TYB
Memo From Sean Duffy
November 13, 2025
the following was sent out to the NASA workforce today:
“A Message From Acting Administrator Sean Duffy: Welcome Back NASA Team, Thank you for your dedication and resilience throughout the shutdown.
From those who sustained mission-critical operations, to those who remained on call, to those who were furloughed, I appreciate your role in helping us continue NASA’s essential mission, even during a shutdown.”
The agency has achieved many important milestones since the shutdown began. Among them, progress continued toward the Artemis II mission in early 2026 with the stacking of the Orion spacecraft on the SLS rocket.
The X-59 aircraft took its first flight, marking a major step toward demonstrating quiet supersonic flight. The Space Station celebrated 25 years of continuous human presence.
Additionally, Jared Isaacman, was nominated by President Trump to lead the agency. I wish him all the success and will ensure the transition is seamless.
As we resume normal operations, our OCFO, OCHCO and support teams are working to process payroll payments, including full backpay, and all other Human Capital matters as quickly as possible.
We recognize how important this is to you and your families, and we appreciate your patience as we complete this work.
Our senior leadership team will actively engage with organizations across the agency to ensure approvals and backlogs are addressed as quickly as possible and will work with urgency to restore normal operations.
Your dedication and teamwork continue to move our mission forward. Thank you once again for everything you’ve done to further space exploration, innovations, and discoveries on behalf of the United States.
Sincerely,
Sean Duffy
Acting NASA Administrator
https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/memo-from-sean-duffy/
Note From The NASA CIO
November 13, 2025
the following was sent out by NASA CIO Jeff Seaton to the OCIO workforce today:
“OCIO, I want to personally thank those of you who supported the Agency in a variety of capacities during the shutdown and welcome back those of you who were unable to work.
As this shutdown ends I appreciate your resilience and professionalism during this time. I know this has been challenging — both personally and professionally — and I appreciate the commitment you always show to this Agency and to public service.
You are what makes NASA great.”
As we resume normal operations, I want to reinforce the Agency’s commitment to working safely and diligently. Our NASA colleagues will be working to process back pay, reimbursements, and any pending administrative actions as quickly as possible.
The Agency leadership team has made it clear that approvals and backlogs are being prioritized to help everyone return to normal operations smoothly and efficiently.
If you need assistance or have questions regarding retroactive pay, open enrollment, etc., please speak to your supervisor or visit our Post-Shutdown OneNASA page – if answers to your questions are not available today, we will keep working to make sure they are answered soon.
The OCIO leadership team’s focus now is on getting back up to speed, achieving stability, and continuing the forward momentum on many of our initiatives.
It is paramount we work together to continue delivering on our mission and serving the American people with the excellence and integrity that define this organization.
For us, this means focusing on our mission-driven priorities. Before the shutdown the OCIO leadership met at NASA ARC to refine our priorities for this fiscal year.
While the shutdown has certainly impacted our schedules, it has not changed what is most important to OCIO – enabling NASA mission success Organizational leaders will be working with you to understand impacts and adjust schedules.
We are also continuing to assess budget implications and advocating for critical staffing needs. I’m asking all of our executives to work with their teams to understand impacts and identify needed actions.
In the coming days, we’ll connect as a team to review priorities, realign on critical tasks, and ensure any outstanding items are captured and addressed. Leaders will be meeting with their teams, and we will schedule our next OCIO all hands soon.
We recognize that restarting after such a long pause will take work, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Over the next week I’ve asked our leaders to stand down on most routine meetings to allow everyone to focus on getting back up to speed.
We also know that the holidays are in front of us and many of you have scheduled leave; celebrating the holidays and utilizing your leave is important and we will be working to manage our schedules and balance organizational expectations.
Please reach out to your supervisor if you have any questions, and we will do all we can to make sure we provide answers.
Thank you again for your continued commitment to our shared mission.
It’s great to have everyone back –
Jeff Seaton
NASA Chief Information Officer
Office of the Chief Information Officer
https://nasawatch.com/shutdown/note-from-the-nasa-cio/
Live coverage: Blue Origin to launch NASA’s ESCAPADE following scrubs from clouds, space weather
November 13, 2025
Blue Origin is stepping back up to the plate and will take another crack at launching its 98-meter-tall (321 ft) rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, Nov. 13.
A confluence of poor weather, an errant cruise ship in the keep out zone and a ground systems issue at the pad were roadblocks to a Sunday launch attempt.
Its second attempt on Wednesday was halted because a trio of coronal mass ejections from the Sun created too high of a probability for strong geomagnetic storms.
The company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is now targeting liftoff from Launch Complex 36 during an 88-minute window that opens at 2:57 p.m. EST (1957 UTC).
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about three hours prior to liftoff.
The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance of liftoff during the window, citing no concerns for meteorological impacts that would prevent launch.
Teams were also watching for the lingering effects of the geomagnetic storms, placing them as a “moderate” risk to launch on Thursday.
On Tuesday afternoon, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecast a G4 Severe Watch connected to a coronal mass ejection first detected on Sunday, Nov. 9.
It noted that this is just the fourth G4 Watch issued this solar cycle, making it “very rare,” and added that impacts are expected “about midday on Nov. 12.”
“A CME is anticipated to arrive at and partially impact Earth around midday, 12 Nov; with the potential for elevated geomagnetic response and dependent upon the orientation of the embedded magnetic field, potential exists for Severe Storm levels.”
In its latest update on Thursday morning, NOAA issued an extended warning for “Proton 10MeV Integral Flux above 10pfu.” This type of so-called Solar Proton Event or SPE for short can be harmful to spacecraft electronics.
Roughly three minutes after liftoff, Blue Origin will attempt to propel the first stage booster, named ‘Never Tell Me the Odds’, towards a landing on its barge, ‘Jacklyn’, which is staged about 375 miles (603.5 km) downrange of the launch pad.
The company attempted a similar landing with its first New Glenn booster, ‘So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance’, but it failed to properly relight the three gimbaling BE-4 engines for the reentry burn.
If all goes well, Blue Origin will become the second private company to perform a propulsive landing an orbital class rocket. It plans to reuse its boosters for up to 25 flights initially, assuming successful landings.
What’s onboard?
Nestled within the New Glenn’s 7 m (23 ft) payload fairings are the twin spacecraft that makeup NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission as well as a ride share communications technology demonstration from Viasat.
A little more than 33 minutes after liftoff, the two ESCAPADE satellites, Blue and Gold will deploy from a satellite adaptor called an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (ESPA) ring. Blue separates first and then Gold about 30 seconds later.
They are being released into a highly elliptical orbit, “just shy of Earth escape velocity,” Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a social media post on Nov. 9.
The twins will loiter in a novel so-called “kidney bean” shaped orbit around Lagrange Point 2 about a million miles from Earth for about a year.
They will then use the Earth for a gravity assist around fall 2026 to begin a roughly 11-month journey to the Red Planet.
They will arrive at Mars roughly two days apart when they will each perform a Mars insertion burn to enter into an elliptical orbit that will slowly be lowered into their target science orbit.
They will be studying Mars’ magnetosphere to learn more about how it’s been influenced by space weather over time.
The other payload onboard New Glenn from Viasat will remain fixed to the upper stage and be activated about five minutes after the deployment of the second ESCAPADE spacecraft.
This is a demonstration of Viasat’s InRange launch telemetry relay solution, which is part of the company’s work under the NASA Communications Services Project.
