It's a damn good day to have a damn good day
TYB
Wishing you an extra special damn good day
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
June 17, 2026
Longmore 8: The Hamster Wheel Nebula
How did a hamster wheel get into space? The Hamster Wheel Nebula (Longmore 8) was discovered by Andrew Longmore in 1976 as a part of a larger survey of the southern sky. This survey employed several improvements in photographic technology, including the use of highly sensitive film, to capture deeper and fainter objects on plates that were examined by eye and catalogued. The featured image, taken at Observatorio El Sauce in Chile, depicts an intricate wheel structure of glowing hydrogen that was thrown out into space by a dying star and ionized by the leftover white dwarf. This structure was barely visible on the original plate, emphasizing the power of modern telescopes and cameras. Two opposing clumps of red hydrogen gas encased in the blue veil of ionized oxygen hint at the presence of a companion to the bright white dwarf at the wheel’s center!
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bn2550w1qQ
Ocean Shutdown, Pre-Quake Anomalies, Sunspot Watch | S0 News and frens
June.17.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyrsbgYxxNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHJg2NyO4lg (Dutchsinse: 6/16/2026 EARTHQUAKES SPREADING 2 out of 3 locations hit by Large M6.4 - M6.7 activity)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmLXLO2uzr0 (On the Pulse with Silki: Something Is Seriously WRONG in the NEW Philippines Quake Footage)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxlIfXzW938 (Ray's Astro: M6.7 Just Hit Palu, Indonesia — Same Fault as 2018, Why No Tsunami?)
https://www.timesreporter.com/story/news/weather/2026/06/17/national-weather-service-ohio-tornado-details/90586529007/
https://watchers.news/2026/06/17/spc-issues-moderate-risk-for-severe-storms-from-missouri-to-indiana-tornadoes-and-destructive-winds-possible/
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/tropical-system-threatens-texas-coast-could-become-first-named-storm-of-2026
https://news.njit.edu/njit-phd-researcher-wins-nasa-finesst-award-probe-mysteries-white-light-solar-flares
https://hackaday.com/2026/06/17/an-orbital-stormwall-could-mitigate-the-next-carrington-event/
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/scientists-turned-antarctic-radio-waves-into-music-and-these-strange-sounds-are-now-becoming-nine-albums/articleshow/131767100.cms
http://eng.mod.gov.cn/2025xb/N/T/16468039.html
https://meteoagent.com/schumann-resonance-forecast
https://weather.substack.com/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/307254/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Wednesday-17-Jun-2026.html
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://www.spaceweather.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=17&month=06&year=2026
>Something Is Seriously WRONG in the NEW Philippines Quake Footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmLXLO2uzr0
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/cold-atom-laboratory/nasas-quantum-lab-aboard-space-station-gets-chilly-upgrade/
https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/astronaut-jessica-meir-assists-with-hardware-updates-for-nasas-cold-atom-lab/
extra NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/06/17/spacex-dragon-splashes-down-in-pacific-completes-cargo-mission/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/06/16/dragon-undocks-to-return-science-experiments-to-earth/
https://www.channelstv.com/2026/06/17/groundbreaking-us-astronaut-christina-koch-wins-top-spanish-award/
https://nasawatch.com/trumpspace/no-more-woke-science-wanted-at-nasa/
https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/best-mars-mission-ever-scientists-hail-mavens-legacy-as-nasa-retires-red-planet-orbiter
NASA’s Quantum Lab Aboard Space Station Gets Chilly Upgrade
Jun 16, 2026
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have switched on NASA’s newly upgraded Cold Atom Lab, a one-of-a-kind facility designed to improve how scientists explore the fundamental workings of matter and develop new quantum technologies.
By leveraging the unique environment of microgravity in space, the lab can accomplish cutting-edge science impossible to do anywhere else.
Quantum science is the study of matter at the smallest scales, like atoms, electrons, and single particles of light.
While it’s easy to imagine atoms as billiard balls bouncing off one another, they also exhibit wave-like behavior, can exist simultaneously in two places at once, and may even pass through one another.
About the size of a minifridge and operated from Earth, the Cold Atom Lab chills atoms to temperatures below minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 237 degrees Celsius).
At this extreme cold, just above absolute zero, atoms form a large quantum object called a Bose‑Einstein condensate, or BEC, a collection of matter waves that is a fifth state of matter beyond solids, liquids, gases, and plasma.
