TYB
Pole Shift Begins to Go Mainstream | S0 News and frens
Feb.19.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHH5-tb_dhM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heoKQs5o_8k (S0: Who Are We?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pod5JhZYx_M (Ray's Astro: Mysterious SIGNAL DETECTED Beneath ANTARCTICA'S ICE - What They Don't EXPLAIN)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP6lfhXN9B4 (Stefan Burns: The Miracle Moment is Upon Us ✨ Guided Meditation by Stefan Burns)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b86Yr0cR0YE (Sabine Hossenfelder: Physicists Rethink Time… And It Solves Several Big Problems)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fAnnhpF30U (ISS does 'orbital cartwheel' in amazing time-lapse from space)
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/02/Space_safety_hazards_space_weather
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/northern-glow-spans-iceland-and-canada/
https://www.aol.com/articles/weather-words-sun-halo-171224107.html
https://www.cnet.com/science/space/the-suns-temper-tantrums-what-you-should-know-about-solar-storms/
https://www.sciencealert.com/giant-gravity-anomaly-under-antarctica-is-getting-stronger-scientists-reveal
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/2024162041720959279
https://x.com/PaulGoldEagle/status/2024346565515891144
https://x.com/NWSSanAntonio/status/2024512926745325795
https://x.com/SchumannBotDE/status/2024393663464288389
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
New Analysis of the Periodic Wobbles of the 3 Jets Around 3I/ATLAS
February 19, 2026
In a new paper (accessible here) that I co-authored with the Italian observer Toni Scarmato, we use images from the Hubble Space Telescope to study the motion of the symmetric system of three jets around the nucleus of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
The Hubble images were processed through a Larson–Sekanina rotational-gradient filter -which removed the circularly symmetric glow around the nucleus.
The remaining brightness map shows three close-in jets in addition to a sunward anti-tail on a much larger scale, as discussed in our previous paper here.
These post-perihelion Hubble Images were taken between November 30 and December 27, 2025. The most prominent jet among the three is directed opposite to the Sun and appears to wobble over a period of 7.20 (± 0.05) hours.
The total brightness shows contemporaneous variability with a period of 7.136 (±0.001) hours and an amplitude of about 30%.
We interpret the characteristic post-perihelion period of about 7.1 hours as an attitude precession or nutation associated with a misalignment of the rotation axis with the symmetry axes of the nucleus.
The wobble around the rotation axis displays a characteristic angular excursion of order 20 degrees, while the rotation axis is aligned with the sunward direction to within 20 degrees.
Based on the inferred diameter of 2.6 kilometers for the nucleus of 3I/ATLAS (as reported here), only about a percent of the brightness of 3I/ATLAS originates from the reflection of sunlight by its nucleus.
When rotation is misaligned with the symmetry axes of the nucleus, it can produce quasi-periodic wobbles and a non-sinusoidal variability.
The new analysis links the inferred 7.1-hour period to an attitude precession or nutation of the multi-jet system. The brightness variability tracks transitions between collimated and fan-like morphologies of the jets.
Whereas the position angle of the most prominent jet shows variability with a period of 7.20 (± 0.05) hours, shorter periods are also apparent. Jets 2 shows a period of 2.9 hours and Jet 3 shows a period of 4.3 hours. The sum of 2.9 plus 4.3 is 7.2 hours.
We interpret the ~7.1-hour periodicity as the result of the rotation of 3I/ATLAS being misaligned with the principal symmetry axes of its nucleus. The jet structure undergoes a quasi-periodic wobble as the nucleus exhibits precession and nutation about the rotation axis.
This interpretation explains the orientation oscillations of the jets with morphology-dependent amplitudes and phases, the non-sinusoidal variability, and the sensitivity of the lightcurve to evolving collimation (fan opening) of the jets.
Multiple jets in different directions tend to balance each other and stabilize the rotation of 3I/ATLAS.
Jet 2 — which is oriented approximately opposite to the Sun and close to the projected rotation axis — anchors the large-scale geometry, whereas Jets 1 and 3 trace the precession cone through their position angle oscillations.
The wobble and changing collimation of the jets modulates both the projected jet directions and the total brightness.
The fundamental question that remains unresolved is whether the symmetric triple-jet system is a signature of technological thrusters or the sublimation of natural pockets of ice on the surface of a natural rocky iceberg.
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/new-analysis-of-the-periodic-wobbles-of-the-3-jets-around-3i-atlas-2a93a12e9e7c
https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~loeb/TA2.pdf
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/first-question-for-an-alien-scientist-94e4df300bc3
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/can-ai-agents-solve-the-publication-crisis-in-academia-b6412e7a1936
https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/city-size-cold-volcano-comet-transforms-into-a-glowing-snail-shell-after-major-explosive-outburst
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/72707/20260219/ice-volcano-comet-size-rhode-island-erupts-forms-glowing-snail-shell-spiral.htm
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2026/02/19/supernova-sn-2026azd-in-the-mcg-1-33-68-spiral-galaxy-an-image-17-feb-2026/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUzsL3J77J8 (L. A. Marzulli: Avi Loeb Returns!)
https://x.com/drew4worldruler/status/2024037511131963525
https://x.com/artisounds4you/status/2024516367118950911
Is Buzz Aldrin being forced into silence after witnessing a UFO? | Reality Check
Updated: Feb 16, 2026 / 01:35 PM CST
In this episode of “Reality Check,” Ross Coulthart sits down with Maaneli “Max” Derakhsani, a theoretical physicist and philosopher of physics.
