TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
January 12, 2026
Meteor Dust
What's happening to this meteor? It is shedding its outer layers as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere and heats up. The sudden high temperatures not only cause the bright glow along the dramatic streak but also melt and vaporize the meteor's component rock and ice, creating dust. Wind in the atmosphere typically blows this dust away over the next few seconds, leaving no visible trace after only a few minutes. Much of this dust will eventually settle down to the Earth. The featured image was captured in mid-December, coincident with the Geminids meteor shower. On the upper left is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, while in the foreground is fog-engulfed Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains of eastern China.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Solar Alert Coming, Big Eruption, Big Crack in Science | S0 News and frens
Jan.12.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elesgbcEtRU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37gJU61tgYM (Stefan Burns: The Crazy Sunspot We've Been Waiting for Has Finally Arrived 💥 Intense Space Weather is Coming)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T51N6bOzLA0 (Thunderbolts Project: Matt Finn: Projecting Nuclear Fusion onto the Sun)
https://www.earth.com/news/rare-solar-flare-reveals-where-gamma-rays-come-from/
https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=11007
https://www.edexlive.com/news/aditya-l1-reveals-solar-storms-impact-on-magnetic-shield
https://www.space.com/live/aurora-forecast-northern-lights-possible-tonight-jan-12
https://x.com/TamithaSkov/status/2010462906392125685
https://x.com/SolarHam/status/2010519982652702836
https://x.com/SolarHam/status/2010490999525589015
https://x.com/SolarObserverX/status/2010489585227256302
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
That can mean a few things, one of which being manufactured like a pocket dimension
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/baba-vanga-2026-alien-horror-comet-3i-atlas-spacecraft-blind-mystic-predicted-1769924
https://twitter.com/AstronomyVibes/status/2009455251880071531
https://english.pravda.ru/science/108800-vanga/
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2026/01/12/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-aka-c-2025-n1-atlas-a-new-image-11-jan-2026/
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_observations_of_interstellar_comet_3I_ATLAS
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JeNMK2hY7U (Brian Scott: The Creators - 3I Atlas and the Thousands of Spaceships to Follow)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYvCcbOOYEE (Ray's Astrophotography: Comet 3I ATLAS — Did Europa Clipper Pass Through the ION TAIL? | I Took a PICTURE)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXz4QtqH6yE (MUFON Presents: 3i/Atlas and The Black Vault's CIA Freedom of Information Act Request Denied!)
https://x.com/NRivelato/status/2010621989502034422
https://x.com/RupinderKGill/status/2010512137978835359
https://x.com/MadjackTees/status/2010530578026954904
https://x.com/Radioacktiva_/status/2010441577785667784
https://x.com/drew4worldruler/status/2010437044963594676
Baba Vanga 2026 Alien Horror: Is Comet 3I/ATLAS the Spacecraft the Blind Mystic Predicted?
11 January 2026, 1:15 AM GMT
We aren't even halfway through January 2026, yet a heavy, restless energy has already taken hold of people whenever they look up at the stars.
For most of history, a clear night sky was something for scientists to study or for people to admire, but that sense of wonder is starting to feel a lot more like a deep, old-fashioned fear.
This change in the air is largely thanks to the return of Baba Vanga's name in the headlines. People are once again obsessing over the blind Bulgarian mystic who many believe accurately predicted the September 11 attacks and the 2020 pandemic.
Prophecies of the Blind Seer in a Modern World
Although she died in 1996 at the age of 85, her vague but terrifying visions continue to find a massive audience in our modern, tech-driven society. She famously suggested that humanity's first-ever encounter with extraterrestrial life would take place in November 2026.
While she did not provide a detailed itinerary for these visitors, she warned that a colossal alien spacecraft would enter the atmosphere of Earth, leading to potential chaos.
Followers of Vanga's work often cite her high accuracy rate as a reason for the current heightened anxiety surrounding these claims. The prediction suggests that this potential contact could serve as a catalyst for a global crisis or even lead to a total apocalypse.
'This narrative has gained significant traction on social media as believers look for signs in the heavens that align with her timeline.
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Interstellar Intruder or Extraterrestrial Vessel
Vanga famously suggested that humanity's first encounter with extraterrestrial life would take place in November 2026, warning that a colossal alien spacecraft would enter Earth's atmosphere.
The discovery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has provided a physical anchor for these speculative theories. First detected by the ATLAS telescope in Chile in 2025, the object is only the third of its kind ever seen in our solar system, following 1I/ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.