This object follows the rules of quantum mechanics despite being much larger than subatomic particles, and the microgravity of low Earth orbit helps make the waves even larger.
“At the coldest temperatures, matter behaves drastically different from anything we have experienced,” said Jason Williams, project scientist for Cold Atom Lab at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which built the facility.
“The wavelike nature of matter dominates, and ultracold matter can behave in ways that are not only unexpected, but that also enable extremely precise measurements of time, gravity, and motion.
The lab has lots of tools — especially with this latest upgrade — to let us probe the nature of the universe.”
The project supports five international teams studying fundamental physics. It also tests the space-readiness of quantum tools that could support future Earth science and space exploration missions.
1/2
How it works
The heart of the Cold Atom Lab is a complex set of instruments called its science module. An upgraded module launched on April 11 as part of a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station, enabling new kinds of experiments.
For each experiment, a strip of rubidium or potassium metal is heated to as high as 750 F (400 C) — hot enough to form a gas within the facility’s vacuum chamber.
Lasers tuned to specific frequencies are then fired at the gas, draining the energy from these atoms, and cooling them by slowing them down. Once this gas has completed the laser-cooling stage, a magnetic trap captures and holds the gas in place.
Through a series of complex techniques, the laboratory reduces an atom cloud’s energy further, bringing it close to a standstill and maximizing its time in microgravity.
While facilities for studying ultracold gases exist on Earth, the Cold Atom Lab can study quantum gases in microgravity for longer periods of time and at even lower temperatures.
Conducting these experiments in low gravity allows scientists to study larger quantum waves that also interact for longer times with gravity.
To harness these benefits, the Cold Atom Lab essentially shrinks an atom physics lab, typically the size of an entire room filled with lasers and tabletop mirrors, to fit within an experiment rack aboard the space station.
“As the first project to create Bose-Einstein condensates in orbit, we’re demonstrating that we can make quantum technology work reliably in space,” said Ethan Elliott, deputy project scientist for Cold Atom Lab at JPL.
“In the previous century, there was a quantum revolution that led to lasers, cellphones, and MRIs for medical imaging. We’re performing quantum 2.0 — direct manipulation of large quantum states — and we hope for similar gains in quantum tech by advancing this science in orbit.”
The latest upgrade is the fourth since the Cold Atom Lab arrived at the space station in 2018.
Key improvements include a newly designed magnetic trap that changes the shape of the quantum gas clouds, allowing scientists to test different properties related to their atoms. The upgrade also features redesigned metal strips that act as sources for those gas clouds.
“It’s the closest thing we have to controlling the boundary of the quantum world,” said Kamal Oudrhiri, project manager of Cold Atom Lab at JPL, referring to those low temperatures. “This new upgrade pushes that boundary even further.”
The upgrade, Oudrhiri added, “demonstrates NASA’s ability to maintain U.S. leadership in space-based quantum technologies while maturing future quantum instruments, such as matter-wave interferometers for fundamental physics missions, positioning, navigation, timing, and gravity sensing of Earth, the Moon, and beyond.”
2/2
NASA’s Webb Catches Exoplanet Getting Roasted
Jun 16, 2026
One well-done gas giant, coming right up! That’s the latest from researchers analyzing NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s observations of HD 80606 b, an exoplanet four times the mass of Jupiter with an extremely elliptical orbit that sweeps close by its Sun-like star.
The research team is presenting their study and preliminary findings Tuesday at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California.
“Hot Jupiters are already considered some of the most extreme exoplanets we know of, but even among that population, HD 80606 b is one of the most extreme,” said Tiffany Kataria, the study’s principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
“We typically think of hot Jupiters as hot gas giants sitting right next to their stars, but this planet’s highly eccentric orbit creates a completely different beast.”
As the planet plunges close to its star, Webb shows its temperature skyrockets by 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Previous studies have shown that radical temperature swings can cause an exoplanet's chemistry and clouds to change in real time.
According to the research team, the dynamic conditions of HD 80606 b make the planet an ideal target to observe these changes with Webb’s powerful instruments.
“Observing a planet like HD 80606 b is actually very efficient because its unusual orbit, with the corresponding swings in temperature and chemical composition, allow us to gather data under varying conditions in just hours and apply those findings to other hot Jupiters or more conventional exoplanets,” said Laura C. Mayorga, co-investigator on the study and an exoplanet astronomer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
Measurements of temperature and chemical composition were done with spectroscopy, a technique scientists use to break light into its component colors to reveal information about the composition, temperature, motion, and physical properties of objects in space.
