TYB
https://minutemirror.com.pk/we-are-our-own-biggest-threat-nasa-expert-on-the-fate-of-humanity-469427/
https://cosmobiota.com/
‘We are our own biggest threat’ — NASA expert on the fate of humanity
December 1, 2025
Dr. Graham Lau an astrobiologist widely known for his work on life’s origins, planetary habitability, and moral questions raised by the search for extraterrestrial life often invites the public to rethink what it means to be human.
In this conversation, he explores humanity’s long-term future, the ethics of expansion into space, and the transformations technological progress may bring.
What follows is a re-rendered version of the interview, presenting his insights with clarity and originality.
The Future as an Open Possibility Space
Humanity stands at a crossroads. Our trajectory could lead to self-inflicted destruction, extreme inequality, a flourishing multiplanetary civilization or something in between. As Dr. Lau notes, nothing about our future is predetermined.
Is survival purely biological, or does it also require preserving consciousness, values, and culture?
Dr. Lau begins by distinguishing survival from thriving.
Survival merely means continuing to exist after a threat or hardship. Thriving, however, implies living with meaning, dignity, and flourishing.
Humanity, he explains, has always speculated about its own demise from myths of divine retribution to fantasies of transcendence. Yet only in recent centuries have we understood scientifically the full range of existential hazards:
asteroids, supervolcanoes, climate change, and the modern capacity for self-annihilation through war or misuse of technology.
But a new challenge has emerged: the concept of “human” itself is changing.
Advancements in AI, biotechnology, and medicine may blur the boundary between human and machine or lead to the rise of successors unlike anything we’ve been before.
Thus the real question isn’t only whether our lineage endures, but what kind of beings we will be if we do.
A civilization that barely survives one plagued by inequality, violence, oppression, or environmental collapse cannot be said to thrive.
The preservation of culture, ethical progress, and humane social systems is as essential to our long-term survival as our biology.
Which pathways offer the most realistic chance of long-term survival: Earth stewardship, space colonization, or technological evolution?
Dr. Lau endorses all three but argues that two urgent priorities must come first:
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Confronting extreme wealth inequality
Humanity cannot hope to flourish while vast disparities leave some individuals unimaginably wealthy and others starving.
He stresses that the concentration of power and inherited wealth has historically produced enormous suffering. True progress requires giving all people real opportunities to contribute and flourish.
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Fostering individual growth intellectual, moral, creative, and spiritual
For a thriving civilization, technological progress must be matched by inner development. Dr. Lau envisions a new era of enlightenment one emphasizing critical thinking, emotional maturity, meditation, creativity, and shared responsibility.
Space settlement, extended lifespans, and medical innovations matter, he says, but without balance and wisdom, they are insufficient.
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How has the discovery of extremophiles shaped your view of life’s resilience?
The study of extremophiles organisms thriving in places once thought uninhabitable has expanded our understanding of life’s limits. But to Dr. Lau, the most profound lesson is this:
Earth was not designed for humans.
For most of the planet’s history, the environment would have been deadly to us. In a sense, we are the extremophiles, thriving in a narrow climatic window that emerged only recently.
Recognizing this reminds us of our fragile place within evolving planetary systems and the remarkable adaptability of life itself.
Is the instinct to survive universal among intelligent civilizations?
Dr. Lau reflects that even humanity’s survival instinct is inconsistent our history is full of behaviors that undermine our own continuity.
Yet biology offers a clue: life tends to reproduce, spread, and evolve. He imagines entire living worlds biospheres behaving like organisms. Civilizations may emerge, collapse, and re-emerge. Some might self-destruct; others might expand beyond their home worlds.
In this view, cosmic evolution could favor societies that adapt, diversify, and extend life into new niches possibly across star systems.
How should we respond ethically if we discover extraterrestrial life?
No single person, Dr. Lau emphasizes, can dictate the correct moral response. Philosophy offers diverse frameworks virtue ethics, utilitarianism, care ethics, Buddhist ethics and no consensus exists.
Ethics must be contextual:
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Fossilized life on Mars may raise fewer dilemmas than
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discovering active Martian organisms, which may deserve protection
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receiving an extraterrestrial signal, which raises questions about who speaks for Earth
If contact occurs, decisions about communication or planetary protection could have enormous consequences. He stresses the need for global philosophical literacy and ongoing public dialogue.
Is terraforming ethical, particularly when alien ecosystems may be involved?
To explore this, Dr. Lau invites readers to examine the worldviews guiding their thinking ranging from egocentris to anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and even cosmocentrism (valuing the universe as a whole).
Although people often claim broad, inclusive worldviews, our instinctive reactions frequently default to self-interest. Kahneman’s System 1/ System 2 framework explains why: we evolved to prioritize immediate survival.
In the context of space settlement, these tensions intensify:
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Are our motivations selfish?
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Is space exploration driven by human benefit?
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Do alien biospheres have rights?
Dr. Lau believes humanity is likely to expand, settle new worlds, and eventually terraform some of them. But he hopes such decisions are made with care, respect for alien life, and thoughtful ethical debate.
How would you define cosmic ethics?
At present, he says, we cannot meaningfully define it.
If cosmic ethics refers to universal moral laws applicable to all conscious beings, we lack the perspective to identify them. A true cosmic ethics may require dialogues with other intelligent species conversations that have not yet occurred.
