TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
August 14, 2026
Total Solar Eclipse from Greenland
On August 12, the Moon's shadow reached out to touch our fair planet. Beginning in the Arctic Ocean, it swept along a narrow track that led the dark lunar umbra across parts of Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic, Portugal, and northern Spain. And for a moment, denizens of Earth who found themselves with clear skies under the shadow of the Moon could witness a total solar eclipse. After dodging the weather by sea and making a landing along Rype Fjord on the Greenland east coast (at 71.07055N, 27.71252W), this hard-won snapshot was captured at 17:33:26 UTC. That's near the initial reach of clearing skies along the path of totality, so the image is likely one of the first unobstructed views of the totally eclipsed Sun. Through a break in the clouds, the stunning photo also records one of this eclipse's transient diamond rings and the magnificent solar corona emerging near the moment totality began.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vswRcU_lS8
extra eclipse
https://x.com/izaqueufo/status/2087946906114609528
https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2087593597885444581
https://starlust.org/august-12-solar-eclipse-from-international-space-station-nasa-astronaut-jessica-meir-shares-photos/
https://x.com/Brick_Suit/status/2087740085748035859
https://x.com/Astro_Jessica/status/2087601631349101035
Something BIG Appears to be PULLING on the Earth! MrMBB333 and frens
August 14, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuXe2guYNL8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_MOlJS-Aa4 (Thornews: RED ALERT! Indiana Illinois & Ohio! Red Bean of Wetness Danger is on the Board!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIPCb58eioc (Mr Weatherman: Tropical System arrives in the Caribbean…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmK-NACmJjQ (On the Pulse with Silki: California Earthquake Map JUST CHANGED — Is This the Warning Before the Big One?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igKkb582NOg (EarthMaster: Latest update on Earthquake activity on the Hayward Fault. Deep EQS Japan Region. Thursday Night)
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solar
https://www.gpsworld.com/planetiq-completes-milestone-for-next-gen-gnss-ro-satellites/
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storms and floods
https://wkvi.com/2026/08/gov-braun-declares-statewide-disaster-emergency-mobilizes-national-guard-as-indiana-responds-to-severe-storms-flooding/
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/dewine-issues-state-of-emergency-franklin-county/530-62ed099c-f29e-45b6-b8d6-4772ff8da8ac
https://wgme.com/news/local/sudden-storm-brings-strong-winds-hail-to-southern-maine-weather-rain-thunder
https://www.khon2.com/local-news/residents-urged-prepare-storms/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/08/14/hawaii-volcanoes-national-park-announces-rolling-closures-tropical-storm-lala/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-severe-storms-flood-advisories-denver/
https://iranwire.com/en/news/156293-heavy-monsoon-rains-cause-severe-flooding-across-northern-iran/
https://www.thecable.ng/six-killed-thousands-stranded-at-airport-as-rainfall-triggers-floods-in-japan/
https://en.yenisafak.com/world/sudan-floods-displace-nearly-1000-families-in-north-darfur-3721909
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typhoons
https://www.thetraveler.org/typhoon-dolphin-triggers-flight-chaos-across-japan-and-china/
https://news.laodong.vn/the-gioi/bao-lala-hinh-thanh-vung-anh-huong-dau-tien-ban-bo-tinh-trang-khan-cap-1750921.ldo
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wildfires
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/wildfires-heat-waves-blackouts-exposed-green-agenda-dangerous-flaws
https://dailydispatch.com/fire-news/oregon/more-than-11000-firefighters-tackle-30-large-oregon-wildfires/
https://dallasexpress.com/national/2026-wildfire-season-surges-past-6-4-million-acres-154-of-average/
https://www.2news.com/news/local/nine-homes-destroyed-by-the-bug-fire-mainly-in-red-rock-area-two-injured-in/article_2cdc0eb9-1d73-4963-a2fc-de088885f846.html
https://dailydispatch.com/fire-news/new-mexico/new-mexico-seeing-more-lightning-caused-wildfires/
https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-city-wildfire-suspicious-fire-hot-spots/73434949
https://www.kunc.org/news/2026-08-14/wildfires-continue-to-spark-in-colorado-even-as-major-fire-activity-slows-with-monsoonal-moisture
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/hundreds-evacuated-resorts-croatia-greece-115710048.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/wall-fire-forces-sea-evacuation-072757777.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/wildfire-forces-hundreds-flee-western-105434483.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/14/arrested-suspicion-starting-wildfires-europe-france
https://colombiaone.com/2026/08/14/colombia-faces-another-emergency-36-wildfires/
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/spain-removes-remains-11th-century-kings-monastery-wildfire-rages-2026-08-14/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/14/indonesia-wildfires-threaten-orangutans-rescued-from-animal-traffickers
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tornadoes
https://thenevadaglobe.com/702times/rare-tornado-warning-and-severe-flash-flooding-strike-western-nevada-amid-active-wildfire-crisis/
https://x.com/nanato18babies/status/2088069819203789096
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/rare-fire-tornado-erupts-amid-121302077.html
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-home/tornadoes-illinois-indiana-storms-outages/
https://catcountryutah.com/ixp/1124/p/could-a-tornado-hit-southern-utah/
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earthquakes
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/cajon-pass-california-earthquake-gate-the-big-one
https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-16050801/california-earthquakes-hayward-fault-san-francisco.html
https://www.kcra.com/article/earthquake-shakes-alameda-county-san-leandro/73425273
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/earthquake-shakes-the-vosges-felt-throughout-region-19847517
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/325792/Small-magnitude-32-earthquake-5-km-southwest-of-Glogow-Poland.html
https://co.usembassy.gov/natural-disaster-alert-colombia-earthquake-update-3-august-13-2026/
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/alaska-tsunami/4265803
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-colombia-earthquake-haarp-conspiracy-theory-731fa0174b0976e9e2971a9baa459a60
https://colombiaone.com/2026/08/14/colombia-journalists-union-condemns-government-censorship-after-earthquake/
https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/14/colombia-earthquake-espriella-foreign-policy-trump-us-israel/
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volcanoes
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/sicily-travel-chaos-as-mount-etna-eruption-grounds-flights-for-days/news-story/2b190495ea5a275a1b3555415094d8c8
https://deultimominuto.net/en/international/japan-raises-alert-around-mount-aso-volcano-following-increase-in-tremors/
https://news.sky.com/story/ash-from-mount-etna-eruption-leads-to-hundreds-of-flight-cancellations-in-sicily-13572860
https://www.ecoportal.net/en/astronaut-caught-2-italy-orbit-1598/32080/
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dailys
https://schumannresonance.today/
https://weather.substack.com/p/august-13-2026-thursday-tropical
https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Severe-Storms-Rally-Across-the-Midwest
https://www.weather.gov/
https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn
https://www.americanforests.org/wildfire-map/
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/325559/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Friday-14-Aug-2026.html
https://www.spaceweather.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=14&month=08&year=2026
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Fireball lights up western Washington skies
Updated: 7:46 AM PDT August 14, 2026
The fireball coincided with the Perseid meteor shower, which NASA said is known for fireballs.
SEATTLE — A massive fireball lit up western Washingtons skies in the early morning hours of Friday.
Dozens of people reported to the American Meteorological Society that they saw the fireball streak across the sky about 12:49 a.m.
AMS received 69 reports from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia related to the event. About half of the reports were in western Washington, concentrated in King County.
KING 5 viewers in Bainbridge Island, Seattle and Ronald all shared videos of the fireball streaking across the sky followed by a bright flash of light that filled the sky.
Fireballs are the brightest type of meteor, which are streaks of light caused by small rocks or particles disintegrating in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Fireballs shine brighter than Venus and are made up of particles larger than the ones producing normal-sized meteors.
The incident coincided with the Perseid meteor shower, which peaked Aug. 12-13. The meteor shower will be active through Aug. 24.
The Perseids is widely considered the best meteor shower of the year with bright meteors that leave long tails in the sky. There are also about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour.