Early data suggest that 3I/ATLAS is older than our own Sun, making it the most ancient interstellar traveller ever recorded.
On 19 December, the object made its closest pass to Earth at a distance of about 270 million kilometres. While some online theorists are convinced the object is a cloaked vessel, researchers have been conducting extensive tests.
A research team affiliated with Breakthrough Listen, a project backed by a £79 million ($100 million) investment, monitored the object for radio signals but found no trace of alien technology. The scientific consensus is that 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet.
Even so, the object's strange behaviour keeps the debate alive. Scientists are still captivated by where it came from, even if they are certain it isn't the "spacecraft" that Vanga's followers are looking for.
Global Conflict and the Shadow of World War III
Vanga's visions for 2026 aren't just about cosmic threats; they hit much closer to home. Her claim that World War III would break out this year is hitting a nerve right now, mostly because the world already feels like a powder keg ready to blow.
Right now, the international community is on high alert over a potential Chinese move on Taiwan and the increasingly direct friction between Russia and the United States.
The instability doesn't stop there. Recent events in Latin America, like the U.S. seizing oil tankers tied to Venezuela, have only added to the tension.
Factoring in the massive protests sweeping through Iran, it feels like the world is hitting a dangerous breaking point. Many people are starting to wonder if these specific escalations are exactly what Vanga saw coming.
The Breaking Point Of Human Society
Vanga often spoke with a moralistic tone, warning that humanity would eventually have to face the fact that it had 'gone too far'. She hinted that these upcoming years would force a massive reckoning.
According to her timeline, the world doesn't actually end until the year 5079. This suggests that even if we are facing a catastrophic war or a strange cosmic encounter, it isn't the final chapter of our story.
For the time being, the world is staying watchful as that November deadline inches closer.
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NASA’s Pandora Satellite Acquires Signal
January 12, 2026
NASA’s Pandora satellite mission controllers received full acquisition of signal from the spacecraft on Jan. 11 on the first ground pass after liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Pandora will study planets outside our solar system – called exoplanets – discovered by other missions to gain information about the planets’ atmospheres and how their stars may produce or affect the signals we detect from them.
When a planet passes in front of its host star, substances in its atmosphere can absorb some of that light. Astronomers can measure these effects to determine the presence of specific elements and compounds.
But the star can also produce the same signals, and activity on its surface can suppress or magnify those from the planet.
Pandora will monitor the brightness of the exoplanet’s host star in visible light while simultaneously collecting near-infrared data from both the star and the planet. It will study each system 10 times for 24 hours at a time.
Together, these long multiwavelength observations will help separate the signals from the stars and the planets.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, leads Pandora for the agency. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory provides project management and engineering for the mission.
Pandora’s telescope was manufactured by Corning and developed collaboratively with Livermore, which also developed the imaging detector assemblies, the mission’s control electronics, and all supporting thermal and mechanical subsystems.
The infrared sensor was provided by NASA Goddard. Blue Canyon Technologies provided the bus and is performing spacecraft assembly, integration, and environmental testing.
NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley will perform the mission’s data processing. Pandora’s mission operations center is at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and a host of additional universities support the mission science team.
NASA awarded the launch services for the Pandora mission through its VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the VADR contract.
This concludes our launch coverage. Continue to follow the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram at these accounts:
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/smallsatellites/2026/01/12/nasas-pandora-satellite-acquires-signal/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/smallsatellites/2026/01/11/nasas-exoplanet-observing-satellite-separated-from-rocket/
https://x.com/NASAKennedy/status/2010387917554983282
ISS astronaut medical evacuation latest news: Crew-11 pilot to hand control of station over today
January 12, 2026
NASA will return four astronauts to Earth early from the International Space Station due to a medical concern with one of the Crew-11 astronauts. Here's the latest news.
Good morning. NASA and SpaceX are now two days away from their planned "controlled medical evacuation" of four Crew-11 astronauts from the International Space Station.
To prepare for that departure, Crew-11 pilot Mike Fincke of NASA, who has been commanding the joint Expedition 74 crew on the ISS, will officially relinquish his command in a change-of-command ceremony that will shift control of the orbting lab over to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
The ceremony is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. EST (1835 GMT) today, Jan. 12, and will be webcast live on NASA TV, NASA+ and the space agnecy's streaming service and social media platforms.
Fincke and Crew-11 commander Zena Cardman of NASA, Japan's Kimiya Yui and Russia's Oleg Platonov will undock their SpaceX Dragon capsule from the ISS on Wednesday, Jan. 14 and return to earth early Jan. 15 due to a medical issue with one of the astronauts that occurred on Jan. 7.