“InRange is a specific launch telemetry data relay service designed to support launch providers with responsive, real-time data transmission during launch using Viasat’s L-band network,” a Viasat spokesperson told Spaceflight Now in a statement.
“This is a separate solution from Viasat’s high-capacity Ka-band data relay capability (i.e. Real-Time Space Relay), which is also being developed and will separately be demonstrated as part of our NASA CSP program work.”
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/11/13/live-coverage-blue-origin-to-launch-nasas-escapade-following-scrubs-from-clouds-space-weather/
https://www.blueorigin.com/missions/ng-2
https://www.youtube.com/@blueorigin
https://x.com/blueorigin
Finch AI Solutions Available on the NASA SEWP Contract
Nov 12, 2025, 12:40 ET
Finch AI, a leading developer of powerful AI-enabled solutions for government and commercial enterprises, today announced that its products are accessible to customers via the NASA SEWP (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement) GWAC (Government-Wide Acquisition Contract) contracting vehicle via technology reseller, Carahsoft.
"We are thrilled to be able to offer this additional purchasing vehicle to customers," Finch AI Chief Executive Officer Steve Baldwin said.
"We aspire to offer a customer experience that is easy and seamless, right from the start, and this vehicle gives us yet another way to do that."
Finch AI currently offers two innovative, AI-driven products.
They include Finch for Text, which is an entity intelligence solution that leverages our proprietary approach to semantic understanding and a retrieval augmented generation pipeline to provide a non-negotiable base layer for getting data ready for use in AI applications; and Finch Analyst, which is an AI-powered discovery and exploration surface where users can interact with their data and the inherent relationships within it from a single pane of glass.
The NASA SEWP contract is designed to provide the latest in Information Technology, Communication and Audio Visual (ITC/AV) products and services for all Federal Agencies and their approved contractors.
The SEWP Program enables NASA and all Federal Agencies to efficiently and effectively acquire mission critical solutions and services via a suite of contracts encompassing a diversity of business sizes and offerings.
The vehicle's customized reporting, streamlined procurement processes, innovative applications, premier customer service, acquisition insight and Government/Industry partnership deliver the Best-in-Class value for the Federal Government.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finch-ai-solutions-available-on-the-nasa-sewp-contract-302613410.html
https://www.carahsoft.com/sewp
FAA Issues New Emergency Order; Commercial Space Launch Hours Affected
November 13, 2025
Now that the federal shutdown is over, the FAA has issued a new Emergency Order that replaces the one issued November 7th.
This new order makes the limitation on the hours during which commercial space launches can occur more or less permanent, stating that it will be “continuing until this Order is cancelled”.
Background
On November 7, 2025 the FAA issued an emergency order to impose operating limitations on U.S. airspace to protect safety of the national air‐traffic system, due to staffing and other disruptions in air traffic control centers.
This new November 12 order cancels and replaces that November 7 order. It took effect at 6AM this morning.
Effect On Space
Under section IV.b.3 of the Order: For commercial space launches and re‑entries, beginning November 13, 2025 at 6:00 a.m. EST and until further notice, the FAA is ordering that commercial space launches and re‑entries will only be permitted between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM local time.
This is justified by the FAA as necessary “to accommodate reduced ATC services” and “ensure the safety of aircraft and the efficient use of airspace” in a time of stress for the system.
From a policy perspective, this event might raise questions within the industry: Will the FAA lift or modify this restriction once staffing/ATC stability improves?
The document states the FAA will continue to monitor and may amend the order. How resilient is the air traffic control system as commercial space operations ramp up? Should space launches have separate contingency mechanisms?
Does the field need more dedicated corridor management to reduce the impact of conventional aviation staffing issues on daytime launches? And most importantly, who would pay for all of those changes, if they were made?
For the time being, commercial space operators may have fewer launch windows, more schedule uncertainty, and potential added costs that will almost certainly be passed on to their customers.
https://talkoftitusville.com/2025/11/13/faa-issues-new-emergency-order-commercial-space-launch-hours-affected/
https://talkoftitusville.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Emergency-Order-Cancellation-Replacement-11-12-25.pdf
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/A_close-up_look_br_at_the_first_metal_br_part_made_in_space
A close-up look at the first metal part made in space
13/11/2025
This February, the first-ever metal part 3D-printed in space landed on Earth.
Produced in the European Space Agency’s Metal 3D Printer Technology Demonstrator on the International Space Station, it is now in the hands of ESA’s engineers at ESTEC, the agency’s technical centre in the Netherlands, who poke and prod it to understand how microgravity affected its printing process.
With future missions venturing deeper into space, in-orbit manufacturing will become essential.
Tailoring existing 3D printing methods to reliably function in microgravity will allow astronauts to manufacture tools or replacement parts for repairs without depending on costly resupply missions.
In January 2024, ESA launched the first metal 3D printer to the International Space Station (ISS).
This technology demonstrator was developed by an Airbus-led industrial team and installed in the ISS Columbus module by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen.
Only a few months after installation, the device created a 2D single-layer track in the shape of an ‘S’ during calibration.
Space metal brought down to Earth
Producing these simple 2D shapes prepared the demonstrator for the printing of its very first complete sample, which has since travelled from the ISS all the way to ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands.
Here, materials engineers are busy examining, cutting and bending the piece of space metal to understand if and how microgravity affected the printing process.
“We are comparing this metal part with an identically shaped one created here on Earth, using the same printer before it was shipped to the ISS,” explains Caterina Iantaffi, ESA’s materials engineer.
“What we are looking for are differences attributable to different gravity levels. This will also help us learn how a metal 3D printer in space should be operated.”
Rob Postema, ESA’s technical officer of the project, recounts the unboxing moment:
“When the first printed sample arrived at ESTEC and we carefully removed it from the transport container and protective packaging, it felt like we were unpacking a Christmas present.
It was a wonderful and exciting experience to open the box and find a very well-printed first sample that has come all the way from the International Space Station, and to ensure it was properly handed over to ESTEC engineers for post-processing.”
Printing the future layer by layer
Both metal parts were 3D-printed using Laser-Wire Directed Energy Deposition, a common and well-studied additive manufacturing technique.
“In this technique, a near-infrared laser serves as a localised heat source that melts a stainless-steel substrate and wire,” says Caterina.
“By focusing the laser on a small spot, a ‘melt pool’ of material is formed. The metal wire is continuously fed into this pool, where it melts.
"As the wire and laser move relative to the substrate, the molten material behind the laser beam solidifies. By following a programmed path, the process builds up the part, layer by layer, into the desired shape.”
1/2
A peek inside
Caterina’s inspection of the first metal made in space began at a microscope – this first look through a magnifying lens allowed her to see any ridges and imperfections on the surface of the metal more clearly.
The next step was a CT scan, during which the metal sample rotated in a machine while being scanned using X-rays.
This thorough examination resulted in a 3D digital model revealing the inside of the sample, allowing the researchers to identify the size and location of any pores (air bubbles).
Stretched, bent and snapped
In a process called machining, the individual parts that make up the full metal sample – three larger, dog-bone-shaped ones and three smaller cylindrical ones – were separated from the base, and their 'skin' was removed, leaving them with a very smooth surface.
Each of the three larger samples was sprayed with paint to create a fine randomised speckle pattern on its surface.
This pattern was scanned as the testing machine gripped each end of the sample and pulled until it snapped.
Caterina explains: “As the sample was being stretched, the speckle pattern deformed accordingly, allowing us to assess the strain of the material.
