TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
March 2, 2026
The Dusty Surroundings of Orion and the Pleiades
How well do you know the night sky? OK, but how well can you identify famous sky objects in a very deep image? Either way, here is a test: see if you can find some well-known night-sky icons in a deep image filled with filaments of normally faint dust and gas. This image contains the Pleiades star cluster, Barnard's Loop, Orion Nebula, Aldebaran, Betelgeuse, Witch Head Nebula, Eridanus Loop, and the California Nebula. To find their real locations, here is an annotated image version. The reason this task might be difficult is similar to the reason it is initially hard to identify familiar constellations in a very dark sky: the tapestry of our night sky has an extremely deep hidden complexity. The featured composite reveals some of this complexity in a 16 hours of sky exposure in dark skies over Granada, Spain.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv0WgfAe-3c
Pole Shift Study, Airplane Trouble | S0 News and frens
Mar.2.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX9d-OsmFUw
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/aurora-sightings-set-for-rare-peak/gm-GMC74860EF
https://starlust.org/dangerous-solar-storms-can-now-be-predicted-up-to-two-years-in-advance-thanks-to-new-study/
https://www.space.com/news/live/total-lunar-eclipse-blood-moon-march-3-2026-live-updates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOWbskXybxg (Adapt 2030: 3/3 Blood Moon 3:33 AM Will the Reset START?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u01PRLeK0dE (Stefan Burns: Major Faultlines Have Begun Rupturing Before the Blood Moon Tonight…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwmyeomXMpk (Ray's Astro: LIVE: The Sun Right Now ☀️ | Backyard Solar Viewing (Real-Time))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G58QBMa3aj0 (Moar Ray: LIVE BLOOD MOON – Total Lunar Eclipse March 3, 2026 (2AM CST))
https://x.com/SunWeatherMan/status/2028172613084987644
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/2028327234629669170
https://x.com/schumannbot/status/2028470412841988541
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
we gotta be close
>But It’s Just a Space Rock or Satellite Crossing in Front During Telescope Observation
sure it is
kek
comet news is drying up (for the moment)
The Comet From Another Star
March 01, 2026 11:13 PM UTC
Something arrived in our Solar System last summer that had been travelling for longer than the Earth has existed. It came from somewhere out there in the dark between the stars, possibly from a planetary system that formed billions of years before our own Sun even ignited.
We don't know exactly where it came from. We may never know. But for a brief, extraordinary window of time, this ancient wanderer passed close enough to study, and the world's astronomers dropped almost everything to watch.
Its name is 3I/ATLAS. The numbers and letters tell you it's the third interstellar object ever detected, and it was spotted by the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile, a network of instruments designed to scan the night sky for objects that might one day threaten Earth.
What it found instead was something that posed no threat whatsoever, but was infinitely more exciting. A comet, travelling at over 240,000 km per hour, on a trajectory that no object born in our own Solar System could ever follow. It had come from somewhere else entirely.
Evolution of 3I/ATLAS as seen by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's LSSTCam during science validation observations. The four inset images show the comet on 21 June 2025 (ten days before discovery), 2 July, 3 July, and 19 July 2025.
The upper portion shows the comet's trajectory through the inner Solar System (Credit : NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
In the months that followed, a scramble of observations took place. Hubble photographed it. X-ray telescopes caught it glowing in high energy light. NASA's Parker Solar Probe watched it race around the Sun.
Infrared observatories detected organic molecules and water vapour streaming off its ancient surface. One researcher described the experience as being like glimpsing a rifle bullet for a thousandth of a second, over before you can quite comprehend what you've seen.
But one of the most remarkable images has only just arrived.
ESA's JUICE spacecraft (currently en route to Jupiter to study its icy moons) was in exactly the right place at the right time.
Just seven days after the comet made its closest approach to the Sun, JUICE turned its science camera toward 3I/ATLAS from 66 million kilometres away and took over 120 photographs.
The resulting image shows something beautiful and slightly eerie, a bright, egg shaped glow surrounded by a halo of gas, with a long tail streaming away behind it, and faint rays and jets just visible in the processed data.
There is something deeply significant in that image, despite travelling unimaginable distances through interstellar space where temperatures approach absolute zero and cosmic rays pummel everything in their path, 3I/ATLAS is behaving exactly like a perfectly ordinary comet.
The same ices, the same outgassing, the same familiar structures we see in comets born right here in our own Solar System. The universe, it seems, makes comets the same way everywhere.
And yet it is not quite the same. Scientists probing its chemistry found that the pristine ices buried beneath its radiation baked crust were releasing a cocktail of chemicals; water, carbon dioxide and organic molecules that have been locked away since before our Solar System existed.
In a very real sense, analysing this comet means reading a message from another planetary system, sent billions of years ago and only now decoded.
The full scientific results from JUICE are still being processed and the instrument teams meet in late March to compare notes.
Whatever they find, one thing is certain, 3I/ATLAS is already gone, accelerating away from the Sun and heading back out into the infinite dark from which it came. It will never return. We had one chance to meet it and hopefully we made it count.