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Can the search for extraterrestrial life help us become more ethical on Earth?
Dr. Lau is actively studying this idea, calling it the Cosmic Mirror a framework exploring how astrobiology reshapes our self understanding.
Related to this is his concept of the Panzoic Effect (introduced in his 2024 TEDxBoulder talk). Much like the Overview Effect experienced by astronauts, contemplating alien life can evoke awe, expand empathy, and promote prosocial behavior.
Such psychological impacts may help cultivate moral growth on Earth.
Should humanity wait to “fix itself” before exploring space?
He calls this a false choice.
Space exploration does not hinder solving terrestrial problems; in fact, it enhances our capabilities.
Satellite observations, Earth monitoring, disaster response, climate modeling, medical innovations, and technological spinoffs all demonstrate strong returns on investment.
Moreover, the act of exploring beyond Earth may itself be vital to our ethical evolution.
If you designed a universal ethical code for spacefaring civilizations, what core principles would you include?
If pressed to choose, Dr. Lau suggests three foundational ideas:
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Cultivating a Cosmic Perspective
Recognizing our non-central place in the universe while embracing responsibility proportional to our understanding.
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Taking the Long View
Making decisions in light of deep past, present impact, and distant future.
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Respecting Life, Death, and Awareness
Acknowledging the interconnectedness of all life, the inevitability of death, and the need to minimize suffering while honoring diverse forms of sentience.
Could AI or post-human beings become more ethical than humans?
Dr. Lau admits no one can answer confidently.
We are creating systems whose emergent properties are not fully understood.
Giving AI moral frameworks could either prevent harm or result in unforeseen consequences just as Asimov illustrated in his fiction. Yet AI may also help us test or refine ethical models on scales beyond human capacity.
Regardless, rapid progress means we urgently need globally inclusive discussions about the future of intelligent systems.
A thousand years from now, what might humanity become?
Dr. Lau doubts that biological humans, as we currently exist, will still be the dominant form. Advances in genetic engineering, cybernetics, medicine, and environmental adaptation could diversify our descendants into many forms biological, hybrid, and possibly postbiological.
He views these transformations optimistically, provided we avoid self-destruction.
And when you look at the night sky, what emotion rises strongest?
Dr. Lau speaks of awe an emotion rooted deep in human evolution.
Awe arises in moments that reveal vastness and mystery: birth, art, nature, communion, psychedelics, and stargazing. These experiences challenge our understanding and connect us to something larger than ourselves.
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https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/potentially-hazardous-asteroid-2024-yr4-was-earths-first-real-life-planetary-defense-test
'Potentially hazardous' asteroid 2024 YR4 was Earth's first real-life planetary defense test
December 1, 2025
At this point in history, astronomers and engineers who grew up watching Deep Impact and Armageddon, two movies about the destructive power of asteroid impacts, are likely in relatively high ranking positions at space agencies.
Don't Look Up also provided a more modern, though more pessimistic (or, unfortunately, realistic?), look at what might potentially happen if a "killer" asteroid is found on approach to Earth.
So far, life hasn't imitated art when it comes to potentially one of the most catastrophic events in human history, but most space enthusiasts agree that it's worth preparing for when it will.
A new paper, available in pre-print on arXiv, from Maxime Devogèle of ESA's Near Earth Object (NEO) Coordination Centre and his colleagues analyzes a dry run that happened around a year ago with the discovery of asteroid 2024 YR4.
The paper walks through the process of discovery, classification, escalation, scientific response, and eventually de-escalation that the asteroid went through in a matter of months.
While the asteroid early-warning system largely worked as intended, reviewing this first-ever scenario for this particular type of asteroid is worthwhile, as it surely won't be the last one.
2024 YR4 was in the headlines starting in early January of 2025, though it was discovered on December 27th by the ATLAS survey.
Over the course of the next month, additional observations actually increased the chance of an impact, unlike 99.9% of other newly discovered asteroids.
One of the key aspects of the paper is its discussion of the Torino scale. Originally developed in 1995 by Dr. Richard Binzel of MIT, and later updated in June 1999 at a conference in Torino (Turin) Italy, this scale is explicitly designed to classify asteroid impact threats into one of eleven categories. Importantly, each category is based on a risk assessment of both it's probability of impact and also the potential damage it can cause.
The categories are:
Scale 0 (White) - No Hazard - The asteroid with either miss us or burn up in the atmosphere
Scale 1 (Green) - Normal - Where most asteroids are classified when they are first discovered. Impact is "extremely unlikely", and they are typically downgraded to Scale 0 within a few days.
Scale 2 (Yellow) - Meriting Attention - Typically involves a "close" but not threatening pass, but very unlikely impact. This is relatively rare
Scale 3 (Orange) - Concerning - These have a greater than 1% chance of hitting Earth and causing "localized" destruction. A good analog would be the Tuskunga event in the early 20th century. This is the rating 2024 YR4 eventually grew to.
Scale 4 (Orange) - Threatening - Still a greater than 1% chance, but with "regional" devastation rather than localized.
Scale 5-7 (Red) - Threatening - A "credible threat" of regional to global devastation. No asteroid has ever been categorized this high.