It is the first-ever medical evacuation of astronauts from the ISS.
The four Crew-11 astronauts will leave behind Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, his fellow cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who will remain aboard the ISS to complete the remained of a six-month mission that began in late November.
January 11, 2026 at 2:28 PM
SpaceX splashdown options for Crew-11 astronauts
While NASA and SpaceX are poised to return the four Crew-11 astronauts to Earth in the wee hours of Thursday, Jan. 15, the weather will ultimately determine exactly where the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the crew will splash down off the coast of Southern California.
NASA said today that the weather looks favorable for a 3:40 a.m. ET splashdown off the California coast, but that the space agency and SpaceX willmake a final decision closer to landing day (likely around undocking on Jan. 14) on which landing zone to target.
"NASA will share more details about its coverage plans in the coming days," NASA officials wrote in an update.
In 2025, SpaceX switched exclusively to Pacific splashdowns for its Dragon capsules to avoid any debris from its expendable "trunk" from falling over populated areas. But there is more than one drop zone available to choose from.
In the past, SpaceX has reserved splashdown sites off the coast of San Diego, Oceanside and Los Angeles in Southern California, and we expect the same for the upcoming Crew-11 Dragon return.
This will be our final update of today for SpaceX and NASA's Crew-11 astronaut medival evacuation from the International Space Station. We'll be back Monday morning, Jan. 12, for the next update.
Thanks for joining us and we'll see you tomorrow.
https://www.space.com/news/live/astronaut-medical-evacuation-on-iss-jan-12-2026
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/01/10/change-of-command-of-international-space-station-to-occur/
https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/12/iss_command_handover/
https://nasawatch.com/astronauts/crew-11-bids-farewell-to-space/
https://x.com/Space_Station/status/2010147481644941435
https://www.youtube.com/@NASA
Lara Trump and Jared Isaacman - NASA chief hypes MARS goals, moon base
Jan 11, 2026
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
@POTUS created the Artemis Program and the Space Force, and now he has established a bold vision for America’s future in space. His executive order looks beyond single missions and toward lasting capability: a sustained American presence on the Moon, nuclear power and propulsion systems, groundbreaking scientific discoveries, and a thriving orbital economy that can serve as a force multiplier for NASA.
That clarity of direction matters, and it gives NASA and its partners a strong foundation to execute on these bold objectives.
Thank you to @MyViewFNC for having me on to discuss America’s exciting future in space.
7:07 PM · Jan 10, 2026
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
Planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars will be one of the most consequential achievements in human history. 🇺🇸
President Trump’s National Space Policy establishes that goal as something to work toward today, not someday. That clarity in direction allows us to make the right investments and start laying the groundwork right now.
This is what long-term leadership looks like.
7:30 PM · Jan 10, 2026
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
It was great to bring @MyViewFNC inside the historic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. 🚀
From Apollo, to the Space Shuttle, and now Artemis, this building is one of the most storied in all of spaceflight. It’s where we are beginning our return to the Moon.
In just a few short days, our Artemis II rocket rolls out from the VAB to the launchpad.
12:51 PM · Jan 11, 2026
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
What better celebration of America’s 250th birthday than launching a spacecraft to take the
@NASAArtemis II crew farther into space than any human has gone before!
Rockets of this power are marvels of American engineering and informed by the lessons learned throughout our nation’s rich history of leadership in space.
@250Freedom_ 🇺🇸🚀🌕
1:14 PM · Jan 11, 2026
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
One of the best ways to reinforce NASA’s mission-first culture is to free the best and brightest from needless bureaucracy and obstacles that slow progress, so they can focus on science and discovery as quickly and affordably as possible without compromising safety.
My advisors (or “team”) and I have established inboxes we will monitor ourselves and encouraged their use to bypass unnecessary filters.
My roadshow to every NASA center, which kicked off Friday, gives me the opportunity to spend time with those in the trenches and listen closely to our industry and international partners.
I will do everything I can to remove blockers, empower the workforce, and ensure sustained American leadership in the high ground of space.
2:35 PM · Jan 11, 2026
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
@NASAArtemis, founded by President Trump, will make history. This isn’t just a repeat the giant leaps that took place over half a century ago, this is going farther, establishing a lasting lunar infrastructure, and realizing the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of Americans on the Moon.