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-comet-from-another-star
https://vermontjournal.com/outdoor-news/sovera-presents-journey-to-a-comet/
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/im-chat-gpting-therefore-i-am-670c80170278
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3MrjzKgqOY (Avi Loeb: 3I/ATLAS Spins Every 7 Hours…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOMZyEk5eEk (Moar Avi: The Unusual Anti-Sun Jet of 3I/ATLAS)
missed one
Angry Astronaut
NEW 3I Atlas photos prove that Angry was wrong! Or was he??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv6jY1ozfWY
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/scoria-cones-on-earth-and-mars/
Scoria Cones on Earth and Mars
Mar 02, 2026
Since the 1970s, planetary geologists have known that volcanic features cover large swaths of Mars. Early Mariner 9 images revealed massive shield volcanoes and lava plains on a scale unlike anything on Earth.
Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system, stands nearly three times higher than Mount Everest. Alba Mons, the planet's widest volcano, spans a distance comparable to the length of the continental United States.
Both Olympus Mons and Alba Mons were primarily built by basaltic effusive eruptions—relatively calm outpourings of "runny" lavas that spread across the surface in sheets.
This is thought to be the most common type of volcanism on Mars, accounting for the vast majority of its volcanic landforms. However, a small portion was produced by explosive volcanism of the sort that forms volcanic cones, pyroclastic flows, and ashfalls.
The dearth of explosive volcanic features on Mars has long puzzled geologists.
With an average atmospheric pressure 160 times lower than Earth's and only a third of the gravity, explosive eruptions should theoretically occur more easily on the Red Planet, said Petr Brož, a planetary geologist with the Czech Academy of Sciences.
That rarity is part of what makes features like the volcanic cones (shown above) found in Mars' Ulysses Colles region so compelling to planetary geologists.
"They appear to be scoria cones—a clear sign of explosive volcanism," Brož added. "They were the first identified in the Tharsis region in the 2010s, and they helped paint a broader and more complete picture of Martian volcanism."
The CTX (Context Camera) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image (second image above) of Ulysses Colles above on May 7, 2014. Ulysses Colles is located at the southern edge of Ulysses Fossae, a group of troughs within the Tharsis volcanic region.
The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured an image with similar cones in the San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF) in northern Arizona on June 19, 2025 (top).
Planetary geologists consider the cones in the two locations to be highly analogous. Both images also include grabens—linear blocks of crust that have shifted downward.
In both images, the scoria cones appear as rounded hills crowned with circular vents, while lava flows spread outward as dark, textured areas around the bases of the cones.
At both locations, seemingly younger and smaller lava flows appear to spill from some cones, while older, more weathered flows lie in the background.
"Understanding similar features on Earth helps us know what to look for on Mars and interpret processes that we can’t observe directly," said Patrick Whelley, a NASA volcanologist who is part of a team that develops field equipment and techniques for Moon and Mars exploration.
SP Crater (above left), located in Arizona’s San Francisco Volcanic Field, features a 7-kilometer-long lava flow that extends northward and has been used for NASA astronaut geology training.
In two places, the flow has spilled into a graben, creating a distinctive half-moon pattern along its left side.
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On Earth, scoria cones form when gas-rich magmas soar high into the air and solidify into small particles of material called scoria that accumulate in steep-sided structures. While similar processes create cones on Earth and Mars, there are important differences.
Martian scoria cones are typically taller, wider, and have gentler slopes, Flynn said. That makes sense. With lower gravity and atmospheric pressure, volcanic fountains can loft erupted magma higher and farther from the vent, producing larger cones.
There are far more scoria cones on Earth, where tens of thousands exist and account for about 90 percent of volcanoes on land. On Mars, "we have only identified tens to a few hundred candidates," Broz said.
It could be that explosive volcanism was never common on Mars, or it could be that it was but that explosive features have been covered up by younger, effusive flows or destroyed by erosion, he added.
Whelley noted that on Mars, it remains unclear whether the Martian lava flows or the scoria cones formed first. The lava flow could be older, with the cone forming on top. Or, the cone may have formed first and later become plugged, forcing lava to spill from its side.
Determining the order of events is one of the "puzzles of geology" that planetary geologists try to solve when studying Martian features remotely, he said.
"Visiting places like the San Francisco Volcanic Field and studying the geology of analogous features up close on Earth helps us know what clues to look for when interpreting Martian geology."
Below (left) is a closer view of a scoria cone on Earth, southeast of SP Crater, called Sunset Crater. It erupted about 800 years ago, making it the youngest scoria cone in the San Francisco Volcanic Field.
The analogous cone in Ulysses Colles (right), in contrast, is thought to be billions of years old.
Note that eruptions that create scoria cones are "mildly explosive," usually Strombolian events, characterized by intermittent lava fountains, said Ian Flynn, a planetary geologist at the University of Pittsburgh.
They differ from the far more violent explosive eruptions that send ash columns billowing tens of kilometers into the air, as happened at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in the South Pacific, he added.