The team used Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) for an extended observation of HD 80606 b before, during, and after its periastron, or closest pass by its star. During periastron, the planet also passed behind the star from Webb’s perspective in what’s known as a secondary eclipse.
The observation was years in the planning, as scheduling the time to catch the planet at this point was complex given its extremely elliptical 111-day orbit, and Webb’s own restrictions on where it can look during specific times of the year, based on Earth’s position in orbit around the Sun.
Researchers say they have only begun to peel back the layers of an incredibly rich dataset, but they can clearly see a dramatic shift in the exoplanet’s temperature.
“Webb has shown that the planet’s increase in temperature was even more extreme than we anticipated based on Spitzer data,” said Kataria.
In fact, the planet had already been dubbed the “roasted exoplanet” and even got its own poster in NASA’s popular series.
NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope laid the groundwork of infrared observations of HD 80606 b, showing that more detailed spectroscopic data from Webb would be especially compelling.
“Spitzer did amazing work on this exoplanet, and now Webb is building on that legacy by enabling us to drill down to distinguish specific chemical signatures like methane and carbon dioxide, which is just amazing progress,” said Ryan Challener, co-author and research associate at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science.
"There’s so much to learn from this one dataset here — we really are just getting started deciphering what Webb has to tell us.”
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-catches-exoplanet-getting-roasted/
extra extra NASA
https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/james-webb-space-telescope-forecasts-extreme-weather-on-exoplanet-that-rains-rubies-and-sapphires
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-webb-hubble-reveal-history-of-relic-of-milky-ways-formation/
https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/zoom-to-see-terzan-5-near-our-milky-way-galaxys-bulge/
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/science-enabling-technology/nasa-uses-machine-learning-to-enhance-flash-flood-warnings/
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/alien-probes-solar-system-detection-challenges-1803169
thrice extra NASA and a little general space
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/low-water-at-san-carlos-reservoir/
https://x.com/NASAKennedy/status/2066974065173344463
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/what-space-travel-teaches-us-about-cancer-biology-2026a1000j4e
https://asgardia.space/en/news/Beyond-the-Launch-Pad-Closing-the-Governance-Gap-in-Space
Alien Probes Could Be Hiding In Solar System Beyond Our Sight, NASA Study Suggests
16 June 2026, 11:25 PM BST
We keep asking whether anyone is out there, while barely checking whether they might already be here.
Alien probes could already be hiding somewhere in our Solar System – and our current surveys are nowhere near good enough to rule them out, according to a NASA‑linked study presented this month by astronomer T. Joseph W. Lazio.
The work, outlined at the Proceedings of the IAU Centenary Symposium in the United States, argues that even if an advanced civilisation had sent robotic scouts into our cosmic backyard, today's instruments would almost certainly miss them.
Lazio, a senior scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, sets out where such probes might lurk and why they would be so hard to spot.
The idea that an advanced civilisation might send robotic scouts between the stars is no longer confined to science fiction. Humanity has already done a crude version of it.
Five human‑made probes – Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and 2 and New Horizons – are on escape trajectories that will eventually carry them out of the Solar System.
They will be long dead by then, but they prove a basic point: once a species can build rockets, it can end up seeding the galaxy with hardware more or less by accident.
Lazio pushes the logic one step further. If we can do this, why could another civilisation not have done it earlier, and targeted our system on purpose?
How A NASA Framework Reimagines Alien Probes
To move beyond hand‑waving, Lazio borrows a framework first set out in a W. M. Keck Institute for Space Studies report. It sorts potential extraterrestrial artefacts into four types, based on where they are and whether they are still working.
In space, there are 'passive probes' – dead or inert objects drifting through the Solar System on hyperbolic paths – and 'active probes', still powered, able to manoeuvre, measure and transmit data.
On planetary surfaces, the same split holds. 'Passive surface artefacts' are impact debris or abandoned hardware sitting quietly on the Moon, Mars or some distant moon.
'Active surface artefacts' are the heavy‑duty kit: operating machines on a planet or asteroid, from a mining rig to an automated monitoring station ticking away for aeons.
Within that grid, Lazio poses a simple question: are 'one or more physical extraterrestrial technosignatures present in the Solar System today', and can our current technology disprove that?