Scale 8-10 (Red) - Certain Collision - At this level, astronomers are sure the asteroid will hit us - each scale number simply increases the potential destruction caused when it does.
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On January 27th of 2025, 2024 YR4 was officially listed as a 3 on the Torino scale, eventually winding up with a 3.1% percent impact chance on February 18th, and making it the first ever asteroid to reach that level of the scale.
It's important to note that, technically this wasn't the highest ever rank on the scale - that distinction goes to asteroid Apophis, which famously reached a Level 4 on the Torino scale in 2004.
In fact, Apophis could never have been classified as a 3 on the Torino scale, because its larger size would have caused regional rather than localized devastation - but, it's also important to note that the threat level was downgraded much more quickly than that of 2024 YR4.
Even the Scale 3 rating was enough to cause the first ever official notification of the International Asteroid Warning Network - which didn't exist when Apophis was discovered in 2004, having come into existence in 2014 after the Chelyabinsk asteroid explosion in 2013.
After hitting that high on the scale, the discussion about 2024 YR4 moved from pure scientific fact-finding to wider consideration of a threat to potentially large parts of humanity.
The system worked exactly as intended - it got attention. Certainly plenty from the public, and even some policy makers. But perhaps more importantly it got the attention of more astronomers.
The increased interest brought with it additional resources, including, critically "Director's Discretionary Time" on some of the world's most powerful telescopes.
As these telescopes, which included the Catalina Sky Survey, the Gran Telescopio Canarias, and the Very Large Telescope began to turn their optics towards the potential threat, it began to look far less imposing.
By early March, these behemoths had characterized many of the asteroid's critical features, such as its rotation and taxonomy. It spun much faster than typical "rubble pile" asteroids, with a rotational period of only 19.5 minutes.
And it was classified as either a Sq-type or K-type asteroid, though there is still some residual debate on this point, as its albedo seemed different depending on what observational platform was used.
That final clarification will be a critical feature, as, though the threat of an impact to Earth decreased, the threat of an impact to the Moon has actually increased over the course of the observations earlier this year.
As of now, 2024 YR4 has a ~4% chance of hitting the Moon in 2032, which could cause widespread destruction amongst satellites orbiting Earth from its debris cloud.
Therefore, the planetary defense community's job isn't yet done - but it seems to be operating exactly as intended so far.
Someday it will truly be needed to kick the international response to a threatening asteroid into gear - and hopefully the response turns out to be better than that depicted in the movies.
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China's first space documentary screened in Bulgaria
13:20, December 01, 2025
"Blue Planet Outside the Window" or "SHENZHOU 13," China's first space documentary filmed in space, was screened here on Sunday, showcasing the wonders of aerospace technology.
The event was co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and the Space Research and Technology Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Held at the academy's headquarters, the screening featured large-scale models of the Chinese space station and the Long March-2F carrier rocket. Guests also received a selection of China-related books.
Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli recalled that exactly one year ago, in the same venue, the event "Talking with Taikonauts" was organized.
During that event, the three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-19 mission, then in orbit, enthusiastically answered questions from Bulgarian primary and secondary school students.
To mark the first anniversary of that inspiring exchange, this screening was arranged, Dai said.
The documentary fully presents the work and daily life of Chinese astronauts during their six-month mission aboard China's space station from October 2021 to April 2022 and the first spacewalk by a Chinese female astronaut.
"We hope that by organizing this screening, we can inspire more Bulgarian youth and students to learn about modern China and dedicate themselves to the study of science and technology," Dai said.
In a letter to the event, Evelina Slavcheva, president of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, emphasized that the film was not only exciting but also an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable achievements in space exploration, and on the scientists, engineers, and astronauts whose efforts make such missions possible.
"We hope this film will inspire younger audiences to become part of the next generation of explorers, innovators, and discoverers," she said.
She added that the screening represented another step forward in strengthening ties between the two countries' scientific communities and in promoting deeper understanding of space exploration.
The documentary film also received a strong response from viewers. Veronika Prezhdarova said China's advances in space technology demonstrate strong technological leadership, and she appreciated the documentary's emphasis on women's participation in the mission.
Iliya Valov from the town of Pazardzhik said "I found the film extremely fascinating and very emotional, at least for me, because I'm passionate about space exploration and space adventures."
https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1201/c90000-20397000.html
Chernobyl’s black fungus turns nuclear radiation into energy, may aid space travel
Dec 01, 2025 06:39 AM EST
Life has a strange way of thriving in the most extreme places. A peculiar dark-black fungus at the Chernobyl disaster site is found to survive by feeding on deadly radiation.
The catastrophe happened on April 26, 1986, when a routine safety test at Chernobyl’s Reactor Four spiraled into the world’s worst nuclear accident, caused by design and operational errors.
To mitigate radiation poisoning, a 30km (19-mile) “exclusion zone” was established, keeping humans out. Despite the danger, some researchers have conducted studies on how radiation affects the surrounding environment.
For instance, in 1997, Nelli Zhdanova, a Ukrainian mycologist, discovered black mould colonizing the highly radioactive ruins of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, growing across walls, ceilings, and even inside the reactor building.
Far from avoiding the toxic environment, the investigation suggested the fungi were uniquely attracted to the ionizing radiation.
This remarkable discovery — that life could thrive and grow in the presence of radiation — has challenged established ideas about life’s resilience.