3:32 PM · Jan 11, 2026
https://youtu.be/hnwyh2B_N_Y?si=wjuBvhn8xMjhTLbk
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2010045292612407714
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2010186897046331605
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2010192678412034251
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2010454448267567115
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2010460406167511119
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2010480809132650701
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2010495147327533095
https://x.com/LaraLeaTrump
https://x.com/MyViewFNC
NASA Bolsters Golden Age of Exploration with Technology Priorities
Jan 12, 2026
As NASA prepares for long-duration missions to the Moon that will pave the way for human exploration on Mars, the agency is tapping into America’s expanding space economy to help guide its strategic technology investments.
This initiative, led by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate invites collaboration from U.S. industry leaders, academic institutions, and other government agencies to help prioritize critical technology development needs – known as shortfalls – identified for future science and exploration missions.
“NASA wants to hear directly from the nation’s brightest minds to drive solutions for our greatest technology needs as we lead America’s exploration through the solar system,” said Greg Stover, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“As we pursue collaboration with industry to support our most ambitious missions and increase agility, prioritizing NASA’s technology efforts ensures the most efficient and impactful progress for the agency and its stakeholders.”
Until Friday, Feb. 20, NASA will collect input from the aerospace community on consolidated technology shortfalls, such as developing infrastructure and capabilities for long-term operations in the lunar and Martian environments.
Technology stakeholders will participate in virtual meetings, provide feedback, and submit their shortfall ranking to the agency.
This effort builds on NASA’s first shortfall ranking exercise in 2024 which asked participants to rank 187 civil space shortfalls, resulting in an integrated list of technology priorities.
Based on the invaluable feedback provided by stakeholders in the first exercise, NASA has streamlined the process by consolidating the shortfalls into 32 broader, integrated categories, each addressing specific needs to provide further definition and context.
This restructuring maintains the original content’s depth while creating a more efficient and accessible feedback mechanism for participants.
NASA will analyze and aggregate the rankings to produce priority lists for each stakeholder group, which will be made publicly available for continued collaboration.
This prioritization framework will guide NASA’s evaluation of current technology development efforts to identify necessary adjustments within its existing portfolios.
The shortfall prioritization process may inspire new investments within NASA or spark innovative partnerships with external stakeholders.
This initiative also has the potential to unlock emerging commercial opportunities and accelerate growth in the U.S. space economy.
As NASA nears its next mission to the Moon, prioritizing the most important and impactful efforts helps NASA appropriately direct available resources to best support mission needs for the agency and the nation.
To maintain this collaborative approach, STMD plans to conduct feedback sessions and workshops every three years with industry, academia, and other government agencies, creating a dynamic process that continuously incorporates stakeholder insights and end-user perspectives.
The agency remains committed to refining this engagement framework, ensuring it delivers maximum value to all participants while advancing America’s leadership in space exploration and technology development.
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/nasa-bolsters-golden-age-of-exploration-with-technology-priorities/
Hubble Spies Stellar Blast Setting Clouds Ablaze
Jan 12, 2026
This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image captures a jet of gas from a forming star shooting across the dark expanse.
The bright pink and green patches running diagonally through the image are HH 80/81, a pair of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects previously observed by Hubble in 1995.
The patch to the upper left is part of HH 81, and the bottom streak is part of HH 80.
Herbig-Haro objects are bright, glowing regions that occur when jets of ionized gas ejected by a newly forming star collide with slower, previously ejected outflows of gas from that star.
HH 80/81’s outflow stretches over 32 light-years, making it the largest protostellar outflow known.
Protostars are fed by infalling gas from the surrounding environment, some of which can be seen in residual “accretion disks” orbiting the forming star.
Ionized material within these disks can interact with the protostars’ strong magnetic fields, which channel some of the particles toward the pole and outward in the form of jets.
As the jets eject material at high speeds, they can produce strong shock waves when the particles collide with previously ejected gas.
These shocks heat the clouds of gas and excite the atoms, causing them to glow in what we see as HH objects.
HH 80/81 are the brightest HH objects known to exist. The source powering these luminous objects is the protostar IRAS 18162-2048. It’s roughly 20 times the mass of the Sun, and it’s the most massive protostar in the entire L291 molecular cloud.
From Hubble data, astronomers measured the speed of parts of HH 80/81 to be over 1,000 km/s, the fastest recorded outflow in both radio and visual wavelengths from a young stellar object.
Unusually, this is the only HH jet found that is driven by a young, very massive star, rather than a type of young, low-mass star.
The sensitivity and resolution of Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 was critical to astronomers, allowing them to study fine details, movements, and structural changes of these objects.