His conclusion is blunt. Not even close.
Why We Would Struggle To Spot An Alien Visitor
The irony is that the 'easiest' alien probes to find might be the ones drifting in deep space, and even there we are fumbling.
Astronomers have already tracked a few interstellar interlopers, including the object labelled 3I/ATLAS. Each time an odd trajectory or strange light curve crops up, the script is familiar.
Social media lights up, and a few serious scientists entertain the idea that we might be looking at an alien craft.
The hard bit is not seeing the object, but proving it is anything more than another lump of rock or ice.
1/2
Lazio highlights a very human case study. In 2020, astronomers spotted an object on a bizarre orbit, tagged 2020 SO and initially logged as an asteroid.
Its path was so strange that researchers dug deeper. Near‑infrared data showed a spectrum matching stainless steel and polyvinyl fluoride. It was not a rock at all, but a Centaur rocket booster from NASA's 1966 Surveyor 2 mission.
If our own space junk can convincingly impersonate a natural object for half a century, unpicking a genuinely alien probe from the background clutter would be at least as tricky. That is with hardware built from materials we already know.
On planetary surfaces, things look worse. We have managed to spot parachutes, crashed landers and even rover tracks on Mars and the Moon, but those are carefully targeted shots over tiny patches of ground.
Across most of the Solar System, our imaging is far cruder. Lazio notes that typical views of Saturn's moons have a resolution of roughly one kilometre per pixel, which means anything smaller simply vanishes into the blur.
Even the Moon, where orbiters can achieve about 0.5 metres per pixel, has only had a small slice of its surface mapped at that level.
The upshot is clear. An alien lander the size of NASA's Perseverance rover could be parked on the far side of a small moon and, in our best pictures, it would be one bright pixel – or nothing at all.
Time, Weather And The Slow Erasure Of Evidence
Then there is the problem of time. Even if an alien artefact did touch down in our cosmic backyard, it would have to survive the elements.
Jupiter's atmosphere would shred almost anything. But even the supposedly benign surface of Mars does not play nice over geological stretches.
Micrometeorite strikes, solar radiation and relentless dust storms can abrade, bury and chemically weather exposed hardware in a few million years.
A few million years, in Solar System terms, is effectively yesterday. For a civilisation capable of interstellar travel, it might be a single experiment run and forgotten.
If they were here in the deep past, much of what they left could already be sand.
The Heat‑Signature Hunt For Active Alien Probes
If passive probes are hard to distinguish from rocks, active alien probes at least have to obey one rule we are pretty sure is universal: thermodynamics. Any working machine has to dump waste heat.
In principle, that should make active probes stand out in infrared surveys as objects running hotter than their surroundings allow.
NASA's WISE telescope has already swept the sky for such oddities and found small bodies whose thermal properties do not quite match expectations for a simple rock or comet.
The problem is that predicting how much heat a space object should emit, given its spin, shape and composition, is messy.
There is still no clean way to say: this one is so strange it must be artificial. And there are far too many borderline cases to chase each with painstaking follow‑up observations.
Lazio argues that the next generation of all‑sky surveys could shift the balance.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, NASA's SPHEREx mission and the planned Near‑Earth Object Surveyor will together generate millions of high‑precision profiles of small bodies.
Buried in those catalogues could be objects whose heat signatures or trajectories are so far off the norm that they demand a closer look.
That is where the long‑sidelined Search for Extraterrestrial Artefacts, SETA, the hardware‑focused cousin of SETI, might finally have something to chew on.
Whether anyone will fund a dedicated mission to go and check is another matter. If Lazio is right, though, the real scandal is not that alien probes are missing from our Solar System, but that we have barely started to look.
2/2
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE MODERNIZES HISTORIC SPACE LAUNCH COMPLEX-6 FOR NEXT-GENERATION LAUNCH OPERATIONS
June 16, 2026
Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6), one of the nation's most historic launch facilities, entered a new era of national defense capability following the scheduled demolition of its legacy structures on June 16 at 11:00 a.m. PT.
Following the U.S. Space Force’s 2025 outgrant of SLC-6 to SpaceX, the demolition marks the next step in evolving the site to advance national space launch capabilities, increase launch capacity, and improve resiliency for future vehicles.
"Space Launch Complex-6 represents six decades of American innovation and our unwavering commitment to securing space superiority," said Col. James T. Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30.
