midnight.
Try to allow 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the dark - while attempting to avoid staring directly at the moon - and pick out a patch of sky 40 degrees above the constellation Taurus, where the meteor trails will be the longest.
Remember, the width of your clenched fist held at arm's length accounts for roughly 10 degrees in the night sky.
Lunsford notes that Earth is passing through the outer edge of the swarm during the 2025 Southern Taurid peak, which will likely provide a less spectacular show compared to the previous swarm event in 2022.
"So far though, fireball activity in October has been higher than normal, indicating that we may have underestimated the strength of this year's display," continued Lunsford. "Too bad a full moon occurs during the prime portion of this display. "
The next Southern Taurid swarm isn't due to occur until 2032, so be sure to look up on Nov. 4-5 for a chance to catch a spectacular natural light show.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/meteor-showers/dont-miss-the-southern-taurid-meteor-shower-peak-overnight-on-nov-4-2025
2-mile-tall, naked 'Marree Man' looming over Australian outback is a total mystery — Earth from space
November 4, 2025
This striking satellite photo shows a gigantic geoglyph, dubbed the "Marree Man," which suddenly appeared in the Australian outback less than 30 years ago.
The origins of the Aboriginal-inspired artwork remain a mystery. The Marree Man, also known as "Stuart's Giant," is a geoglyph — a large-scale design or symbol made by altering Earth's surface in some way.
In this case, it was carved directly into the Finniss Springs plateau of South Australia, around 37 miles (60 kilometers) west of the township of Marree, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
The figure's design is likely based on an Aboriginal Australian, who is depicted naked and brandishing either a "woomera" throwing stick or a boomerang.
It is around 2.2 miles (3.5 km) across at its widest point, from the bottom of its feet to the tip of the weapon, while its perimeter measures around 17 miles (28 km) in total.
Compared with most other geoglyphs — such as Peru's Nazca Lines, which may date back as far as 200 B.C. — the Marree Man is extremely young, having suddenly appeared in the summer of 1998.
But experts are unsure who created the towering figure or how they sketched it out so quickly.
By 2016, the lines of the Marree Man, which were originally around 10 inches (25 centimeters) deep, had almost completely disappeared due to wind erosion.
As a result, local business owners decided to recarve the lines using a commercial digger and GPS guidance system, resulting in much deeper lines, according to ABC News.
The retraced geoglyph, which is shown in the satellite image, should last longer than its predecessor (see below) because special grooves designed to trap water were added to its outline.
In theory, this should allow vegetation to grow around its edges, giving it a longer-lasting green border, according to the Earth Observatory.
Who made the Marree Man?
The Marree Man was first discovered by a charter pilot on June 26, 1998, shortly before an anonymous fax was sent to nearby hotels, alerting the staff of the geoglyph's creation and initially naming it Stuart's Giant. (The name Marree Man was later popularized by the press.)
Satellite imagery from Landsat 8 subsequently revealed that it was created at some point during a 16-day period between May 27, when no geoglyph was visible to the satellite, and June 12, when it was first photographed from space.
It was likely created by some type of earth-moving machinery, and some experts argue that it could only be achieved using an early form of GPS mapping.
When the lines were redrawn in 2016, it took workers around 60 hours to complete the task using updated technology.
The team also found 250 bamboo stakes along the perimeter, which were likely used as markers for the original, according to a 2016 article by Expedition Australia.
The most commonly proposed creator of the Marree Man was an Adelaide-based artist named Bardius Goldberg. Several of Goldberg's friends have claimed that he told them he was responsible, but he never publicly admitted this, and died in 2002.
There is also evidence that it may have been created by American personnel at a nearby Royal Australian Air Force base, as a small plaque with the U.S. flag was uncovered near the giant's head.
Experts have subsequently pointed out that the anonymous fax also contained several "Americanisms," according to ABC News.
In 2018, Australian entrepreneur and explorer Dick Smith offered a 5,000-Australian-dollar (U.S. $3,700) reward for anyone with information about the geoglyph's origins, according to CNN.
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/2-mile-tall-naked-marree-man-looming-over-australian-outback-is-a-total-mystery-earth-from-space
Houston we have a problem!
Space Force Nears Tech to Jam Satellites Remotely
Tuesday, 04 November 2025 11:51 AM EST
The U.S. Space Force is close to deploying two new high-tech weapons systems designed to jam Chinese and Russian spy satellites, according to a Bloomberg report citing new Space Force data.