It also introduced the potential for using this mould in applications such as cleaning up radioactive sites and shielding astronauts from cosmic radiation in space.
The role of melanin
The ionizing radiation, typically a destroyer of DNA and cells, appeared to be a nutrient for these resilient fungi.
Melanin seemed to be the secret. The same pigment that gives us different skin tones and protects us from UV rays is packed into the cell walls of these Chernobyl fungi.
Initial theories suggested melanin shielded the black mould.
However, a 2007 study by a nuclear scientist revealed a key finding: the melanized fungi grew 10 percent faster when exposed to radioactive Caesium, suggesting they actively used the radiation for metabolic energy. This process was called radiosynthesis.
“The energy of ionising radiation is around one million times higher than the energy of white light, which is used in photosynthesis,” Ekaterina Dadachova, nuclear scientist, told the BBC.
“So you need a pretty powerful energy transducer, and this is what we think melanin is capable of doing – to transduce [ionising radiation] into usable levels of energy.”
Further studies found that not all melanized fungi exhibit this behavior, and one study even found no growth difference in tested fungi when exposed to radiation.
Intrigued, the international scientific community sent samples of Cladosporium sphaerospermum — the same strain found in Chernobyl — to the International Space Station (ISS).
Protecting astronauts and habitats
What happened next cemented the mould’s cosmic potential. In the face of intense cosmic radiation, the fungi flourished, exhibiting a growth rate 1.21 times that of control samples on the ground.
Interestingly, the ISS experiment also showcased the mould’s potential as a protective barrier. As the fungi developed, they shielded a notable amount of radiation compared to control areas.
From these experiments, experts suggest that the mould’s perceived radioprotective benefits might not be solely due to melanin, but possibly other biological components, such as water.
Galactic cosmic radiation, a storm of high-speed charged protons from exploding stars, is “the greatest hazard” to astronauts venturing beyond Earth’s protective atmosphere.
Standard shielding solutions, such as heavy metals, are expensive and heavy to launch into space. This Chernobyl mould offers a simple, biological alternative.
NASA astrobiologist Lynn J. Rothschild envisions “myco-architecture”— habitats grown from fungi on the Moon or Mars.
These living walls wouldn’t just be structural; they would be self-regenerating radiation shields, grown in situ, drastically cutting launch costs.
Having colonized a toxic site like Chernobyl, these fungi may ultimately protect astronauts in the near future.
https://interestingengineering.com/science/chernobyl-fungus-turns-radiation-into-energy
Reduce, reuse, recycle: Scientists chart path to a self-sustaining space economy
Dec 01, 2025 11:01 AM EST
More and more rockets are launching into space—the year 2025 is on track for an estimated 300 orbital launches.
Every time a rocket lifts off, it releases a large amount of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting chemicals into the atmosphere.
In a bid to tackle this problem, a team of scientists has published a paper in the journal Chem Circularity.
In it, they discuss how the principles of recycling and sustainability could be applied to satellites and spacecraft—from initial manufacturing to end-of-life repurposing.
Making space sustainable
SpaceX revolutionized the space industry with its partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
The company made satellite launches more accessible by reducing launch costs through reusable technology. This has led to an influx of new orbital machinery in an already congested space.
“As space activity accelerates, from mega-constellations of satellites to future lunar and Mars missions, we must make sure exploration doesn’t repeat the mistakes made on Earth,” study senior author and chemical engineer Jin Xuan of the University of Surrey explained in a press statement.
“A truly sustainable space future starts with technologies, materials, and systems working together.”
In their paper, the scientists highlight the fact that valuable satellite materials are rarely reused or repurposed. This is because most satellites are moved to “graveyard orbits” or end up as space debris.
Others are deorbited and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. According to the researchers, these practices are unsustainable, especially given the rise in private space launches.
They argue that the space industry must shift toward a circular space economy to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector.
The automotive and personal electronics industries could provide valuable lessons regarding reuse, repair, and recycling, they claim.
“Our motivation was to bring the conversation about circularity into the space domain, where it’s long overdue,” Xuan said.
“Circular economy thinking is transforming materials and manufacturing on Earth, but it’s rarely applied to satellites, rockets, or space habitats.”
‘Innovation at every level’
To reduce space waste, the space sector must increase the durability and repairability of satellites and other space machinery, the authors wrote in their paper.
What’s more, space stations should be repurposed as refueling and repair hubs. Manufacturing components for repair and replacement in space would drastically reduce the number of launches required.
Soft-landing systems, including airbags and parachutes, could also allow for satellite and spacecraft parts to be reused. Orbital debris, meanwhile, could eventually be recaptured using robotics arms and nets.
“We need innovation at every level, from materials that can be reused or recycled in orbit and modular spacecraft that can be upgraded instead of discarded, to data systems that track how hardware ages in space,” Xuan said.
“But just as importantly, we need international collaboration and policy frameworks to encourage reuse and recovery beyond Earth,” they continued.
“The next phase is about connecting chemistry, design, and governance to turn sustainability into the default model for space.”
https://interestingengineering.com/space/scientists-set-roadmap-for-circular-space-economy
https://www.cell.com/chem-circularity/fulltext/S3051-2948(25)00001-5
SpaceX Launches
SpaceX kicked off December with predawn Falcon 9 rocket launch
November 30, 2025
Update Dec. 1, 3 a.m. EST (0800 UTC): SpaceX landed its booster on the droneship.