"By modernizing this historic footprint in partnership with our defense industrial base, we are building directly upon the foundation of our pioneers to deliver the resilient, combat-ready infrastructure required to dominate an increasingly contested domain."
Construction of SLC-6 began in 1966 to support the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, an ambitious effort to place military astronauts into polar orbit.
Although that program was canceled before launch operations began, the facility was subsequently redesigned for the Space Shuttle program and eventually supported Athena and Delta IV launch operations.
After decades of adaptation, SLC-6 became home to critical national security launches, including Delta IV Heavy missions supporting the National Reconnaissance Office and the Missile Defense Agency.
The final Delta IV launch from the West Coast occurred September 24, 2022, closing that chapter of the complex's history.
Today, as part of the outgrant agreement with SpaceX, legacy infrastructure—including the Mobile Service Tower (MST), Fixed Umbilical Tower (FUT), and Tail Service Masts (TSMs)—was cleared to make way for modernized systems.
Driven by a growing demand for launch services, this modernization effort supports broader U.S. Space Force objectives to assure reliable access to space from the West Coast.
"To maintain our competitive edge in a dynamic space environment, we must accelerate the delivery of next-generation capabilities," Horne said.
"We are not just updating infrastructure; we are leveraging industry capabilities to field a more resilient space enterprise, ensuring the United States is prepared to protect our national interests and meet future challenges for decades to come."
Ultimately, the ongoing transformation of SLC-6 honors the legacy of one of America's most storied launch complexes by ensuring it remains at the forefront of the modern space era.
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4519296/vandenberg-space-force-base-modernizes-historic-space-launch-complex-6-for-next/
extra Space Force
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4518856/30th-force-support-squadron-change-of-command/
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4518983/air-university-prepares-leaders-for-challenges-in-the-space-domain/
https://www.govconwire.com/articles/usaf-ussf-budget-2027-saltzman-meink-congress
https://www.creech.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4518969/creech-air-force-base-welcomes-international-air-and-space-attach/
Ariane 6 launches with more powerful boosters: a new record for Europe
17/06/2026
In brief
Europe’s heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 launched 36 Amazon Leo satellites to orbit today.
The launcher featured four upgraded boosters with 14 tonnes more propellant each.
This launch sets a new weight record for Europe and comes just six months after the debut of the four-booster version of Ariane 6.
In-depth
On 17 June at 09:21 local time (13:21 BST, 14:21 CEST) Ariane 6 flight VA269 soared to orbit from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
36 satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation were placed into their orbit just over an hour after liftoff – the eighth successful mission insertion in a row for Europe’s newest rocket.
The flight featured the debut of four new boosters based on the P160C solid-propellant rocket motor.
Holding 14 tonnes more propellant each, the larger, more powerful rocket motors allowed 36 Leo satellites to be placed into orbit on one launch – four more than the two Leo launches Ariane 6 has delivered before.
The P160C-based boosters can increase Ariane 6 performance by 10% to 15% depending on the orbit.
As this was the most powerful version of Ariane 6 to launch so far, the launch also set a new record for most cargo taken to space in one go by a European launcher.
The previous record was held by Ariane 5 set in 2013 for ESA’s 20-tonne International Space Station supply mission ATV Albert Einstein.
“Ariane 6 has proven itself yet again, cementing its versatility as a launcher that can deliver all types of missions to all orbits, giving us more confidence and possibilities for Europe’s autonomous access to space,” said ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher, “Ariane 6 was designed from the outset to be a modular launcher – we have now seen it launch in three versions in just two years – and we are not finished, further evolutions are still to come.”
“What an amazing experience – as well as a great pride – to witness the most powerful launch in Europe’s history,” said ESA’s Director of Space Transportation Géraldine Naja, “It is a remarkable demonstration of European engineering excellence and of the teams constantly working to deliver and improve.
I salute and congratulate everyone involved for the excellent Ariane 6 launch record and the constant improvements.”
The P160C holds 156 tonnes of propellant and is 14.5 m tall. Despite being a meter taller than P120C, the additional height does not affect the connection to Ariane 6’s central core nor the height of the booster.
The motors that form the core of Ariane 6’s boosters are also used on ESA’s smaller rocket Vega-C. The sharing of technology and hardware between the two rockets lowers costs and improves the supply chain, allowing for more, and more frequent, launches.