The HH 80/81 pair lies 5,500 light-years away within the Sagittarius constellation.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-spies-stellar-blast-setting-clouds-ablaze/
Fire Threatens Rare Forests in Argentina
Jan 12, 2026
Summer is usually peak tourism season in Argentina’s Chubut province, a time when hikers and sightseers arrive to explore glacial lakes and cirques, alpine valleys, and towering forests.
In January 2026, however, some visitors to the remote Patagonian region instead found themselves fleeing raging wildland fires.
On January 8, 2026, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of smoke billowing from two large fires burning in and around Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
NASA satellites began detecting widespread fire activity in the area on January 6.
The more southerly blaze was spreading east on ridges between Lago Rivadavia, Lago Futalaufquen, and Lago Menéndez; the more northerly fire was burning on steep hillsides around Lago Epuyén.
All of the lakes occupy U-shaped glacial troughs, valleys with unusually flat bases and steep sides carved by glacial and periglacial erosion. Satellite-based estimates from the Global Wildfire Information System indicate that fires charred more than 175 square kilometers (67 square miles) across Patagonia between January 5 and 8.
The ridges are blanketed with temperate Patagonian Andean forest, including sections of Valdivian rainforest, with rare stands of alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides).
A type of cypress, these huge, slow-growing conifers are the second-longest-lived trees on Earth, with some surviving for more than 3,600 years.
According to UNESCO documents, Los Alerces National Park protects 36 percent of Argentina’s alerce forests, including stands with the greatest genetic variability on the eastern slopes of the Andes.
The park’s forests also contain exclusive genetic variants and the oldest individuals in the country.
News outlets and the national park reported challenging weather conditions for firefighters on the ground, who faced high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds in recent days.
Standardized Precipitation Index data from the National Integrated Drought Information System show that unusually dry conditions over the past several months have likely primed vegetation to burn.
News outlets reported that at least 3,000 tourists had to be evacuated from a lake resort near Lago Epuyén.
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fire-threatens-rare-forests-in-argentina/
Indian PSLV rocket apparently fails for 2nd launch in a row
January 11, 2026
A Indian rocket's return-to-flight mission apparently didn't go very well.
A PSLV rocket carrying the EOS-N1 military satellite and 15 other payloads lifted off from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sunday (Jan. 11) at 11:48 p.m. EST (0448 GMT and 10:18 a.m. India Standard Time on Monday, Jan. 12).
It was the first liftoff since May 2025 for the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), a four-stage rocket that debuted in 1993.
That most recent mission was a failure that resulted in the loss of the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) EOS-09 Earth-observing satellite.
And the PSLV seemed to suffer an anomaly on Sunday night as well.
"Close to the end of the third stage [engine burn], we are seeing a little more disturbance in the vehicle roll rates, and subsequently, there is a deviation observed in the flight path," ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said in an update during the agency's launch webcast.
"We are analyzing the data, and we shall come back at the earliest [opportunity]," he added. "Thank you."
The May 2025 anomaly also occurred during the PSLV's third-stage burn. If Sunday night's launch was indeed a failure, it would be the fourth for the 145.7-foot-tall (44.4 meters) PSLV out of 64 total liftoffs to this point.
The rocket has successfully lofted a number of high-profile payloads during its three decades of operation, including the Chandrayaan-1 moon probe in October 2008, the Mars Orbiter Mission in November 2013 and, in September 2023, Aditya-L1, India's first dedicated sun-studying spacecraft.
EOS-N1, also known as Anvesha, is a small Earth-observation satellite. Multiple sources identify it as a hyperspectral imaging satellite, meaning it was designed to study our planet in hundreds of different wavelengths of light. And it was supposed to do so for the Indian military.
"The satellite will constantly scan the Earth's surface, sending back images that can generate valuable intelligence," wrote The Tribune, an English-language daily paper based in northern India.
"It will join India’s growing family of spy satellites that use radar and optical technology," the outlet added. "India has an active program to develop a fleet of military satellites for surveillance and communication."
The other payloads that launched atop the PSLV on Sunday night were a diverse bunch. Among them were a Thai-U.K. Earth-observing satellite, a Brazilian satellite designed to help distressed fishing boats, an in-orbit fueling demonstration by an Indian company and a reentry capsule from the Spanish startup Orbital Paradigm.
All of the payloads headed to low Earth orbit except the reentry capsule, which is known as KID (Kestrel Initial technology Demonstrator).
It was supposed to separate from the PSLV's fourth stage late in the flight and come back to Earth for a splashdown in the South Pacific.
