Pascal.P retweeted
🇩🇰🇺🇦 Face aux restrictions imposées à #Starlink et #Starshield il y a dix jours, qui ont entravé les opérations de drones ukrainiens, Kyiv cherche à se doter de ses propres moyens de communication par satellite.
Le 1er octobre, dans le cadre de la mission Transporter-18 de SpaceX, l'entreprise ukrainienne Himera et le fabricant danois @GomSpaceGroup ont mis en orbite le satellite d'essai OBRIA NANO. Opéré par l'Ukraine à des fins de sécurité nationale, cet équipement constitue une première étape vers l'établissement d'un réseau de communication autonome.
Cet enjeu revêt une dimension stratégique majeure. Depuis 2022, les forces armées ukrainiennes dépendent fortement des services de #SpaceX pour le commandement, le pilotage de drones et le maintien des liaisons dans les zones sinistrées.
Les contraintes observées à la mi-octobre ont mis en exergue la vulnérabilité liée à cette dépendance technologique. Himera privilégie désormais une stratégie de diversification des canaux de communication afin de renforcer la sécurité nationale.
Les perspectives du programme sont ambitieuses : les deux partenaires visent le déploiement d'une constellation couvrant l'intégralité du territoire, l'interopérabilité avec les systèmes européens, ainsi que la production locale de satellites et de terminaux au sol.
Pascal.P retweeted
BREAKING: China's military surveillance satellite fleet has more than tripled since 2018, surpassing 510 spacecraft, according to the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency's newly released 2026 space threat assessment.
These satellites provide optical imagery, all-weather radar and electronic intelligence, allowing China to monitor and track U.S. and allied military forces across the Indo-Pacific.
The DIA reports that China's expanding satellite constellation can obtain imagery of any location on Earth within 30 minutes or less, strengthening Beijing's ability to track aircraft carriers, military aircraft and other strategic assets.
Full DIA report: dia.mil/Military-Power-Publi…
Pascal.P retweeted
Behold: The US Defense Intelligence Agency has released a report on challenges to security in space, including an NEI image of China’s spaceplane from Maxar, taken in 2024.
Pascal.P retweeted
Stanford researchers have developed thermal noise communication, a wireless transmission method that encodes data by manipulating the natural background static produced by oscillating electrons in electrical conductors, rather than generating an active radio signal. A transmitter switches between two circuit states, one absorbing and one reflecting ambient noise, which a receiver amplifies to distinguish as zeros and ones. The system uses up to 1,000 times less energy than conventional radio-frequency transmission. After deriving a mathematical channel model to understand the system’s fundamental behavior, the team improved data transfer rates by 100 times. Potential applications include medical devices and astronomy observatories where electromagnetic interference is a concern, as well as low-power environmental sensors. The research is published in PNAS.
Pascal.P retweeted
neuco Zero Industries Raises $3 Million Pre-Seed to Develop Laser-Based Orbital Power System: Zero Industries has raised US$3 million in a pre-seed funding round to develop a laser-based system for transmitting electricity between satellites in orbit.… dlvr.it/TW4Gbb #neuco
Pascal.P retweeted
I pulled the public orbital elements on all three satellites in the viral "SpaceX froze a NATO spy satellite so Russia could intercept it" brief and ran the numbers myself. The data shows two ordinary things happened. The explosive story welded onto them isn't supported, and in specific, checkable places it's flatly false.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED (public Space-Track elements, SGP4):
1) A Russian inspector satellite, COSMOS 2612, made a close co-orbital approach to the commercial radar satellite ICEYE-X36. It closed to tens of meters at ~0 m/s on 16-18 Oct, then withdrew. Same orbital plane (incl 97.85°), and it actively maneuvered to get there. This is a real, notable Russian proximity operation. It required ZERO SpaceX involvement, because Russia tracks and maneuvers with its own sensors.
2) A Starlink (STARLINK-35856) had a routine conjunction with ICEYE-X36, ~0.45 km on 16 Oct 23:54 UTC. Real, but ordinary. Starlink sits in a totally different plane (incl 70° vs 98°), so this was a ~15 km/s crossing that lasts seconds. Every object in LEO gets these constantly.