Together, they discuss Buzz Aldrin’s shocking revelation that he saw a UFO on his way to the moon, why NASA might be hiding proof of artificial structures on the moon and the popular lunar transient phenomena.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/podcasts-newsnation/is-buzz-aldrin-being-forced-into-silence-after-witnessing-a-ufo-reality-check/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyNU8ZJbv1w
https://x.com/rosscoulthart
https://x.com/TheRealBuzz
extra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZwTAkhWPwU (Dobsonian Power: REAL NASA MOON FOOTAGE OF ARTIFICIAL STRUCTURES!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnhhERsBSfo (Angry Astronaut: Pentagon reports 20 UFOs in orbit! PLUS, more UAP footage we weren't meant to see!)
https://x.com/MaxDerakhshani
hopefully y'all remembered to pack the replicators and medbeds
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/02/19/live-artemis-ii-wet-dress-rehearsal-coverage/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/02/18/artemis-ii-wet-dress-rehearsal-update-countdown-progressing/
https://www.iflscience.com/watch-artemis-iis-next-wet-rehearsal-live-tonight-will-the-issues-be-fixed-82607
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KYhqePsm38
LIVE: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal Coverage
February 19, 2026 7:00AM
Live updates for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal will be published on this page. Live views of the launch pad and test are available online. All times are Eastern.
11:11 a.m.
Teams in the firing room at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center are experiencing an issue with ground communications and have moved to backup communication methods to maintain safe audio command and control.
The launch director has decided to maintain the current vehicle state, continuing the liquid oxygen fast fill, but delaying moving into liquid hydrogen fast fill, while engineers troubleshoot the issue.
10:43 a. m.
Teams have transitioned from slow fill to fast fill for liquid oxygen on the core stage of the SLS rocket. Liquid hydrogen remains in slow fill for the core stage.
10:30 a.m.
Following successful chilldown of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen lines, teams have started slowly filling the SLS rocket’s core stage with super-cold liquid hydrogen, chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, then with liquid oxygen chilled to minus 297 degrees.
This marks the official start of propellant loading for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal.
Slow fill is a deliberate process that allows the tanks and associated hardware to thermally condition before transitioning to fast fill.
This step minimizes thermal stress and ensures the integrity of the system as hundreds of thousands of gallons of cryogenic propellant flow into the core stage.
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9:40 a.m.
Teams have started chilling down the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen lines for the SLS rocket’s core stage.
This critical step cools the propellant lines ahead of loading super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the core stage tank, which will eventually hold more than 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
The chilldown process ensures the hardware is conditioned for the extreme temperatures of cryogenic propellants, reducing thermal shock and safeguarding system integrity.
Once complete, teams will transition to slow fill of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, followed by fast fill later in the countdown.
9:35 a.m.
At approximately 9:27 a.m., the Artemis launch director gave the “go” to begin loading cryogenic liquid propellant into the SLS rocket.
NASA teams have completed final preparations and closeouts of the umbilicals connecting the mobile launcher to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.
The umbilicals provide power, communications, and fuel to different parts of the rocket and spacecraft, while additional accessories provide stabilization.
During launch, each umbilical releases from its connection point, allowing the rocket and spacecraft to lift off safely.
Teams will begin slowly filling cryogenic propellant into the rocket beginning at L-9 hours 45 minutes in the countdown.
Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen will flow into the rocket’s core stage and interim cryogenic propulsion stage tanks, topped off and replenished as some cryogenic propellant boils off.
The team will also conduct leak checks to ensure loading proceeds as expected.
7 a.m.
The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown continues as teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began configuring the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with gaseous nitrogen, an important step to mitigate fire hazards, protect spacecraft systems, and ensure mission safety ahead of fueling operations.
Technicians are replacing the ambient air with gaseous nitrogen, which is an inert gas that does not support combustion.
By replacing air – which contains highly-combustible oxygen – with nitrogen, engineers can remove the oxidizer needed to sustain fire and dramatically reduce flammability risks in a launch environment filled with high-energy systems and propellants.
The step also includes an inerting purge that removes oxygen and prevents contaminants like moisture or particulates from entering sensitive systems on the rocket.
This keeps propulsion and life-support hardware clean and stable and creates a non-reactive environment that protects hardware and minimizes chemical reactions during countdown and ascent.
Overnight, teams prepared fueling lines on the mobile launcher and powered up the SLS upper stage and boosters.
In the next few hours, teams will activate the ground launch sequencer used for command and control during the countdown, and verify several systems are ready for fueling operations.
NASA’s Artemis launch director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, will poll whether to give a “go” for tanking operations to begin.
While there won’t be a launch today, teams are targeting 8:30 p.m. EST as the opening of a simulated launch window.
Following a first run through the countdown to 33 seconds before the simulated launch time, teams will recycle the clock to T-10 minutes and will resume until stopping at approximately T-30 seconds.
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New Expedition 74 Foursome Kicks off Science, Gets Used to Space
February 18, 2026 2:27PM
Vein scans and pharmaceutical research topped the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 74 crew rounded out the day with Dragon cargo transfers, lab familiarization activities, and life support maintenance duties.
NASA Flight Engineers Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir kicked off their shift with vein scans using the new Ultrasound 3 device delivered last year aboard the Cygnus XL spacecraft.
Hathaway led the scans imaging Meir’s neck, shoulder, and leg veins while chest electrodes measured her heart cardiac activity as doctors on Earth assisted in real time.
Hathaway then operated the Ultrasound 2 device and scanned the veins of ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot as doctors on the ground monitored.
Living in space long term induces fluid shifts in an astronaut’s body increasing the risk of blood clots—also called thromboembolism—that flight surgeons constantly monitor and seek to counteract.
The trio, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, continued getting familiar with station systems and operations while getting used to living and working in weightlessness.
At the beginning of his shift, Fedyaev wore acoustic sensors around his neck that recorded his rapid exhalation helping doctors understand how microgravity affects the respiratory system.
Adenot serviced sample processing hardware supporting research into the development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals in space. Meir wrapped up her day unpacking crew supplies and station hardware delivered aboard Dragon on Saturday.
NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams, who has been aboard the orbital outpost since November, worked throughout Wednesday with a variety of life support tasks, medical training, and an emergency drill.