Sunday's mission was the ninth organized by NewSpace India Limited, ISRO's commercial arm.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/india-eos-n1-military-satellite-15-payloads-pslv-launch
https://www.wionews.com/india-news/3-failures-in-12-months-isro-s-troubles-with-strategic-space-missions-1768218040688
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COn2FZSu_sA
China develops world-first software to synchronize Earth and moon time
Jan 12, 2026 08:22 AM EST
Researchers at the Purple Mountain Observatory in China have developed LTE440, an acronym for Lunar Time Ephemeris. Reportedly, it is the world’s first ready-to-use software for lunar timekeeping.
This software would make it easy for future missions to stay on the same page, fixing the tricky problem of time differences between Earth and the Moon.
Moon’s less gravity
Time is not a universal constant.
If you lived on the Moon, you would technically age faster than your friends on Earth. This is due to the time difference, which isn’t much — only about 58.7 microseconds per day.
You might wonder why anyone cares about a few microseconds. The answer is navigation.
In deep-space navigation, those tiny ticks are the difference between a smooth landing and a catastrophic crash.
As Albert Einstein predicted in his theory of General Relativity, gravity warps the fabric of space-time. Because the Moon is less massive than Earth, its gravitational pull is weaker.
With less gravity to drag it down, time literally moves faster.
Early lunar missions didn’t care much about “Moon time” as most spent so little time on the surface, and even missions were less frequent.
But right now, a new global space race is heating up — the one that demands the utmost precision for safety and to save billions of dollars.
Modern spacecraft rely on systems similar to GPS. These systems calculate position by measuring exactly how long it takes a radio signal to travel from a satellite to a receiver. A tiny timing error can throw a lander’s position off by kilometers.
Nanosecond precision
To prevent future chaos on the Moon, the International Astronomical Union adopted a 2024 resolution calling for a unified lunar time reference system.
The Chinese team’s software does the heavy lifting for the future lunar missions.
South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the software tool accounts for both the Moon’s weaker gravity and its journey through space to keep its clock perfectly aligned with Earth’s.
Interestingly, it remains accurate to within nanoseconds even when looking 1,000 years into the future.
The software is built by analyzing precise data on the moon’s motion, automating the complex task of tracking time discrepancies.
This allows users to instantly synchronize Earth and lunar clocks, eliminating the need for manual, high-level calculations as space agencies prepare for long-term lunar settlement.
The researchers view the software as a foundational first step, noting that it must still evolve to power real-time navigation and the complex clock networks of future lunar colonies.
Also, in a surprising move, the tool has been made publicly available, signaling China’s intent to set the standard for the upcoming “lunar economy.”
While the US has pursued similar concepts, China has taken the lead by releasing a functional, accessible tool.
As NASA’s Artemis program and China’s own lunar base plans move forward, the Moon is getting crowded.
If adopted, LTE440 would ensure that when the first lunar settlers finally sit down for dinner, their clocks — and their navigation systems — will all be set to the same time.
https://interestingengineering.com/space/china-software-lunar-timekeeping
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/12/aa57345-25/aa57345-25.html
Astronomers baffled by 'mysterious disruptor' with a mass of 1 million suns and a black hole for a heart
January 12, 2026
A completely dark and mysterious body with the mass of 1 million suns and a possible black hole heart continues to baffle and intrigue astronomers despite further investigation.
This "mysterious disruptor" is located around 11 billion light-years away and was discovered in 2025 thanks to its gravitational influence. It is now the most distant body ever detected due to its gravitational effects alone.
But astronomers aren't completely in the dark about the mysterious disruptor, however. In fact, they are sure they know what lies at the heart of this strange cosmic body.
"The inner central part is consistent with a black hole or dense stellar core, which surprisingly makes up about a quarter of the object's total mass," Vegetti explained.
"As we move away from the center, however, the object's density flattens into a large disk-like component. This is a structure we've never seen before, so it could be a new class of dark object."
This strange structure was found in the gravitational lens system JVAS B1938+666. Gravitational lensing is a phenomenon first predicted by Einstein in the 1915 theory of gravity known as general relativity.
It occurs when light from a background source passes the curvature of space caused by a massive foreground object, known as a gravitational lens, causing its usually straight path to become curved.
The way light is influenced doesn't just allow objects to be seen at great distances via light amplification, but also tells scientists a great deal about the way mass is distributed within the lensing system itself.
The gravitational lens JVAS B1938+666 consists of massive bodies ranging from 6.5 billion to 11 billion light-years away, including this "mysterious disruptor," the most distant element of Jvas B1938+666.