That's the whole factual content. Everything else is refuted by the data or isn't an orbital measurement at all.
WHAT THE DATA REFUTES:
❌ "Intercept / immobilized / kill." All three satellites are on orbit and intact right now (elements epoch 25-26 Oct). ICEYE-X36 is alive and tracked. Cosmos 2612 withdrew to ~490 km and is still drifting away. A close approach that ends in withdrawal is an inspection, not a kinetic intercept.
❌ "X36 dodged a Russian approach in June, so it had to be frozen this time." Neither half happened. Cosmos 2612 never came within 50 km of X36 until 16 Oct. In June they were thousands of km apart. And X36 shows no June maneuver: smooth drag decay, with weekly averages falling from 546.1 to 545.0 km and a largest single step of -433 m (noise). A real 0.5 km avoidance burn would be a clean -500 m step. There is none.
❌ "SpaceX pinned/froze X36 in place." X36 never maneuvers, period. Over 165 days it deviates from its natural decay curve by no more than 278 m and holds inclination to 0.022°. There was nothing to "pin." It's a passively decaying microsat. For contrast, Cosmos 2612 shows a 47.8 km altitude burn in a single day. That is what a real maneuver looks like in the data.
❌ "SpaceX inflated the danger 5x, claiming the real distance was 1.9-2.0 km." Independent public elements give ~0.45 km for the Starlink pass, consistent with the ~0.4 km figure cited, not 1.9-2.0 km. That "5x safer" claim needs SpaceX's private ephemerides that no one outside SpaceX can see, and the public data points the opposite way.
CREDIT WHERE DUE: the brief's raw archive numbers are real. The TLE update gaps and the conjunction time match my own pull. But multi-hour public TLE gaps are routine for every LEO object, and SpaceX having good space tracking is public knowledge used for collision avoidance. Neither is evidence of collusion.
WHAT ORBITAL DATA CAN'T SETTLE: "coordination" with Russia, collision-alert intent, Starlink throttling, the 23% figure, Iran, finances. Those are assertions, not measurements. The brief's "99.9% probability" is that inference restated as a number, and several of its load-bearing inputs (the June evasion, the 5x inflation, "X36 could maneuver") are false, so it's garbage in.
Orbital data can't prove a negative on intent. I can't prove no one coordinated. What I can show is that the data provides no evidence for it and contradicts the specific mechanisms claimed.
Bottom line: a real Russian satellite inspection, which was already public and known, plus a routine Starlink flyby. Two unrelated events, one narrative bolted on top.
All checks from public Space-Track two-line elements via SGP4. Happy to share the numbers.
SpaceX Blocked A U.S. And NATO Satellite to Assist a Russian Intercept After Crippling Ukraine's Air Defenses
The Math Proves the Reality that Musk doesn't want you to see.
On Oct 13-14, SpaceX restricted Starshield/Starlink during a 39-missile Russian attack, cutting Ukrainian drone intercepts by 23% and stranding U.S. personnel in Kyiv. Forty-eight hours later (Oct 15), SpaceX blocked U.S.-licensed NRO, Space Force, and NATO radar satellite ICEYE-X36 in orbit so Russia's COSMOS 2612 weapon could intercept it (99.89%-99.98% posterior)
Our Model Demonstrates that the Russian intercept of the US/NATO ICEYE X-36 satellite (contemporaneous with the throttling of Starlink) would not have been possible, and almost certainly not been attempted, without SpaceX resources. At a material opportunity cost, Russia sprinted its COSMOS satellite to intercept ICEYE X36. Based on a previous attempt in June during which X36 maneuvered to evade COSMOS, Russia knew that this would be successful only if X36 could not maneuver. On October 15, SpaceX fixed X36 in place by issuing a collision alert for a sub-kilometer approach with its Starlink 35856 when SpaceX's own data shows that the actual distance was 4.8-5.0x as great. SpaceX issued no warning to COSMOS despite the fact that its sprint was far more threatening than the stable X36 orbit. SpaceX did not maneuver its Starlink 35856 satellite to clear the supposed collision risk. How, absent coordination with SpaceX, could Russia have known that SpaceX would take actions that (a) misrepresented the danger posed by X36, and (b) resulted in the fixing of X36 thereby enabling COSMOS's successful intercept? Thus, SpaceX was directly involved in simultaneously compromising Ukraine’s defensive and offensive capabilities. The conjunction of these two events makes innocent explanations untenable.