Mars also shows evidence of highly explosive "super eruptions," but that type of eruption leaves behind a different geologic signature: large depressions called paterae and broad, thin deposits of ash and other erodible material sculpted into landforms such as yardangs.
Planetary comparison is valuable for understanding the geology of distant worlds, Brož said. Without such comparisons, it becomes harder to determine how landforms on other planets or moons may have formed at all.
But caution is essential. "In planetary science, it's often said—only half-jokingly—that even if something looks like a duck, behaves like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it may not actually be a duck," he added. It's easy, for instance, to confuse scoria cones with mud volcanoes.
Researchers are highly confident that the Ulysses Colles cones formed through explosive volcanism based on the surrounding volcanic landscape, but in more ambiguous terrain it can be difficult to tell. Mars is fundamentally different from Earth, he cautioned.
Brož's laboratory research suggests, for instance, that mud flows on Mars can look much like certain types of lava flows, and that, under certain conditions, they can even boil and levitate. "We also have to avoid being constrained by terrestrial experience," he said.
"If we fail to think outside the box, we may overlook important possibilities."
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NASA’s ER-2 Aircraft Captures Moonlight to Calibrate Space Sensors
March 2, 2026
A NASA instrument designed to measure the Moon’s brightness to help satellite sensors make more accurate measurements completed a three-week mission on a high-flying plane on Feb. 5.
NASA uses the Moon as a natural calibration source to improve the accuracy of space-based sensors. These sensors provide critical data to observe weather patterns, survey agriculture, and study the Earth’s ecosystems – supporting decisions that affect everyday life.
By measuring the Moon’s brightness from near-space, scientists can ensure satellite instruments remain precise without adding costly onboard calibration equipment.
The Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance, or air-LUSI, instrument flew over the West Coast on NASA’s high-altitude ER-2 aircraft, based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transforming the plane into an airborne lunar observatory.
The instrument was carried to an altitude of about 70,000 feet, above 95% of the Earth’s atmosphere. The air-LUSI team has been operating missions to measure moonlight since 2022.
Because the Moon’s surface reflects light consistently and is unaffected by Earth’s changing environment, moonlight is a good reference point for calibration.
Unlike the Sun, the Moon’s brightness is similar to Earth’s, making it a better match for how satellite sensors are designed to operate.
The air-LUSI project is a collaboration between NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and McMaster University in Ontario.
~Jay Levine
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/science-news/2026/03/02/nasa-aircraft-calibrates-with-moonlight/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15606021/NASA-fans-FURIOUS-Artemis-missions.html
'Just admit it, we're never going back': NASA fans are FURIOUS at the US space agency as it pushes back the timeline for its Artemis moon missions yet again
Updated: 07:46 EST, 2 March 2026
NASA has announced radical changes to its Artemis moon missions, pushing the lunar landing back yet again.
On Friday, the US space agency revealed an ambitious change in strategy that would see a greater number of flights making more incremental progress.
While NASA has sold this as an 'increase in cadence', the upshot is that Artemis III will no longer land on the moon in 2027 as previously planned.
Instead, the crew will practice docking with the lander in low–Earth orbit and test out the agency's new space suit designs ahead of a rescheduled moon landing in 2028.
Online, furious space fans have flocked to social media to vent their outrage over the seemingly endless delays.
On X, formerly Twitter, one irate commenter wrote: 'Just admit it. We’re never going back. Ever.'
Another morose NASA fan chimed in: 'Just keep throwing money at it. My kids will be dead before we get there.'
And one added: 'Not going to mince words here, I have near zero confidence.'
Following the successful second wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II, it appeared that the agency had finally worked out the problems plaguing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
However, those hopes were soon dashed as NASA administrator Jared Isaacman revealed that technicians had discovered a blockage in the rocket's helium system.
That led to NASA rolling the SLS back to the hangar for more repairs, bumping the intended launch date back to April at the very earliest.
But this latest technical mishap is only the latest in a long run of problems that have included significant leaks of super–cooled hydrogen fuel.
Against this problematic background, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed a plan which he claimed would take NASA back to the spirit of the Apollo missions that first put America on the moon.
He said in a statement: 'NASA must standardize its approach, increase flight rate safely, and execute on the President’s national space policy.
'Standardizing vehicle configuration, increasing flight rate and progressing through objectives in a logical, phased approach, is how we achieved the near–impossible in 1969 and it is how we will do it again.'
However, with many space enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the planned 2027 lunar landing, Mr Isaacman's announcement has met fierce criticism online.
'Over cost, over schedule. too little, too late,' one commenter bluntly wrote on X.
Another asked: 'Does anyone actually believe that we are landing people on the moon in 2 years?'
One furious social media user added: 'You're gonna get people killed and there is no way in hell we are landing on the moon this decade and you know it.'
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But it isn't just members of the public who have been sceptical of Mr Isaacman's renewed plans for Artemis.
In a post on X, former NASA administrator Lori Garver wrote: 'The focus on Artemis spin over substance has been troubling since its inception.