The systems — known as Meadowlands and the Remote Modular Terminal (RMT) — are part of a growing U.S. effort to protect American forces from foreign surveillance and interference in orbit, Bloomberg reported.
Once fielded, they will join the larger Counter Communications System, a ground-based satellite jammer that became fully operational in 2020.
According to the Space Force, the new jammers can be dispersed globally and operated remotely, giving U.S. forces greater flexibility to counter what military leaders describe as a rapidly expanding Chinese space threat.
Beijing currently operates more than 1,100 satellites, with over 500 used by the People's Liberation Army for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, according to the Space Force.
The Meadowlands system, developed by L3Harris Technologies, faced delays due to technical issues but is now in final testing, including live-fire and mission rehearsals, and is expected to be operational this fiscal year.
The Remote Modular Terminal, built by Northstrat Inc. and CACI International, is already in early use at undisclosed overseas locations and can be operated remotely while testing continues.
Bloomberg previously reported that the Pentagon plans to acquire up to 32 Meadowlands systems and 24 RMTs, giving the U.S. three distinct tools for space-based defense as tensions with China and Russia extend into orbit.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/spaceforce-weapons-china/2025/11/04/id/1233162/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-04/us-space-force-to-use-three-weapons-to-jam-chinese-satellites-via-remote-control?
The 'Time of Troubles' and the birth of the nation: Why Russia celebrates its 'Unity Day' every November 4
4 Nov, 2022 12:05
November 4 marks Unity Day in Russia, which is a fairly new holiday. It was established in order to replace the old October Revolution Day, which was celebrated in the USSR for over 70 years.
Many generations grew up loving this holiday, after communism collapsed, it was no longer possible to keep it as a public holiday.
Its replacement goes back to an event that proved to have as much significance for the country’s history. In November 1612, Russia was reborn as a state.
End of a dynasty
The early 17th century is known in the history of Russia as ‘the Time of Troubles’, or ‘Smuta’. After the death of Tsar Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible, in 1584, the country found itself sinking slowly into a deep political crisis.
The new leader, his son Fyodor I, took little interest in politics, and his court became a place ridden with scheming and plotting by the rival clans of top officials.
Fyodor I ruled for a total of 14 years, and this was a relatively peaceful time, right up to his death in 1598, which created a succession problem since he left no heirs to the throne.
Boris Godunov, once Ivan the Terrible’s confidante and brother to Fyodor’s beloved wife, had managed to consolidate a great deal of power in his hands and had been ruling the tsardom as de facto regent for at least 15 years until then.
The only legal contender to the throne would have been Fyodor’s brother Dmitry, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible and his last wife. Dmitry, however, died as a child under mysterious circumstances.
Godunov was believed by many to have been involved in his death, since Dmitry was the last heir of the Rurik dynasty.
Godunov was indeed a man believed by many to be capable of removing those who stood in his way. Some of his opponents were reported to have died in accidents while hunting, or of a sudden disease.
In the absence of hard facts, all of these things remain conspiracy theories; nevertheless, it has become part of Russian lore, and many historical and cultural references that are part of the nation’s legacy have Boris Godunov somehow connected to the death of Tsarevich Dmitry.
Thus, Tsar Fyodor’s death marked the end of the Rurik dynasty, which had ruled Russia since it became a state in the 9th century. Godunov, while a powerful contender, was not popular since he was not of noble origin.
Moscow’s nobility looked down on him, yet did nothing to stop Godunov from manipulating the Zemsky Sobor (national assembly) into electing him tsar in 1598.
yuge cont.
https://www.rt.com/russia/565892-birth-of-nation-4th-november/
We have enough nukes to blow up the world 150 times – Trump
4 Nov, 2025 03:50
US President Donald Trump has defended his push to resume nuclear weapon testing, boasting that America’s arsenal is powerful enough “to blow up the world 150 times” and should be maintained through active trials.
In a CBS interview aired on Sunday, Trump was asked why the US needs to test its nuclear weapons again after more than three decades of a Congress-mandated moratorium.
“Because you have to see how they work,” Trump replied. “I’m saying that we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do. We’re the only country that doesn’t test, and I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test.”
The US last conducted a full-scale nuclear test in 1992, and resuming testing would likely take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Washington Post.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified on Sunday that the testing ordered by Trump would not involve actual nuclear detonations.
“These are what we call non-critical tests,” Wright told Fox News, describing them as part of a broader modernization program. “No worries about [a mushroom cloud],” he added, when asked about the possibility of atmospheric or underground tests.