The smaller samples were tested in a similar way, but by bending instead of stretching.”
First of a kind
“We will now take a close look at the data generated from testing the sample and compare it with the sample printed on Earth,” Caterina comments.
“In the coming months, we will publish our findings to share them with the wider scientific community.”
“For a materials engineer, getting to inspect the very first metal object 3D-printed in space is both thrilling and inspiring,” she adds.
“It is a truly remarkable milestone for the additive manufacturing field, and I am grateful to have played a small part alongside many talented colleagues.”
Rob concludes: “We will use the lessons we learn from this first initiative to design a printer which could be used to provide spare parts for actual use.
For this, we will not only look at improving the printer and its performance but also consider the pre-processing of stock materials and post-processing of the printed sample.”
Advenit Makaya, ESA’s advanced manufacturing engineer supporting the project, adds:
“This first metal part is the achievement of a great collaboration.
It is also one more step towards a future where manufacturing in space will be an integral part of sustainable space activities – where what we need, from tools to large spacecraft structures, can be made, repaired and recycled directly when we need it.”
2/2
https://medium.com/@davidsereda/the-invisible-planet-that-eluded-everyone-d656e94923b5
https://www.youtube.com/@DavidSereda
The INVISIBLE Planet that eluded EVERYONE!
November 11, 2025
“So you think we can tell, Heaven from hell, blue skies from pain” — Pink Floyd
Geocentric Model
In the 2nd Century, an astronomer named Ptolemy suggested that the Earth was at the centre of the Solar System — this is the geocentric model. However, we later found to not be true.
“Not to be true” — can you believe that? And TODAY, if you tell astronomers they are just as BLIND as Ptolemy WAS, they are ready to cut off your head and mine!
The solar system continues to be a great mystery, and the clues, those little clues it leaves us like bread crumbs and we keep dismissing, dismissing because astronomers closed the book on the solar system, espcially the inner solar system!
Heliocentric Model
In the 16th century, Nicolas Copernicus then suggested the Sun was at the centre of the Solar System instead of Earth — this is the heliocentric model. With more observations, we found this model to be correct.
This lead us to discover nine planets orbiting the Sun. However, it was later stated that Pluto did not meet the full criteria to be a planet. It was then reclassified as a dwarf planet, leaving us with eight planets.
Really, now “we found this model to be correct?”
After looking at the observers testimony for the miracle of the sun at Fatima and the dimming of the sun during the apparitions of the Holy Mother that was appearing to the 3 small children at Fatima, Portugal in 1917, I always wondered why no astronomer believed the 100,000 + witnesses and thought of the “obvious” possibility that an UNKNOWN planet had obstructed the sun in an annular eclipse — because that is what the data appears to present.
The inner solar system planets, between earth and the sun, Mercury and Venus “Transit” the sun in periods of time. Venus transits come in pairs, and then those pairs return in a cycle. Mercury transits don’t come in pairs.
Was there a Mercury or Venus transit in 1917, that might explain the miracle of the sun, October 13, 1917? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Mercury
There was no Mercury transit in 1917. The closest ones were November 7, 1914 and May 8, 1924.
Was there a Venus transit in 1917? No, there was not. This is getting difficult.
Cardinal Federico Tedeschini, speaking at Fátima on 13 October 1951, told the crowd that Pope Pius XII had seen a phenomenon like the Fatima “Miracle of the Sun” from the Vatican gardens on 30 Oct, 31 Oct, 1 Nov and 8 Nov 1950.
The assertion appears in contemporary press coverage and has been repeated in Catholic and popular histories; the pope’s own brief handwritten note(s) about seeing a similar phenomenon in 1950 are also cited by later writers and were reported in connection with Vatican material shown/mentioned in the 2000s.
What the sources say (key points with citations)
Cardinal Tedeschini’s 13 Oct 1951 statement at Fátima
Multiple accounts record that at the Mass/gathering on 13 October 1951 the papal legate Cardinal Federico Tedeschini told the crowd that Pius XII had seen a Fatima-like solar phenomenon on 30 Oct, 31 Oct, 1 Nov and 8 Nov 1950. This line is quoted in modern summaries and appears in coverage of the Fátima anniversary
However, Pope Pius XII, in 1950 witnessed the same phenomenon as the miracle of the sun. So, I ask, was there a Mercury or Venus Transit in 1950? Yes, there was, but just for Mercury!
Date: 7 November 1950
Type: Transit of Mercury across the Sun
Visibility: Good visibility across Europe — including Italy (where Pope Pius XII was located in the Vatican).
Timing: Occurred about one week after the period in which Pius XII reportedly saw the “Miracle of the Sun” from the Vatican gardens (30–31 Oct, 1 Nov, and 8 Nov 1950).
That’s a striking coincidence — the Mercury transit happened right at the end of those same dates connected to Pius XII’s reported visions, HOWEVER, he is seeing it October 30–31, November 1 — all dates BEFORE the Mercury Transit, which was on November 7, 1950 — so what he SAW could not have been the Mercury transit and what he SAW November 8 could not have been the Mercury Transit.
The ocular description of what he SAW appear to be the “transiting” of an unknown solar system body!
This CLUE is so astounding because it shows Pope Pius XII witnessing what appears to be a transit, and in his own words:
“The sun, which was still quite high, looked like a pale, opaque sphere, entirely surrounded by a luminous circle,” he recounted. And one could look at the sun, “without the slightest bother. There was a very light little cloud in front of it.”
1/2
The Holy Father’s note goes on to describe “the opaque sphere” that “moved outward slightly, either spinning, or moving from left to right and vice versa. But within the sphere, you could see marked movements with total clarity and without interruption.”
What is peculiar is that these events, the Miracle of the Sun October 13, 1917 and Pope Pius XII witness to a transiting body October 30-November 1 are 33 years apart in TIME!
Now that is amazing, first, because we know another event at has a span of 33 years in TIME where 2 bodies appeared:
Jesus was born with the appearance of “the Star of Bethlehem” and 33 years later there was a space of about 3 hours of darkness on the cross!
If we look at the David&Crystal Sereda MODEL of the hyper-dimensional solar system, we can see Planet Seraphim orbits the sun every 32.93 days of earth time.
So when 33 years pass on earth, planet Seraphim goes around the sun 365 times. Our two positions inverse proportional to the Golden Ratio formula from planet 591 — Dominions!
33 years is the time span of the life of Jesus Christ! Now, we are getting close to an answer to the miracle of the sun at Fatima and Pope Pius XII’s vision 33 years later.
Guess how long transits of Venus take to cross the sun? They both take 6 to 7 hours approximately!
A solar eclipse of the moon takes no more than 7 minutes. Now, we will see that the “Miracle of the Sun” at Fatima, Portugal, October 13, 1917 lasted
The Miracle of the Sun at Fátima, Portugal, on 13 October 1917, reportedly lasted about 10 to 12 minutes — though some witnesses described it as shorter or longer, depending on their vantage point and attention.
Here’s a detailed summary from primary and historical sources
Timeframe:
The event occurred around noon local time (solar time, roughly 1:00 PM by the clocks of the day). After a period of rain, the clouds broke, and the “miracle” began.
Duration according to witnesses:
Most eyewitness accounts (such as those collected by Dr. José Maria de Almeida Garrett, a professor at Coimbra University, and by Avelino de Almeida, reporter for O Século) describe it lasting about 10 minutes.
Some others, including Canon Formigão and Father Manuel Pereira de Faria, suggested it lasted around 8 to 12 minutes.