'However, expressing confidence that we can add a flight in between & make two lunar landings in 2028 is more magical thinking.'
Likewise, some space fans have expressed doubts over the prominent role of the SpaceX Starship rocket in NASA's new timeline.
A modified version of the powerful Starship rocket had been scheduled for use in the Artemis III mission.
However, out of 11 Starship test flights, only two have been successful, and none have made it into Earth orbit.
NASA has even suggested that it may open up the contract for the Artemis III mission to other providers if SpaceX cannot get a handle on these delays.
Last year, acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy threatened to open up the contract to other countries due to persistent delays, saying at the time: 'The problem is, they're behind.'
On X, which is owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, one commenter wrote: 'You don’t really believe Starship will ever get to the moon do you?'
Another added: 'Any roadmap where you intend to use Starship is a guaranteed road to nowhere.
While one commenter chipped in: 'Who honestly believes that lunar starship is ready next year??'
According to the new Artemis timeline, Artemis II will launch this year to take its crew – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – around the moon.
This will be followed by Artemis III in 2027, which will now be a low–Earth orbit mission.
The first moon landing will instead be Artemis IV in 2028, with a second moon landing, Artemis V, potentially following that same year.
After that, NASA says it will attempt another moon mission every year with the goal of establishing a permanent presence on the lunar surface by 2030.
NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said in a statement: 'We are looking back to the wisdom of the folks that designed Apollo.
'The entire sequence of Artemis flights needs to represent a step–by–step build–up of capability, with each step bringing us closer to our ability to perform the landing missions.'
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https://cybernews.com/news/nasa-gary-mckinnon-hacking-ufo/
https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1ri6bvo/the_man_that_hacked_nasa_and_found_ufos_interview/
https://x.com/AlchemyAmerican
https://x.com/realGMcKinnon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ttdlCa5ZCI (Jesse Michels: The Lone Hacker That Found NASA’s Secret Space Fleet [Gary McKinnon Interview])
“Non-terrestrial officers:” the UFO files Gary McKinnon says he found, hacking NASA
2 March 2026
In the early 2000s, Gary McKinnon breached US military and NASA networks in what prosecutors called “the biggest military computer hack of all time.”
He says he stumbled onto evidence of a hidden space fleet, including a cigar-shaped UFO floating above Earth.
In an interview on American Alchemy with Jesse Michels, the Scottish hacker frames the moment less like a spy thriller and more like a messy, late-night obsession spiraling into history:
“I was in my dressing gown up until like four in the morning, smoking weed, drinking beer.”
At the time, US prosecutors called it “the biggest military computer hack of all time,” and faced 70 years in prison. However, the UK blocked his extradition.
“I was just a normal guy interested in UFOs… nothing genius level,” McKinnon told Michels, positioning himself as a curious civilian who stumbled into something bigger than him.
At the time, US prosecutors called it “the biggest military computer hack of all time.” Court bail conditions barred McKinnon from using the internet, with reporting at the time describing restrictions that made normal life and IT work difficult or nearly impossible.
No hacking background
McKinnon says he was a lifelong UFO enthusiast with enough IT skills to exploit weak passwords on US government systems.
“No hacking background… I was good with computers.” He portrays his skills as practical networking knowledge rather than elite cyber tradecraft.
He was able to enter NASA’s systems with easy access.
“I wrote a Perl script to find blank passwords or the word ‘password.’ he describes, showing the weak organizational infrastructure back then. His method, as described, was wide scanning for weak logins, then entering through the easiest doors.
Once inside, he claims he escalated privileges and used network search tools to comb through large volumes of files across connected machines.
“Some of these… sites had blank passwords big time,” he said, believing that the most shocking part was how basic the security failures were.
He describes the scale as huge for one person, but manageable through automated searching and long, late-night sessions.
“The largest I did was 5,000 at one time.”
He says he could search thousands of machines at once, which helps explain why US authorities treated it as major exposure.
UK government summaries of the case say US authorities accused McKinnon of unauthorized access to 97 government computers, and alleged he deleted critical data that forced a US Army network to shut down.
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Slow dial-up downloads
McKinnon says his most famous “proof” wasn’t a file he could easily share – it was an image he watched slowly render on his screen in low-color blocks.
“All they had was like two folders, raw and processed,” he says, describing a NASA desktop that looked like a dedicated imagery workstation.
Because the image format was in a locked-in organizational format (not the regular JPEG you can normally save), he says he had to run NASA software remotely over dial-up, lowering the display quality just to make it load.
“I was on a 56k dial-up… it came… almost line by line,” he says, noting that the slowness is part of why the moment felt so unreal, and why he never got a clean copy. The shape was “a big straight kind of silvery line… cigar-shaped object… smooth… no lines.”
He also describes a manufactured-looking cylinder above Earth with no obvious seams, rivets, or antenna-like features. For the process he mentioned:
I see the mouse move… they right-clicked, disconnect… boom.
He claims a live user noticed the session and terminated the connection before he could finish viewing it.