The Perseids are also known for their fireballs, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/perseid-meteor-shower-fireball-western-washington/281-fcc5f52a-e4b6-44ca-bc1d-aa237ad03e78
other space objects
https://www.nj.com/weather/2026/08/loud-booms-in-northern-nj-reportedly-woke-some-people-up-heres-what-may-have-caused-them.html
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/08/Close_approach_of_asteroid_2025_AL2
https://www.qoo10.co.id/en/tech/141798/green-comet-220p-mcnaught-brightens-over-namibia/
https://starlust.org/perseid-meteor-shower-peak-2026-best-images-of-the-celestial-fireworks-from-august-12-13/
https://english.news.cn/20260814/5ca91263340a4fc8851835776bd195b3/c.html
https://www.space.com/stargazing/meteor-showers/on-this-day-in-space-aug-14-1992-meteorite-shower-hits-uganda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW9Z0jU0TIM (Ray's Astro: Something Has Changed With the Perseid Meteor Shower | I Recorded the Evidence)
Inside NASA's off-limits 'Rubber Room' bunker hidden beneath the launchpad
16:09 14 Aug 2026 GMT+1
The hidden room is accessed by a 60 meter long slide
Not many people have seen inside NASA’s top secret room located 40 feet below the surface of the Earth.
Known as the ‘Rubber Room’, the space is strictly off limits and hidden deep beneath NASA’s launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.
The main reason it was built was due to the fact that working within close range of a rocket that is due to blast off into space can be pretty dangerous.
Encased in concrete, the bunker was designed to protect astronauts and crew in the event of an emergency at one of the launchpads.
Some rockets there contain over two and a half thousand tonnes of propellant and if it suddenly exploded, it would have the force of an atomic bomb.
To prevent an incident from killing everyone on the launchpad, the space agency decided to create an underground bunker where the crew could seek shelter for several days.
But that’s not the reason people are talking about it now - the room is strictly off limits and has been inaccessible for decades.
But that didn’t stop a YouTuber known as Jack Gordon going in search of it, as he uploaded a video detailing how he spent 24 hours at the top of a NASA launch pad.
There, the content creator explored the grounds and tried unsuccessfully to find his way to the secret bunker.
However, a clip by Primal Space does shed some light on what it’s like for people inside, explaining: “The crew had to make their way to level A inside the mobile launch platform, the massive two storey structure that supported the Saturn 5.
“Once it arrived at the pad, a small hatch in the platform would connect to a structure that stuck out from the launchpad.
“This was a 60 meter long slide that started inside the platform and went down through the concrete launchpad until it reached the bunker.”
The slide would be sprayed with sprinklers to help the crew slide down more easily.
Reaching the end of the drop, they would arrive in a place called the rubber room, which was lined with thick walls of rubber to absorb energy from an explosion.
The rubber was also meant to help people slow down at the end of the slide but that didn’t always work and one worker broke several bones while using it.
There are calls by fans to turn the room into a tourist attraction but - as it’s directly under an active launchpad - it doesn’t look like the forbidden water slide will be made available to the public anytime soon.
https://www.uniladtech.com/science/space/inside-nasa-off-limits-rubber-room-bunker-784378-20260814
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89zdHsb2pWU (Primal Space: NASA's Most Off Limits Room)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqk1AaVWrIU (Jack Gordon: I Spent 24 Hours at the Top of a NASA Launch Pad)
moar
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/08/13/thursday-packed-with-more-spacewalk-preps-and-advanced-tech-research/
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/a-sunflowers-view-of-totality/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/observatory/hubble-vs-roman/
https://www.ridgecrestca.com/news/nasa-astronaut-capt-victor-glover-returns-to-ridgecrest-for-from-china-lake-to-space-community/article_f4f26899-2d1d-4de5-8d99-d57d78bff2d8.html
Rare government plane spotted flying back to the US
Aug 13, 2026
A NASA WB-57 research plane was seen flying from Reykjavik
A rare NASA WB-57 research plane was seen flying from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Bangor, Maine, while trailing behind another long-range government aircraft, a Gulfstream V, Flightradar24 data shows.
According to a July 27 news release from NASA, researchers were using 360-degree cameras attached to scientific balloons — along with the high-altitude WB-57 aircraft — to capture images of the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, during the Aug. 12 eclipse over Iceland, Greenland and Spain. The highly anticipated solar event was livestreamed by the agency, gathering over 3.5 million views in just a day.
Earlier this week, the aviation community shared a photo online of what appeared to be the same WB-57 while it was still in Iceland.
“From our unique perspective on Earth during a total solar eclipse, scientists can study the Sun’s corona in a way we can’t from anywhere else in the solar system,” said Kelly Korreck, eclipse program manager at NASA headquarters in Washington, in the news release.
“The Sun impacts our daily life, satellites, and astronauts in space, and we can take advantage of this moment to advance our understanding of that influence.”
NASA describes the WB-57, which was first developed in the 1950s as the Martin B-57 Canberra, as a critical asset to the scientific community.
It has a flying range of about 6.5 hours at an altitude of over 63,000 feet. Flown by two pilots and able to reach an air speed of 410 knots, the unique planes have helped carry out several atmospheric research missions over the past two decades.
“Cosmic dust collectors” — tools used to collect samples of dust from comets and meteors in Earth’s upper atmosphere — have been on WB-57s since 1981, and the same planes have been flown to collect critical data on hurricanes and cirrus clouds.
Three WB-57s are stationed near the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The aircraft it was trailing behind, a Gulfstream V registered as N95NA, is a business jet that helps carry out airborne research missions in remote locations across the globe.
Procured by NASA in 2016, it’s since been modified to provide medical care to deconditioned astronauts. The agency’s website says it’s currently carrying out the international “Eclipse Mission” Aug. 8-14.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/rare-government-plane-22387231.php
moar
https://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=B939343F-F0DD-401E-B91C-1E9CF6717C7E
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-737-reveals-new-paint/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/13/smithsonian-and-nasa-collaborate-to-understand-tropical-forests-on-different-continents/
https://www.goodthingsguy.com/sa-team-wins-at-nasa/
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
Something big is coming to @NASAKennedy this November.
America should be the place the world looks to see the future of air and space power.
More later today…
8:59 AM · Aug 14, 2026
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2088294367253471398
moar
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2088240576638402915
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2088242688407593041
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2088284301154468251
https://x.com/NASA/status/2087966752512561302
Northrop Grumman Continues In-Space Industry Leadership with Second Mission Extension Vehicle Undocking
August 13, 2026
Key Takeaways
Northrop Grumman leads in in-space satellite servicing, extending the operational life of essential space assets.
The successful MEV undocking from Optus D3 highlights the maturity and reliability of routine satellite servicing.
The company’s first Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1) successfully completed its second life extension mission and undocked from Optus satellite
DULLES, Va. – Aug.13, 2026 – (PHOTO RELEASE) Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) marked a pivotal moment in space sustainability with the undocking of one if its Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) from the Optus D3 satellite, showcasing a new era of on-orbit servicing that extends satellite life beyond traditional replacement models. The two Mission Extension Vehicles have demonstrated revolutionary satellite life extension through routine, reliable servicing missions since 2020.
These in-space satellite servicing capabilities, enhanced by innovations like the recently launched Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) and Mission Extension Pods (MEPs) shifts the paradigm toward a more resilient and sustainable space infrastructure.