Despite Trump’s claim that Russia and China are secretly conducting tests, both countries’ last confirmed nuclear tests occurred decades ago – Russia in 1990 and China in 1996.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia’s recent trials of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater drone did not involve nuclear testing.
President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia would only “act accordingly” if other nuclear powers resume testing.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also urged the US to honor its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and to maintain the global moratorium on nuclear testing.
US Vice President J.D. Vance and several Republican lawmakers have supported Trump’s initiative, arguing that non-detonative testing is necessary to ensure the reliability of America’s aging nuclear arsenal.
“We have more nuclear weapons than any other country. And I think we should do something about denuclearization,” Trump said.
“We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world 150 times. Russia has a lot of nuclear weapons, and China will have a lot.”
https://www.rt.com/news/627303-trump-nuclear-weapon-testing/
UK supplies Ukraine with more long-range missiles to strike Russia – Bloomberg
3 Nov, 2025 17:24
The UK has supplied Ukraine with additional long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to enable deeper strikes into Russia, Bloomberg reports.
London first announced the delivery of the air-launched rockets – which have a range of more than 250km (155 miles) – to Kiev in May 2023.
The latest shipment of an unspecified number of Storm Shadows is meant to help Ukraine maintain its campaign of long-range attacks against Russia during the coming winter months, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing unnamed sources.
During a meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was “accelerating our UK program to provide Ukraine with more than 5,000 lightweight missiles” to put “military pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Also in October, Kiev claimed to have used Storm Shadow missiles, among other weapons, to strike an industrial facility deep inside Russia.
The attack followed Zelensky’s earlier threat, made in late August, to launch “new deep strikes” against the neighboring country.
In April, The Times, citing anonymous Ukrainian and British military officers, reported that “UK troops were secretly sent to fit Ukraine’s aircraft with the missiles and teach troops how to use them.”
Speaking at the Future Forum-2050 in Moscow this June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine “would be helpless without the British,” adding that London is “100%” involved in the conflict.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated in March that “the command” for the attack on the Sudzha oil pipeline infrastructure “came from London.”
Ukraine has repeatedly conducted long-range attacks inside Russia, which have often struck civilian areas and critical infrastructure.
In January, Storm Shadows, along with US-made ATACMS missiles, damaged dozens of private homes in Bryansk Region, Russia. Moscow has described the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war being waged against Russia by the West.
Russian officials have noted that sophisticated systems such as Storm Shadows cannot be effectively used by Ukrainian forces without the direct involvement of Western military personnel.
https://www.rt.com/news/627289-bloomberg-uk-gave-ukraine-more-storm-shadows/
maybe he has a fleet of nuclear alien ufos from North Korea?
Ukrainian forces kill civilians with direct FPV drone hits – media (GRAPHIC VIDEO)
3 Nov, 2025 22:54
Two Ukrainian civilians who attempted to reach Russian military positions while carrying a white flag were fatally struck in direct FPV drone attacks by Ukrainian forces, according to Russian media reports.
The disturbing video, obtained by RIA Novosti and TASS on Monday, shows unarmed men walking along a dirt road, reportedly outside the village of Petropavlovka near Kupyansk in Kharkov Region.
In the footage, an FPV drone hovers in front of the first man for several seconds as he walks forward, accompanied by a dog.
The drone swoops down and strikes him directly in the torso as he attempts to duck. The man is apparently killed instantly, and the dog is seen writhing in pain.
The second man drops his belongings and slowly approaches the scene, making the sign of the cross over the first victim’s body. Later in the footage, he is also apparently struck by a drone.
The disturbing videos highlight the hardships civilians are facing while trying to flee the warzone, four-time Ukrainian MP-turned Russian blogger Oleg Tsaryov has said.
“Poor villagers and elderly have only one option: cross the frontline, like in the video, or wait out in basements until it rolls over their heads.
This also carries the risk that the Ukrainian military would… execute them” for supposedly having pro-Russia sentiments, Tsaryov wrote on his Telegram channel.
It is unclear when the video was recorded. The reported incident comes amid intensified fighting around Kupyansk, where the Russian Defense Ministry says a large number of Ukrainian troops have been encircled.
In late October, the chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported to President Vladimir Putin that around 5,500 Ukrainian servicemen were surrounded in Krasnoarmeysk (known as Pokrovsk in Ukraine), with another 5,000 troops blocked in Dimitrov (Mirnograd) and Kupyansk.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky previously described the situation as “difficult,” but denied any encirclement and accused Moscow of exaggerating its battlefield gains.