In other words, from an institutional perspective, NASA had to disconnect McKinnon there and then. But from a whistleblower, perhaps it was a case of what needed to be revealed.
“I wanted it from the horses mouth”
McKinnon also says he downloaded an Excel sheet titled “non-terrestrial officers,” which he interpreted as suggesting an off-Earth assignment or program.
“This spreadsheet was titled non-terrestrial officers, so not on the Earth,” he says. As the wording looks confusing at first – “non-terrestrial” means “not Earth-based,” not necessarily “alien.”
“It had ship names… and… fleet-to-fleet transfers” describes McKinnon suggesting multiple ships suggests organized operations, claiming the spreadsheet contained tabs for names, ship names, and material transfers, implying logistics rather than a one-off anomaly.
McKinnon further claims that he downloaded an Excel spreadsheet file, which he saved on his drives, but authorities seized them and he never recovered the data.
And why did he do all this? “I wanted it from the horse’s mouth. I didn’t want to just believe. I wanted to know,” McKinnon tells Michel.
“We want to see him fry”
The UFO claims are what people remember, but the extradition battle is what made McKinnon a global symbol at the time, because the threatened punishment was so extreme.
“We want to see him fry,” McKinnon says his lawyer relayed this as the attitude from the US side, language that intensified public outrage.
He describes years of legal struggle where the punishment threat felt like deterrence and humiliation layered on top of prosecution.
“Using a hammer to crack a nut” was how the fear of extradition pushed him toward suicidal planning.
“I bought potassium chloride… I was just going to swallow it… and die,” he said, describing his reaching a point where death felt preferable to a US prison outcome.
In October 2012, Britain’s home secretary at the time, Theresa May, withdrew the extradition order, saying the suicide risk was so high that extraditing him would breach his human rights.
The case ultimately ended with the UK blocking extradition on human-rights grounds, and the saga became a benchmark example of how cyber cases can turn into diplomatic conflicts.
McKinnon has stayed in the UK for years, with reports suggesting an outstanding US extradition warrant makes travel abroad legally risky.
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ESA and GSMA Foundry launch new round of challenges for smoother connectivity
02/03/2026
The European Space Agency (ESA) and GSMA Foundry have opened a call for ideas to provide up to €100 million in funding for projects improving the combined use of satellite and ground connectivity networks.
The funding opportunity – provided by ESA Member States and announced during the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain – will empower companies to bridge the digital divide.
The funding initiative is aimed at companies within eligible ESA’s Member States to promote the convergence of space and mobile networks.
By supporting hybrid systems that connect satellites and ground networks, uninterrupted global connectivity is closer to becoming a reality.
The open calls will focus on four challenges:
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AI in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN): Using AI to optimise connectivity between satellites in multiple orbits and ground networks. AI enables quicker and smarter transitions between networks, adapting efficiently to varying levels of network congestion.
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Direct-to-Device (D2D): Supporting studies and developments aimed at delivering standard-based connectivity to mobile phones directly from satellites without ground infrastructure. This will extend connectivity to remote regions, support emergency services, and bridge the digital divide for underserved communities.
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5G/6G Hubs: Establishing new hybrid 5G and 6G testing hubs, building on the example of the 5G/6G Hub at ESA's European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications in Harwell, UK.
These hubs integrate satellite and 5G/6G networks, enabling industry to test use cases from autonomous vehicles to next-generation logistics, smart cities and public safety networks.
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6G Innovation: Looking ahead to technologies that will make our future phones, homes, and connected devices faster and smarter. This includes things like real‑time apps that respond instantly and everyday objects that can ‘think’ on the spot.
At MWC, the world’s leading connectivity event, ESA and its partners will demonstrate how they are moving Europe towards enhanced ground connectivity through the power of satellites.
Through a series of presentations and demonstrations, participants will see ESA’s approach to optimising current technological capabilities by integrating them with innovative space-based solutions.
This year’s exhibition will spotlight the latest advances in the convergence between satellite and 5G networks, featuring robotics, remote rover operations, XR (Extended Reality) collaboration, and 8k video streaming enabled by 5G millimeter wave and satellite communications.
The goal is to highlight what is already achievable, motivating potential partners to explore the many opportunities made possible by the new funding programme.
Interested companies and organisations are invited to submit their ideas and proposals. Those whose submissions supported by their National Delegation and successfully pass the ESA application process may be eligible for funding.
Selected applicants will receive funding as well as opportunities to collaborate with leading organisations in the telecommunications and space sectors. They will also have the opportunity to showcase their achievements at MWC27 and other GSMA Foundry events.
Laurent Jaffart, Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity at ESA, said: "Our Member States' unwavering support in our programmes, particularly during the ESA Council at Ministerial Level (CM25), has made this collaboration with GSMA Foundry possible.
At Mobile World Congress, we’re collectively marking a pivotal moment for the convergence of Europe's space and telecommunication sectors.
By offering funding access for AI, NTN, and D2D, we are not just developing technology; we are preparing for the seamless, global 6G infrastructure of tomorrow.”
Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer at GSMA, said: "By combining the reach of the mobile industry with ESA’s space expertise, we are unlocking a new era of connectivity.
This funding and our showcase demonstrate that hybrid networks are no longer a concept; they are a commercial reality.
The collaborative breakthroughs you see today signal a step-change for digital transformation, making seamless and universal connectivity possible even in the most remote regions.
Together, we are driving forward innovation that will empower businesses, revolutionise industries, and bring transformative benefits to society as a whole."
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Connectivity_and_Secure_Communications/ESA_and_GSMA_Foundry_launch_new_round_of_challenges_for_smoother_connectivity
extra ESA
https://www.heise.de/en/news/ESA-First-Gigabit-connection-between-aircraft-and-geostationary-satellite-11195569.html
U.S. Space and Rocket Center asks public for help naming new mascots
Mar. 1, 2026 at 2:13 PM PST
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is asking the public to help it name its brand-new mascots!
U.S. Space & Rocket Center officials posted on their Facebook page, asking people to vote on their favorite name to be entered into a giveaway.
The names you can choose from are:
Apollo and Artemis
Percy and Celeste
Nano and Nova
Voting lasts until March 10. When you vote on your favorite pair of names for the new mascots, you will be entered to win a family four-pack of museum admission tickets with a planetarium show included.
https://www.wbrc.com/2026/03/02/us-space-rocket-center-asks-public-help-naming-new-mascots/
https://spacenews.com/space-force-opens-secretive-space-tracking-to-commercial-firms/
Space Force opens secretive space tracking to commercial firms
March 1, 2026
One of the U.S. Space Force’s most sensitive missions — tracking foreign satellites and predicting whether they could threaten American spacecraft — is increasingly drawing on commercial data and artificial intelligence.
The work falls under what the military calls battle management, command and control, the systems that allow operators to see what is happening in orbit, assess potential threats and decide how to respond.
Historically, that mission relied heavily on classified intelligence streams. Now, a growing share of insight comes from private companies that specialize in space situational awareness and machine learning.
The pathway runs through the Space Domain Awareness Tools, Applications and Processing Lab, or SDA TAP Lab, in Colorado Springs.
The lab hosts three-month accelerator cohorts that give companies access to defined government problem sets while allowing the Space Force to examine their data, software and algorithms.
More than 400 companies have participated over the past two years, according to Lt. Col. Collin Greiser, system program manager for advanced space battle management at Space Systems Command.
“You just get so much more speed out of that, because you just get ideas that you’re not normally going to consider,” Greiser said during a recent SpaceNews virtual event.
While similar collaboration can occur in classified environments, he said, it does not happen “at the same sense of scale that we get with the lab.”
Greiser oversees a program known as Kronos, which aims to deliver a modernized suite for space battle management and intelligence.
The effort is designed to fuse data in real time, support planning and deconfliction, and provide shared awareness for U.S. and allied operators.
To facilitate the connection between experimentation and acquisition, Space Systems Command recently moved the TAP Lab under the Kronos program.
The goal is to “encourage and build more of an intentional pathway to a program of record” so technologies can be used operationally, Greiser said. “And so by moving the lab underneath Kronos, that has really started that transition.”
The shift is intended to speed the movement of unclassified commercial tools into some of the Space Force’s most guarded intelligence workflows.
“In the short term my goal is really to boost the amount of capability that we’re taking from the lab and putting it in my program,” Greiser said.
Industry executives say the lab lowers barriers that once kept smaller firms out of the defense space business.
Understanding what the government needs
Tim Bode, senior space solutions architect at Leidos, said the TAP Lab helps companies understand what the government needs before entering a formal procurement process.
“If you go out to the TAP lab website, there are 61 problems detailed,” he said. “Five years ago, it would have been a blank screen.” For a small company with a niche capability, he said, that visibility is significant.
Leidos provides software engineering, data integration and systems support to the lab, helping ingest and visualize tracking data. Bode described the link between TAP and Kronos as a “huge change” in how quickly prototypes can move toward acquisition.
“They’re getting solutions that can be more vetted,” he said.
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In military planning, officials often refer to disrupting an adversary’s “kill chain” — the sequence of steps required to carry out an attack, from finding and tracking a target to striking it and assessing the result.
In the space domain, satellites often enable those steps by providing surveillance, communications and navigation.
By improving space domain awareness — the ability to monitor and interpret activity in orbit — the Space Force hopes to interrupt that sequence before an attack can succeed.
“We have to be able to deny, degrade, damage and destroy their kill chain so that they cannot target our warfighters,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, deputy chief of space operations for operations, said last week at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium.
The service’s strategy calls for avoiding “operational surprise,” he said. “I want as much space domain awareness as there is.”
A ‘demand driven’ environment
Maj. Sean Allen, chief of the SDA TAP Lab, said the lab operates as a “demand driven environment where we publicly articulate all the problem statements on our website.”
The assumption, he said, is that industry already has most of the code required and can adapt it quickly.