Williams first measured airflow throughout the modules in the station’s U.S. segment then inspected vents for cleanliness and proper configuration.
Next, he trained to use medical hardware, including an automated external defibrillator, and performed different procedures such as conducting eye exams and administering medicine.
Williams also joined his crewmates Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev from Roscosmos and practiced using emergency respirators in the unlikely event of a chemical leak aboard the station.
Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev, who arrived with Williams aboard the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, spent Wednesday focusing primarily on research and maintenance in the station’s Roscosmos segment.
Kud-Sverchkov wrapped up an overnight automated photography session that imaged the Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet wavelengths. Mikaev configured scientific hardware that controls and processes data for numerous experiments.
The duo also split their day with computer hardware replacements in the Nauka science module and ventilation system maintenance in the Zvezda service module.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/02/18/new-expedition-74-foursome-kicks-off-science-gets-used-to-space/
https://x.com/Space_Station
CSDA Program Announces Eight New Data Agreements
Feb 18, 2026
NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program announced eight new agreements with seven of its commercial partners— Airbus Defense and Space GEO Inc (Airbus U.S.), Capella Space Corporation, ICEYE US, MDA Space, Planet Labs, Umbra, and Vantor (formerly Maxar)—to give users more access to near‑global multispectral and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data.
With these agreements, the CSDA program further advances its mission to acquire data from commercial providers that supports NASA’s Earth science research and applications, and expands the quality, coverage, and range of Earth observation data NASA offers to the scientific community.
“These new agreements will provide users with a range of high-quality multispectral and SAR data that can be used in a variety of applications from environmental monitoring to surface deformation,” said CSDA Project Manager Dana Ostrenga.
“In addition, they exemplify the CSDA Program’s commitment to acquiring data that enhances and supports the agency’s application and research objectives.”
New Near-Global, Multispectral Imagery
In support of NASA programs and stakeholders, the CSDA program enacted three agreements with Planet, Airbus, and Vantor (formerly Maxar) to provide near‑global multispectral and pan‑sharpened electro‑optical satellite imagery of nearly all global land and coastal surfaces.
This imagery has a spatial resolution of approximately 30 centimeters, 1 meters, and up to 10 meters (depending on the product) and is suitable for applications including environmental monitoring, agriculture, and urban applications.
Data products will include Top of Atmosphere radiances and surface reflectance across the visible and near‑infrared spectrum.
New SAR Data
In response to NASA’s and users’ needs for SAR data, and following rigorous technical and programmatic evaluation, CSDA executed five agreements for high‑resolution SAR imagery, including tasked Spotlight, StripMap, Scan, Wide/Extended Spotlight, and Long‑Dwell modes, with Capella, ICEYE, MDA, Umbra, and Airbus.
These SAR capabilities provide all‑weather, day‑night imaging that complements the electro‑optical agreements and enhances NASA’s ability to monitor dynamic processes such as flooding, land deformation, sea‑ice motion, and infrastructure impacts.
Further, under these agreements, each commercial partner will provide specific data requirements consistent with their respective sensor capabilities and performance, as well as tasking and archive access.
Increased Access and User Eligibility
The data acquired under these agreements will be made available to authorized commercial satellite data users in accordance with the CSDA Program’s End User License Agreements (EULAs).
EULAs generally pertain to NASA‑funded investigators and designated collaborators and outline established mechanisms for accessing CSDA data, such as the CSDA Satellite Data Explorer (SDX) and related portals.
Users can contact the CSDA Program at csda-support@nasa.gov to obtain additional information about user agreements, detailed product specifications, and procedures for requesting and accessing these commercial datasets for their research and application activities.
https://science.nasa.gov/uncategorized/csda-program-announces-eight-new-data-agreements/
https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/csda/
https://science.nasa.gov/uncategorized/vantor-archive-imagery-added-to-satellite-data-explorer/
https://science.nasa.gov/uncategorized/csda-releases-new-data-acquisition-request-system/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance/perseverance-rover/nasas-perseverance-now-autonomously-pinpoints-its-location-on-mars/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KofTfRGO4Zs
NASA’s Perseverance Now Autonomously Pinpoints Its Location on Mars
Feb 18, 2026
Imagine you’re all alone, driving along in a rocky, unforgiving desert with no roads, no map, no GPS, and no more than one phone call a day for someone to inform you exactly where you are.
That’s what NASA’s Perseverance rover has been experiencing since landing on Mars five years ago. Though it carries time-tested tools for determining its general location, the rover has needed operators on Earth to tell it precisely where it is — until now.
A new technology developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California enables Perseverance to figure out its whereabouts without calling humans for help.
Dubbed Mars Global Localization, the technology features an algorithm that rapidly compares panoramic images from the rover’s navigation cameras with onboard orbital terrain maps.
Running on a powerful processor that Perseverance originally used to communicate with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the algorithm takes about two minutes to pinpoint the rover’s location within some 10 inches (25 centimeters).
Mars Global Localization was first used successfully in regular mission operations on Feb. 2, then again Feb. 16.
“This is kind of like giving the rover GPS. Now it can determine its own location on Mars,” said JPL’s Vandi Verma, chief engineer of robotics operations for the mission.
“It means the rover will be able to drive for much longer distances autonomously, so we’ll explore more of the planet and get more science. And it could be used by almost any other rover traveling fast and far.”
The upgrade is especially valuable given how well Perseverance’s auto-navigation self-driving system has been working.
Enabling the rover to re-plan its path around obstacles en route to a preestablished destination, AutoNav has proved so capable that the distance Perseverance can drive without instructions from Earth is largely limited by the rover’s uncertainty about its whereabouts.
Now that it can stop and determine its exact location, Perseverance can be commanded to drive to potentially unlimited distances without calling home.
Implementation of Mars Global Localization comes on the heels of another innovation from the Perseverance team: the first use of generative artificial intelligence to help plan a drive route by selecting waypoints for the rover, which are normally chosen by human rover operators.