European power
P160C was developed by Europropulsion under contract from ArianeGroup and Avio who are developing the Ariane 6 launcher systems and Vega launcher systems for ESA.
Its structure is made in Italy, the rocket engine nozzle in France and the igniter in Norway. The boosters are loaded with fuel and finalised for Ariane 6 at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
The development of Ariane 6 is another stellar example of European cooperation.
The European Space Agency works with an industrial network in 13 European countries, led by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup.
French space agency CNES manages the range operations at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Arianespace was the launch service provider for this flight for Amazon.
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Ariane_6_launches_with_more_powerful_boosters_a_new_record_for_Europe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f457U82D6EY
Extra ESA and UK Space
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/06/One_robotic_arm_to_rule_them_all
https://www.esa.int/Education/Rexus_Bexus/Your_student_experiment_could_fly_on_a_sounding_rocket_or_a_stratospheric_balloon
https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/new-commander-at-uk-space-command/
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/how-we-protected-the-uk-and-space-in-may-2026
China sends new batch of low-orbit internet satellites into space
Updated: 2026-06-17 20:59
A Long March 12 carrier rocket, carrying the 22nd group of low-orbit internet satellites, blasts off from a commercial spacecraft launch site in South China's Hainan province, June 17, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
China launched a group of internet satellites into orbit on Wednesday morning, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the leading State-owned space contractor.
The satellites are the 22nd group of low-orbit hardware in China's State-owned internet network.
They were lifted by a Long March 12 carrier rocket at 10:44 am from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang, Hainan province, and soon arrived in their designated orbital positions, CASC said in a news release.
Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the satellites are the latest components of the country's massive space-based internet system, often likened to the Chinese version of SpaceX's Starlink.
Upon completion, the Chinese mega-constellation will consist of about 13,000 satellites operating in low-Earth orbit to create an internet system with worldwide coverage.
Designed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Long March 12 rocket stands 62.6 meters tall and has a diameter of 3.8 meters.
It has a liftoff weight of more than 430 metric tons and is capable of transporting spacecraft with a combined weight of more than 12 tons to low-Earth orbit, or 6 tons of satellites to a typical sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers.
The launch marked the 44th space mission in China in 2025 and the 652nd flight of the Long March rocket family.
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202606/17/WS6a329a2fa310986e2b46095d.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPM2HY6vAu4
https://www.rt.com/news/641667-trump-resume-ukraine-peace-efforts/
other RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/641709-belarusian-children-ukrainian-drone/
https://www.rt.com/russia/641716-ukraine-drone-children-zakharova/
https://www.rt.com/russia/641720-zelensky-putin-g7-summit/
Trump shifting focus back to Ukraine: Where do peace talks stand?
17 Jun, 2026 00:47
Moscow recently described the US-mediated peace process as being in a “situational pause” due to the Iran war
US President Donald Trump has signaled that Washington will refocus on efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict after peace talks were put on hold by the crisis in the Middle East.
The prospect of renewed US engagement has reportedly unsettled EU officials, who fear the bloc could once again be sidelined if Washington resumes direct negotiations with Moscow.
Here is RT’s breakdown of where the peace process stands and what could come next.
Ukraine back on agenda
At the G7 summit in France on Tuesday, Trump said Washington would turn back to trying end the Russia-Ukraine conflict once the Iran war is formally concluded.
“Now that this [Iran war] is finished, we are gonna be focusing on that [Ukraine conflict] and see if we can get that one done,” he told reporters, referring to a memorandum of understanding he is expected to sign with Tehran on Friday.
Trump spoke after separate calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, saying both leaders appeared open to a deal.
European reaction
The prospect of renewed US diplomacy has reportedly unsettled EU officials, who fear Europe could again be sidelined if Washington pursues direct talks with Moscow.
“Having Trump be distracted was not necessarily a bad thing,” one EU diplomat told Politico.
French President Emmanuel Macron insisted Europe must be involved in any settlement talks, arguing that it now bears much of the burden of supporting Kiev.
“The right kind of negotiation is one with Ukraine and Russia sitting around the table, and the Europeans and Americans by their side,” he told TF1.
Where do the talks stand?
After Washington resumed direct contacts with Moscow following years of diplomatic freeze under Joe Biden, Russia, Ukraine and the US held three rounds of talks aimed at reaching a settlement.