One focus is distinguishing normal satellite maneuvers from hostile intent. “Then my ability to make predictions about intent is sped up 10x or 100x,” Allen said.
If potentially threatening behavior is identified and incorporated into automated systems, those tools can begin recommending courses of action, compressing decision timelines.
Over successive cohorts, Allen said, the lab has built a catalog of commercial capabilities that operators can draw upon when specific needs arise.
Siamak Hesar, chief executive of Kayhan Space, which has participated in the lab, said it gives the government access to “a large pool of applications and capabilities” that are tested and validated on the unclassified side.
Many of the newest tools rely on large language models and other AI techniques. “We are building capabilities that are AI first,” Hesar said. “And we are still learning what this technology is capable of.”
The TAP Lab is also expanding geographically. In addition to its Colorado base and activity in Maui, Hawaii, a new node is being established at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Texas Space Commission approved about $9.3 million to support the buildout, including secure infrastructure, operator training and six cohort cycles.
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Putin holds crisis calls with Gulf leaders
2 Mar, 2026 12:22
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held telephone conversations with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain, the Kremlin announced on Monday. All three countries host major US military bases.
The US and Israel launched a massive unprovoked military campaign against Iran on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders.
Tehran has responded by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at American and Israeli targets across the Gulf region.
According to a readout of the call between Putin and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the two leaders discussed “the unprecedented tragic events in the Middle East in the context of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and Tehran’s harsh retaliatory actions.”
Both sides stressed “the need for an immediate ceasefire and a return to the political-diplomatic process.”
Putin noted that Russia’s significant efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear program issue, in which the UAE had also played an active role, were disrupted by an “unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign UN member state, in violation of the fundamental principles of international law.”
The UAE leader, in turn, emphasized that Iran’s retaliatory strikes had directly affected his country, causing damage and posing a threat to civilians.
He stressed that such strikes are unjustified, as UAE territory is not being used as a staging ground for attacks on Iran. Putin expressed readiness to convey these concerns to Tehran and provide possible assistance to stabilize the situation.
In his call with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Putin condemned the “flagrant violation of international law,” which has led to “severe, tragic consequences for the Iranian people.”
Both sides expressed concern over the risks of the conflict expanding and the danger of involving other countries and voiced mutual hope for rapid de-escalation and a return to the political and diplomatic sphere.
Putin also spoke with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who currently chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council.
They exchanged views on the “unprecedented escalation around Iran as a result of US and Israeli aggression, which is bringing the entire region to the brink of full-scale war with unpredictable consequences.”
Both sides stressed the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities to prevent the situation from spiraling completely out of control.
Later in the day, Putin also held a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, with both sides expressing serious concern over the risks of escalation of the conflict and stressing the urgent need for diplomacy.
The Saudi Crown Prince noted that Russia could “play a positive, stabilizing role” in the conflict given its friendly relations with both Iran and the Persian Gulf countries.
The US-Israeli campaign, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by Washington, has entered its third day with President Donald Trump vowing to sustain the assault for weeks if necessary, claiming the operation will continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”
Russia has condemned the strikes as a “premeditated and unprovoked act of aggression” aimed at toppling a government that “refused to yield to the dictates of force and hegemonic pressure.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/633498-putin-gulf-iran-call/
extra RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/633468-ukraine-more-mercenaries-minister/
https://www.rt.com/news/633456-lindsey-graham-political-assassinations/
https://www.rt.com/news/633497-uk-iran-ukraine-drone/
https://www.rt.com/russia/633235-uk-france-nuke-plot-gatilov/
Ukraine rips through Russia’s elite Rubikon drone lab with 5,000 most skilled operators
02/03/2026
Ukraine has struck the Russian electronic intelligence unit Rubicon (also spelled Rubikon) in the occupied areas of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
This is the most elite drone center, focused on eliminating Ukrainian operators and operating in hot spots along the front, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.
The drone war has become one of the defining features of the war, as Russia has invested substantial funds into organized, well-funded units that can rapidly expand and adapt on the battlefield.
These efforts have made unmanned systems a key part of Moscow’s military strategy, giving it an advantage in scale and coordination that Ukraine often struggles to match.
“5,000 fighters and large funds”: laboratory of Russian army innovations
According to experts, Rubikon has roughly 5,000 fighters and significant financial resources. The unit has become a hub of innovation for the Russian army, developing new tactics and technologies.
Earlier, LIGA.net reported that Russian military intelligence and the Russian Minister of Defense, Andrey Belousov, are behind the center, according to an officer of Ukrainian defense intelligence with the callsign “Azimut".
Russia is actively recruiting personnel to the unit through incentives and a youth program connected to United Russia, training thousands of 16–17-year-old future drone pilots who will be mobilized at 18.
One of the Ukrainian officers added that Rubikon demonstrates “strong political will and significant involvement” of Russian intelligence services in the direct organization of this structure.
The unit has the capability to conduct more complex, riskier, and more systematic strikes deep into Ukrainian battle formations.