The Pentagon Capture & Iran Round Two Trap: Pentagon CTO Emil Michael who cashed out $7M–$35M from Musk’s inner-circle SpaceX vehicles (M8/Gigafund 0.1 and M6/Valor M33 II) and KQ Partners / xAI (selling xAIfor $5M–$25M three days before taking over CDAO/OSCand 21 days before SpaceX bought xAI, while keeping M8, M6, M9, M10 & Nomadic open) and Pete Hegseth purged rival Anthropic in two hours, surrendered combat command over US drones used to attack Iran to Starlink’s "Terms of Service," and on October 2 named Musk Co-Director of Project Meridian to design the Pentagon's "Future of Warfighting" just as America enters Iran Round Twowith depleted Patriot/THAAD magazines and Russia feeding U.S. warship/aircraft locations to Tehran.
SpaceX’s actions in Ukraine raise serious questions about its alignment with US security interests and its reliability as a cornerstone of US defense. These questions are particularly troubling given the effectively irreplaceable position SpaceX has been granted by the Hegseth/Emil Michael Pentagon.
$SPCX $TSLA
Our full quantitative analysis below w/ @streetwiseprof
Pascal.P retweeted
Air Force recovers experimental military cargo from SpaceX Starfall capsule spacenews.com/air-force-reco…
Pascal.P retweeted
Victus Haze Mission Reconstruction
What does a space-to-space imaging pursuit look like?
I used Orbital Engagement Lab to create an artist’s interpretation of Victus Haze, showing Jackal approaching Puma, Puma maneuvering away, and Jackal responding.
The animation follows a reference orbit based on Puma’s initial trajectory. This curvilinear view makes their relative motion easier to understand.
The amber cone points from Puma toward the Sun, highlighting geometries where Jackal could view Puma’s illuminated side. It disappears during eclipse and returns with sunlight. It illustrates favorable lighting, not a camera’s field of view or confirmation that an image was taken.
Public orbital data provide snapshots, leaving gaps between observations. To connect selected pre and post-maneuver orbits, I fitted two simulated impulsive burns for each orbital change, then propagated the trajectories with OEL. The sequence also follows the mission’s publicly described approach, evasion, and renewed inspection.
The orbital data anchor the reconstruction; the burn timing, maneuver details, and imaging opportunities are modeled assumptions. This is one plausible visualization of the mission, rather than a recovery of its exact flight history.
See the reply for additional information.
Pascal.P retweeted
COSMOS 2612 (SSC.68762) walks up to ICEYE-X36 (SSC.59103)
In July we posted on the Cosmos 2609–2614 group. Back then we flagged COSMOS 2612 as the satellite best placed to reach ICEYE-X36. Three months later, it did.
Analysis via COMSPOC SSA.
On 1 October COSMOS 2612 raised its orbit ~47 km. The higher orbit gave it a fast catch-up drift, and it passed ICEYE-X36 at ~55 km on 5 October and again on 12 October. Within about two hours of the second pass it made two retrograde burns (~27 m/s total) and dropped back to ICEYE-X36’s altitude, ~515 km behind it. Between 13 and 16 October seven small burns (~5 m/s total) closed that gap.