Both technologies enable Perseverance to travel farther and faster while minimizing team workload.
Beyond visual odometry
Unlike on Earth, there is no network of GPS satellites in deep space to locate spacecraft on planetary surfaces. So missions — whether robotic or crewed — must come up with other ways to determine their location.
As with NASA’s previous Mars rovers, Perseverance tracks its position using what’s called visual odometry, analyzing geologic features in camera images taken every few feet while accounting for wheel slippage.
But as tiny errors in the process add up over the course of each drive, the rover becomes increasingly unsure about its exact location.
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On long drives, the rover’s sense of its position can be off by more than 100 feet (up to 35 meters). Believing it may be too close to hazardous terrain, Perseverance may prematurely end its drive and wait for instructions from Earth.
“Humans have to tell it, ‘You’re not lost, you’re safe. Keep going,’” Verma said. “We knew if we addressed this problem, the rover could travel much farther every day.”
After each drive comes to a halt, the rover sends a 360-degree panorama to Earth, where mapping experts match the imagery with shots from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
The team then sends the rover its location and instructions for its next drive. That process can take a day or more, but with Mars Global Localization, the rover is able to compare the images itself, determine its location, and roll ahead on its preplanned route.
“We’ve given the rover a new ability,” said Jeremy Nash, a JPL robotics engineer who led the team working on the project under Verma. “This has been an open problem in robotics research for decades, and it’s been super exciting to deploy this solution in space for the first time.”
The small team began working in 2023, testing the accuracy of the algorithm they’d developed using data from 264 previous rover stops.
The algorithm compared rover panoramic photos to MRO imagery and correctly pinpointed the rover’s location for every single stop.
How Ingenuity helped
Key to Mars Global Localization is the rover’s Helicopter Base Station (HBS), which Perseverance used to communicate with the now-retired Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.
Equipped with a commercial processor that powered many consumer smartphones in the mid-2010s, the HBS runs more than 100 times faster than the rover’s two main computers, which, built to survive the radiation-heavy Martian environment, are based on hardware introduced in 1997.
As a technology demonstration designed to test capabilities, the Ingenuity mission was able to risk employing more powerful commercial chips in the HBS and the helicopter even though they hadn’t been proven in space.
It paid off: Expected to fly no more than five times, the rotorcraft completed 72 flights.
The power of the HBS processor inspired Verma to look for ways the Perseverance mission might harness it. “It’s almost like a gift. Ingenuity blazed the trail, proving we could use commercial processors on Mars,” Verma said.
Tapping into the HBS computer has had its challenges. To address reliability, the team developed a “sanity check”: The algorithm runs on the HBS multiple times before one of the rover’s main computers checks to ensure the results match.
During testing, the team repeatedly found the rover’s position was off by 1 millimeter. They discovered damage to about 25 bits — a minuscule fraction of the processor’s 1 gigabyte of memory — and developed a solution to isolate those bits while the algorithm runs.
Alongside the broader Mars Global Localization process, the team’s sanity check and memory solutions are expected to find new uses as faster commercial processors are employed in future missions.
In the meantime, the team has already turned their sights to the Moon, where difficult lighting conditions and long, cold lunar nights make knowing exactly where spacecraft are located all the more critical.
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https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/award-winning-nasa-camera-revolutionizes-how-we-see-the-invisible/
Award-Winning NASA Camera Revolutionizes How We See the Invisible
Feb 19, 2026
Imagine trying to photograph wind. That’s similar to what NASA engineers dealt with during a recent effort to study how air moves around planes, rockets, and other kinds of aerospace vehicles.
Air is invisible, but our understanding of how it flows is crucial for building better, safer aircraft.
For 80 years, researchers used a technique called “focused schlieren imaging.” Think of it as a special camera system that can “see” air movement by detecting tiny changes in its density.
It’s the same effect that lets you to see heat waves rising from hot pavement on a sunny day ¾ just much more precise.
The Self-Aligned Focusing Schlieren (SAFS) system is a game-changer. It’s a compact, low-cost, easy-to-use visualization tool that is less complex than traditional focusing schlieren systems.
“What makes this breakthrough compelling is the ripple effect,” said NASA’s Brett Bathel, who invented the SAFS alongside fellow engineer Joshua Weisberger at the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
“When researchers can see and understand air movement in ways that were previously difficult to achieve, it leads to better aircraft designs and safer flights for everyone.”
Switching from older systems to SAFS in wind tunnels and other specialized research environments allows aerospace engineers to gather high-speed flow visualization data more efficiently, with less facility downtime, and lower costs.
For the aviation industry, it opens doors to new discoveries, potentially revolutionizing how we design everything from commercial airliners to spacecraft.
With SAFS in its toolbox, NASA is also better positioned to meet its mission goals related to efficiency and safety in aviation and space.
Researchers are using SAFS to capture flow separation on the High Lift Common Research Model, a tool for improving how accurately we can predict the takeoff and landing performance of new aircraft.
And it’s helping them investigate shock cell structures ¾ diamond shapes that form in exhaust plumes ¾ for the Space Launch System model.
The NASA technology is already being used worldwide, adopted by over 50 institutions in more than 8 countries, from Notre Dame to the University of Liverpool. Companies continue to license the technology and commercial versions are hitting the market.
The impact has been so significant that NASA’s researchers earned multiple awards. R&D World gave SAFS a spot on its 2025 R&D 100 Awards, selected by a panel of global experts.
NASA also named the SAFS a 2025 NASA Government Invention of the Year, the highest award the agency gives to groundbreaking technologies.
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Giant Leap Ahead
To understand why the SAFS is a big deal, you need to know what researchers were working with before.
The older focused schlieren imaging setup required researchers to have access to both sides of what they were testing.
They needed to set up separate grids of light sources on each side and align them perfectly with each other. It’s the equivalent of lining up two window screens on opposite sides of a room so their patterns match exactly.