SpaceX kicked off the month of December with a launch supporting its Starlink broadband internet satellite constellation.
Prior to this flight, SpaceX has launched it’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket a total of 152 times in 2025, with missions to assemble its Starlink constellation accounting for 110 of those.
It closed out November with 13 launches in total, 10 of which were for Starlink.
The company launched the Starlink 6-86 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for 2:44 a.m. EST (0744 UTC) on Dec. 1.
The rocket flew on a south-easterly trajectory upon departing from Florida’s Space Coast.
SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-86 mission using the Falcon 9 booster with the tail number 1095. This was the rocket’s fourth flight after previously launching Starlink missions 12-15, 10-56 and 10-52.
Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1095 performed a landing on the drone ship, ‘Just Read the Instructions’, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of The Bahamas.
This was the 144th landing on this vessel and the 541st booster landing to date.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/11/30/live-coverage-spacex-kicks-off-december-with-midnight-falcon-9-rocket-launch/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fcjjaBDUJA
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-6-86
Starlink Mission
December 1, 2025
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is targeting the launch of 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app.
This is the 20th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-7, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter-13, TRACERS, NROL-48, and 10 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-15-10
Watch Europe's Vega C rocket launch an advanced Korean Earth-observation satellite to orbit today
December 1, 2025
A European rocket will launch a powerful Earth-observation satellite to orbit today (Dec. 1), and you can watch the action live.
South Korea's KOMPSAT-7 spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana atop a Vega C rocket today at 12:21 p.m. EST (1721 GMT; 2:21 p.m. Kourou time).
The French company Arianespace, which operates the Vega C, will stream the launch live. Space.com will carry Arianespace's feed, if (as expected) it's made available.
The 3,990-pound (1,810-kilogram) KOMPSAT-7 was built by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. It's the successor to KOMPSAT-3A, which launched to Earth orbit in March 2015.
The new satellite will be "one of the world’s most advanced ultra-high-resolution optical satellites," according to Arianespace's press kit, which you can find here.
"It is designed to support detailed observation of the Korean Peninsula and to meet the growing national demand for high-quality satellite imagery," the press kit adds.
KOMPSAT-7 also features "optical data transmission technology — a first for a Korean satellite — to enable real-time processing of large-volume Earth-observation imagery via electro-optical modules and onboard storage/processing systems," Arianespace wrote.
Today's mission, which Arianespace calls VV28, will be the sixth for the four-stage, 115-foot-tall (35-meter-tall) Vega C, which was developed by the European Space Agency.
Four of the medium-lift rocket's five launches to date have been successful. The lone failure occurred on the Vega C's second mission, which lifted off in December 2022.
If all goes to plan today, the rocket will deploy KOMPSAT-7 about 44 minutes after liftoff, in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) 358 miles (576 kilometers) above Earth.
Spacecraft in SSOs circle Earth's poles and pass over the same patch of the planet at the same solar time each day.
This ensures consistent lighting conditions at each of those spots, making SSOs popular destinations for Earth-observing missions.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/europe-vega-c-rocket-kompsat-7-korean-satellite-launch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BECrOM9ZiZE
https://www.arianespace.com/road-to-space/
Korea’s Push Into “Space Pharmaceuticals” Gains Momentum After Successful Nuri Launch
December 1, 2025
SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Following the successful fourth launch of South Korea’s homegrown Nuri rocket, attention is turning to a field that could become a core pillar of the country’s future space industry: space-based pharmaceutical research and manufacturing.
“Space pharmaceuticals” refers to using the unique conditions of space — particularly microgravity — to develop new drugs and produce high-purity medicines that are difficult to manufacture on Earth.
In microgravity, proteins can crystallize more uniformly, enabling clearer structural analysis and new drug formulations.
The concept is not new. Merck, the global pharmaceutical giant behind the blockbuster cancer immunotherapy Keytruda, pioneered the field when it sent samples of pembrolizumab — the drug’s active ingredient — to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017 for crystallization studies.
The company found that microgravity produced more uniform, lower-viscosity crystals. Building on these findings, Merck developed a subcutaneous version of Keytruda, which won regulatory approval in the United States and Europe this year.
Other major pharmaceutical companies have followed. Eli Lilly is collaborating with aerospace manufacturer Redwire, using the firm’s “Pill-Box” platform to advance drug development for chronic diseases in space.
AstraZeneca has explored nanoparticle-based drug delivery and material development in microgravity.
Korean companies are now moving quickly to join the race.
SpaceLynkTech, a domestic space-pharma firm, sent its experimental cubesat BEE-1000 aboard the latest Nuri launch to study pembrolizumab crystallization in orbit.
In September, the company also deployed its independently developed research module, BEE-PC1, to the ISS, completing an automated protein-crystallization experiment last month.
The module is designed to grow high-purity, highly uniform crystals in microgravity through a fully automated process.
Launch vehicle developer Innospace has signed an agreement with SpaceLynkTech and Intergravity Technologies to collaborate on space-based drug development.
Korean drugmaker Boryung is also partnering with U.S. space company Axiom Space to pursue new treatments in cancer, aging-related diseases, and psychiatric disorders.