With decades of investment and expertise, Northrop Grumman continues to lead in delivering critical technologies that ensure the longevity and adaptability of vital space assets.
https://news.northropgrumman.com/civil-space/northrop-grumman-continues-in-space-industry-leadership-second-mission-extension-vehicle-undocking
https://media.northropgrumman.com/1863b674-7360-45bd-8f19-b4730015bfc8/DS-20f-MEV-Mission-Extension-Vehicles-Fact-Sheet_Original%20file.pdf
moar space stuff
https://www.earth.com/space/astronomers-spot-something-never-seen-beyond-the-milky-way/
https://www.zmescience.com/space/astronomy-space/the-milky-ways-giant-neighbor-andromeda-may-be-slowly-shutting-down-new-stars/
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-pro-space-preview/2026/08/14/congresss-space-to-do-list-01036787
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/nigel-farage-beats-space-warrior-trashcan-rival-in-uk-by-poll-he-triggered/articleshow/133240633.cms
https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/4573737/space-system-command-celebrates-five-year-anniversary-with-a-look-at-its-accomp
moar Space Force
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4573126/cso-notice-to-guardians-the-guardian-spirit-endures/
https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article/4572417/space-force-invests-in-resilient-multi-vendor-architecture-to-build-next-gen-sp
https://www.war.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/4573183/azimuth-program-immerses-cadets-in-space-force-missions/
https://x.com/SpaceForceCSO/status/2088041659732996177
https://x.com/SpaceForceCSO/status/2087954701740359898
Space System Command Celebrates Five Year Anniversary with a Look at its Accomplishments
Aug. 13, 2026
In the five years since Space Systems Command (SSC) was officially established as a U.S. Space Force (USSF) field command, the organization has grown exponentially to meet the challenges of defending an increasingly contested, congested and competitive space domain.
“To field combat-credible systems ahead of rapidly evolving pacing threats, USSF and SSC have aggressively overhauled legacy acquisition frameworks,” said USSF Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander of SSC.
“Today, space acquisitions are shifting toward rapid prototyping, agile software integration, commercial leverage, and integrated operations. SSC has embraced specialized pathways to bypass red tape, foster rapid deliveries, and cut decision timelines.”
SSC’s history dates back to July 1954, when it was the U.S. Air Force’s Western Development Division, tasked with developing the United States’ first intercontinental ballistic missile.
It was later renamed Space and Missile Systems Center and, with the formation of the U.S. Space Force in 2019, became Space Systems Command on Aug. 13, 2021.
Becoming a field command of America’s newest military service required more than just a name change: it required an evolution in every facet of its operation, from how it was organized to how space acquisitions are conducted.
Among the command’s many accomplishments, five in particular stand out:
Completion of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS). The USSF’s primary global missile warning and surveillance network, a constellation of six primary Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites and several Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) sensors. The final satellite in the constellation was operationally accepted in 2023.
Completion of the GPS III satellite constellation. The 10-satellite constellation was completed in April 2026, delivering M-code technology that is three times more accurate and eight times more jam-resistant than previous generations.
Establishment of eight System Deltas, designed to eliminate the divide between system development and daily operation.
Establishment of the Commercial Space Strategy with the creation of the Commercial Space Office (COMSO) and Space Force Front Door.
Development of Phase 2 and 3 of the National Security Space Launch program, which included Lane 1, for commercial-like higher-risk or non-critical payloads, and Lane 2 for the most demanding, least risk-tolerant missions.
“The emphasis on commercial-first acquisitions and the stand-up of Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAE) who own missions and not sets of programs strengthens our thesis,” said USSF Col. Tim Trimailo, director of SSC’s COMSO.
“Focusing on missions rather than isolated legacy programs encourages us to pursue the most effective solutions, whether traditional or commercial.
If you own missions, then you open the aperture and you’re incentivized to go after commercial capability in addition to executing programs.”
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SSC’s transformation also has extended to its people.
The command now conducts professional development initiatives for its Senior Enlisted Leaders (SELs) and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs), including the command-wide SNCO Leadership Xchange program designed to sharpen leadership, enhance decision-making skills and collaborative problem-solving.
“As of August 2026, SSC’s government workforce is close to 7,000 strong, including: more than 1,200 military officers; 2,200 enlisted; and 3,500 civilians,” said Sam Look, director of SSC Human Capital.
“We also have more than 4,600 support contractors enabling our mission. In this current calendar year, we are projecting to onboard approximately 600 new civilians and in FY27 we plan to add close to 250 new positions which include officers, enlisted, and more than 200 civilians.”
SSC’s hiring commitment extends to increasing employment of military spouses by 30 percent and reducing the amount of time it takes to hire them by 25 percent.
“We are in an exciting hiring surge period to ensure we have the right personnel in place when we receive the Department of War’s budget for future space capability acquisitions,” Look added.
“It is our people who have driven our success throughout the past five years – and it is our people who will ensure our continued success into the future.”
SBIRS
Missile warning is the “unblinking eye” essential to the defense and security of the U.S. and its allied partners.
A crucial part of the “no fail” National Command, Control, and Communication (NC3) mission is the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), a constellation of six primary Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites and several Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) sensors.
"The SBIRS constellation represents years of relentless innovation and hard work delivering vital capability to the warfighter,” said Col. Stevie Medeiros, commander of SSC’s System Delta 84.
“As the threat landscape evolves, we’re leveraging this foundation to further develop a resilient, multi-layered missile warning and tracking architecture of advanced space and ground systems to enhance persistent, around-the-clock global sensing,”
SBIRS augments the legacy Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites. The sixth and final SBIRS satellite became operational in 2023.
The SBIRS constellation provides persistent infrared surveillance to support missile warning and tracking, missile defense, battlespace awareness and technical sensing.
But SBIRS isn’t the end of the story: SSC’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (NGG) system is in development and will augment the SBIRS constellation.
NGG’s advanced spacecraft and sensors are designed to detect emerging threats including faster and dimmer missiles with 3x capabilities for warfighters.
Resilient by design, each satellite incorporates capabilities that address counter-space threats in a contested environment. The first NGG vehicle (NGG-1) was built in less than half the time as SBIRS GEO-1.
It is complete and available for launch as of January 2026; taking just over seven years to finish after authority to proceed (ATP) in 2018.
GPS III Series
The Space Force is perhaps best known for its role in providing the gold standard in positioning, navigation and timing data through its Global Positioning System satellites, which now number 32.
The last satellite in the series, GPS III-8, nicknamed “Hedy Lamarr” after the actress and inventor who developed frequency-hopping technology, completed in April 2026 what is now the strongest and most resilient constellation.
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“The completion of the GPS III series is a landmark achievement for the Space Systems Command team and our partners at Combat Forces Command,” said Erin Carper, acting program executive officer for Satellite Communications and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing.
“GPS III modernized the foundation of global PNT and strengthened the GPS constellation’s accuracy and performance, benefitting both the military and billions of civilian users.”
The next generation of GPS satellites, GPS III Follow-on (GPS IIIF), is expected to begin launching no earlier than 2028.
These satellites will feature up to Regional Military Protection providing more than 60 times greater anti-jamming protection than legacy systems for contested environments.
The LM2100 Combat Bus incorporates the Augmentation System Port Interface (ASPIN) for future on-orbit servicing and upgrades.
GPS IIIF satellites, the next generation of U.S. Space Force positioning, navigation, and timing spacecraft, featuring advanced anti-jamming, fully digital navigation payloads, are also expected to begin launching no earlier than 2028.
Establishment of the Eight System Deltas
In 2023, SSC stood up two System Delta “pathfinders”: one for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and one for electronic warfare. The System Deltas were aligned with Mission Deltas within Combat Forces Command (CFC), USSF’s operational field command.
System Deltas were created with the goal of closing the divide between SSC acquisitions and CFC operations. Each SYD coordinates directly with operations and sustainment counterparts across Combat Forces Command, STARCOM, and Space Force component commands.
SSC’s eight System Deltas support SSC’s Portfolio Acquisition Executives and include:
SYD 80 (Space Access) - manages launch, range, and logistics systems.
SYD 81 (Infrastructure) - provides simulations for training and testing.
SYD 810 (Space-Based Sensing & Targeting) - delivers environmental and weather surveillance data.
SYD 84 (Space-Based Missile Warning & Tracking) - focuses on tracking systems and ground capabilities.
SYD 88 (Satellite Communications) - develops satellites and software for communication superiority.
SYD 831 (Navigation Warfare & PNT) - advances GPS accuracy and protects against threats.
SYD 89 (Space Combat Power) - detects and tracks threats to space architectures.