Setting up one of these systems could take weeks of painstaking adjustments, and if someone accidentally bumped the system or needed to make an adjustment? Start over.
Enter the SAFS system. In 2020, NASA researchers asked a critical question: What would happen if they could eliminate all that complexity by using the properties of light itself?
The solution? Light polarization. Your polarized sunglasses work by filtering light in specific directions. The SAFS system does something similar, using light polarization to create the same effect as the older, cumbersome dual-grid setup.
The SAFS system only requires access to one side of the object you’re testing. And, instead of needing two separate grids that must be perfectly aligned, it uses just one grid that does double duty.
What used to take weeks of setup now takes just minutes. Need to make adjustments? No problem. The SAFS system can tweak sensitivity, change its field of view, or adjust focus on the fly.
The system is compact and immune to vibrations (goodbye, starting-over-because-someone-walked-by).
Sometimes revolutionary advances come not from adding complexity, but from finding new creative solutions to age-old problems. The SAFS is proof that there’s always room for innovation ¾ and this one is already making its mark on the world.
The work on SAFS was supported through NASA’s Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities portfolio office and Transformational Tools and Technologies project, which works to develop new computational tools to help predict aircraft performance.
The project is part of NASA’s Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program under its Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.
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those streets are a national emergency
Fishing Boats and City Lights
Feb 18, 2026
Fishing boats illuminate the Arabian Sea along India’s west coast with green lights designed to attract squid, shrimp, sardines, and mackerel in this nighttime photograph from the International Space Station, orbiting 259 miles above Earth on Dec. 25, 2025.
Studying nighttime light offers a unique perspective for investigations into human behaviors, such as tracking the expansion of urban areas or assessing power outages caused by natural disasters such as hurricanes, and biological and ecological studies researching how artificial lights influences nature.
Crew members aboard the orbital lab have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations.
Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. This allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study phenomena, from the movement of glaciers to urban wildlife.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/fishing-boats-and-city-lights/
kek that's not supposed to be there
Map the Earth’s Magnetic Shield with the Space Umbrella Project
Feb 19, 2026
A stream of charged particles known as the solar wind flows from the Sun toward Earth. Here, it meets the Earth’s magnetic fields, which shield our planet like a giant umbrella.
The Space Umbrella project needs your help investigating this dynamic region, where NASA’s Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) mission has been collecting data since 2015.
The MMS mission investigates how the Sun and Earth’s magnetic fields connect and disconnect, explosively transferring energy from one to the other in a process that is important to the Sun, other planets, and everywhere in the universe.
With the Space Umbrella project, you will help identify when the MMS spacecraft has observed the strongest interactions between the Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind.
While these interactions can result in beautiful auroras, they also release energy that could disrupt GPS and communications systems and endanger astronauts.
Your work will also help scientists better understand solar storms. Understanding these solar storms can contribute to keeping our astronauts and technology safe.
To get started, visit the Space Umbrella project website and complete the tutorial.
The tutorial will teach you everything you need to know, including how to tell when the satellite is inside Earth’s magnetic field and when the magnetosphere is interacting with the Sun’s particles.
Everyone is welcome to participate — no prior experience needed!
https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/citizen-science/map-the-earths-magnetic-shield-with-the-space-umbrella-project/
https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/vickitoyedens/space-umbrella
Small But Mighty Lab Device Could Transform NASA Research
Feb 19, 2026
A small but mighty piece of lab equipment, about the size of a cellphone, has arrived at the International Space Station after launching with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission.
NASA aims to use the off-the-shelf device, called a microplate reader, to conduct vital biological research in space and get real-time access to data.
Demonstrations like this are part of NASA's Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science (CERISS) initiative, which partners with industry to develop transformative research capabilities and increase the pace and productivity of space science.
NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division is leading the demonstration in collaboration with the agency’s International Space Station Program.
Potential to speed up access to research results
The immediate benefit of using a microplate reader for space science is speed. Scientists can get data as soon as testing is complete, rather than waiting for samples to be stored, returned to Earth, and analyzed in ground labs.
In-situ analysis like this — testing done on-site rather than after sample return — could reduce the delays, complications, and costs of bringing materials back to Earth.
Traditional microplate readers on the ground are typically much larger — often bigger than a microwave — but NASA’s tests will use a version that is not much larger than a cellphone.
For now, the microplate reader device requires a trained astronaut to run tests. But proving commercial lab equipment can work in low Earth orbit could open doors for future automation and even more advanced testing capabilities.
In the future, scientists could test astronaut samples for various molecules during long-duration missions to monitor crew health in deep space. The microplate reader is adaptable — different test kits could support a range of measurements wherever humans explore in space.
Shining light on space biology
The microplate reader uses a wavelength of light to detect color in biological tests. When a target molecule is present in a sample, the test produces a color change. The intensity of that change tells researchers how much of a particular molecule is present.
NASA will initially use samples from the Microgravity Associated Bone Loss-B (MABL-B) investigation — which explores potential ways to prevent bone loss in space — to test the microplate reader on the space station.
For this demonstration, the microplate reader will measure a protein called interleukin-6 in samples from the MABL-B investigation. Scientists suspect this protein may contribute to astronaut bone loss.
Operating the device is straightforward. It connects to a tablet or laptop via USB and uses standard 96-well plates — the same format many labs use on Earth. An astronaut runs the test using software to operate the device and get results immediately.
Scientists can monitor the experiment in real-time via video and visually observe the initial readouts. If researchers have instructions for the crew, those are relayed via space station ground personnel communicating with crew.
Additionally, a detailed data file can be downlinked quickly from the station and shared with the researchers.
Testing commercial lab equipment using ultimate laboratory
A microplate reader arrived at the orbiting laboratory Feb. 14 with Crew-12. The test kit and samples will launch aboard a future mission to the space station.
Once all materials are aboard station, NASA will run the demonstration and compare the results with identical tests conducted on Earth.