Strikes on space communications and radar stations in occupied territories
The Ukrainians have also launched a deadly assault on a long-range space communications center, several air defense facilities, and Russian manpower.
“Ukrainian units struck a long-range space communications center in the area of Vitine on the night of March 2,” the General Staff reveals.
A Podlyot-K1 radar station has also been hit near Vynohradne in temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea.
In addition, in the temporarily occupied part of Luhansk Oblast, radar stations Kasta 2E2 (Liubime settlement) and Yastreb A-V (Topoli settlement) were struck yesterday.
Earlier, Ukraine discovered that Russian forces are transforming into “biological robots” on the battlefield. On the front, Russian infantry is enhanced through specialized drugs.
These changes are also supported by extensive use of strong Kevlar protection. Full-body Kevlar covers stop small fragments from low-yield UAV munitions. In some cases, specialized Kevlar cloaks are also used.
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/02/ukraine-rips-through-russias-elite-rubikon-drone-lab-with-5000-most-skilled-operators/
other Russia and Ukraine
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/03/02/ukraine-hits-key-russian-oil-terminal-after-us-warning-a92086
https://kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-hits-passenger-train-in-dnipropetrovsk-oblast-1-killed-7-injured/
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/02/nato-officers-brought-paper-maps-to-a-drone-war-ukraines-nemesis-brigade-made-them-switch-to-delta/
https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-launched-record-drone-and-missile-attacks-on-ukraine-in-february-2026-16405
https://united24media.com/latest-news/ukraine-open-to-sharing-anti-drone-expertise-with-allies-zelenskyy-says-16401
https://united24media.com/latest-news/russian-made-yak-130-jets-take-over-drone-interception-duties-in-the-skies-of-iran-16393
https://www.businessinsider.com/ukrainian-drone-went-on-strike-mission-returned-impaled-by-trident-2026-3
IDF Strikes Lebanon After Hezbollah Joins War
March 2, 2026
The Hezbollah terror group launched rockets and drones into northern Israel early this morning — the first time it has done so since 2024.
The Times of Israel reports that the IDF responded with strikes in the Lebanese capital of Beirut and in the Dahiyeh suburb, known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
Hezbollah had previously stated that it would attack only if Iran’s Supreme Leader was targeted. Its intervention now comes after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Operation Epic Fury.
Hezbollah, in a statement claiming responsibility for launching “a barrage of precision missiles and a swarm of drones,” said it attacked as “revenge for the blood of the Supreme Leader of the Muslims, Ali Khamenei.”
The terror group claimed that it had targeted a missile defense site south of Haifa.
The attack came hours after Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem vowed that his group would confront Israel and the US over their strikes on Iran, despite the Lebanese government’s plea for it to remain on the sidelines as it had done during the previous 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025.
But the request fell on deaf ears as Hezbollah moved ahead with its attack, marking the first time that the Iranian proxy had fired at Israel since the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect in November 2024.
Hezbollah launched its initial strikes at 1 a.m. and claimed responsibility shortly afterward. One rocket was intercepted by air defenses, while at least two others landed in surrounding areas.
Approximately two hours later, at least three more rockets were launched, again landing in northern Israel.
The Lebanese government once again urged the Iranian-backed terror group not to get involved, but the appeal was ignored. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced that an offensive campaign against Hezbollah is underway and could last several days.
War with Iran has erupted, and the regime’s terror proxies are mobilizing against the Jewish state. The IDF has called up 100,000 troops as drones and missiles are launched across the Middle East.
The Fellowship has been on the ground, actively working to meet the security and basic needs of the people of Israel. Please join us in praying for their well-being, as well as for the brave IDF and American troops fighting this war against terror.
https://www.ifcj.org/news/stand-for-israel-blog/idf-strikes-lebanon-after-hezbollah-joins-war
other Israel
https://jinsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Operations-Epic-Fury-and-Roaring-Lion-03-01-26.pdf
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-strike-kills-hezbollah-intel-chief-lebanon-to-ban-terror-groups-military-activity/
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/defense/artc-idf-strikes-hezbollah-in-lebanon-after-the-group-fires-missiles-at-israel-s-north-live-blog
https://newsable.asianetnews.com/world/idf-hits-beirut-katz-warns-hezbollahs-naim-qassem-is-a-marked-target-articleshow-7ztlg8q
https://www.jns.org/iaf-carries-out-700-plus-missions-after-clearing-the-way-to-tehran/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-30-female-pilots-and-navigators-have-taken-part-in-the-strikes-on-iran/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b11nnemkwx
https://www.jns.org/israel-receives-first-shipment-of-major-military-resupply-airlift/
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/videos/no-one-is-immune-anymore-idf-escalates-war-hits-lebanon-senior-hezbollah-leaders-eliminated/videoshow/128946187.cms
https://www.republicworld.com/india/was-netanyahu-s-office-targeted-by-iran-here-s-what-the-idf-said
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/03/stealth-surprise-how-the-u-s-air-force-and-idf-broke-the-back-of-irans-military-from-the-sky/