As the industry expands, experts say the role of clinical pharmacists is likely to grow.
A recent study by researchers at Gyeongsang National University, published in the Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, noted that space environments expose medicines to unique risks — including cosmic radiation, microgravity, and extreme temperature changes — that could affect drug stability and efficacy.
Drug safety evaluation tailored to space conditions, optimized dosing strategies, monitoring of drug interactions, and management of side effects will become essential tasks, the researchers said.
These responsibilities, they added, represent a specialized field distinct from the traditional role of space physicians.
http://koreabizwire.com/koreas-push-into-space-pharmaceuticals-gains-momentum-after-successful-nuri-launch/338867
kek
The Case for an Antimatter Manhattan Project
November 30, 2025 11:10 PM UTC
Chemical rockets have taken us to the Moon and back, but traveling to the stars demands something more powerful.
Space X’s Starship can lift extraordinary masses to orbit and send payloads throughout the Solar System using its chemical rockets but it cannot fly to nearby stars at thirty percent of light speed and land.
For missions beyond our local region of space, we need something fundamentally more energetic than chemical combustion, and physics offers or in other words, antimatter.
When antimatter encounters ordinary matter, they annihilate completely, converting mass directly into energy according to Einstein's equation E=mc². That c² term is approximately 10¹⁷, an almost incomprehensibly large number.
This makes antimatter roughly 1000 times more energetic than nuclear fission, the most powerful energy source currently in practical use.
As a source of energy, antimatter can potentially enable spacecraft to reach nearby stars at significant fractions of the speed of light.
A detailed technical analysis by Casey Handmer, CEO of Terraform Industries, outlines how humanity could develop practical antimatter propulsion within existing spaceflight budgets, requiring breakthroughs in three critical areas; production efficiency, reliable storage systems, and engine designs that can safely harness the most energetic fuel physically possible.
The challenge lies in transforming theoretical physics into working hardware. Three major obstacles stand between us and antimatter powered spacecraft; producing sufficient quantities, storing it safely, and designing engines that can actually use it.
Current antimatter production manages thousands of atoms daily at facilities like CERN, impressive progress compared to a decade ago but roughly analogous to plutonium production capacity in late 1940’s.
The process remains extraordinarily inefficient at roughly 0.000001 percent, requiring large particle accelerators and vacuum storage rings.
However, recent demonstrations achieving eight times higher efficiency suggest rapid improvement is possible.
A few more breakthroughs of similar magnitude could make production viable for deep space missions, where gaining extra velocity far from Earth becomes essentially priceless.
Storage presents the more challenging of these since antimatter instantly annihilates on contact with any ordinary matter. Current systems use electromagnetic storage rings to contain charged antimatter plasmas, but these are large, heavy, and delicate.
A more promising approach might involve electrostatic containment, holding a tiny droplet or crystal of antihydrogen in a cryogenically cooled vacuum chamber using carefully controlled electric fields.
This resembles technology already used in quantum computers and could be tested safely with regular hydrogen simply by inverting the charge.
The engine design determines whether antimatter's immense energy actually produces useful thrust.
The simplest approach uses antimatter to heat a refractory block through which propellant flows, achieving performance comparable to nuclear thermal rockets without requiring an onboard reactor.
More sophisticated designs combine antimatter with uranium-238, the naturally occurring form of uranium.
Antiprotons can trigger fission in U-238, producing highly charged particles that deposit energy far more efficiently into the exhaust stream than gamma rays alone, enabling specific impulses anywhere from chemical rocket ranges to values suitable for interstellar missions.
The quantities required remain surprisingly modest for example, a journey to Pluto and back in under twenty years would need just 45 grams of antimatter combined with 10 kilograms of uranium-238, both occupying roughly 500 cubic centimetres of space.
With chemical propulsion largely solved through reusable rockets, antimatter represents the logical next frontier for deep space exploration.
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-case-for-an-antimatter-manhattan-project
US legislators demand probe into Trump’s ‘drug boat’ strikes
30 Nov, 2025 23:50
A group of American legislators has called for a legal review of US President Donald Trump’s strikes on alleged cartel boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The renewed concerns emerged after the Washington Post reported on Friday that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had issued an order to kill survivors from one of the vessels set ablaze by a previous strike.
“If that reporting is true, it’s a clear violation of the DOD’s own laws of war, as well as international laws about the way you treat people who are in that circumstance. And so this rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” Democratic Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia told CBS News on Sunday.
Kaine added that he and some of his colleagues were “deeply worried” about “the entire legal rationale for the strikes.” He had earlier attempted, unsuccessfully, to pass a bill that would bar Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional approval.
Republican Representative Mike Turner from Ohio told CBS “there are very serious concerns in Congress about the attacks on the so-called drug boats down in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and the legal justification that has been provided.”
Although Hegseth dismissed the Post’s report as “fake news,” he reiterated that the strikes were intended to “stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.”
Trump has accused Venezuela’s left-wing government of aiding cartels and has threatened attacks against the country. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied any ties to organized crime and warned the US against launching another “crazy war.”
https://www.rt.com/news/628702-us-senators-boat-strikes-war-crimes/
Ukrainian request for nukes and NATO membership ‘will not fly’ – US senator
1 Dec, 2025 04:55
Security guarantees for Ukraine cannot include NATO membership or nuclear weapons, US Senator Lindsey Graham has said in response to an op-ed by Kiev’s former top military commander, Valery Zaluzhny.