By 16 October COSMOS 2612 was in ICEYE-X36’s plane (within 0.003°) and at its altitude. Since the two share a plane, there are no plane crossings to wait for. From 16–18 October they spent ~24 hours within 2 km of each other and ~12 hours within 1 km. First pass was ~220 m (max uncertainty ~490 m) near 14:03 UTC on 16 October. It then held 2–4 km behind before drawing level on 17 October and settling into a centred safety ellipse around ICEYE-X36, which it held for the rest of the day. Closest pass in our solution was ~60 m (max uncertainty ~950 m) near 14:18 UTC. By late on 17 October it had drifted ~2 km ahead, then trimmed back for a third pass at ~260 m (max uncertainty ~160 m) near 01:58 UTC on 18 October. Relative speed at the closest points was 0.15–0.9 m/s, walking pace or slower. Slow walk-past, not a fly-by . ICEYE-X36 did not maneuver.
COSMOS 2612 burned away at 12:30 UTC on 18 October, braked on 19 October, and is now holding ~480 km from ICEYE-X36 in the same orbit.
We’ve seen this sequence before. COSMOS 2581, 2582 and 2583 (SSC.62902/62903/62904) have been running it against each other since February 2025: raise, phase, drop to co-altitude, close at under half a meter per second, hold, depart, loiter. Since August 2025 we’ve logged more than 170 sub-km conjunction events within that trio, several down to single-digit meters. Until now, every target had been one of their own. This is the first non-cooperative one.
@planet4589
@shell_jim
@IntegrityISR
@ObservableSpace
Pascal.P retweeted
A more detailed analysis of the latest with Kosmos-2612 from COMSPOC, who have access to tracking data I don't....
COSMOS 2612 (SSC.68762) walks up to ICEYE-X36 (SSC.59103)
In July we posted on the Cosmos 2609–2614 group. Back then we flagged COSMOS 2612 as the satellite best placed to reach ICEYE-X36. Three months later, it did.
Analysis via COMSPOC SSA.
On 1 October COSMOS 2612 raised its orbit ~47 km. The higher orbit gave it a fast catch-up drift, and it passed ICEYE-X36 at ~55 km on 5 October and again on 12 October. Within about two hours of the second pass it made two retrograde burns (~27 m/s total) and dropped back to ICEYE-X36’s altitude, ~515 km behind it. Between 13 and 16 October seven small burns (~5 m/s total) closed that gap.
By 16 October COSMOS 2612 was in ICEYE-X36’s plane (within 0.003°) and at its altitude. Since the two share a plane, there are no plane crossings to wait for. From 16–18 October they spent ~24 hours within 2 km of each other and ~12 hours within 1 km. First pass was ~220 m (max uncertainty ~490 m) near 14:03 UTC on 16 October. It then held 2–4 km behind before drawing level on 17 October and settling into a centred safety ellipse around ICEYE-X36, which it held for the rest of the day. Closest pass in our solution was ~60 m (max uncertainty ~950 m) near 14:18 UTC. By late on 17 October it had drifted ~2 km ahead, then trimmed back for a third pass at ~260 m (max uncertainty ~160 m) near 01:58 UTC on 18 October. Relative speed at the closest points was 0.15–0.9 m/s, walking pace or slower. Slow walk-past, not a fly-by . ICEYE-X36 did not maneuver.
COSMOS 2612 burned away at 12:30 UTC on 18 October, braked on 19 October, and is now holding ~480 km from ICEYE-X36 in the same orbit.
We’ve seen this sequence before. COSMOS 2581, 2582 and 2583 (SSC.62902/62903/62904) have been running it against each other since February 2025: raise, phase, drop to co-altitude, close at under half a meter per second, hold, depart, loiter. Since August 2025 we’ve logged more than 170 sub-km conjunction events within that trio, several down to single-digit meters. Until now, every target had been one of their own. This is the first non-cooperative one.
@planet4589
@shell_jim
@IntegrityISR
@ObservableSpace
Pascal.P retweeted
Space Force reveals first 6 ‘operational’ contracts for civil reserve support in space monitoring breakingdefense.com/2026/10/…
Pascal.P retweeted
Israeli company Silynxcom is developing an AI-powered wearable system designed to detect drones by sound and provide early warnings to soldiers.
The development builds on the company’s existing acoustic drone-detection feature, integrated into tactical communication systems such as the CLARUS II headset. This feature amplifies frequency ranges associated with drone motors and rotors, helping users distinguish their sounds from surrounding noise.
Unlike the existing system, which enhances the wearer’s ability to hear drones, the new device is designed to use onboard artificial intelligence to recognize acoustic signatures automatically and alert the wearer when a potential drone threat is detected.
The system could be particularly useful against fiber-optic-guided FPV drones, which do not rely on radio-frequency links for control and may therefore evade conventional radio-frequency-based detection systems.
Silynxcom is also developing a mesh-networking capability that would allow multiple devices to share alerts across a group of soldiers, providing coordinated early warning without depending on existing communications infrastructure.
The new system remains at the prototype stage. Detection range, accuracy and performance under operational conditions have not yet been disclosed.
Source| Photo Credits: Silynxcom
Pascal.P retweeted
I hear the first batch of "Russian Starlink" satellites was launched not fully outfitted and multiple upgrades of spacecraft are in the works.
FULL STORY (subscription): russianspaceweb.com/insider-…
Pascal.P retweeted
BREAKING: The U.S. Space Force has selected SIX commercial companies to provide satellite tracking and surveillance capabilities that can be rapidly expanded during a military crisis.
The companies selected for its Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) are:
1. Anduril
2. LeoLabs
3. Slingshot Aerospace
4. Intrack
5. EOS (Australia)
6. NorthStar Earth & Space (Canada)
The program gives the Pentagon access to commercial systems capable of detecting and tracking satellites, monitoring suspicious orbital maneuvers and identifying debris or spacecraft breakups.
Modeled on the Air Force's Civil Reserve Air Fleet, CASR is designed to let the military increase its use of commercial space capabilities during wartime without having to build and maintain all the infrastructure itself.
The six companies have received initial operational contracts, with additional providers and capabilities expected to be added over time.
The Space Force is also considering satellite communications, launch services and spacecraft tracking and command as future additions.
Contract values were not disclosed.
Pascal.P retweeted
ICEYE and @Nokia announced today a partnership with The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine to develop sovereign satellite communications. ICEYE has supported Ukraine since 2022 and delivers sovereign space capability at speed. This builds on that.
Read more: hubs.li/Q04C3bj-0
Pascal.P retweeted
I talked about this satellite — and the four others Russia launched to the same orbit — four months ago.
Our adversaries will continue to push the boundaries of "gray zone" conflict on orbit:
▸ the Russian satellites launched close, but not that close, to commercial satellite ICEYE-X36
▸ then they maneuvered to be significantly closer, but still many kilometers away
▸ and now they just made a close pass, just 100 meters (!) away, but didn't hit the satellite or shoot at it
I'm hoping this ends before Russia takes the satellite down, and we have to excuse it as a "grey zone tactic" because it's not really a US satellite, and it was providing imagery to a military so it was asking for it, and...
Pascal.P retweeted
Communications spatiales : cryptage quantique ou post-quantique ?
air-cosmos.latribune.fr/arti…
Pascal.P retweeted
Hardware looks scary until you break it down into small steps. So I built an app that takes you through Arduino one circuit at a time.
Made with Opus 5.5
learn-arduino-red.vercel.app
Pascal.P retweeted
Japanese sailors on the destroyer JS Teruzuki have trained with Howa Type 20 rifles fitted with Israeli SMASH 3000 anti-drone sights, Militarnyi reported after analysing JMSDF photos.
The ship belongs to the 3rd Surface Combatant Group. Japan is buying the sights for Ground, Air and Maritime Self-Defense Forces. About 900 have been contracted as of 2026. The main supplier is Solid Solutions. On 26 January the Maritime force signed a maintenance and spare-parts contract.
SMASH, from Israeli firm SMARTSHOOTER, mounts on a standard rail and adds a laser rangefinder, ballistic calculator and computer vision that locks and tracks targets. Ground forces began receiving them in 2025 and are already using them on Type 20 rifles.
#Japan #JMSDF #SMASH3000 #SMARTSHOOTER #CUAS #DroneWars