Last week, Putin stated that Moscow was prepared to halt offensive operations and allow Ukrainian and foreign journalists to visit the front line to “see with their own eyes” that Ukrainian troops were trapped in the three towns.
Kiev, however, barred media workers from making the trip. The Russian Defense Ministry has accused Kiev of deceiving both the Ukrainian public and the international community about its military setbacks.
Officials also reported that Ukrainian soldiers have increasingly attempted to approach Russian positions with white flags in recent days.
https://www.rt.com/russia/627301-ukrainian-drones-kill-civilians/
Iran vows to rebuild nuclear sites after Western airstrikes
4 Nov, 2025 08:57
Iran will rebuild nuclear facilities targeted in US and Israeli strikes earlier this year, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said, reiterating that his country is not seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
In June 2025, the US and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites, causing major damage, according to satellite imagery and defense analysts.
They described it as preemptive strikes to halt Iran’s progress toward developing a bomb.
Afterward, President Donald Trump warned that the US could launch renewed strikes if Iran restarts the damaged sites. Tehran, which insists its program is peaceful, condemned the attacks as a violation of sovereignty.
“The scientific knowledge is in the minds of our scientists. Destroying buildings and factories will not create a problem for us – we will rebuild, and with greater strength,” Pezeshkian told state media on Sunday during a visit to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
He said that while nuclear technology has destructive potential, “only a fraction of its applications relate to weapons,” adding that most serve medicine, agriculture, and industry.
Pezeshkian rejected Western claims that Iran seeks to develop nukes, saying, “building a nuclear weapon is not on our agenda, and they know this.”
“Unfortunately, targeted propaganda has made the word ‘nuclear’ synonymous with bomb-making… All our nuclear activities are aimed at solving citizens’ problems and non-military issues,” he stressed.
Western nations have long accused Iran of seeking to obtain a nuclear bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported earlier this year that Tehran has enriched uranium to 60%, short of the 90% required for weapons.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi later said there is no proof that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, noting that enriched uranium alone does not constitute a weapon.
Efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which were relaunched this year and were aimed at curbing enrichment for sanctions relief, have stalled since the strikes in June. Tehran later restricted Western monitoring of its nuclear sites, demanding guarantees before talks resume.
AEOI head Mohammad Eslami announced on Sunday that Iran plans to build eight new nuclear power plants in cooperation with Russia to expand its energy capacity. The facilities aim to generate 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power by 2041.
https://www.rt.com/news/627305-iran-rebuild-niclear-sites/
Alleged Israeli rapists announce they ‘will win’
4 Nov, 2025 00:38
Israeli soldiers accused of torturing and sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility have publicly defended their actions, claiming they are being unfairly prosecuted and vowing to “fight for justice.”
The case relates to a July 2024 incident at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel, where five reservists were initially charged with rape and later indicted for “aggravated abuse” after video footage appeared to show soldiers assaulting a blindfolded Palestinian detainee.
The man allegedly sustained multiple injuries, including a ruptured bowel and severe rectal trauma.
Wearing black masks to conceal their identities, the accused servicemen appeared outside Israel’s Supreme Court in West Jerusalem on Monday, delivering a defiant statement to the press.
“Instead of appreciation, we received accusations – instead of thanks, there was silence,” one of the masked soldiers said.
“You didn’t let us respond, you didn’t let us explain. You put us on trial in front of the cameras as if you had already decided who the culprit is.”
“We will not be silent. We will continue to fight for justice,” he added. “We will win, because there is only one truth.”
The controversy reignited last week after the IDF’s former top military prosecutor, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, resigned after admitting that she authorized the release of the footage.
In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi said she leaked the video to counter “false propaganda” and stressed that, despite the detainees being “terror operatives,” there was a duty to investigate any reasonable suspicion of violence by IDF personnel.
The scandal escalated further on Monday when a Tel Aviv court ordered the arrest and three-day detention of Tomer-Yerushalmi.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the leak “perhaps the most serious public relations attack Israel has experienced since its founding.” Defense Minister Israel Katz accused critics of the accused soldiers of spreading “blood libels.”
The incident has drawn international criticism, including from a UN commission, which said last year it exposed only the “tip of the iceberg” regarding detainee abuse in Israeli military facilities.
https://www.rt.com/news/627302-idf-soldiers-abuse-palestinian-prisoner/