In an opinion piece published in The Telegraph on Saturday, Zaluzhny, now serving as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, wrote that “effective security guarantees” could include NATO membership, stationing nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, or “a large allied military contingent capable of confronting Russia.”
In a post on X the following day, Graham wrote that the arrangements described by Zaluzhny were “far beyond what is possible.”
“It is imperative at this critical time that any analysis should meet the test of what is reasonably possible. The security guarantees mentioned, including accession into NATO and placing nuclear weapons in Ukraine, will not fly in my view,” Graham added.
Ukraine applied to join NATO in 2022, while European countries, including the UK and France, have expressed readiness to deploy a multinational force to Ukraine after a ceasefire is reached with Russia.
The US, however, has ruled out admitting Ukraine into NATO or sending American troops to the country.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine drop its NATO membership bid in favor of becoming a neutral state. Moscow also stressed that it would not allow nuclear weapons or Western troops on Ukrainian soil, and warned that such a scenario could lead to a war with NATO.
https://www.rt.com/news/628706-ex-ukrainian-commanders-security-demands/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15341639/NATO-plans-aggressive-dealing-Russia-wake-cyber-attacks-sabotage-drone-attacks-prompting-fury-Moscow.html
NATO considers 'pre-emptive strikes' on Russia in the wake of cyber attacks and drone incursions - prompting fury in Moscow
Updated: 10:44 EST, 1 December 2025
NATO is preparing to take a tougher approach against Russia's relentless cyber attacks, sabotage operations and drone intrusions in a move that is already stoking anger in Moscow.
The alliance's most senior military commander warned that simply reacting to threats from Vladimir Putin's regime was no longer working and that NATO must now consider striking first to deter future attacks.
'We are studying everything… On cyber, we are kind of reactive. Being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about,' Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone told the Financial Times.
Despite Europe facing cable sabotage in the Baltic, crippling hacks and airspace violations in recent months, NATO has traditionally shied away from offensive cyber operations or direct confrontation.
But Dragone suggested that could soon change - with steps that would once have been seen as too bold for the defensive alliance.
A 'pre-emptive strike' could be considered a 'defensive action', he said, though admitting it was further away from the alliance's generic approach to problem-solving.
He asked: 'Being more aggressive compared with the aggressivity of our counterpart could be an option. [The issues are] legal framework, jurisdictional framework, who is going to do this?'
The Russian Foreign Ministry has since responded to Dragone's statement, saying: 'We view Giuseppe Cavo Dragone's statement about the possibility of preemptive strikes against Russia as an extremely irresponsible step, indicating the alliance's readiness to continue moving toward escalation.
We see it [Dragone's statement] as a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis,' spokesperson Maria Zakharova added.
According to Zakharova, 'people making such statements must be aware of the ensuing risks and possible consequences, including for the alliance members themselves'.
Eastern European allies - on the front line of Russia's interference - have long demanded a stronger response.
A Baltic diplomat warned that if NATO simply continue to be reactive, it invites Russia to 'keep trying, keep hurting us'.
'Especially when hybrid warfare is asymmetric - it costs them little, and us a lot. We need to try to be more inventive,' they added.
Even successful NATO operations have exposed legal vulnerabilities. In Finland, the crew of a Russian-linked 'shadow fleet' ship suspected of cutting critical underwater cables walked free - as the attack took place in international waters.
Asked if that ruling effectively gives Russia free rein offshore, Finland's foreign minister Elina Valtonen responded frankly: 'Yes, and that's a problem'.
NATO points to its Baltic Sentry mission - expanded after multiple sabotage incidents - as proof that a determined show of force can halt Russia's mischief-making.
Dragone emphasised that since the beginning of Baltic Sentry, nothing has happened which shows the mission is working.
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However, he also stressed the difficulty NATO faces due to the rules that constrain Western democracies but not the Kremlin.
The alliance and its members have 'much more limits than our counterpart because of ethics, because of law, because of jurisdiction. It is an issue.
I don't want to say it's a loser position, but it is a harder position than our counterpart's,' he admitted.
Valtonen echoed that NATO must remain calm and deliberate, suggesting that a more aggressive approach is not necessarily required.
'We also should take a step back and really analyse what the aggressor is after. Then probably, we shouldn't be hysterical. We have our own playbook and we should trust it because it's quite robust,' he said.
But behind the scenes, defence chiefs believe pressure will only increase as Russia searches for new ways to strike NATO territory without triggering a formal military response.
The statements come just over 2 weeks after an explosion caused damage to the Warsaw-Lublin line that connects the Polish capital to the Ukrainian border.
Heavily hinting at suspected Russian involvement, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier said the perpetrators would be caught 'regardless of who their backers are'.
A train driver first reported irregularities on the track at around 7.40am local time on November 14, prompting an inspection that revealed there was a damaged section near Mika, roughly 62 miles south-east of Warsaw.
Two passengers and several staff members were on the train but no injuries were reported, officials said.
And just under a week later, on November 19, NATO members Romania and Poland scrambled fighter jets after Russian attacks in Ukraine, with Bucharest saying a drone breached the country's airspace.