The negotiations yielded several tangible results, including major prisoner exchanges, the repatriation of fallen soldiers, and the exchange of peace memorandums.
However, they failed to secure a peace deal, with key disagreements persisting, particularly over Moscow’s demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donbass.
A fourth round of talks, expected in March, was postponed after Washington shifted its focus to the Iran war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has since described the process as being in a “situational pause” pending renewed US engagement.
What settlements have been proposed?
Following the Alaska summit, where Moscow and Washington stressed the need for a lasting settlement rather than the ceasefire sought by Kiev and its European backers, Trump unveiled a 28-point peace roadmap.
According to leaked drafts, it called for Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions, drop territorial claims, and cap its military at 600,000 personnel.
Moscow welcomed the proposal as a potential basis for peace. However, under pressure from the EU and UK, several key provisions were later removed or revised.
The updated 20-point plan reportedly included demilitarized zones, Western security guarantees for Kiev, an 800,000-strong peacetime Ukrainian military, a reconstruction fund for Ukraine, and a path toward EU membership.
Russia confirmed receiving the revised proposal but declined to discuss its contents, accusing the Europeans of reshaping the framework and undermining peace efforts.
1/2
What are the next steps?
On Tuesday, Trump discussed Ukraine with Zelensky and other leaders during a closed-door G7 session and later held a separate meeting with the Ukrainian leader. While details were not disclosed, Zelensky said afterward that it was important to “coordinate positions.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to resume contacts with Moscow after shifting their focus to the Iran war. Putin aide Yury Ushakov said preparations are under way following Sunday’s call between the Russian and US presidents.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said no dates have been set and that the issue will likely be revisited after Washington signs its memorandum with Tehran.
Europeans split
European countries remain divided between those favoring engagement with Moscow and those seeking to maintain pressure on Russia.
Hungary and Slovakia have urged direct dialogue with Moscow and criticized policies they say prolong the conflict.
Those seeking to maintain pressure, which includes Poland, the Baltic states and much of the EU leadership, argues that political, economic and military pressure must continue.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that stance on Monday, calling support for Ukraine a top G7 priority.
France and Germany occupy a middle ground, backing continued aid to Kiev while acknowledging that any lasting settlement will require negotiations with Russia.
That approach was tested last week when French, British, and German envoys met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in Moscow.
According to Russia, however, they merely repeated calls for a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine, prompting Moscow to argue that the countries arming Kiev cannot act as neutral mediators.
Trump’s position
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly claimed he could end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours through direct diplomacy, though he later acknowledged that a settlement would be harder to achieve.
Since returning to office, he has criticized both Moscow and Kiev at various times, accusing each side of hindering peace efforts, while consistently arguing that the conflict should be resolved through negotiations rather than prolonged fighting.
After speaking with Putin and Zelensky on Sunday, Trump described both conversations as “very good” and said both leaders were “very open” to peace.
According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, he also told Putin he was prepared to “influence” Kiev and its European backers toward a settlement.
Speaking at the G7, Trump said he would “look” at what could be done regarding Ukraine, while suggesting the conflict was of limited importance to the US, adding that “it has no impact on us other than we sell weapons.”
Zelensky’s demands
Amid mounting battlefield pressure, Zelensky has insisted on securing a temporary ceasefire and continued Western support, while maintaining that Ukraine will not formally recognize Moscow’s sovereignty over territories that joined Russia through referendums.
He has also opposed any settlement negotiated directly between Moscow and Washington without Kiev’s participation, insisting that Ukraine’s European backers be included in the process.
Russia’s stance
Moscow has consistently opposed freezing the conflict, arguing that a temporary ceasefire would only give Kiev time to rearm.
It insists that any settlement must address the root causes of the conflict, including Ukrainian troop withdrawals from Russian territories, protections for Russian speakers, and Ukraine’s neutrality and non-nuclear status.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum earlier this month, Putin said Russia remained committed to a settlement based on understandings reached with Trump in Alaska, but blamed Kiev for blocking progress.
He later told Trump that Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure and proposals backed by Zelensky and his European backers were hindering peace efforts and prolonging the conflict.
Amid reports that Zelensky had invited Putin to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no official channel existed to convey such a proposal.
He added that if Zelensky is ready for “serious” talks, he remains welcome in Moscow. Zelensky reiterated that he was not prepared to meet in Russia, suggesting Türkiye, Switzerland, or the Middle East as alternative venues.
2/2