A team of astronomers attempted to reconstruct the distribution of mass in the object, revealing its so-called "density profile."
That's a highly complex procedure considering JVAS B1938+666 consists of many different bodies, the main component of which is a massive elliptical galaxy. Unlike those other bodies, however, the mysterious disruptor is completely invisible.
"Trying to separate all the different mass components of such a distant, low-mass object using gravitational lensing was extremely challenging and incredibly exciting," team leader Simona Vegetti of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Germany, said in a statement. "We're working with high-quality data and complex models, and just when I thought we had it all figured out, its properties threw up another surprise. "It's precisely this combination of difficulty and mystery that makes this object so fascinating."
What do we know about the mysterious disruptor so far?
To investigate the mysterious disruptor, Vegetti and colleagues first set about analyzing the small disturbances, or perturbations, that it makes to the overall arc of the gravitational lens JVAS B1938+666.
They then compared data collected by an array of telescopes, including the Green Bank Telescope, to various models of dark matter. This revealed that none of these models could explain the mysterious disruptor.
"It has a very strange profile, because it's particularly dense at the center, but it extends enormously," team member Davide Massari of the National Institute for Astrophysics said.
"So it's not uniformly distributed: it's as if there were an extremely compact object at the center, but then the profile continues to extend to distances much greater than those typically observed in galaxies or star systems of comparable mass."
Though investigations of the mysterious disruptor have thus far involved radio telescopes, future studies and a potential solution to this conundrum could come courtesy of telescopes operating in other wavelengths of light, including the powerful infrared vision of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
"If we were finally able to observe some form of light emission in the visible or infrared range, we could conclude, for example, that it is a somewhat anomalous ultracompact dwarf galaxy, with an unusually extended stellar halo," team member Cristiana Spingola of the National Institute for Astrophysics.
"But if even with JWST we still fail to see starlight or other visible matter, then it would mean that we are dealing with an object whose properties are difficult to explain with current dark matter models."
https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-baffled-by-mysterious-disruptor-with-a-mass-of-1-million-suns-and-a-black-hole-for-a-heart
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02746-w
Mitsubishi Corporation Joins Starlab as Major Space Station Customer
Jan 12 2026 12:30 GMT
HOUSTON(BUSINESS WIRE)Jan. 12, 2026– Starlab Space LLC today announced that Mitsubishi Corporation has reserved and pre-purchased capacity on Starlab's commercial space station, becoming a foundational customer while simultaneously increasing their investment in the company and joining Starlab's Board of Directors through representative Issei Shinohara.
Mitsubishi Corporation joins Starlab as a major customer, expanding their current partnership to include reserved and pre-purchased payload capacity on Starlab's commercial space station. Image: Starlab space station in space with Earth in the background.
The expanded partnership includes acquisition of usage rights for designated payload volume and utilization of on orbit laboratory facilities on Starlab, positioning Mitsubishi to accelerate space-based research opportunities for Japanese institutions.
This customer commitment is accompanied by an expanded equity partnership that brings additional investment to support Starlab's development.
The collaboration addresses the critical transition in space research as the International Space Station approaches retirement.
Since 2008, Japan has operated the ISS Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo," under the leadership of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Mitsubishi's long-standing relationship and legacy of supporting JAXA presents opportunities for future collaboration as Japan's space program transitions to commercial platforms.
"Mitsubishi Corporation's decision to reserve capacity on Starlab demonstrates the strong commercial demand for our next-generation platform," said Marshall Smith, CEO of Starlab.
"Their commitment as a partner and customer validates our progress as we advance to full development and flight. Their decades of experience supporting Japan's space program, combined with their industrial expertise, makes them an invaluable partner as we work to complete our CDR that was conducted in December."
As a customer, Mitsubishi will support Japanese space development objectives while contributing to advancements in areas such as life sciences research, advanced materials development and next-generation manufacturing technologies that benefit from the unique space environment.
The company’s research capacity will enable Japanese institutions to accelerate space-based research in drug discovery, nano-medicine applications, new material development and next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.
Starlab is the largest and most advanced commercial space station in development.
To date, Starlab has achieved more than 27 development milestones and received $217.5 million from NASA through the Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 1 program and $15 million from the Texas Space Commission, plus backing from joint venture partners across the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada.
https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=600-202601120730BIZWIRE_USPRX____20260112_BW377887-1
Saudi Arabia, Japan sign cooperation memorandum on peaceful use of outer space
January 12, 2026
The Saudi Space Agency has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Japan on the peaceful use of outer space, strengthening bilateral collaboration in the space sector.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the tenth Saudi-Japanese Ministerial Investment Forum, titled “Invest in Saudi Arabia,” as part of a package of eleven cooperation agreements aimed at deepening strategic ties between the two countries.