A few witnesses reported a shorter experience (about 5–6 minutes) as the Sun seemed to “dance,” change colors, and emit radiant light over the crowd.
What witnesses described:
The Sun appeared as a disk of silver that could be gazed at without hurting the eyes.
It began to spin or dance in the sky, emitting multicolored light.
Then it appeared to plunge toward the Earth, causing fear among many spectators.
The wet ground and clothes of the crowd were reported to dry almost instantly afterward.
We have to note that the first date of Fatima is when the Holy Mother appears to the 3 children, May 13, 1917, which is in harmony to planet 139.516 in my model, because Christmas, December 25 (3 days after Winter Solstice) to May 13 = 139 days!
The reports tell of the dimming of the sun during these apparitions that occur on the 13th day of each month staring May 13, 1917 to October 13, 1917 for the final Miracle of the Sun event witnessed by over 100,000 persons.
The Miracle of the Sun at Fátima on October 13, 1917, lasted approximately 10 minutes, according to the majority of documented eyewitness reports. This is where real math has to take place to resolve this position!
The duration of the miracle of the sun climax is approximately 10–12 minutes from various reports, but that is epicentre. The dimming of the sun occurred periodically during the total span of 153 days Starting May 13 to October 13, 1917.
3I/Atlas has been one amazing journey to look at the data, because I revealed evidence of a solar system body obscuring by the sun as a hidden possible black cube at the 591 position. That story is getting deeper.
With May 13, 1917 being the FIRST date of Fatima “apparitions” to the 3 children, I realized this is a date for Jesus’ Ascension, which occurs 39–40 days after easter every year.
Acts 1:11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Of course, the Apostles touched his body and knew he was still physical when he ascended, but where did he go? You cannot breathe above 15,000 feet.
Ascension Day occurs 40 days after Easter Sunday, always on a Thursday.
To find when it falls on May 13, we look for years in which Easter Sunday is April 4, since April 4 + 39 days = May 13.
Easter Sunday fell (or will fall) on April 4 in these years (Gregorian calendar):
2/2
ESI Motion Launches “SatBat,” a Revolutionary Space-Rated Battery Set to Redefine Power Systems in Low Earth Orbit
November 13, 2025
ESI Motion, a leader in advanced motion and power solutions, proudly announces the release of its next-generation space-rated satellite battery, SatBat, engineered to deliver unmatched performance and durability in the harshest orbital environments.
With integrated Heater and Battery Management System, SatBat transforms how spacecraft store and manage power in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Developed using ESI Motion’s proven expertise in radiation-tolerant electronics and high-efficiency energy management, SatBat offers unmatched power density, thermal stability, and intelligent battery control, establishing a new standard for space power systems.
At half the weight of a typical space Lithium-Ion battery, the SatBat provides twice the useable capacity and twice the life.
This battery has been optimized for the High Life Cycles of LEO Orbit while retaining 98% of its original capacity after 4-Year LEO mission.
“SatBat represents a major leap in spacecraft energy technology,” said Earnie Beem, President & CTO at ESI Motion.
“As satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit continue to grow, SatBat provides the reliability, performance, and scalability required to power the next generation of commercial and government missions.”
Key Features and Innovations
High Power Density: Maximizes available energy while minimizing weight and footprint.
Integrated Battery Management System (BMS): Integrated diagnostics, autonomous protection, and health monitoring for optimal performance.
Radiation-Tolerant Design: Built to thrive in harsh orbital environments.
Modular, Scalable Architecture: Adaptable to CubeSats, smallsats, and large satellite platforms.
Along with the integrated Battery Management System, SatBat includes an integrated heater which allows charge/discharge at -30°C without damage.
Other options for SatBat include telemetry interface, integrated DC-DC converter and internal charge system.
SatBat’s all-in-one approach reduces your design reduces payload strain and significantly lowers launch costs—where every saved kilogram represents an average savings of $3,000 USD.
This efficiency maximizes available power for any space mission.
Designed to improve power efficiency, reduce launch mass, and extend mission lifetimes, SatBat is poised to revolutionize spacecraft power storage and management — a critical advancement for operators in the rapidly expanding LEO satellite market.
SatBat will be on display at Space Tech Expo Europe, where attendees can explore how the company’s latest technology will reshape energy systems across the space industry.
https://spacenews.com/esi-motion-launches-satbat-a-revolutionary-space-rated-battery-set-to-redefine-power-systems-in-low-earth-orbit/
https://esimotion.com/
ESA ships Artemis 4 Orion service module to NASA after Trump tried to cancel it
November 13, 2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has completed the service module for NASA's Orion spaceship, which is meant to take the nearly cancelled Artemis 4 mission to the moon.
The module, which is supposed to be shipped to NASA this week, was nearly not needed after the Trump administration revealed plans to discontinue Orion and its rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), after the Artemis 3 mission in 2027.
Trump's $18.8 billion NASA budget proposal for 2026, introduced in May, proposed sweeping cuts and changes to the agency's current programs. NASA's lunar exploration program was one of around 40 projects selected for funding reduction.
The Trump administration signaled that it sought to replace the NASA-made SLS rocket and the Orion spaceship with commercial alternatives after the completion of Artemis 3.
It also wanted to eliminate the Lunar Gateway, a station designed to orbit the moon and serve as a base for sorties to the moon’s surface.
But the mission was salvaged by a last minute addition to the Big, Beautiful Bill, spearheaded by Texas Senator Ted Cruz. The Big Beautiful Bill, passed in July, secured funding for both the Lunar Gateway and further Orion and SLS flights beyond Artemis 3.
Although the original version of the bill didn’t address NASA, later versions eventually provided $2.6 billion to build the Lunar Gateway, $41.1 billion for SLS to launch Artemis 4, and 5 and $20 million for a new Orion capsule to be used on Artemis 4 and subsequent launches.
ESA said in a statement that the Artemis 4 Orion service module would begin its journey across the Atlantic Ocean "in a few days" to head to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for further integration.
In 2021, ESA paid a consortium of European companies 650 million euros ($791 million) to produce Orion service modules for Artemis missions 4, 5 and 6.
The service module is an expendable part of the Orion space ship that provides propulsion, electricity and atmosphere regeneration during the trip to the moon and back.
ESA is building the technology as part of a barter agreement with NASA in exchange for the American agency providing seats on launch vehicles to take European astronauts to the International Space Station.
ESA has previously delivered three Orion service modules to NASA. Only the first of the three has so far made it to space — the one that powered the Artemis 1 uncrewed test mission in December 2022.
Artemis 2 is scheduled to deliver the first human crew since the Apollo era to the moon's orbit in April next year. Artemis 3, planned for 2027, is expected to carry the Starship HLS lander to enable a human return to the moon's surface.
Artemis 4 is expected to launch in 2028 with another crew tasked with a lunar landing. The mission will also deliver the Lunar I-Hab, a habitation module for the planned Gateway station, into the moon's orbit.
"[The European Service Module 4] will play a key role as the Artemis 4 mission is due to deliver the International Habitation Module (Lunar I-Hab) of the Lunar Gateway space station," Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA's Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, said in the statement.
"This state-of-the-art hardware, developed by Airbus Defence and Space and its subcontractors across Europe, demonstrates our ability to contribute to major international partnerships."
The Trump 2026 NASA budget, widely criticized and described as the smallest NASA budget since 1961, introduces wide-ranging cuts and cancellations of space and Earth science missions.
Additional ESA projects carried out in collaboration with NASA are on the line including the Venus explorer Envision and the gravitational wave space detector LISA.
The Trump budget, however, is facing opposition in Congress, which is rumored to be working on a competing proposal that might restore most of the funding.
On the other hand, insider reports have indicated that NASA leadership is aggressively pushing for reforms, job cuts and project cancellations to implement Trump's vision even ahead of a formal budget approval.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/esa-ships-artemis-4-orion-service-module-to-nasa-after-trump-tried-to-cancel-it
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/European_Service_Module-4_is_ready_to_sail#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=e431dfe8-253f-4758-9f32-05e02dc20000
Scientists find a surprising twist in Earth's magnetic field
November 13, 2025
Scientists studying Earth's magnetic field have discovered that its electric heartbeat flows in the opposite direction from what long-standing models predict.
Earth is surrounded by a vast magnetic bubble called the magnetosphere, which shields the planet from the solar wind, the stream of charged particles constantly blowing from the sun.
When the solar wind collides with Earth's magnetic field, it stirs up electric currents and magnetic forces that drive space weather, from record-breaking auroras to storms capable of disrupting satellites, power grids and communications.
For decades, scientists believed that the magnetosphere has a simple electrical layout, with the positive charge on the morning ("dawn") side of Earth and negative charge on the evening ("dusk") side, reflecting how electric fields normally push charged particles from positive to negative regions. But new satellite data and computer simulations show that the picture is more complex — and partly upside down.
A team led by Yusuke Ebihara, who is a professor in the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere at Kyoto University in Japan, found that the morning side of the magnetosphere actually carries a negative charge, while the evening side is positive.
The findings, described in a paper published earlier this year in the Journal of Geophysical Research:
Space Physics, refine scientists' understanding of how electric and magnetic forces flow through Earth's space environment — insights that could improve space weather forecasting and the protection of technology in orbit and on the ground.
To arrive at their conclusions, Ebihara and his team analyzed data from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, mission, which investigates how solar energy explosively transfers into near-Earth space by studying how the sun's and Earth's magnetic fields connect and disconnect.
This process, called magnetic reconnection, explosively releases solar energy into near-Earth space, fueling storms and auroras.
The researchers also ran detailed computer simulations to recreate conditions around Earth under a steady stream of solar wind.
The results confirmed that the poles behave as expected, but the regions near the equator are reversed, with opposite charge patterns spanning a wide area.
"In conventional theory, the charge polarity in the equatorial plane and above the polar regions should be the same," Ebihara said in a statement. "Why, then, do we see opposite polarities between these regions?"
This reversal, Ebihara added, can be explained by the movement of charged particles, rather than static electric buildup. When energy from the sun hits Earth's magnetic field, it causes plasma to swirl around the planet.
On the dusk side of Earth, that plasma flows clockwise and moves toward the poles. Meanwhile, Earth's magnetic field lines run from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere — upward near the equator and downward near the poles, according to the statement.
Because the plasma's motion and the magnetic field lines are oriented in opposite directions, their interaction changes the way electric charge builds up in different parts of the magnetosphere, creating the "reversal" scientists observed.
"The electric force and charge distribution are both results, not causes, of plasma motion," Ebihara said in the same statement.
By showing that different parts of the magnetosphere can behave in opposite ways, the study adds nuance to models of how energy from the sun enters Earth's upper atmosphere.
These findings could also shed light on the magnetic environments of other worlds, such as Jupiter and Saturn, whose giant magnetospheres interact with the solar wind in similar ways, scientists say.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/scientists-find-a-surprising-twist-in-earths-magnetic-field
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025JA033731
https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/research-news/2025-08-07
https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/scientists-solve-the-mystery-of-impossible-merger-of-forbidden-black-holes
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae0d81
Scientists solve the mystery of 'impossible' merger of 'forbidden' black holes
November 12, 2025
Scientists have gotten to the bottom of the mystery of an "impossible" merger between black holes that was detected via ripples in space-time called gravitational waves back in 2023.
The collision occurred around 7 billion light-years away and involved a smashup of two black holes that seemed to be forbidden, because of their enormous masses and the incredible rate at which they were spinning.
These black holes — with masses of 100 and 140 times that of the sun, and spinning at near the speed of light — shouldn't exist according to current theories of how "stellar mass black holes" form when massive stars collapse and explode as supernovae.
Researchers from the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) in New York tackled this puzzle by performing simulations that recreated this system's evolution through the lives of the progenitor stars, all the way to their supernova deaths.
This revealed a simple factor that hadn't been properly considered in the process before: magnetic fields.
"No one has considered these systems the way we did; previously, astronomers just took a shortcut and neglected the magnetic fields," team leader Ore Gottlieb, an astrophysicist at the CCA, said in a statement.
"But once you consider magnetic fields, you can actually explain the origins of this unique event."
Not so impossible?
The gravitational waves from this collision of "forbidden" black holes were "heard" by the Earth-based detectors LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA on Nov. 23, 2023, as Space.com reported in July this year.
Analysing this signal, designated GW231123, astronomers were immediately puzzled by the existence of such massive and rapidly spinning black holes.
That's because the stars that could die to leave behind stellar mass black holes as massive as these should end their lives with a specific type of supernova called a "pair-instability supernova" that's so violent that nothing remains, not even a black hole.
"As a result of these supernovae, we don't expect black holes to form between roughly 70 to 140 times the mass of the sun," Gottlieb explained. "So, it was puzzling to see black holes with masses inside this gap."
1/2
Black holes can exist within that mass gap as the result of a previous merger between black holes, but researchers ruled this out for the black holes involved in the collision that sent the signal GW231123 rippling through space.
That's because mergers are disruptive to the spin of the created "daughter" black hole, but the two black holes involved in this merger were still spinning at near the speed of light, at the maximum speed at which black holes can rotate.
Thus, researchers concluded that something other than prior mergers must account for the tremendous masses of the progenitor black holes.
Gottlieb and colleagues began investigating what this mechanism could be by first simulating a giant star with a mass of around 250 times that of the sun, which they tracked through its evolution right up until its supernova death.
They found that, by this end stage, the star had burned through so much of its fuel that it had "slimmed down" to 150 solar masses. That left it small enough to leave behind a black hole after it went supernova.
The team then ran another, more complex simulation, factoring in magnetic fields that play a role in the aftermath of the supernova.
This second model began with supernova remnants in the shape of a cloud of leftover stellar material intertwined with magnetic fields. At the heart of this wreckage sat a black hole.
Prior to this research, scientists had assumed that the entire mass of this remnant material would be consumed by the newborn black hole.
As a consequence, the mass of that black hole would grow to match the mass of the massive progenitor star. However, the team's simulations showed something different happening.
What Gottlieb and colleagues observed instead was that, after the collapse of a nonrotating star to form a black hole, leftover material does indeed quickly fall into the black hole.
But if the progenitor star is spinning rapidly, this stellar wreckage forms a rotating, flattened cloud around the newborn black hole that causes it to spin faster and faster as more and more material is fed to it.
In the presence of magnetic fields, the disk of debris experiences pressure strong enough to blast some of the leftover matter away from the black hole at nearly the speed of light.
This outflow of material reduces the mass of the disk feeding the black hole, and the stronger the magnetic fields involved, the more rapidly this platter of stellar material is carried away from the black hole.
If the magnetic fields are powerful enough, half of the star's initial mass can be blasted away. The net result: a weak magnetic field results in less deprivation of matter and a final black hole that sits within the mass gap.
"We found the presence of rotation and magnetic fields may fundamentally change the post-collapse evolution of the star, making black hole mass potentially significantly lower than the total mass of the collapsing star," Gottlieb said.
Beyond offering a solution to the puzzle of this "impossible" merger, the team's simulations suggest a connection between the mass of a black hole and the rate at which it spins via the strength of the magnetic fields around it.
Strong magnetic fields may result in lighter and slower-spinning black holes, while weaker magnetic fields could result in more massive and more rapidly spinning black holes.
The research may also suggest a way for astronomers to test this connection. The team found that the creation of these mass-gap black holes is associated with a burst of gamma rays, which are detectable.
Should such a detection be made, scientists will have made a major step forward in our understanding of black holes.
2/2
https://www.rt.com/russia/627713-energygate-corruption-scandal-ukraine/
Ukraine’s ‘EnergyGate’ scandal explained: Why it spells danger for Vladimir Zelensky
12 Nov, 2025 22:05
Ukraine’s anti-corruption detectives have opened Pandora’s Box.
What started as a routine audit of the nuclear energy monopoly Energoatom has spiraled into a full-scale probe into embezzlement, implicating ministers, businessmen – and the man long known as Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s personal “wallet.”
The affair now raises the question of how much longer the formally acting but no longer legitimate president can maintain control over his own system.
The case that shook Kiev’s establishment
This week, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) raided the homes of several senior officials and businessmen, including Timur Mindich – a longtime friend and financial backer of Zelensky, whom Ukrainian media openly call the president’s “wallet.”
Mindich fled the country before investigators arrived, while several of his associates have been detained.
The operation, code-named Midas, uncovered what investigators describe as a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme centered on Energoatom.
According to NABU, officials demanded bribes of between 10% and 15% from private contractors supplying or building protective infrastructure for power facilities.
Those who refused allegedly faced blocked payments or exclusion from tenders.
Wiretaps obtained by NABU include over a thousand hours of recorded conversations – excerpts of which have been released.
In them, individuals identified by code names Carlson, Professor, Rocket, and Tenor discuss distributing kickbacks, pressuring business partners, and profiting from projects tied to nuclear plant protection during wartime.
Ukrainian media, citing NABU sources, claim Carlson is Mindich himself, while Professor refers to Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who has since resigned.
The money trail and the missing “wallet”
NABU investigators allege that about $100 million passed through offshore accounts and shell companies abroad. Part of the funds were laundered through an office in central Kiev linked to state contract proceeds.
Mindich and several partners allegedly oversaw the network via intermediaries: Tenor – a former prosecutor turned Energoatom security chief – and Rocket, a one-time adviser to the energy minister.
When the raids began, Mindich fled Ukraine with financier Mikhail Zuckerman, believed to have helped run the scheme.
While five people have been arrested, the alleged mastermind remains at large.
NABU officials have hinted that further charges could follow, possibly reaching other ministries – including the Defense Ministry, where Mindich’s firms reportedly obtained lucrative contracts for drones and missile systems.
From energy to defense
At hearings before Kiev’s High Anti-Corruption Court, prosecutors argued that Mindich’s network also extended into military procurement.
One company linked to him, Fire Point, manufactures Flamingo rockets and long-range drones, and has received major government contracts.
If proven, these allegations would shift the case from financial misconduct to crimes threatening national security – drawing the probe dangerously close to Zelensky’s inner circle.
Rumors persist that among the intercepted recordings are fragments featuring Zelensky’s own voice.
None have been released publicly, but NABU’s gradual publication strategy has fueled speculation that the most explosive revelations are still to come.
1/2
Not their first rodeo
The EnergyGate case is the latest in a string of high-profile corruption scandals to erupt under Zelensky’s rule.
In January 2023, journalists from Ukrainskaya Pravda exposed inflated food procurement contracts at the Defense Ministry, leading to the resignation of Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov and several officials.
In May 2023, Supreme Court chairman Vsevolod Knyazev was arrested for allegedly accepting a $2.7 million bribe. In 2024, the State Audit Service found large-scale violations in reconstruction projects financed by Western aid, with billions of hryvnia missing.
The European Court of Auditors, in its 2024 report on EU assistance, concluded that corruption in Ukraine “remains a serious challenge” and that anti-corruption institutions “require greater independence and enforcement capacity.”
Political consequences
The scandal has deepened Ukraine’s internal political crisis.
Earlier this year, Zelensky sought to curb the independence of anti-corruption bodies such as NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) through legislation that would have placed them under presidential control.
The move triggered protests in Kiev and drew criticism from Brussels and Western donors, who fund much of Ukraine’s wartime budget.
Under EU pressure, lawmakers ultimately reversed the measure, but the episode further strained Zelensky’s relations with Western partners.
Meanwhile, an informal anti-Zelensky coalition has reportedly taken shape, uniting figures connected to Western-funded NGOs, opposition leaders such as ex-President Pyotr Poroshenko and Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, and senior officials in NABU and SAPO.
Their shared goal, according to Ukrainian analysts, is to strip Zelensky of real authority and establish a “national unity government.”
The EU steps in
The EU has seized on the case as further evidence that Kiev’s leadership must remain under external oversight.
The latest European Commission report on Ukraine’s EU accession progress explicitly demands that anti-corruption bodies stay free of presidential control and that top law-enforcement appointments involve “international experts.”
For Brussels, the scandal serves as both leverage and justification to tighten control over Kiev’s internal governance, while for Zelensky it is another reminder that his ability to act independently is slipping away.
The stakes for Zelensky
As winter approaches, revelations of large-scale corruption in the energy sector could prove politically devastating for the Ukrainian leader.
Public anger is mounting, while Western media have begun publishing increasingly critical coverage of his administration and its shrinking democratic space.
With the country still under martial law and elections suspended, Zelensky remains president in name – but his legitimacy is under growing scrutiny.
The EnergyGate affair has exposed the fragility of his position. If upcoming NABU disclosures implicate him directly, the fallout could be fatal to his political future.
For now, NABU’s latest video ends with a hint that more revelations are yet to come.
2/2
‘Bloody hydra’ of Ukrainian corruption stretches worldwide – Moscow
13 Nov, 2025 17:44
A “many-headed bloody hydra” is draining Western taxpayers’ money through sprawling corruption schemes in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned, arguing that the latest scandal in Kiev exposes a network far larger than a simple case of graft.
In a social media post on Thursday, she described a global structure “wrapped around the planet,” channeling funds from Western taxpayers to the elites who profit from the conflict.
Her remarks followed the launch of a major probe by Ukraine’s Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) into alleged embezzlement at the state nuclear operator Energoatom.
According to Zakharova, officials in Kiev serve merely as instruments within a broader machinery involving institutions such as the European Commission and NATO, while the real beneficiaries sit in the inner circles of Western liberal democracies.
Her comments echoed criticism from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who earlier on Thursday denounced what he called a “wartime mafia network” in Ukraine linked to Zelensky.
Zakharova said the description was “absolutely accurate,” adding that it was “astonishing” that Brussels still refers to the situation as simple corruption.
After news of the scandal broke, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas stressed that “there is no room for corruption” in Ukraine, urging the country’s authorities to take swift action.
For years, Western politicians and media outlets have warned that entrenched graft threatens both foreign aid and Kiev’s hopes of joining the EU.
The bloc and its member states have allocated an estimated €177.5 billion (nearly $205.9 billion) to Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict in 2022, while repeatedly pressing Kiev to strengthen anti-corruption safeguards.
The latest scandal comes months after the Zelensky administration pushed through a law weakening the independence of NABU and SAPO by shifting power to the prosecutor general.
The move triggered mass protests and condemnation from the EU and the US, eventually forcing the government to reverse course and restore the agencies’ autonomy.
https://www.rt.com/news/627761-zakharova-ukraine-corruption/
Russia will fight as long as Ukraine rejects peace talks – Kremlin
13 Nov, 2025 14:54
Ukraine’s reluctance to engage in dialogue leaves Russia no choice but to continue toward achieving its goals by military means, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa told The Times on Tuesday that Kiev has “abandoned” direct talks with Moscow following three rounds of talks in Istanbul, as they made “little progress.” There have been no meetings since late July.
Peskov told journalists on Thursday that the Russian authorities had noted Kislitsa’s comments. “They are important. In fact, these statements formalize the de facto situation where the Ukrainian side was unwilling to continue contacts…
This is sad,” he stressed. “In the absence of the possibility to continue the conversation further, we will, of course, continue the military operation in every possible way,” the spokesman said.
Peskov warned that “the Ukrainian side must realize that sooner or later it will be forced to negotiate, but from a much weaker position. The Kiev regime’s position will be worsening every day.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that over 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen had been surrounded in Kupyansk and in the Krasnoarmeysk-Dimitrov (Pokrovsk-Mirnograd) area in Donbass.
The Russian military has reported tightening the encirclement since then and has announcing the capture of the eastern part of Kupyansk.
Peskov added that “Russia really wants peace.
Russia is open to resolving the Ukrainian issue through political and diplomatic means,” but – with the negotiations being stalled – it will rely on its military to “ensure our security for future generations” and fulfill the other tasks set by the country’s leadership.
Moscow has maintained throughout the conflict that any deal with Kiev must address the root causes of the crisis and include guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, along with the country’s demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of the territorial realities on the ground.
https://www.rt.com/russia/627752-ukraine-peace-talks-peskov/
https://www.rt.com/russia/627586-battle-world-is-watching-pokrovsk/
Explosions in Russia's Oryol Oblast following reported Ukrainian missile and drone attacks
November 13, 2025 10:08 am
Explosions were reported in the Russian city of Oryol overnight on Nov. 13 as authorities simultaneously declared missile and drone threats in the region, according to local residents and Russian media.
A brief shelter-in-place alert was issued around 4:30 a.m., followed by loud noises and strong blasts that residents captured on video, including footage of debris falling into a residential area.
Local online communities said air defense systems were active and claimed several aerial targets were destroyed, while residents reported unidentified drones in the sky.
"Several cars and the windows of balconies in apartment buildings and private homes were damaged," Oryol Oblast Governor Andrey Klychkov wrote. "At this time, there is no information about casualties."
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on Telegram that Ukrainian forces conducted overnight strikes on Russian territory using Flamingo missiles and other domestically produced systems. It is not specified what exactly was used in the attack on Oryol.
Oryol has multiple oil depots and a military base used to launch Shahed drones toward Ukraine. The region lies roughly 150 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports at the time of publication.
Ukraine regularly targets military and industrial facilities in Russia and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. On Nov. 11, Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Russia's city of Orsk, Orenburg Oblast.
According to the General Staff, the attack targeted Orsknefteorgsintez, a refinery that produces over 30 types of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, and oils.
https://kyivindependent.com/explosions-in-russias-oryol-oblast-following-reported-ukrainian-missile-and-drone-attacks/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37306751/fire-rain-russia-oryol-putin-territory-ukrainian-drone-blitz/
other Russia and Ukraine
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/11/13/in-response-to-drone-attacks-russia-activates-reserve-oil-capacity/
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukrainian-unmanned-forces-destroy-russian-1763041420.html
https://defensemirror.com/news/40526
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/11/13/8007112/
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2025/11/13/russia-s-orsk-refinery-was-shut-by-technical-issue-before-ukraine-drone-attack-sources
IDF says it struck Hezbollah weapons depot, underground site in Lebanon
13 November, 2025 12:31
The IDF says it carried out airstrikes against a Hezbollah weapons depot and an adjacent underground site belonging to the terror group in southern Lebanon earlier this morning, Report informs referring to The Times of Israel.
The infrastructure was located next to a public sports and leisure center, "serving as yet another example of Hezbollah's cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields for its operations conducted from within civilian areas," the military says.
Another Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon was also targeted in an airstrike this morning, the IDF adds.
The military says Hezbollah is continuing its efforts to restore its infrastructure in Lebanon, and the presence of such sites and the terror group's activity in the area "constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."
https://report.az/en/other-countries/idf-says-it-struck-hezbollah-weapons-depot-underground-site-in-lebanon
other Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-troops-killed-2-palestinians-en-route-to-carry-out-terror-attack-near-karmei-zur-settlement/
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/11/13/palestinian-terrorists-broke-gaza-ceasefire-6-times-from-november-7-to-12-idf-says/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/unjustifiable-and-intolerable-idf-commander-in-west-bank-condemns-extremist-settler-attacks/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/settlers-torch-west-bank-mosque-scrawl-hateful-messages-after-idf-leaders-reproach/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-detains-40-members-of-hamas-network-in-west-bank-said-to-be-planning-attacks/
https://www.themirror.com/news/world-news/breaking-idf-soldiers-accused-gang-1502770
https://www.ifcj.org/news/stand-for-israel-blog/idf-exchanges-fire-with-terrorists-across-the-yellow-line
Israeli troops forced Palestinians into explosive-laden tunnels – Reuters
13 Nov, 2025 13:31
Israeli troops employed the tactic of sending Palestinian civilians into Hamas tunnels that they knew might be rigged with explosives, a practice the country's leadership was aware of, Reuters has reported, citing former US officials with knowledge of intelligence.
Information about Israel officials discussing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) engaging in such practices was shared with the administration of President Joe Biden by US intelligence agencies in the final months of 2024, the agency said on Thursday.
This prompted questions within the White House and US intelligence community over how extensively Israel had used civilians as human shields during the Gaza operation, according to two sources.
Such tactics violate international law and are considered a war crime. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it “prohibits the use of civilians as human shields or coercing them in any way to participate in military operations.”
The Israeli military police told Reuters it was investigating “suspicions involving Palestinians in military missions.”
Last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the IDF in Gaza.
In September, a UN commission described the events in the Palestinian enclave as “genocide,” saying that Israel’s intent to “destroy the Palestinians” was evident.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in early October under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
However, the sides repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce. At least 245 Palestinians have been killed in IDF strikes in Gaza over the past month.
Israel launched its operation in the Palestinian enclave in response to a Hamas surprise attack in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage in October 2023.
According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities, the Israeli military action has left at least 68,000 Palestinians dead.
https://www.rt.com/news/627737-israel-human-shield-gaza/
IDF soldiers provide shocking testimony in Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War — TV review
November 13, 2025
At the beginning of Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War we see two aerial images of Gaza City.
One, from 2023, is of what is now just a memory: closely packed high-rise apartments, paved roads and a pristine mosque.
The second, from this year, is of what remains: skeletons of bombed-out buildings, mired in a wasteland of dust and rubble.
The documentary, directed by Benjamin Zand, is an account of how this happened, told through the eyes of about a dozen Israeli soldiers — some named, others anonymous — who took part in the two-year offensive launched by Israel in response to Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack.
While some of the testimonies mirror accounts that have appeared in Israeli and international media, others are new.
Taken together, they paint a damning picture of Israel’s offensive, with soldiers detailing the repeated killing of unarmed civilians, the wanton destruction of buildings and the use of Palestinians as human shields.
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” says a tank unit commander identified as Daniel, recounting how one officer “really, really wanted” to fire on a building being used for humanitarian purposes.
“We told him very clearly: ‘Mate, this building is off limits’. Then he fired a shell at it anyway. And he said: ‘I saw an anti-tank weapon aimed at me.’ Now go prove him wrong.”
The documentary — which splices soldiers’ testimony with footage and occasional animations — does not overlook the horror of Hamas’s attack, during which militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostage.
But its main focus is the ferocious free-for-all of the Israeli offensive that followed, and which has claimed the lives of more than 69,000 Palestinians.
The most shocking testimony relates to the killing of civilians. In one case, a soldier recounts witnessing an officer order a tank to fire on a building in an area where Palestinians were ostensibly allowed to be, having “decided” that a man hanging laundry on the roof was a spotter — even though he had no binoculars or weapons and was more than 600 metres from Israeli forces.
“He’s not a spotter, he’s hanging his laundry . . . The tank fired a shell. The building half collapsed. And the result was many dead and wounded,” the soldier says.
“This kind of thing happened every week. And that’s just my unit. There are dozens of units on the ground at any given moment.”
The Israeli military insists it is complying with international law in Gaza, despite the difficulties posed by Hamas’s embedding of its forces in civilian infrastructure, and says soldiers breaching its rules are investigated.
It also says it prohibits the use of human shields. But soldiers quoted in the documentary say Palestinians were widely used in this way to map the vast network of tunnels built by Hamas beneath the enclave, a tactic known as the “Mosquito Protocol”.
“The practice spread like wild fire,” says Daniel. “After about a week, every company was operating its own ‘mosquito’.”
As the documentary’s name suggests, the soldiers who chose to speak out about what they witnessed in Gaza are a minority, within both the Israeli military, and Israeli society more broadly, where discussion of the destruction wrought by Israel’s offensive has been limited.
But it is that rarity that gives the testimonies — and this documentary — their power.
https://www.ft.com/content/b749ee49-e8e3-43ad-805e-2cc4f77c86fd
Drone attacks target northern Sudan town, Rubio urges weapons cut off from RSF
13 November, 2025
Sudan's army said paramilitary forces on Thursday launched drone strikes targeting a northern town housing a major dam, while fighting between the foes raged in the strategic region of Kordofan.
The violence comes after the Group of Seven (G7) on Wednesday sounded the alarm over the "recent escalation of violence" in Sudan's war, which erupted more than two and a half years ago.
The war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million more and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
The violence has escalated dramatically in recent weeks, with the paramilitary seizing control of the key town of El-Fasher and with reports of atrocities multiplying.
On Thursday, drones "targeted the army headquarters, the airport and the Merowe Dam", an army statement said, adding that it had intercepted the attacks that it blamed on the paramilitary.
Merowe is in an area that has been under army control for months, around 350 kilometres (220 miles) from the capital Khartoum.
It was not immediately clear whether there had been any casualties in the attacks.
A source from the intelligence service said seven projectiles had been fired, while an AFP journalist in the area heard 10 explosions.
Witnesses counted more than two dozen explosions between midnight and dawn, adding that the town, about 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Khartoum, was plunged into darkness after a full power cut.
The RSF has increasingly resorted to drones in recent months, though the military also uses drones to conduct strikes.
770 km on foot
In late October, the RSF captured El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in the vast western Darfur region, consolidating its hold over the area.
According to the International Organization for Migration, 90,000 civilians have fled El-Fasher since it fell into paramilitary control.
Kifah, a woman in her 20s, was one of many who made the 770-kilometre journey from El-Fasher to Al-Dabbah displacement camp on foot.
The young woman, who is pregnant and has been widowed since late October, said she was "exhausted by the lack of food and water".
She was speaking to AFP journalists who were among a number of reporters taken on an army convoy to Al-Dabbah, about 100 kilometres from Merowe.
Since the fall of El-Fasher, where the army said thousands were killed in a single day, fighting has shifted to the neighbouring Kordofan region.
The area is strategic becuse it bridges the west of the country with the capital.
People who had fled El-Fasher described "sexual abuse, sexual assaults, especially of girls and young women. And they described that young men were often being shot on sight", IOM chief Amy Pope told AFP.
Pope also said that many are reporting much of the same kinds of violence in Kordofan, with the violence there forcing some 50,000 people to flee their homes.
"We need a ceasefire or humanitarian corridors so that the humanitarian organisations, the aid workers, can bring life-saving support to those who now don't have access," she said.
Cut off weapons to RSF
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday called for international action to cut off weapons to the RSF, saying any backers would face repercussions.
"I think something needs to be done to cut off the weapons and support that the RSF is getting as they continue with their advances," he said.
The United Arab Emirates, a key US ally, has faced mounting accusations of backing the RSF - allegations Abu Dhabi denies.
Rubio declined to single out the UAE, but said:
"It's coming through some country and we know who they are and we're going to talk to them about it and make them understand that it's going to reflect poorly on them and it's going to reflect poorly on the world if we can't stop this."
Clashes and fires have erupted in recent days in the town of Babanusa, the last army stronghold in West Kordofan state, according to satellite imagery analysed by AFP and the Vista map tracking service.
The town has been under siege for several months, as have North Kordofan state capital El-Obeid, and South Kordofan's Kadugli and Dilling.
On Monday, the RSF said on its Telegram channel that it had deployed "large numbers" of their fighters around Babanusa to seize the army headquarters.
https://www.newarab.com/news/drone-attacks-hit-northern-sudan-rubio-urges-rsf-arms-ban
https://24newshd.tv/13-Nov-2025/sudan-army-says-drone-attacks-target-northern-town
https://sudantribune.com/article/307102
African Union rejects Trump’s claims of genocide in Nigeria
13 Nov, 2025 13:29
The African Union Commission (AUC) has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s allegations that a genocide is taking place in Nigeria against “very large numbers” of Christians. The body warned that such statements distort the reality of a complex conflict.
Trump placed Nigeria on a list of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ this month, citing persistent insecurity and attacks by extremist groups. He also ordered the Pentagon to prepare potential military options to “protect” Christians.
The move followed claims by Republican US Congressman Riley Moore that more than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria this year, with hundreds more abducted or displaced by armed groups such as Boko Haram.
AUC chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf told reporters at a joint press conference with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Wednesday that “there is no genocide” in northern Nigeria, contrary to allegations made by US officials.
“The first victims of Boko Haram are Muslims, not Christians,” Youssouf said, warning that the “complexity” of the security situation in northern Nigeria should “push us to think twice before declaring or making such statements.”
“What’s going on in the northern part of Nigeria has nothing to do with the kind of atrocities we see in Sudan or in some part of eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo],” Youssouf said.
He backed the Nigerian government’s position that violence in Africa’s most populous country affects people of all religious affiliations.
Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have waged an insurgency in the country’s northeast for more than 15 years, leaving tens of thousands dead and displacing millions more.
Last week, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar rejected the US allegations and cautioned against rhetoric that could fuel the partitioning of the country along religious or tribal lines.
https://www.rt.com/africa/627738-african-union-rejects-trump-nigeria-christian-genocide-claims/