SYD 85 (Battle Management, C3, & Space Intelligence) - supports space defense and networked operations.
“We’ve initiated a new approach by placing our space operators and acquisition professionals side-by-side,” said USSF Col. Andrew Menschner, deputy commander of SSC.
“To bridge the operational gap, SSC’s System Deltas now collaborate closely with Combat Forces Command Mission Delta operators.
This framework replaces the old handoff model, directly pairing warfighters with developers to accelerate system upgrades and deliver capabilities much faster.”
COMSO and Space Force Front Door
“COMSO’s role is to help integrate commercial capability into the architecture,” Trimailo said. “Simply put, we’re problem solvers. The threat is advancing at a growing rate, which drives the urgency.
The pace of commercial innovation is at an all-time high, which creates the opportunity. Our job is to harness that innovation to field war-winning capability as quickly as possible to counter the threat.
In this way, we are a resource to every mission owner and every Portfolio Acquisition Executive charged to deliver capacity.”
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“The actions that create the demands for COMSO vary greatly day-to-day,” Trimailo added.
“Some days it’s market research and tech scouting through the USSF Front Door to help programs understand the tech that’s out there, and providing feedback to companies so they can make their tech more useful to government missions.
Other days we’re connecting start-ups with opportunities to mature their tech. That includes non-dilutive Small Business Innovated Research (SBIRS) projects, commercial solutions openings (CSOs), Other Transaction Authority (OTA) solicicitations or other SSC and non-SSC government options.”
When a company’s technology is proven, trusted and fielded, COMSO’s discussion may focus on how that company might contribute in a future crisis or conflict and perhaps include developing a program for them as part of Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR). Through COMSO, SSC offers a range of services and resources designed to help the USSF gain better access to commercial innovators and vice versa.
“Before the Space Force Front Door, commercial innovators faced a labyrinth—there was no single, clear entry point to pitch groundbreaking tech to the service, and mission owners often didn't know what commercial capabilities already existed,” explained Vic Vigliotti, director, USSF Front Door.
“We changed the game by creating a unified, accessible portal. We've built the bridge and now we’re focused on scaling it.
While our current scouting and matching capabilities are already delivering wins, our future roadmap will make integrating commercial space tech faster and more seamless than ever before.”
National Security Space Launch, Phases and Lanes
In 2020, SSC awarded Phase 2 of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL), designed to maximize the advantage of the growing commercial space market and private investment in launch vehicles with a "firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery" launch contract.
In 2025, SSC Space Access awarded contracts for Phase 3, with a two-lane set up: Lane 2 for the vital “can’t fail” missions and Lane 1, to support more risk-tolerant missions designed to provide “on-ramps” for new launch providers, strengthening the space industrial base.
“The NSSL program under Space Systems Command has been wildly successful over the past five years,” said USSF Col. Ryan Hiserote, SSC System Delta 80 commander, NSSL program manager, and GPS III-8 mission director.
“We developed and executed two major acquisition strategies, called Phase 2 and Phase 3, and leveraged our innovative contracts to award over $25 billion in launch services for more than 100 missions.”
The program is executing at the speed of need to deliver space capabilities to the warfighter faster than ever before, safely placing more than 100 national security satellites into orbit across 32 dedicated NSSL launches since SSC's stand-up.
“For example, in July we issued multiple launch contracts, from requests for proposal through award, in less than two months,” Hiserote said. “We’ve also executed several payload swaps between launch providers to get critical space capabilities to orbit as soon as possible, launching three of those swaps within two months of contract modification. Finally, we are building launch resiliency and increasing capacity to meet future launch demands by growing our industrial base.
We recently on-ramped two new launch providers to the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, bringing our total to seven launch service providers as industrial partners.”
That ever-increasing launch tempo goes hand-in-hand with SSC’s Spaceport of the Future initiative which is backed by a $1.3 billion infrastructure investment to modernize and expand national launch ranges, including Vandenberg Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral.
The initiative plans to transition traditional sites into high-capacity hubs utilizing automation, shared infrastructure and streamlined commercial operations.
“We have driven incredible change in our first five years,” Garrant added. “As a team, we will build on our successes and continue to deliver the space capabilities required by our current and future warfighters.”
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Proba-3’s eclipse hours before totality in Europe
14/08/2026
On 12 August 2026, parts of Europe experienced a total solar eclipse. But hours before the Moon’s shadow swept over Earth, the satellite pair making up ESA’s Proba-3 mission created an eclipse artificially – for the 65th time – without the Moon’s help.
The Sun’s inner corona appears greenish in this image taken in the morning of 12 August 2026 by the ASPIICS coronagraph aboard Proba-3. This image shows the corona how observers on the ground would see it just hours later through a green filter.
An eclipse with no Moon necessary? 60 000 km above Earth, the two spacecraft align in perfect formation 150 metres apart.
The Occulter spacecraft acts as an artificial Moon and eclipses the Sun for the Coronagraph spacecraft, which then has an uninterrupted view of the Sun’s corona for hours at a time.
But on 12 August, the Moon didn’t want to be left out – shortly after this image was taken, our closest celestial neighbour crossed Proba-3’s field of view, creating a double eclipse.
About two weeks ago, Proba-3 was observing the Sun from the other side.
Because it takes the Sun two weeks to rotate halfway around its axis, the mission's coronagraphy image served as a rather accurate prediction of what the views would be like on 12 August, both for the mission itself and for observers on the ground.
Millions of people, as well as many space missions, captured the natural 2026 solar eclipse: here’s our selection.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/08/Proba-3_s_eclipse_hours_before_totality_in_Europe
extra ESA
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Week_in_images/Week_in_images_10-14_August_2026
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2088298736770330928
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2087935120460177418
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2087575239714574356
Russia will destroy Western support for Kiev’s war machine – Lavrov
14 Aug, 2026 10:59 | Updated 14 Aug, 2026 11:08
Moscow is adopting tougher methods in the conflict in response to Ukrainian terrorist attacks, the foreign minister has said
Russia will intensify its military campaign in Ukraine and seek to destroy every element used by the West to sustain Kiev’s war effort, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
The top diplomat was commenting on actions by Ukraine and its Western supporters that they claim are intended to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations.
Russia continues to seek a “lasting, reliable and sustainable settlement” to the conflict and cannot agree to suspend it, Lavrov told Russian media.
His remarks came in response to a series of Ukrainian attacks that caused mass civilian casualties, including incidents in Starobelsk in May and Gelendzhik earlier this month.
Russian officials, including Lavrov, have described the drone strikes as deliberate acts of terrorism.
The minister said Moscow would not resort to the same tactics, but warned that its response would become increasingly severe.
“We will not sink to their level. Instead, we will adopt much harsher methods to destroy everything that enables the West to fuel Kiev’s war machine. We are already doing this, and they are already moaning.” he said.
The minister also reiterated that Ukrainian and Western proposals to freeze the conflict along the current front line are unacceptable.
He argued that doing so under present conditions would amount to betraying both the Soviet victory over the Axis powers in World War II and the broader history of Russian statehood.
Moscow has repeatedly accused the Ukrainian government of embracing neo-Nazi ideology and pursuing policies aimed at suppressing Russian language, culture, and identity in the country.
Last month, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky announced a 40-day “pressure campaign” that included large-scale attacks on Russian civilian vessels, energy infrastructure and facilities linked to e-commerce giant Wildberries.
Kiev has argued that the long-range strikes demonstrate that Ukraine has a viable strategy for confronting Russia and bolster its case for additional Western military assistance, particularly Patriot interceptor missiles needed to counter Russian retaliatory strikes.
Moscow subsequently stepped up its own long-range attacks, including against vessels servicing Ukrainian Black Sea routes.
The Russian military maintains that it targets only ships directly contributing to Ukraine’s war effort. The heightened risks, however, have deterred commercial shipping companies and sharply restricted Kiev’s ability to export commodities, including grain and iron.
According to Reuters, Zelensky is now seeking a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea and has conveyed his proposal through an intermediary. Turkish officials have also publicly called for a pause in hostilities in the area.
Lavrov argued that Russia did not initiate the latest escalation and criticized what he described as the failure of some countries to condemn Ukrainian attacks on neutral vessels, including oil tankers contracted to carry Kazakh crude through the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
“Neither Türkiye nor the United States publicly declares that such actions by Ukrainian terrorists are unacceptable,” the minister said.
https://www.rt.com/russia/644247-lavrov-kiev-war-machine/
extra RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/644244-ust-luga-drone-ukraine/
https://www.rt.com/russia/644240-ukrainian-river-ports-strikes/
https://www.rt.com/news/644237-colleferro-ammo-plant-explosion/
https://www.rt.com/russia/644252-nato-latvia-drone-ukraine/
Russian Oil Refinery Shuts Down for Months After Ukrainian Drone Strike
Aug. 14, 2026, 9:20 am
In brief: A Russian oil refinery more than 1,300 kilometers from Ukraine has been completely shut down after a Ukrainian drone strike, with repairs potentially taking up to six months.
The strike adds to Kyiv’s escalating campaign against Russia’s oil industry and a growing fuel crunch across the country.
A Russian oil refinery more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine has been completely shut down after a Ukrainian drone strike, with repairs potentially taking up to six months, the regional governor said on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Tuesday’s attack hit the Orsknefteorgsintez refinery in Orsk, Orenburg Oblast, which can process around 6 million metric tons of crude oil annually. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the facility was targeted.
Orenburg Governor Yevgeny Solntsev said the strike damaged “key infrastructure” that cannot currently be restored.
“The equipment is imported, and given the sanctions, repairs could take up to six months. The plant has been completely shut down,” Solntsev said on social media.
The extent of the damage could not be independently verified.
The shutdown is the latest blow in Ukraine’s expanding campaign against Russia’s oil infrastructure, which has increasingly targeted refineries, fuel depots and other facilities deep inside Russian territory.
Kyiv has stepped up long-range strikes on Russia’s energy sector throughout 2026, seeking to disrupt the fuel supplies that help power Moscow’s war machine while putting additional pressure on the Russian economy.
The attacks have also aggravated a growing fuel crunch inside Russia, contributing to gasoline shortages, price increases, sales restrictions and export curbs in multiple regions.
Solntsev said Orenburg Oblast was preparing for the possibility of prolonged fuel shortages.
“We are preparing for the worst-case scenario. We will have to rely on imported fuel,” he said, adding that logistics were already being reconfigured.
Of the region’s 287 gas stations, around 80% were still operating, according to the governor.
Ukraine followed up with another strike on Russia’s oil sector overnight on Thursday, targeting the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery complex in Bashkortostan.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/82326
other Russia and Ukraine
https://militarnyi.com/en/news/ukraine-hit-key-units-syzran-oil-refinery/
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russias-black-seas-sheskharis-terminal-halts-loadings-after-drone-attack-sources-2026-08-14/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/ukraine-drone-strikes-cause-fuel-094010116.html
https://ua.news/en/world/prezident-latviyi-perervav-vidpustku-cherez-zbitii-vinishchuvachami-nato-dron
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-14/live-updates-905502
other Israel
https://vinnews.com/2026/08/14/idf-eliminates-hamas-company-commander-who-held-multiple-hostages/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-it-punished-5-soldiers-who-photographed-stripped-bound-palestinian-detainee/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/katz-orders-idf-prepare-transfer-093417462.html
https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-lookouts-warn-of-hamas-activity-along-gazas-yellow-line/
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/IDF-says-it-killed-Khan-Younis-commander/66925400
https://allisraelnews.com/huckabee-blasts-israeli-terrorists-who-besieged-palestinian-home-idf-clears-radicals-but-also-evacuates-palestinians
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s108diilmx
https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/as-battlefield-shifts-to-low-altitudes-idf-plans-to-build-100000-attack-drones-a-year,169305
Live Updates: Shipping traffic drops in Strait of Hormuz, as UAE condemns 'aggressive Iranian attack' on tankers
August 14, 2026
IDF to probe soldiers' conduct in Kusra • Katz to transfer West Bank civilian enforcement to police • US Energy Secretary says 9 million oil barrels pass through Hormuz daily
August 14, 8:25 PM
Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi oil facility
Yemen's Houthis said they targeted an Aramco facility in the Saudi city of Najran with a drone, the group-run SABA news agency reported on Friday, citing a military source.
The source said the attack was in response to what it described as Saudi military aircraft violating Yemen's sovereignty by entering airspace over the northeastern part of Saada governorate.
There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities or Aramco. It was not immediately clear from the report whether the facility was hit.
August 14, 7:51 PM
US has enforced Iran blockade against 65 vessels, CENTCOM says
US forces have redirected 62, disabled three, and boarded two ships attempting to breach the country’s blockade against Iran in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X/Twitter on Friday.
August 14, 2:30 PM
Yemen UN envoy warns Security Council of regional escalation amid Iran-backed Houthi attacks
Yemen faces its greatest risk of renewed war since 2022 as fighting intensifies between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-supported army and attacks on Red Sea shipping threaten further regional escalation, UN envoy Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council.
Grundberg said Houthi attacks in Marib, Hadramaut, Mokha and other areas have resulted in military and civilian casualties. He also warned that renewed Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden could pull Yemen deeper into regional conflict.
The envoy urged the parties to immediately deescalate and pursue a lasting ceasefire. He said attacks and threats against shipping and cross-border attacks must end.
August 14, 10:13 AM
IDF to probe soldiers' conduct in Kusra, investigate time taken to evacuate extremists
According to N12, the IDF will also look into the manner in which the Palestinian families of the town were evacuated on Thursday after being instructed to leave.
The IDF will conduct a probe into the events that occurred in the West Bank village of Kusra over the past week, and the findings will be presented to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, a representative of the military spokesperson confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Friday.
"This was a serious incident, and it will be investigated," the representative said.
According to a report published by N12, the investigation will cover, among other things, why it took soldiers 48 hours to initially evacuate the illegal outpost set up by extremist settlers, and why it took an additional day to remove the outpost a second time after the extremists returned.
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August 14, 10:13 AM
Katz orders IDF to prepare to transfer West Bank civilian enforcement to police after Kusra chaos
According to Katz, the proposed plan would shift responsibility for civilian law enforcement and public order involving the Israeli population in the West Bank from the IDF to the police.
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that he had instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to transfer all civilian enforcement authority for Israeli communities and residents in the West Bank to the Israel Police, as part of a broader effort to redefine the military's role in the territory.
According to Katz, the proposed plan would shift responsibility for civilian law enforcement and public order involving the Israeli population in the West Bank from the IDF to the police.
"The IDF's role is to fight Palestinian terrorism and focus on defending the borders and the communities against threats," Katz said in a statement.
August 14, 10:13 AM
Shipping traffic falls further in Strait of Hormuz as US, Iran compete over claims to control
Shipping traffic at the Strait of Hormuz fell below the month average towards the end of the week due to volatile sentiment between the United States and Iran, with both countries making competing claims over its control.
The Strait of Hormuz is "under Iran's control and management," the recently appointed head of Iran's Basij paramilitary unit said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the United States on Thursday said it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and would ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran as ceasefire talks have floundered.
August 14, 10:11 AM
IDF kills Hamas commander who held hostages after Oct. 7
The IDF killed a Hamas company commander who held several Israeli hostages after the October 7 massacre, the military announced on Friday morning.
The terrorist, Muhammad Bassam Muhammad Mushtaha, was killed two weeks ago in an Israeli strike, the IDF stated. He had served as part of Hamas' Shati' Battalion.
Mushtaha had taken part in holding several hostages in Gaza, including Tsachi Idan, Noa Marciano, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Ori Megidish, Naama Levy, and Matan Angrest.
August 14, 5:04 AM
UAE condemns 'aggressive Iranian attack' on Hormuz tankers
The United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for an attack on two ADNOC-affiliated tankers while they were crossing the Strait of Hormuz, in a statement released by the country's Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
Iran's attack constituted an "act of piracy," the ministry wrote, adding that it "poses a direct threat to the stability of the region."
Bahrain's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, calling it terrorist attack that "constitutes a serious threat to regional security and stability and to the safety of maritime navigation, and a flagrant violation of the rules of international law"
August 14, 5:04 AM
Vance: ‘Confident’ in lower oil prices, Iran won’t obtain nuclear weapon
US Vice President JD Vance said he feels confident that the US will be able to bring oil prices down while ensuring Iran won’t obtain a nuclear weapon ina an interview with Fox News on Thursday afternoon.
"I feel confident we're accomplishing both of those goals,” Vance said, though adding that “it's inherently an unpredictable thing because the Iranians themselves are unpredictable and they sometimes don't honor the commitments they've made to us."
August 14, 5:04 AM
US Energy Secretary says 9 million barrels of oil pass through Hormuz daily
"Eight to nine million barrels of oil are going through the Strait of Hormuz every day," US Energy Secretary Chis Wright told Fox News on Thursday, refuting data from Kpler that just 14 vessels had passed through the strait on both Monday and Tuesday.
"We know every day exactly how many ships transit the Strait of Hormuz," Wright said, adding that Kpler's data was inaccurate due to the difficulty of tracking shipping through a war zone.
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Paramilitary launches drones, ground attacks across Sudan
August 13, 2026
KHARTOUM(RAHNUMA): Drones targeted the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday as paramilitary forces launched ground attacks on central Sudan and the southeastern Ethiopian border, an AFP correspondent and sources from the rival sides reported.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been ravaged by war between the Sudanese military, led by its chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Burhan’s former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Drones and anti-aircraft missiles were seen over Khartoum on Thursday for the second day in a row, as army and paramilitary sources reported RSF attacks across the country.
Southwest of Khartoum, the paramilitary launched a counteroffensive on the highway connecting the capital with the southern Kordofan region’s largest city, El-Obeid.
An army source reported “an attack with a large number of vehicles on the town of Jabret al-Sheikh, which was preceded by drone strikes”.
An RSF source confirmed a battle was ongoing there as well as the town of Bara further south, which both sides have struggled to hold as they wrestle for control over El-Obeid’s northern axis.
Both sources requested anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.
On Thursday, an AFP correspondent in the capital reported anti-aircraft missiles fired from Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city, followed by the sound of an explosion.
“Military air defences engaged with the militia’s drones and downed them,” an army source told AFP.
Witnesses in central Khartoum and Khartoum North, across the Nile river, also reported seeing drones in the sky and hearing explosions.
– Multi-pronged –
A second RSF attack was reported on the town of Kurmuk, on the southeastern border with Ethiopia, which the army had recaptured last month.
The RSF source said the paramilitary had “liberated” the town in the attack, which the army official said was the latest launched “from inside Ethiopian territory”.
Ethiopia has denied harbouring RSF fighters, though local sources say the porous border is a key supply line for the RSF and its allies.
The latest attacks come a day after the RSF launched far-reaching coordinated drone strikes targeting five army-controlled cities hundreds of kilometres apart.
The RSF had seemed to be on the back foot since the army last month pushed them off the Khartoum-El-Obeid highway, strangling their bid to seize Kordofan.
Daglo in the aftermath said he would “unleash” his fighters — already accused of war crimes including genocide — and his fighters have since repeatedly threatened a large-scale retaliatory attack.
Burhan and Daglo, allies until they fell out in a bitter power struggle, have spent most of the war in a relative stalemate, unwilling to hold negotiations while vying for a decisive battlefield advantage.
The RSF last year consolidated its hold on the vast western region of Darfur, and has since pushed to seize territory in Kordofan and along the southeastern Ethiopian border.
The army holds the country’s centre, north and east, and has tried to project an image of a return to normalcy in areas it controls.
Across the country, aid workers estimate more than 200,000 people have been killed in what the UN calls a “war of atrocities”. The conflict has also caused the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.
https://therahnuma.com/paramilitary-launches-drones-ground-attacks-across-sudan/
https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/southern-africa/drone-attacks-target-khartoum-5558208
https://themedialine.org/top-stories/drone-strikes-and-intelligence-chiefs-killing-expose-libyas-fragile-balance/
Drone Strikes and Intelligence Chief’s Killing Expose Libya’s Fragile Balance
08/14/2026
The unclaimed attacks have not been linked, but they come as rival power centers compete for influence and the US seeks to reunify Libya’s divided institutions
Drone attacks on energy facilities in western Libya and the assassination of a senior intelligence official in the east have renewed fears of instability as Libyan factions maneuver ahead of possible political negotiations.
No evidence has emerged connecting the two sets of events, and no group has claimed responsibility for either. Their timing has nonetheless raised questions about whether Libya faces another brief outbreak of violence or a broader contest for influence.
Maj. Gen. Fawzi al-Mansouri, head of military intelligence for Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based forces, was killed in Benghazi on Monday night, August 10, when an explosive device detonated at his vehicle in the Hawari district, according to security officials and the eastern General Command.
Al-Mansouri was buried the following day at a funeral attended by senior military figures, including Saddam Haftar, one of Khalifa Haftar’s sons. A security committee has opened an investigation, but authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or motive.
The assassination eliminated one of the most senior officials in an eastern security establishment that has portrayed Benghazi and much of eastern Libya as having left behind the instability of earlier years.
Hundreds of kilometers to the west, attacks were hitting some of the country’s most important energy facilities.
Drone strikes began targeting facilities in Zawiya on August 9. The following night, a drone hit a gasoline-storage tank at the Zawiya oil complex, west of Tripoli, causing a major fire and the tank’s collapse.
The tank held approximately 4.5 million liters of gasoline when it was struck, according to Libya’s National Oil Corporation.
Another drone landed near a second tank without causing reported casualties or damage. Further attacks continued into August 11.
The National Oil Corporation said firefighters had contained the blazes and that the refinery itself was not damaged, although production was briefly disrupted. It warned that more attacks could force it to suspend operations.
The complex includes Libya’s largest operating refinery, which can process approximately 120,000 barrels per day. It is connected to the Sharara oil field and plays a central role in the country’s energy production and fuel-distribution network.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the internationally recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli, condemned the strikes as organized crime and promised to hold those responsible accountable.
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Another drone struck the South Zawiya electricity substation on August 12, setting it ablaze and causing widespread outages.
Libya’s state-run General Electricity Company said more than 700 megawatts of the nearby power plant’s 1,300-megawatt capacity remained unavailable.
US energy company GE suspended work at the power station and withdrew its technical teams because of the security situation.
The attackers and their objectives remain unknown. Zawiya is divided among armed groups with shifting alliances, and tensions have grown between Dbeibah’s government and forces associated with Mohamed Bahroun, a powerful commander in the city.
Libya has been divided between rival centers of authority for more than a decade.
Dbeibah’s government operates from Tripoli, while authorities backed by Haftar’s forces control the east. A 2020 ceasefire ended the last major nationwide war but failed to produce unified political, military, or security institutions.
The latest violence comes as Libyan leaders and foreign governments seek arrangements that could narrow the east-west divide.
Misbah Omar, a Libya-based analyst at the Institute for Integrated Transitions and a member of the Mediterranean Platform, said the attacks could be part of a larger contest, although no wider pattern has yet been established.
What we are witnessing may represent an initial phase in the restructuring of Libya’s political and security landscape
“If this assessment is correct, what we are witnessing may represent an initial phase in the restructuring of Libya’s political and security landscape—one aimed at allowing the main actors to consolidate or redefine their respective spheres of influence before moving toward a clearer political process,” Omar told The Media Line.
Zawiya is particularly important in any contest over western Libya. The city sits west of Tripoli at the junction of armed influence, energy infrastructure, migration routes, and economic networks.
The attacks raise the possibility that armed factions or their opponents are shifting their focus from direct clashes to the resources and supply systems that sustain military power.
“Such actions would represent a significant shift in the nature of the confrontation,” Omar said.
“Rather than focusing exclusively on the armed formations themselves, pressure could increasingly be directed toward the economic and logistical networks that sustain their influence and operational capacity.”
Potential targets could include infrastructure, revenue sources, supply routes, and other assets that help armed groups maintain their position, he added.
Ibrahim Mousa Said Grada, a former Libyan ambassador to Sweden and former UN adviser, also described Zawiya as central to the struggle over political power and economic resources.
“This happened in Zawiya, a city that deserves to be described as afflicted and targeted because it has become a meeting point for the contradictions of politics, conflicts of interest, and disputes over the division of power and resources in Libya,” Grada told The Media Line.
This happened in Zawiya, a city that… has become a meeting point for the contradictions of politics, conflicts of interest, and disputes over the division of power and resources in Libya
The violence coincides with renewed US efforts to encourage cooperation between Libya’s rival authorities.
Massad Boulos, senior adviser to President Donald Trump for Arab and African affairs, has promoted an initiative focused on institutional reunification and economic cooperation. He has met Haftar, Dbeibah, and other political and military figures across Libya.
Published accounts describe the initiative as an effort to reach agreements between Haftar’s eastern authorities and Dbeibah’s Tripoli-based government, with energy investment and economic development offered as incentives.
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The plan remains controversial, and many of its details have not been made public. Critics warn that a power-sharing agreement could preserve the authority of Libya’s current leaders and armed factions rather than build representative national institutions.
Omar said the US approach seemed to favor a series of limited agreements rather than a comprehensive settlement.
“If this trajectory continues, the initiative could enter a more practical phase during the final quarter of this year and the beginning of next year, operating along two parallel tracks: economic and political, supported by corresponding security arrangements on the ground,” he said.
Grada was less optimistic about its immediate prospects.
“The Boulos initiative ‘appears’ to have been placed in a freezer during this scorching summer, so that it does not die or become buried altogether,” he said.
The recent attacks do not show that Libya’s factions have agreed on a new division of power. They could instead represent attempts by competing groups to improve their positions before negotiations, whose timing and structure remain unclear.
Al-Mansouri’s assassination creates another problem for the east. Grada said the loss of its military intelligence chief came at a sensitive time for Libya’s divided security services.
“At the same time, the absence of the head of military intelligence for the eastern Libyan forces coincides with the continuing dispute over the leadership of the General Intelligence Service, or external security apparatus,” Grada said. “This means an intelligence vacuum and state of confusion at a particularly dark and sensitive moment domestically and during a highly unstable and critical international environment.”
Foreign involvement adds to the uncertainty. Russia, Turkey, the US, European powers, and regional governments retain varying degrees of political, economic, and security influence in Libya.
“There is an increasing possibility that Libya could be transformed into an arena for proxy warfare between intelligence services and their military and media arms, as international and regional conflicts and rivalries expand and deepen,” Grada said.
The latest violence does not necessarily mean that Libya is heading back to nationwide war. Omar said a series of limited moves intended to change the balance of power was more likely than an immediate, large-scale confrontation.
These developments should not necessarily be interpreted as evidence of an imminent comprehensive military confrontation
“However, these developments should not necessarily be interpreted as evidence of an imminent comprehensive military confrontation,” he said.
“A more plausible scenario may be a series of calibrated and limited moves designed to alter the balance of power gradually, while leaving room for negotiations and political accommodation.”
The next political agreement may depend as much on events outside formal negotiations as on what happens at the table.
Control of territory, energy assets, and security institutions will help determine what Libya’s competing factions are willing—and able—to accept.
The Zawiya strikes and al-Mansouri’s assassination do not prove that anyone is carrying out a coordinated plan to redraw Libya’s balance of power.
They do show how quickly an attack on an oil tank, power station, or security chief can unsettle a country whose rival authorities have never fully resolved the conflict between them.
3/3
Unidentified drone detected at US Navy base in Italy
14 August 2026 19:18 (UTC +04:00)
An unidentified drone has been detected at a US Navy base in Italy, the Stars and Stripes newspaper reports.
Precautionary measures were taken immediately after the incident.
According to the report, Italian law enforcement authorities conducted an investigation and determined that the drone did not contain explosives and posed no risk of explosion.
Following this, operations at the military base were restored to normal.
Law enforcement authorities seized the drone.
Investigations are underway to determine where the drone came from and how it ended up on the base premises.
https://en.apa.az/america/unidentified-drone-detected-at-us-navy-base-in-italy-520383
https://www.twz.com/air/u-s-not-prepared-to-handle-drone-attack-from-inside-homeland-deputy-norad-commander
U.S. Not Prepared To Handle Drone Attack From Inside Homeland: NORTHCOM Deputy Commander
Aug 13, 2026 3:39 PM EDT
A top general in charge of protecting the U.S. gave a refreshingly frank but also troubling assessment of America's drone defenses.
The deputy commander of United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) was asked on Thursday if he could defend against an attack by a swarm of drones in the homeland. His reply was blunt and chilling: “No.”
“We don’t have the sensors, and depending on where that swarm is going to attack, it depends on whether we have any sensors at all, and also on whether we’ve got any effectors to go after that problem,” stated Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Jarrard, who also serves as the Vice Commander, United States Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
He was addressing an audience at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium (SMD) in Huntsville, Alabama, attended by TWZ.
“So we are ill-equipped right now to handle something like that, and obviously we’ve seen it used,” the general added.
“We’re seeing it used on a daily basis around the world, and we’ve got to figure out how to mitigate that threat, but we’re not there yet.”
Jarrard’s statements were a sharp admission by a U.S. military leader of a number of interconnected gaps, including the lack of domain awareness over the homeland.
It is a topic TWZ has frequently raised over the years, but one that U.S. officials would not admit to or address until after the Chinese spy balloon floated over much of the country in 2023 before being shot down off the Carolinas.
He was also raising other concerns we have often highlighted, like having the right systems in place to take drones down once they are detected and the proper authority to use them when needed.
Though Jarrard didn’t offer any specific examples of potential threat scenarios, the most glaring is Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb attack on Russian air bases.
Drones stored in pre-positioned trucks were launched nearby remotely and destroyed a large number of Russian bombers and other critical aviation assets.
Another example of a similar near-field attack was the first-person view (FPV) drone strike on a U.S. Army helicopter in Iraq earlier this year, which you can read more about here.
The following video captures that incident.
These incidents underscore the very real risk faced by military infrastructure, other critical assets and VIPs in the United States, a point that TWZ has repeatedly raised for a decade.
In particular, near-field attacks like Operation Spiderweb pose a huge threat and one that would be hard to stop once it began. Compared to a combat theater, there are fewer defenses and far less surveillance, let alone similar alert levels, at sensitive installations all over the U.S.
With advances in drone technology and accessibility, attacks coming from within the U.S. could be executed by longer-range drones, as well, which presents additional challenges for preparing defenses.
1/2
Speaking at SMD, Jarrard acknowledged many of these concerns and offered some insights into the challenges the command faces and how it is working to address them.
While the authority to use counter-drone systems is still catching up with the technology, Jarrard noted that his commands are working to apply lessons from Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) on the counter-drone effort.
ONE, which came into being following the September 11th attacks, changed America’s air defense posture. It included putting fighters on higher readiness and upping the surveillance over the United States with regular air patrols and flights by AWACS surveillance aircraft.
In addition, new rules of engagement were put in place and trained for.
“We are integrating some of the TTPs [tactics, techniques and procedures] that we use in that mission to also incorporate with the counter-UAS mission, so some of that is just a natural flow from the ONE mission,” the general proffered at SMD without offering further details.
“But the other problem is detection.
That is obviously the biggest issue, and so how we are able to detect is one of our biggest concerns right now.”
“We’re using the assets that we have, radars, et cetera, but it’s going to be also involving local law enforcement because it’s not just installations, Army or military installations, but it’s also things like we did [by] interacting with the federal authorities and local law enforcement with respect to the FIFA World Cup,” Jarrard suggested. “We’ve got to be interoperable with the systems that they’re procuring, using, utilizing, and they’ve all got to talk together, and so that’s where we’ve got to get to with respect to the interoperability between not just military systems, but also those that are protecting our cities, critical infrastructure, et cetera, that are off our installations.”
As we have previously noted, NORTHCOM has taken measures to help base commanders protect against drones once they arrive.
One example came earlier this year, after incursions over two installations, including Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, home of B-52 Stratofortress bombers and nuclear weapons storage facilities, and a key part of the airborne leg of America’s nuclear triad.
NORTHCOM deployed its new counter-drone fly-away kit, designed to give installation commanders the ability to detect, quantify, and defeat small drones that they cannot defend against on their own.
However, given that these systems have to be requested and then delivered, there is a limit to just how much protection they can provide, especially against an attack like Spiderweb that popped up with no warning.
The fly-away kits would not arrive until after such an attack occurred, unless there was intelligence that gave some kind of warning.
Meanwhile, there is a huge lack of capacity when it comes to installing these systems on a more permanent basis at installations that really need them, let alone critical civilian infrastructure and other high-value targets.
Moreover, for years now, U.S. military officials have often pushed back on the utility and cost-effectiveness of investing more in the physical hardening of bases and other critical facilities, especially shelters to shield aircraft from drones and other threats.
However, that is starting to change. In a notable shift in department policy, the Pentagon in February issued new guidance for defending critical infrastructure against drone attacks through the increased use of netting, cables, and other kinds of passive physical defenses.
Jarrard’s comments at SMD, while troubling, were also a refreshing acknowledgment by someone in charge of protecting the U.S. that we remain woefully vulnerable to the kind of attack Ukraine launched against Russia last year, and admitting the problem will hopefully help with putting real solutions in place in the not-so-distant future.
2/2
A Nearly 4,000-Year-Old “Giant’s Tomb” Was Accidentally Discovered in Sardinia
August 11, 2026
Italian archaeologists have discovered a previously unidentified, nearly 4,000-year-old “Tomb of the Giants,” or “Giant’s Tomb,” at Carrarzu Iddia in central-western Sardinia.
The researchers behind the historic discovery said the new structure is part of a larger group of ancient, ‘enigmatic’ burial complexes on the island known as Giant’s Tombs erected by the Nuragic civilization as collective burial sites beginning around 1800 B.C. due to their megalithic structure.
Giant’s Tomb Site Features a Strategic Placement
According to Finestre sull’Arte, the newly discovered Giant’s Tomb had been covered by thick vegetation, helping it to remain hidden for nearly four millennia.
However, surveyors from Sardinia’s two Superintendencies of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape were already involved in the restoration and excavation of the nuraghe located at the same site when they made the unexpected discovery.
Located at an elevation of approximately 800 yards, the newly identified Giant’s Tomb is located on the southern slope of Crastu Littu. The Italian team suspects the site “is of particular interest” due to its strategic location.
For example, the Giant’s Tomb offers a sweeping view of the Macomer plain. The location also includes a clear vantage point to observe the highlands of Abbasanta and Paulilatino, and an unobstructed view as far as the hills of the Nuoro area and the Gulf of Oristano.
The team said this view likely conveys the site’s importance within the wider settlement network of Nuragic Sardinia.
Clearing the Dense Vegetation Reveals Striking Details
After identifying and surveying the new Giant’s Tomb’s location, the two project leaders worked with the landowners to clear away the dense overgrowth and earthen debris that had kept it hidden.
Ironically, once the site was fully revealed, the team noted that the covering had likely helped to maintain and preserve its excellent condition over the nearly 4,000 years since its construction.
The most prominent features identified on the vast site were two large stone platforms, called protonuraghi, a sacred well, a residential settlement, and an extensive burial ground.
A closer examination confirmed that the Giant’s Tomb, which is made from trachyte blocks, retained the expected architectural elements found in similar collective burial sites.
One identifying feature is the site’s exedra preceding its entrance.
According to the Italian team, this architectural component is one of the most representative aspects of previously identified Giant’s Tombs, distinguishing this “monumental” construction type clearly within that of protohistoric Sardinia
Unfortunately, the excavation revealed that some portions of the ancient site had not survived the intervening four millennia completely intact. The authorities suspect that past illegal excavations that have affected many ancient sites could be part of the cause.
Luckily, previous illegal invasions of the site did not remove everything of historical value. For example, the team found ceramic materials inside the structure that document human occupation of the site, in some cases dating back to the earliest stages of the Nuragic civilization.
Site Includes Rarely Documented Dual-Level Construction
Alongside the site’s more familiar features, the team also identified an internal feature they described as ‘rare’ for a Giant’s Tomb: a second level near the entrance.
Future studies of this unusual feature may offer insights into this society’s funerary practices and its construction techniques, which the team notes are still poorly understood.
The Italian team also noted the site’s greater significance when within the larger archaeological context of Carrarzu Iddia, noting that the area has yielded traces of human use and occupation covering the times before, during, and after the Roman era.
When discussing the site’s historical significance, the Italian team pointed to the value of so many extraordinary structures and monuments concentrated within one specific area.
This overlap allows researchers to chronologically date the new Giant’s Tomb and place its significance within the wider context of the Island’s inhabitants.
https://thedebrief.org/a-nearly-4000-year-old-giants-tomb-was-accidentally-discovered-in-sardinia/
UFO mania
@maniaUFO
Multiple Dark Objects Hovering Over Birmingham, England, UK, During Solar Eclipse, 12 August 2026…
Two witnesses while looking north, observed multiple dark objects over Birmingham, England, at approximately 19:00 BST on Wednesday 12 August 2026, during the partial solar eclipse.
The objects were described as appearing clustered and largely stationary or hovering and reportedly remained visible for approximately ten minutes. The objects could also be seen with the naked eye.
Original Source Credit: Shep182
11:24 PM · Aug 12, 2026
https://x.com/maniaUFO/status/2087787347857342945
extra
https://x.com/jamescfox/status/2088093670780158349
https://x.com/jamescfox/status/2088100743714668759
https://x.com/TheUfoJoe/status/2088311648323047530
https://x.com/Kabamur/status/2088274196287934758
Reversing Aging, Biotech & Are We Living in a Simulation?
Aug 14, 2026
Neil Gaur is the founder of Portal to Ascension, a conscious event production company created in 2008 that hosts many presentations and events.
He is also described as a philosopher, historian, researcher, and spoken word artist who travels, facilitates gatherings, and creates documentary-style content.
NEW WEBSITE -https://portaltoascension.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZYGaCRlWoo
https://x.com/eisenhowe8
https://x.com/p2ascension
extra disclosure dejour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vwRzWc5rcY (INSIDER WARNING with Stewart Swerdlow: "LEAVE THE WEST COAST" -Trigger Event Coming in 3-6 Months?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B65mFXwqJYA (Danny Jones: "We Cracked Antigravity" NASA Physicist Shows Proof of Secret Tech)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abFSrRYOiWo (Metaphysical: Night Vision Goggles Saw ‘Predator’ Demons in Vietnam War [FULL CUT])
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_evVtA93-Q (Alexis Brooks: Tom Campbell: We're in a Simulation — But What About FREE WILL??.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdhCNCDmf-Y (MrAstrotheology: Russian Freemason reveals & explains the shape of the earth)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR1Nyg0zHjs (Michael Salla: Dark Fleet Attacks the Moon: Space Force Fleet Devastated in Surprise Assault (Space Force Update 1))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WIMsgtkf_4 (Event Horizon: Signs of Non-Human Artifacts On and Near Earth with Beatriz Villarroel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXuEO6N9y2U (Billy Carson: The Quest for Ancient Civilizations group chat)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYR8OzA8aQ8 (Michael Schratt: The Triangle UFO That Shocked Southern Illinois)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDTWbuvOaGU (My Lunch Break: Finding Tartaria?)