Moldova, which lies between Romania and Ukraine, also reported a drone breach, summoning the Russian ambassador.
Romania and Moldova have repeatedly seen violations of their airspaces, including drone fragments falling onto their soil, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The incident is the latest in a series of drone sightings across mainland Europe, which have increased in frequency since September when more than 20 Russian drones breached Polish airspace.
The origins of several of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are unknown, but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described them as 'hybrid warfare' waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Drone Strike Rocks Russian Torpedo Plant in Dagestan
Updated Dec 01, 2025 12:45
Several explosions were reported in the city of Kaspiysk, Dagestan, early on December 1, near the Dagdizel plant—a key Russian defense enterprise producing torpedoes and diesel engines for the Russian Navy.
According to ASTRA, local residents reported loud blasts and damage to residential buildings, including shattered windows and vehicles struck by debris.
The explosions occurred near the premises of the Dagdizel facility, though no official confirmation has been made regarding whether the plant was directly targeted.
The head of the Republic of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov, acknowledged the incident and stated that a drone attack was “successfully repelled,” without providing further details.
He added that local authorities are responding to the situation and reiterated that publishing information about strikes or military locations in the region is prohibited.
Founded in 1932, the Dagdizel plant — also known as Plant No. 182 — remains one of the largest military-industrial enterprises in Dagestan.
It specializes in the production of naval weaponry, including torpedoes, diesel engines, pumps, and auxiliary systems for the Russian Navy.
During the Soviet era, the factory was among the USSR’s leading torpedo manufacturers.
Today, Dagdizel operates under the umbrella of the state-owned “Marine Underwater Weapons — Gidropribor” corporation.
The facility remains a core part of Russia’s naval armament production chain. In 2018, Russian media reported that the plant had secured a $72 million contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense for the delivery of 73 UET-1 torpedoes.
Some torpedoes produced at Dagdizel are considered among the most advanced in Russia’s arsenal. Since April 2022, Dagdizel has been under US sanctions for its role in supporting Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
Earlier, on October 22, long-range drones struck deep inside Russia, targeting the Saransk Mechanical Plant in Mordovia and the DagNefteProdukt oil refinery in Makhachkala, Dagestan.
According to ASTRA, both sites are linked to Russia’s defense and energy sectors and are located nearly 1,000 km from the Ukrainian border.
https://united24media.com/latest-news/drone-strike-rocks-russian-torpedo-plant-in-dagestan-13898
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1995423556294123902
other Russia and Ukraine
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/12/01/ukraines-interceptor-drone-downs-russias-jet-propelled-shahed-uav-in-historic-first/
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/12/01/frontline-report-ukraine-clears-lymans-forests-with-drones-snipers-and-us-fighters-russians-forced-back-to-yampil/
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/CPC-Terminal-Hit-by-Drone-but-Kazakh-Oil-Exports-Continue-To-Flow.html
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/drone-attacks-cut-novorossiysk-oil-shipments-1764591840.html
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-rejects-kazakhstans-criticism-over-drone-strike-on-russian-oil-terminal/
https://defence-blog.com/russian-recon-drone-found-with-starlink-terminal/
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-defense/4064852-ukraine-netherlands-sign-agreement-on-joint-drone-production.html
Trump warns Israel not to ‘interfere’ in Syria, days after IDF battle with gunmen
December 1, 2025 6:45 pm
US President Donald Trump warns Israel against destabilizing Syria and its new leadership, days after IDF soldiers battled gunmen in the country’s south.
“It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State,” Trump says on his Truth Social platform.
Trump says he is “very satisfied” with Syria’s performance under its new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel who made a historic visit to the White House in November.
Trump has been pushing for a security pact between Israel and Syria since Sharaa’s Islamist coalition overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
But tensions have risen over strikes by Israel on Syria, where the IDF maintains a presence in the south. In the deadliest so far, Israeli troops came under fire during an arrest operation, with six soldiers sustaining injuries. Syrian media said 13 people were killed in the clash.
Trump says Sharaa “is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”
He adds that the United States is “doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended” to rebuild the war-torn country.
Good relations between Syria and Israel would add to his efforts for a wider Middle East peace amid the fragile Gaza ceasefire, which took effect in October, Trump adds.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-warns-israel-not-to-interfere-in-syria-days-after-idf-battle-with-gunmen/
other Israel
https://vinnews.com/2025/12/01/idf-confirms-death-of-islamic-jihad-commander-behind-october-7-attacks/
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/IDF-kills-2-individuals-who-crossed-Yellow-Line/65274870
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/defense/artc-israeli-forces-capture-suspected-bomb-plotter-in-nablus
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-chief-orders-thorough-probe-of-killing-of-2-palestinian-terror-operatives-who-surrendered/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjiqoej11bl
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-solider-wounded-in-gaza-apparently-by-friendly-fire-military-says/
https://jewishinsider.com/2025/12/iron-beam-idf-rafael-to-be-delivered-end-of-year/
https://www.jns.org/idf-soldiers-detain-senior-palestinian-arms-dealer-in-samaria/
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-idf-special-forces-arrest-terrorist-connected-to-ied-attacks/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-876780
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-to-test-rocket-sirens-in-gaza-border-communities/
https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-876822
he's dressed like some kind of dimensional anomaly