"The microplate reader hardware and the kit to measure a protein called Interleukin-6 are both off the shelf — we're testing these commercially available products in space to accelerate the pace of doing research in orbit," said Dan Walsh, CERISS program executive for NASA.
“Our CERISS effort is building the capabilities and infrastructure needed for a thriving low Earth orbit research economy. Demonstrations like this show how commercial tools can integrate into space station operations and help grow the commercial space industry.”
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/biological-physical-sciences/small-but-mighty-lab-device-could-transform-nasa-research/
NASA’s New Horizons Captures Stunning Footage of Ice Mountains on Pluto’s Moon Nix
February 19, 2026 at 09:15
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has delivered extraordinary video footage showing towering ice mountains on Pluto’s moon Nix.
These ice peaks, some rising as high as 11,000 feet, are made of pure water ice and behave like rock due to the intense cold.
The footage from New Horizons provides unprecedented details of Nix, a moon that has long fascinated researchers.
Located in the frigid outer reaches of our solar system, Nix’s ice mountains are not only visually striking but also scientifically significant.
While Pluto and its moons are largely composed of ice, Nix stands out for its unique geological features. The new data is helping to reveal the active processes shaping the surface of the moon.
A Frozen World: Nix’s Ice Mountains
According to NASA, the ice mountains on Nix are made of pure water ice, which in the extreme cold of the moon behaves more like rock.
These towering formations, some of which reach impressive heights of 11,000 feet, offer a rare example of ice in its most rigid form.
“This observation is so tantalizing, I’m finding it hard to be patient for more Nix data to be downlinked,” stated Carly Howett, mission scientist at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, in a NASA statement.
The extreme temperatures on Nix, which hover around -280°F (-173°C), prevent the ice from melting, and instead, it remains solid and stiff, giving it a rock-like appearance.
Researchers believe this ice could be among the youngest geological features on the moon, only about 100 million years old, which is relatively young in the context of the solar system’s 4.56 billion-year history.
New Horizons Reveals Nix: A Closer Look at Pluto’s Moon
The images and video footage captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft are crucial to expanding our understanding of Pluto’s moons.
Launched in 2006, New Horizons made its historic flyby of Pluto in 2015, and the mission continues to provide invaluable data about the dwarf planet and its satellites.
The spacecraft’s LEISA spectral imager, which collects detailed data about surface compositions, has been key to unveiling the true nature of Nix’s surface.
This technology allows scientists to analyze the characteristics of Nix’s icy terrain in fine detail, helping them understand how these features form and evolve in the harsh environment of deep space.
Nix and Hydra: A Duel of Moons
While Nix shares similar characteristics with another of Pluto’s moons, Hydra, there are distinct differences in their surface compositions.
“Nix and Hydra – the second and third moons to be discovered – are approximately the same size, but their similarity ends there.” explained NASA in the same statement.
According to data from the New Horizons mission, Nix is covered predominantly by water ice, while Hydra exhibits higher reflectivity in visible wavelengths, which suggests that it might have a slightly different surface composition.
These differences are important for scientists who are trying to piece together the geological history of Pluto’s moons.
“New Horizons’ findings on the surface characteristics and other properties of Nix and Hydra will help scientists understand the origins and subsequent history of Pluto and its moons,” as explained by the U.S space agency.
https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/02/nasa-footage-ice-mountains-pluto-on-moon/
https://science.nasa.gov/dwarf-planets/pluto/facts/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/
https://x.com/MAstronomers/status/2005055593502179767
Scientists: Help NASA Evaluate Responses to Space Radiation
February 19, 2026
NASA seeks assistance in evaluating biological responses to radiation to improve astronaut health risk assessments.
Space Radiation Health Risks
Astronauts are exposed to different types and varying doses of space radiation, including solar energetic particles from the Sun and galactic cosmic rays (GCR) from outside the solar system.
Exposure to space radiation can increase health risks, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and damage to the central nervous system (CNS).
Animal models can provide insight into how humans respond to spaceflight, with a preference for outbred animal models with genetically diverse mice to more accurately represent human responses.
Objectives
NASA aims to conduct a study with the following objectives:
Determine the effects of radiation quality, dose, and dose rate on cancer initiation, promotion, and progression in outbred mice.
Establish estimates for space-relevant radiation exposures.
Provide biobanked tissue and comprehensive metadata to support future NASA investigations.
(Optional) Assess cardiovascular and CNS outcomes, as well as sex-specific responses.
What We Are Seeking
The study work includes:
Radiation exposures at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) in Upton, New York, including gamma irradiation, full GCR simulation (acute and fractionated), and single-ion exposures.
Dose coverage relevant to Mars design reference missions.
Survival, tumor incidence, and tumor spectrum analyses.
Comprehensive tissue collection, preservation, and metadata management.
Biobanking of required samples per NASA specifications.
Preparation of interim and final reports.
What We Need from You
The principal investigator (PI) will provide:
Required Deliverables
Evaluation of biological responses to GCR simulations and single-ion exposures, including overall survival, solid tumor-free survival, leukemia/lymphoma-free survival, and tumor spectrum/type analysis.
Biobanking of specified organs/tissues with metadata.
Comprehensive digital data management plan covering animal, sample, and metadata tracking.
Optional Deliverables
Assessment of cardiovascular injury from space-like radiation exposure.
Evaluation of CNS functional/physiological decrements.
Assessment of dose-rate effects.
Analysis of sex-specific responses.
Resources
NASA will provide the PI with the outbred animal models, shipping to NSRL, and beam time. The PI will budget for model housing, travel, experimental execution, and sample processing.
Award: 4-year maximum funding.
Project Phases: A definition phase lasting 3-6 months will occur before the implementation phase of the project. Continuation to full implementation is contingent on successful science integration with NASA.
Deadline: March 13, 2026.
https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/scientists-help-nasa-evaluate-responses-to-space-radiation/
https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/72b537a3248944bf9b3d8cf853a0b96c/view
NASA Selects Vast for Sixth Private Mission to Space Station
Feb 12, 2026
NASA and Vast have signed an order for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than summer 2027 from Florida.