The agreement was concluded with Japan’s Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, reflecting broader efforts to enhance international collaboration among entities operating in the space industry.
The memorandum was signed on behalf of the Saudi Space Agency by Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Agency’s Board of Directors.
It establishes a framework for joint cooperation in space science and technology, capacity building, and the exchange of expertise, with the aim of supporting the development of the space sector and promoting the peaceful uses of outer space.
The agreement is expected to enhance long-term Saudi-Japanese collaboration in the space domain, support sustainable space development, and foster integration between technical and research capabilities in both countries.
Areas of cooperation include advanced space technologies, deep-space technologies and exploration, Earth observation and space-based services, satellite manufacturing and related services, satellite launch and launch vehicles, satellite hosting and operation, as well as scientific missions and astronaut training.
The Saudi Space Agency said the memorandum builds on the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to expand international partnerships in the space sector and reflects its active role in contributing to a global space ecosystem that supports research, innovation, and serves humanity.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the forum focused on enhancing economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan by improving bilateral investment and trade cooperation, facilitating access to new investment opportunities, and reviewing joint initiatives in key sectors such as energy, machinery, and equipment.
During the forum, Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment, said Saudi Arabia is set to begin exporting green hydrogen to Japan in the coming days, Al-Eqtisadiah reported.
https://www.zawya.com/en/economy/gcc/saudi-arabia-japan-sign-cooperation-memorandum-on-peaceful-use-of-outer-space-cktmjfcx
SpaceX Starlink Mission
January 12, 2026
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is targeting the launch of 29 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
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 will be the 25th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER-B, USSF-124, BlueBird 1-5, Nusantara Lima (PSN N5), and 19 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read The Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-6-97
Kerry Cassidy and Ann Vandersteel - NANT AND BLOCK CHAIN
Jan 10, 2026
financial corruption episode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU4WibHrY4A
https://x.com/camelotQKerry
https://projectcamelotportal.com/
https://x.com/annvandersteel
What Is the 'Powerful Mystery Weapon' Allegedly Used During US Raid on Venezuela's Maduro?
Updated Jan 11, 2026, 21:00 IST
A recent witness account has leveled a shocking allegation regarding the US operation in Venezuela, where American forces allegedly used an "advanced, mysterious weapon" during a raid to capture President Nicolas Maduro.
The mystery weapon brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees, "bleeding through the nose" and "vomiting blood", according to a witness account posted Saturday on X by the White House press secretary.
In a jaw-dropping interview shared by the New York Post, the guard described how American forces wiped out hundreds of fighters without losing a single soldier, using technology unlike anything he has ever seen or heard.
“We were on guard, but suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation,” the guard said. “The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didn’t know how to react.”
Moments later, a handful of helicopters appeared, deploying what he estimated were just 20 US troops into the area. But those few men, he said, came armed with something far more powerful than guns.
“They were technologically very advanced,” the guard recalled. “They didn’t look like anything we’ve fought against before. We were hundreds, but we had no chance,” he said.
“They were shooting with such precision and speed; it felt like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute.”
Eyewitness describes a 'sonic weapon'
He shared that at one point, they launched something which was like "a very intense sound wave". The effects were immediate and horrific.
"Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose,” he said. “Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.
We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon — or whatever it was.”
An estimated 100 Venezuelan security forces were killed during the US raids, according to the country’s Interior Ministry. It is unclear if any of those were caused by the mystery weapon.
There have been reports that the US military has directed energy weapons in the past, which neutralise targets using focused energy such as microwaves or laser beams.
But this could be the first time it's been used in combat by the US, an ex-US intelligence source told The Post.
The source noted that those weapons have the capability to produce at least some of the symptoms, including “bleeding, inability to move or function, pain and burning.”
US Delta Force teams executed shocking overnight strikes across Caracas, including Venezuela's massive Fuerte Tiuna military complex on January 3, capturing long-ruling President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The Venezuelan president and his wife were then flown out of the country to New York.
The raid marks Washington's boldest Latin American intervention since the 1989 Panama invasion.
https://www.timesnownews.com/world/what-is-the-powerful-mystery-weapon-allegedly-used-during-us-raid-on-venezuela-nicolas-maduro-article-153428936
https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2009997866425897308
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzLKRUkcHlw