TYB
Sun Launches CME at Earth, Pole Shift Science | S0 News and frens
Sep.29.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PziODg-no9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2_UlhG1mwo (Ryan Hall Y'all: Here's When You'll See Snow This Year…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1knh1oH0YVY (thornews: Wild WTF Weather & Le Sserafim has Aura.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjO5ewfR3ps (Stefan Burns: It's Time I Sound The Alarm…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=006IcvQsT6I (Hurricane Polo makes landfall in Mexico as Category 2 storm | FOX 10 Phoenix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew8sGuSV_j8 (Mr Weatherman: Hanna Forms in the Atlantic…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDne-5i5VWk (On the Pulse with Silki: NEW Nepal Disaster — Hundreds Landslides Are Striking NOW)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQhSnJlUYI (MrMBB333: MORE ACTION NEAR THE UNDERWATER VOLCANOES!)
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wildfires
https://goconow.com/wyoming-launches-new-aviation-helibase-to-accelerate-wildfire-response-times/
https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/82074-california-governor-gavin-newsom-signs-insurance-commissioner-lara-and-senator-padilla-s-disaster-recovery-reform-act-into-law-setting-a-new-standard-for-survivor-protections-recovering-from-wildfires-and-other-disasters
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/pge-unveils-new-wildfire-engines-designed-to-protect-utility-infrastructure
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/09/29/uh-study-finds-elevated-toxic-metals-maui-residents-months-after-2023-wildfires/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/florida-wildfire-burning-near-75-123228609.html
https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-29/Madrid-winemakers-devastated-by-worst-ever-wildfires-1QOi9dqw7Re/p.html
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storms and floods
https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-16169449/triple-flood-threat-storm-hurricane-polo-odalys.html
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/over-150m-face-week-long-flood-threat-across-30-states-fueled-powerful-pacific-tropical-systems
https://www.wpbf.com/article/south-florida-afternoon-storms-coastal-flooding-king-tides/73938528
https://www.dagens.com/weather/turn-around-dont-drown-officials-warn-texans-of-catastrophic-rainfall
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/29/japan/tokyo-new-record-rainfall/
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/bangkok-floods-jet-ski-rider-jailed-after-viral-stunt-on-submerged-road-3006022-2026-09-29
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2026/09/29/more-than-2-6-million-people-affected-by-floods-across-thailand/
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/09/29/thai-capital-cleans-up-after-deadly-floods
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-strengthens-niger-states-capacity-climate-resilient-flood-planning
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tornadoes
https://thespun.com/trending/u-s-warns-powerful-tornadoes-could-hit-3-states-tomorrow
https://hoodline.com/2026/09/rare-fire-tornado-swirls-over-controlled-burn-near-orange-city-florida/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/regina/video/2026/09/29/sask-records-40th-tornado-of-2026/
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hurricanes and frens
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/3-days-of-weather-chaos-noreaster-hurricanes-and-a-zombie-storm/1940015
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/tropical-storm-hanna-fay-atlantic-super-el-nino
https://weather.com/2026/09/29/forecast/regional/hurricane-polo-southwest-plains-flash-flooding
https://watchers.news/2026/09/29/hurricane-polo-and-remnants-of-odalys-bring-heavy-rain-and-flash-flood-risk-across-the-four-corners-region-u-s/
https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/powerful-hurricane-polo-roars-ashore-in-mexico-with-life-threatening-conditions/1938914
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2026-09-28/marine-japan-rescue-landslide-typhoon-22997303.html
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earthquakes
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/pair-of-earthquakes-shake-off-northern-vancouver-island-12830420
https://businessnewsthisweek.com/news/3-9-magnitude-earthquake-jolts-debagarh-tremors-felt-in-angul/
https://philnews.ph/2026/09/29/earthquake-4-1-magnitude-quake-hits-surigao-del-sur-september-29-2026/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/earthquakes/article/magnitude-4-3-earthquake-strikes-off-the-coast-of-22454040.php
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/quake-info/23398614/mag4quake-Sep-29-2026-Guatemala-Off-Coast-of-Chiapas-Mexico.html
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/oman/45-magnitude-earthquake-recorded-in-gulf-of-aden-near-salalah-1.500691301
https://qazinform.com/news/m46-earthquake-jolts-taiwans-east-coast-724e65
https://qazinform.com/news/m48-earthquake-strikes-yemen-b14f64
https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/earthquake-hits-tokyo-4-9-magnitude-tremor-strikes-southern-ibaraki-prefecture-article-156243119
https://qna.org.qa/en/news/news-details?id=53-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-new-caledonia&date=29/09/2026
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/news/367558/Magnitude-56-earthquake-strikes-near-Pangai-Ha-apai-Tonga.html
volcanoes
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/40524053/volcano-eruption-closed-europe-airport/
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/09/29/philippines039-taal-volcano-plume-surges-to-2700m
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dailys
https://schumannresonance.today/
https://www.weather.gov/
https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/367285/Volcano-earthquake-report-2026-09-29.html
https://www.spaceweather.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=29&month=09&year=2026
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October stargazing: the best time to see Saturn, meteors from Halley's Comet
Sep 28, 2026 11:31 AM PDT | Updated Sep 28, 2026 11:31 AM PDT
Saturn reaches opposition in early October, offering its best viewing of the year, before the Orionid meteor shower brings shooting stars from debris left behind by Halley’s Comet.
Longer autumn nights will give skywatchers more time to look up in October. The month features a variety of astronomy events, including the best time of the year to view Saturn and one of autumn’s top meteor showers.
Saturn opposition: Oct. 4
Saturn will be one of the highlights of the night sky in early October as the planet reaches opposition, marking the best time of the year to see the ringed planet.
Opposition occurs when Saturn is directly opposite the sun from the perspective of Earth. Around this time, the planet rises in the east near nightfall, remains visible throughout the night and eventually sets in the west around daybreak.
No telescope is needed to spot Saturn, although using one can reveal the planet’s iconic rings. Although Saturn reaches opposition on Oct. 4, skywatchers do not need to circle one specific night on the calendar.
The planet will remain an excellent target throughout the month, giving people the flexibility to choose an evening with favorable weather.
Orionid meteor shower: Oct. 21-22
Shooting stars will streak across the late-October sky when the Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of Oct. 21 into the early morning of Oct. 22.
Under ideal conditions, up to 20 meteors per hour may be visible, making the Orionids one of the better meteor showers of autumn. The best viewing generally comes after midnight.
The shower gets its name because the meteors appear to originate from the same area of the sky as the constellation Orion. However, shooting stars can streak across many different parts of the sky, not just near Orion.
The Orionid meteor shower can be traced to debris from Halley’s Comet. Each year, Earth passes through debris left behind during previous passes of the famous comet, with tiny particles burning brightly as they enter the atmosphere.
Oct. 25-26: Hunter’s Moon
October will end with a full moon shining brightly on the night of Oct. 25 into Oct. 26.
The October full moon is commonly known as the Hunter’s Moon, a seasonal nickname traditionally tied to the time of year when hunting became easier after fields had been cleared during the harvest.
Other nicknames for October’s full moon include the Falling Leaves Moon, Freezing Moon and Migrating Moon.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/space-news/october-stargazing-the-best-time-to-see-saturn-meteors-from-halleys-comet/1939791
other space objects
https://thedebrief.org/10-mile-wide-ames-impact-crater-linked-to-372-million-year-old-violent-extinction-event/
https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2026/09/fireball-in-alabama-celestial-events-light-up-the-skies-on-harvest-moon-night.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIBFQBT_n2c (Dobsonian Power: WEIRD ANOMALY JUST CAUGHT ON HUBBLE LIVE FEED!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju1HB3gXFww (Ray's Astro: Something Is Growing on Mars | Did We Find Life? | Complete Documentary)
NASA, Boeing Share Update on Commercial Starliner Development Plans
Sep 28, 2026
On Monday, NASA and Boeing provided an update on the company’s Starliner spacecraft, including adding additional crew missions and certifying a new rocket for crew transportation to low Earth orbit.
“We are living through the most exciting era of space exploration since Apollo,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“As this domain continues to open, there will be growing demand for launch vehicles, transfer stages, landers, and, of course, spacecraft that carry astronauts.
NASA has been committed to having multiple crew transportation options since the beginning of the Commercial Crew Program.
We have worked closely with Boeing to address the issues identified on previous Starliner flights, and we intend to see this vehicle return to flight in support of the International Space Station and future commercial destinations.”
The agency intends to exercise options for a fifth and sixth flight to and from the space station using Starliner, and will work with Boeing and United Launch Alliance to certify the Vulcan rocket for use after the Atlas V rocket’s final flight.
“We are starting with an uncrewed Starliner-1 mission to the International Space Station to validate the improvements made to the spacecraft and gather the flight data we need,” said Isaacman.
“From there, we will use what we learn, continue implementing the corrective actions identified by our Program Investigation Team, and complete the testing and certification required for crewed flight. Our current plan is to return astronauts on Starliner-2 by 2028.”
NASA’s commercial crew efforts aim to preserve a U.S. crew transportation capability for ensuring continued access to space.
The work is challenging, however, it is essential for responsibly concluding space station operations, transitioning to commercial space stations, and expanding commercial access.
In February, NASA released findings from the agency’s Program Investigation Team outlining the programmatic and technical issues resulting in an uncrewed return of the Starliner during its first crewed flight in 2024.
In total, the investigation identified 61 recommendations to NASA to ensure that future missions meet the high standards required for human spaceflight.
The report specifically identified issues with Starliner’s service module reaction control thrusters operating outside of their engineering qualification, which resulted in the loss of control experienced during its Crew Flight Test.
Through significant ground testing and analysis, NASA and Boeing learned the service module thruster performance issues resulted from a combination of factors, including the thermal environment and features inherent in its design.
Based on the findings, Boeing has made thermal modifications to the spacecraft’s service module which NASA will evaluate for improved performance on Starliner-1.
NASA and Boeing also have jointly decided to implement an additional thruster valve design modification in support of spacecraft certification and future crewed flights.
The uncrewed Starliner-1 has the potential to fly in December of this year or January 2027.
It will serve as an engineering evaluation mission to verify improved thermal environments, obtain necessary performance data for system qualification, and identify residual risk ahead of crewed missions.
“Starliner’s next flight is a critical step on the path to achieving full system certification and ensuring a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program.
“With the safety of our space station crew and the public as our highest priority, we will test Starliner’s propulsion system through targeted demonstration objectives and disciplined operational controls.
These steps are essential to validating Starliner’s thermal performance which is a key element for the certification.”
Following the flight, NASA and Boeing will complete the service module thruster valve design modification, which is focused on addressing poppet seal extrusion and its adverse effects on thruster performance.
Boeing also will implement other improvements across the spacecraft including installation of new crew module thrusters, batteries, and minor modifications to the parachute system for increased performance and reliability in support of system certification.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-boeing-share-update-on-commercial-starliner-development-plans/
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2104918601287286987
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2104690355702554643
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2104706417802281003
https://x.com/BoeingSpace/status/2104662112005923104
Advanced Health Research Begins Week as Station Awaits Crew-13 Mission
September 28, 2026 1:54PM
Expedition 75 began the week scanning veins, checking out space workout gear, and testing specialized suits to ease the adjustment to Earth’s gravity. Back on Earth, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 members are counting down to a launch on Oct. 1.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon, station commander and flight engineer respectively, started their shift together with vein scans in the Columbus laboratory module.
Meir operated the Ultrasound 3 device and scanned Menon’s jugular vein then measured his blood pressure for the Venous Flow investigation. Doctors will analyze the biomedical data to detect potential space-caused blood conditions such as blood clots or changes to blood chemistry.
NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway assisted Menon at the beginning of the vein study collecting a blood sample and placing it inside a centrifuge for spinning.
At the conclusion of the sample processing, Menon analyzed the sample for a red blood cell count to help doctors determine if the cardiovascular system, influenced by microgravity, delivers adequate oxygen throughout a crew member’s body.
Afterward, Hathaway collected station water samples for microbial analysis then cleaned his crew quarters in the port side of the Harmony module.
Meir later joined the three crewmates she will return to Earth with next week and tested specialized suits that may help the foursome quickly adjust to gravity after nearly eight months in space.
The suit may help maintain adequate cerebral blood pressure once on the ground and prevent dizziness or light-headedness at the end of a mission. Meir and Hathaway along with flight engineers Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos are preparing to ride the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft back to Earth a few days after the SpaceX Crew-13 mission launches and docks to the orbital outpost on Thursday. Oct. 1.
Flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) spent most of her shift working on exercise research hardware.
Adenot’s first job was inside the Tranquility module where she tested the functionality of ARED (advanced resistive exercise device) Kinematics computer hardware.
The human research study allows researchers to track an astronaut’s body load during a space workout to optimize crew health in microgravity.
Next, she guided Menon on how to work out on the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D) located in Columbus. The E4D is being evaluated for its ability to keep crews fit inside spacecraft on long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Fedyaev conducted a second session with an experimental suit, this one designed by Roscosmos, that may ease his adjustment to Earth’s gravity.
Roscosmos flight engineer Anna Kikina assisted Fedyaev as he wore the lower body negative pressure suit that reverses space-caused fluid shifts from the head toward the feet.
Kikina also pointed a camera out a window on the Zvezda service module and photographed landmarks in southern Russia from the Volga River to the Ukok Plateau.
Roscosmos flight engineer Pyotr Dubrov explored high-purity semiconductor crystals using a high-temperature furnace in the Nauka science module. The physics research may advance space and terrestrial manufacturing techniques.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/09/28/advanced-health-research-begins-week-as-station-awaits-crew-13-mission/
moar
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasa-made-material-moon-manufacturing/
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/planetary-expeditions/2026/09/29/in-scotland-nasa-scientists-search-for-clues-about-mars-past/
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/mars-has-its-charmes/
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fire-cloud-with-a-pileus-on-top/
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/swift/nasa-highlights-lessons-learned-from-swift-boost-mission/
moar
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/night-sky-network/spooky-stargazing/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/wallops/2026/09/29/fifth-balloon-of-nasa-scientific-balloon-campaign-launches/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/commercialcrew/2026/09/29/nasa-spacex-complete-crew-13-dry-dress-rehearsal/
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/crew-13-rocket-and-spacecraft-at-launch-pad/
NASA Highlights Lessons Learned From Swift Boost Mission
Sep 28, 2026
A commercial mission to boost NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory concluded without raising the spacecraft’s orbit, but the agency and industry vendor Katalyst Space have gained valuable experience that will benefit future in-space servicing programs.
“From the beginning, this was a high-risk, high-reward mission,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Without intervention, Swift was going to re-enter the atmosphere by year’s end.
And while we’ll be sad to see Swift’s mission come to a close, we knew this boost effort would be valuable to the agency on multiple levels — advancing U.S. spacecraft servicing technology, challenging us to meet unprecedented mission timelines, and testing how we operate satellites to extend their time in low Earth orbit.
We’re very proud of how quickly this team got so far, and we’re capturing lessons learned to ensure we’re ready to go even farther.”
Swift, which launched in November 2004, was designed to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the cosmos.
Over the last two decades, the observatory has revolutionized our understanding of how the universe works, from studying comets and asteroids in our own solar system and various types of cosmic explosions to flares from black holes in distant galaxies.
All spacecraft in low Earth orbit experience drag from our planet’s atmosphere. If they don’t have propulsion systems, this drag gradually reduces their altitudes. A period of increased solar activity magnified this effect on Swift.
After deciding to investigate the potential for a boost attempt, NASA had only a few months to issue a call for proposals through its Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation and fund design concept studies through the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research program.
In September 2025, NASA contracted Katalyst, based in Flagstaff, Arizona, to attempt the mission. The company had around one year to design, build, test, and launch a satellite that would then meet, grab, and lift Swift.
The LINK spacecraft took off from Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in July aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket.
Katalyst selected the Pegasus as the best launch option for reaching the observatory on the mission’s condensed timeline, based on the mission’s orbital and programmatic needs.
After successfully reaching space and performing initial spacecraft checkouts, LINK began experiencing intermittent communications losses and developed issues with its orientation control.
Following a period of around-the-clock troubleshooting from both teams, NASA and Katalyst agreed to scale back the mission.
LINK would no longer attempt to grab or boost Swift but instead attempt to perform a series of technology demonstrations that would advance the capabilities of the U.S. commercial servicing industry.
These included exercising the spacecraft’s xenon-powered propulsion system and three robotic arms, which were designed to provide flexibility regarding where LINK could safely grapple Swift.
NASA formally concluded the agency’s involvement in LINK’s mission on Sept. 3. The spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere on Sept. 25.
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“LINK was built to take on a problem that did not have an easy solution,” said Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space. "This was an ambitious mission on an aggressive timeline.
While we did not accomplish every objective we set out to achieve, in less than a year we went from mission concept to launching and operating the first commercial space robot. This is a foundation we can build on.”
Science missions like Swift take years to develop and then operate in orbit for decades. For the Swift boost, however, the most important factor was the timeline.
All decision-making and risk acceptance hinged on predictions showing the observatory sinking to the point of no return — an altitude of around 185 miles (300 kilometers) — in fall 2026. As such, the boost mission required a new form of agile project management for NASA.
Swift team members in SSMO (Space Science Mission Operations) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, worked with Katalyst to develop milestones and approval processes that gave the mission the best chance of success while being flexible enough to move quickly toward launch.
Both groups received valuable input and feedback from NASA’s Engineering and Safety Center when tackling questions and issues that arose during integration and testing.
“Katalyst was committed to leveraging NASA’s deep experience to give themselves the best possible chance of successfully achieving the unprecedented challenge we gave them,” said Russell Carpenter, project manager in SSMO at NASA Goddard “Missions like these, where public-private teams work tenaciously to overcome obstacles, are an inspiration to the world, reminding us that striving for the near impossible brings out what is exceptional in all of us.”
While teams at NASA and Katalyst were racing to get LINK ready on the ground, flight controllers in Swift’s Mission Operations Center, located at Penn State in University Park in Pennsylvania, were trying to keep Swift above the critical altitude for as long as possible.
Below it, any boost attempt would become increasingly difficult.
During normal operations, the Penn State team sends a plan to Swift that tells the observatory which cosmic objects and events to observe each day.
In December 2025, however, the controllers started swapping around 25% of these science targets for points on the sky that would minimize drag when Swift was trained on them. By February, the team had switched over to this approach entirely.
“Even though Swift was not executing pointed science observations from mid-February to late August, we nonetheless continued Penn State’s history of innovative space research and operations, pioneering new methods to minimize drag experienced by the spacecraft,” said John Nousek, the mission director and professor of astronomy and astrophysics in the university’s Eberly College of Science. “These changes bought valuable time for the boost mission and can be carried forward for future NASA missions.”
The team also couldn’t point too close to Earth, the Moon, or the Sun, since the brightness of all three could overheat and damage the observatory’s instruments.
Pointing Swift in the most streamlined position also tilted it too close to the atmosphere, where particles could collide with the telescopes and affect future observations.
The team struck a balance that managed to maintain Swift’s altitude above the critical threshold for several months.
“We’re grateful to all our collaborators for the incredible amount of time and dedication they’ve put into the boost mission,” said S. Bradley Cenko, Swift’s principal investigator at NASA Goddard.
“When Neil Gehrels, Swift’s namesake, designed the observatory, nothing like it had ever launched. He would have celebrated that this boost effort was part of Swift’s legacy, that it allowed NASA to try something new and daring even though the outcome wasn’t guaranteed.
That’s how we explore the universe — as a team, learning from each other, constantly pushing forward.”
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Intersting timing
originally posted in 2020, acording to the posts on the debate board
A Few Famous Movies about Humanity’s First Contact with Extraterrestrial(s)
September 29, 2026
The idea of humanity learning of extraterrestrial life points to a powerful landmark in human history and a compelling mirror of human identity. This has inspired the creation of many memorable fictional movies.
Here are just a few trailers for some of these movies. If you don't see a favored ET movie of yours here, please suggest it for future inclusion on the Discussion board.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
ET The Extraterrestrial
Contact
Ridley Scott's Alien
Arrival
2001: A Space Odyssey
Day The Earth Stood Still
Starman
Sphere
District 9
The Andromeda Strain
Cocoon
https://science.nasa.gov/apod/2020-debate-movies/
https://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=40482
Jessica Meir
@Astro_Jessica
Milky Way with a Moonlit Earth. Compare this to my previous Milky Way view and behold the power of our Moon!
The Earth is so awash in Moonglow it looks like daytime, complete with blue oceans and continental outlines.
The Moon just keeps on giving - even more motivation to return there with the @NASA Artemis program!
9:30 AM · Sep 29, 2026
https://x.com/Astro_Jessica/status/2104972100444524676
moar
https://x.com/NASAWebb/status/2104950232530235654
https://x.com/NASAHubble/status/2104578067389702299
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2104635000066887735
https://x.com/NRO_gov/status/2104558518636265794
Quantum computer boldly goes where no quantum computer has gone before: Space
September 28, 2026
There's big news from the quantum world. A quantum computer has been used in space for the first time.
The device was aboard a spacecraft in low Earth orbit and demonstrated technology that could eventually help solve a problem that has been bugging satellites for years.
The issue is that when orbiting satellites send their raw data back down to Earth, bottlenecks and bandwidth limits slow everything down. One way to overcome this would be to process the raw data in situ before sending it.
So a team of physicists led by Philip Walther at the University of Vienna came up with a way that could eventually do just that.
Their solution was to build a quantum photonic processor that uses individual light particles, or photons, to perform complex operations using compact optical hardware.
But taking the idea from the drawing board to orbit was not without its challenges.
Quantum photonic systems are delicate, and radiation, large temperature changes and the vacuum of space could damage their components or disrupt their operation.
Of course, it first had to get there.
Liftoff for quantum computing!
The quantum photonic processor, which consisted of a photon-pair source, a six-mode integrated glass circuit chip, single-photon detectors and control electronics, was loaded aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It was launched into low Earth orbit on June 23, 2025.
Once it arrived in orbit, the real work began. To process information, the system shines a laser through a crystal to create pairs of photons.
It then sends those light particles through a tiny glass circuit, controlling how they travel and interfere using microscopic heaters.
Finally, sensitive detectors catch the light at the other end to measure where the photons emerge.
There was a hitch: Half the photon detectors were no longer working after launch, leaving the team with just three of the original six.
A quantum first in orbit
Despite that setback, the mission achieved its core goals. Over the first eight months in orbit, the system successfully generated, manipulated and detected pairs of photons, performing several different programmed operations.
The team also changed the chip settings and carefully tuned the photons to look for a phenomenon called two-photon interference. They successfully observed quantum interference between the light particles even in the harsh conditions of space.
But the results are only a first step.
There is still plenty of work to do before satellites can run quantum-assisted data processing tasks directly in orbit.
As the study authors explain in their paper, which is posted to the arXiv preprint server, "The next step is to close the loop between sensor and processor, encoding Earth-observation data directly into the unitary programmed on the circuit."
Reaching that goal will also require ensuring instruments can handle the extreme stresses they will face. "What remains is to keep it stable over the long acquisition times that an inference task demands, as the gradual degradation of the components reduces the coincidence rate."
https://phys.org/news/2026-09-quantum-boldly-space.html
https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25248
United States Space Force
@USSpaceForce
🚀 New capabilities. Sharper readiness.
Space Systems Command stood up System Delta 81 to synchronize acquisition efforts for operational test and training infrastructure—supporting testing, tactics validation, distributed training and wargames across the U.S. Space Force.
See more:https://dvidshub.net/r/1w81b2
#SemperSupra #SpaceForce
12:50 PM · Sep 28, 2026
https://x.com/USSpaceForce/status/2104659969094066281
moar Space Force
https://x.com/SpaceForceCSO/status/2104288556881748162
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4612243/ask-me-anything-at-orcutt-chalk-festival/
Galaxies in a cosmic house of mirrors
29/09/2026
This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features galaxies in great detail that have been warped and multiplied like they’ve stepped into a house of mirrors.
The brilliant golden galaxies splashed across this image belong to a galaxy cluster called MACS J0454.1-0300. The orange galaxies concentrated on one side of the cluster are not actually part of the cluster and are much farther away from us.
MACS J0454.1-0300 is itself immensely distant: the light from these galaxies has been travelling to us for so long that we’re seeing the cluster as it was when the Universe was about 8 billion years old.
While this galaxy cluster is a valuable scientific target in its own right, the real stars of this image are the galaxies that appear warped and stretched, like a painting that has been smeared by a giant hand.
The way these galaxies look is the result of gravitational lensing, in which the enormous mass of a foreground object such as a galaxy cluster bends and magnifies the light from a more distant object in the background.
Gravitational lensing allows astronomers to observe galaxies, star clusters and even individual stars that are too far away for our telescopes to see under normal conditions.
While the large, orange galaxies appear obviously distorted, look carefully at some of the small reddish background galaxies throughout this picture: even at the very edges of the frame, there are galaxies whose images have been bent into tiny arcs by MACS J0454.1-0300’s gravity.
The gravitationally lensed areas show multiple images of galaxies from when the Universe was young: a group of galaxies 2 billion years after the Big Bang, and a single galaxy just 800 million years old after the Big Bang.
The galaxy group appears to be going through a merger, resulting in an enormous burst of star formation.
Astronomers have also identified individual bright ‘knots’ within the gravitationally lensed areas, corresponding to regions as small as 5 light-years across. These tiny clumps appear magnified by a factor of more than 300, in some cases.
A NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of this same cluster was released in 2014. Take a moment to compare the two images; the difference between them is dramatic. The new Webb image reveals hundreds of galaxies missing from the earlier image. These galaxies were there all along, but Webb is much more sensitive to their much redder light.
The data behind this image come from two observing programmes (#5058, PI: Furtak; #6882, PI: Fujimoto) that leverage the ability of massive galaxy clusters to bring distant objects into view.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/09/Galaxies_in_a_cosmic_house_of_mirrors
moar ESA
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/CompPair_wins_ESA_Innovation_Award
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https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2104529164212596808
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2104607963948155316
Russian Tu-95 bomber crashes, killing six crew – MOD
29 Sep, 2026 13:55 | Updated 29 Sep, 2026 18:34
The aircraft was carrying no ammunition and came down in an uninhabited area of Russia’s Amur Region during a training flight
A Tu-95 strategic bomber has crashed during a training flight in the Amur Region in the Russian Far East, killing six crew members and injuring another, according to Moscow’s Defense Ministry.
The injured crew member was evacuated to a medical facility, the ministry said.
The aircraft was unarmed and crashed in an uninhabited area, the MOD added.
A Russian Aerospace Forces commission has been sent to the site to investigate the cause of the crash.
The Soviet-designed Tu-95, which first flew in 1952, remains the world’s fastest production turboprop aircraft.
The long-range strategic bomber has been used extensively by Russia to launch Kh-101 cruise missiles at targets in Ukraine during the conflict.
The bombers are part of the Russian nuclear triad and are capable of carrying missiles with thermonuclear warheads.
https://www.rt.com/russia/646422-russian-bomber-training-crash/
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