This private astronaut mission marks the company’s first selection to the orbiting laboratory, underscoring NASA’s ongoing investment in fostering a commercial space economy and expanding opportunities for private industry in low Earth orbit.
“Private astronaut missions represent more than access to the International Space Station — they create opportunities for new ideas, companies, and capabilities that further enhance American leadership in low Earth orbit and open doors for what’s next,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“We’re proud to welcome Vast to this growing community of commercial partners. Each new entrant brings unique strengths that fuel a dynamic, innovative marketplace as we advance research and technology and prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
The mission is expected to spend up to 14 days aboard the space station. A specific launch date will depend on overall spacecraft traffic at the orbital outpost and other planning considerations.
“The International Space Station plays an essential role in shaping the future of low Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“By hosting private astronaut missions, the station helps accelerate innovation, opens new commercial pathways, and advances research strengthening the foundation of a thriving space economy.”
Vast will submit four proposed crew members to NASA and its international partners for review. Once approved and confirmed, they will train with NASA, international partners, and SpaceX for their flight.
The company has contracted with SpaceX as launch provider for transportation to and from the space station.
“Vast is honored to have been selected by NASA for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station,” said Max Haot, CEO of Vast.
“Leveraging the remaining life of the space station with science and research-led commercial crewed missions is a critical part of the transition to commercial space stations and fully unlocking the orbital economy.”
The company will purchase mission services from NASA, including crew consumables, cargo delivery, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily use.
NASA will purchase the capability to return scientific samples that must remain cold during transit back to Earth.
NASA made the selection from proposals received in response to its March 2025 NASA Research Announcement.
Missions aboard the International Space Station, including private astronaut missions, help advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies in the unique microgravity environment.
These commercial efforts in low Earth orbit are helping develop capabilities and technologies that could support NASA’s long-term goals for missions beyond low Earth orbit, including deep space exploration to the Moon and eventually to Mars through the agency’s Artemis campaign.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-vast-for-sixth-private-mission-to-space-station/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/18/vast-nasa-astronauts-international-space-station/88735211007/
Northrop Grumman launches Valen multifunction AESA radar for crewed, uncrewed and space platforms
February 19, 2026
Northrop Grumman has introduced Valen, a new multifunction active electronically scanned array radar in the company’s advanced sensing portfolio. The system is designed to deliver next-generation capabilities to U.S. and allied warfighters.
Valen is a wideband array that combines radar, electronic warfare and communications functions in a single design. It is intended for crewed and uncrewed platforms operating from air to space.
The development of Valen was fully funded by Northrop Grumman and builds on generations of combat-proven AESA technology. According to the company, the system is lighter, smaller and more affordable than previous solutions.
Northrop Grumman states that Valen is digitally designed and manufactured using 3D printing, reducing production timelines. The company says this approach supports faster delivery while maintaining performance standards.
The radar’s performance is supported by advanced packaging techniques developed at Northrop Grumman’s Microelectronics Center. These techniques combine multiple semiconductor components into a micro-sized package, enabling faster operation, improved cooling and lower power consumption within a smaller footprint.
Valen is built using the latest open-architecture standards for hardware and software. The company says this allows the integration of advanced sensor capabilities from across its portfolio and supports rapid system updates.
As an AESA system, Valen uses digitally controlled antennas and sensors to provide rapid detection, tracking and imaging in any direction without mechanical movement. Northrop Grumman states that this enables faster target detection and tracking across operational environments.
Krys Moen, vice president of advanced mission capabilities at Northrop Grumman, said, “Our warfighters require advanced situational awareness no matter what platform they’re operating.”
He added, “Valen’s design embodies the future of warfare—integrating cutting-edge technology, adaptability and affordability to enable quick decision making and effective mission execution.
Valen’s compact, lightweight design cuts production time, delivering a highly capable product to the field faster.”
The radar has been tested aboard a Northrop Grumman-owned Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft. The company said the system will be offered to the U.S. armed forces and allied nations as part of its expanding advanced sensing portfolio.
https://defence-industry.eu/northrop-grumman-launches-valen-multifunction-aesa-radar-for-crewed-uncrewed-and-space-platforms/
Watch SpaceX land a rocket in The Bahamas for the 2nd time ever today
February 19, 2026
SpaceX will land a rocket in The Bahamas for the second time ever today (Feb. 19), and you can watch the action live.
A rocket topped with 29 of SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites is scheduled to launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today, during a four-hour window that opens at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT).
You can watch it live via SpaceX's homepage or X account beginning about five minutes before liftoff.
If all goes according to plan today, the Falcon 9's first stage will return to Earth a little over eight minutes after launch. It will touch down on the SpaceX droneship "Just Read the Instructions," which will be stationed in The Bahamas' Exuma Sound.
It will be just the second SpaceX landing in Bahamian waters. The first occurred in February 2025, also during a Starlink launch.
Most Falcon 9 boosters that launch from the Space Coast touch down farther north, in the open waters of the Atlantic. But landing near The Bahamas offers advantages.
"Our new landing collaboration with The Bahamas will enable Falcon 9 to launch to new orbital trajectories," SpaceX wrote via X in February 2025.
Less than a month later, however, the upper stage of SpaceX's Starship megarocket broke apart over the Caribbean during a test flight, raining debris down on The Bahamas.
The nation put the SpaceX partnership on hold in April 2025, saying it wanted to perform an environmental assessment of all rocket landings in the region.
That work is now complete. On Tuesday (Feb. 17), the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas announced that it has cleared SpaceX to land rockets in Exuma Sound once again.
Today's touchdown will be the 26th for this particular Falcon 9 first stage, which carries the designation 1077. The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, will deploy the 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit about 64 minutes after liftoff.
The spacecraft will join nearly 9,700 other satellites in the Starlink megaconstellation, by far the largest off-Earth network ever assembled.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/watch-spacex-land-a-rocket-in-the-bahamas-for-the-2nd-time-ever-today
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-resume-rocket-landings-bahamas-after-starship-mishap-debris
https://www.space.com/stargazing/solar-eclipses/see-the-moons-shadow-darken-antarctica-in-epic-satellite-imagery-of-the-feb-17-solar-eclipse-video
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-10-36
See the moon's shadow darken Antarctica in epic satellite imagery of the Feb. 17 solar eclipse
February 18, 2026
Satellites have captured incredible views of the Feb. 17 annular solar eclipse as the moon's shadow swept across a remote region of Antarctica, while at the same time a U.S. weather satellite captured the silhouette of Earth's satellite as it traversed across the face of the sun.
An annular solar eclipse takes place when the moon — at a distant point in its elliptical orbit — passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the vast majority of its surface while leaving a thin sliver of its outer disk visible to appear as a burning halo in the sky.
Sadly, the only humans on hand to see the full glory of the Feb. 17 "ring of fire" eclipse were those who were crewing isolated research stations in a 383-mile-wide (616 kilometer) swathe of Antarctica.
Thankfully for us in warmer locations, a number of satellites were able to witness the enormity of the event from orbit, including spacecraft from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat), which captured imagery of the moon's shadow (above) as it swept over the frozen continent.
The moon's immense shadow was also spied by South Korea's GEO-KOMPSAT-2A weather satellite from its perch 22,370 miles (36,000 km) above Earth in geostationary orbit, close to the shadowy line of the night-day terminator.
NOAA's GOES-19 satellite captured a different perspective as it stared directly into the sun using its Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) instrument from high above Earth.
Bright looping structures can be seen playing throughout the sun's atmosphere in the ultraviolet realm of the electromagnetic spectrum as plasma is shaped by our star's strong magnetic field while the moon's silhouette roams left-to-right across the solar disk.
Solar eclipses don't occur in isolation, but rather as the opening — or sometimes closing — act of a two-part eclipse "season".
The second half of this current orbital ballet will occur on March 3, when our planet slips between the sun and moon, bathing the latter with sunlight that has been filtered and scattered by Earth's atmosphere to give rise to a dramatic "blood moon" total lunar eclipse.
Totality will be visible to approximately 2.5 billion people spread throughout Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, parts of the Pacific and North America, the latter of which will get to see the moon slip into the deepest part of Earth's shadow as it slips below the horizon at sunrise.
Then, on Aug. 12, stargazers in Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, Spain and Russia will be treated to a dramatic total solar eclipse — where the moon briefly hides the entirety of the solar surface in the path of totality — while hundreds of millions elsewhere will witness a lesser partial eclipse.
Hoping to see the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse for yourself? Then be sure to read our top tips and travel advice for planning an eclipse trip along with our picks of the best solar viewing gear and guidance on how to check and safely use eclipse glasses.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/solar-eclipses/see-the-moons-shadow-darken-antarctica-in-epic-satellite-imagery-of-the-feb-17-solar-eclipse-video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQhTGbivH_g
Inaugural Contested Logistics for Space Summit emphasizes USSF’s focus on mission sustainment, readiness, and logistics integration within contested environments
Feb. 18, 2026
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – The U.S. Space Force (USSF) concluded the Service’s first-ever Contested Logistics for Space summit at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo.
Hosted by Space Systems Command (SSC), the event marked a significant milestone in reinforcing the service’s focus on mission sustainment, readiness, and logistics integration within contested environments.
The workshop brought together over 50 participants to align sustainment strategies with operational realities. Key stakeholders included representatives from U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM), Secretary of the Air Force (SAF), Headquarters U.S. Space Force (HQ USSF), Headquarters Air Force (HAF), SSC, Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), USSF Combat Forces Command (CFC), Space Forces Space (S4S), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Product Support Managers, and Palace Acquire Interns.
The event featured a keynote presentation by USSPACECOM Deputy Commander U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Thomas L. Zellman, who underscored the critical need for a warfighter culture within the logistics enterprise.
Zellman emphasized that fostering this mindset is essential to serve as a decisive enabler of readiness and deterrence, ensuring the enterprise can deliver and sustain combat effects for the joint force under any conditions.
”I believe this is a good first step in identifying and analyzing our Contested Logistics for Space environment,” said Mr. Robert Carroll, space logistics officer, USSF Mission Sustainment Directorate, HQ USSF.
“We had the right people and expertise in the room to map out our way forward to identify current state, realize gaps and risk areas, and lay the groundwork to developing mitigation strategies.”
Participants examined how modernization and integration with the commercial and industrial base are essential to sustaining operational tempo during prolonged conflict.
By bridging the gap between acquisition and operations, the workshop aimed to ensure mission sustainment is viewed as an integrated enterprise across orbital, terrestrial, and link segments.
“This summit bridges the gap between our acquisition strategies and the tactical realities faced by our Guardians.
We are moving beyond traditional maintenance to engineer a resilient, end-to-end logistics enterprise that ensures our space capabilities remain unbreakable, even under the most persistent threats,” said Mr. Brad Leonard, director of installations, logistics, and product support at SSC.
The insights and strategies developed during the summit will serve as a foundation for upcoming USSF logistics doctrine, strategy, and future training exercises.
As the threat environment evolves, these collaborative efforts ensure the service remains prepared to sustain its critical weapon systems and maintain a strategic advantage in the space domain.
SSC is the USSF field command responsible for acquiring, developing, and delivering resilient capabilities to outpace emerging threats and protect the Nation’s strategic advantage in, from, and to space.
SSC manages a $15.6 billion annual space acquisition budget for the Department of War (DoW), working with joint forces, industry partners, and allied nations.
https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/4408928/inaugural-contested-logistics-for-space-summit-emphasizes-ussfs-focus-on-missio