Today in military history: Soviet Union launches Sputnik
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, becoming the first country to put a satellite in space. Sputnik, which means “satellite” or “fellow traveler” in Russian, was…
This Air Force unit caught spy satellite photos as they fell from space
When the Cold War was at its peak, America began spying on the Russians from space with the Corona Program. Corona used a system of satellites that flew over Russia, taking photos of sensitive and classified areas.
The problem with the e…
How Vietnam-era commo guys talked through the jungles
Throughout history, communications troops have had one job: to make sure those on front lines are able to talk to headquarters. Today’s troops that operate satellite communications and line-of-sight radio waves through mostly barren terrain may not…
Iran claims it ‘successfully’ launched military satellite
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on April 22 that it launched a military satellite into orbit, after months of failed attempts.
State television and the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, reported …
Iran tried and failed for the fourth time in a row to put a satellite into orbit
Iran’s latest attempt to put a satellite in space in spite of US opposition ended in failure, an Iranian defense ministry official told state media, Reuters reported
That time the US military launched a half a billion needles into space
In the early 1960s, international communications were limited to transmissions through undersea cables or occasionally unreliable radio signals bounced off of the ionosphere. As you might imagine from this, many in the Western world weren’t too kee…
China is spying on the South China Sea like never before
China is fielding a far-reaching reconnaissance system reliant on drones to strengthen its ability to conduct surveillance operations in hard-to-reach areas of the South China Sea, the Ministry of Natural Resources
Nasa caught Hurricane Dorian and three other cyclones in one awesome image
It’s peak hurricane season, as Hurricane Dorian has been reminding us.
But Dorian isn’t the only strong storm swirling: Four cyclones churned over the oceans this week. On Sep. 4, 2019, they lined up for a satellite camera.
The GOES 16…
Astronomer photographs secretive space plane on classified mission
Noted astronomer and satellite expert Ralf Vandebergh of Nijswiller, Limburg, Netherlands, spent months searching the skies for one of the Holy Grails of sky spotting, the secretive U.S. Air Force Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. In May 2019, he f…
Here’s how to watch SpaceX try its ‘most difficult launch ever’
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, said his rocket company’s toughest mission yet has arrived — and you can watch it live online.
Sometime between 11:30 p.m. ET on June 24, 2019, and 2:30 a.m. ET on June 25, 2019, a Falcon Heavy rock…