Study Findings: Verification of the Outer Space Treaty with Cosmic Protons

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by PIRO 4D from Pixabay.

Nature abstract of study findings:

The Outer Space Treaty (OST) was opened to signatures in 1967 and, since then, 117 countries, including China, the USA and Russia, have become part of it. Among other stipulations, the treaty bans the placement of nuclear weapons in outer space. Recently, the US government has raised worries that Russia is testing nuclear-armed anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) components, with the possibility that it will place a nuclear weapon in space. Such a device, if detonated, would destroy most of the satellites in the low Earth orbit. This danger is compounded by the lack of a verification mechanism for the OST. No methodologies of verification have been proposed in the open peer-reviewed literature. Here a concept and feasibility study is presented for verifying a satellite’s compliance to the OST by observing the neutrons induced by spallation from the approximately GeV protons in the inner Van Allen radiation belts. The calculations show that a 9U-CubeSat-sized detection platform can identify a thermonuclear weapon from a distance of 4 km in approximately one week of observation. This conceptual study will stimulate and inform future research and development of verification platforms for the OST.

Citation: Danagoulian, A. Verification of the Outer Space Treaty with cosmic protons. Nature 655, 585–590 (2026).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10783-2

Study-related stories:

Nuclear Newswire – “MIT Professor Develops Method to Verify Compliance with Outer Space Treaty”

Science News – “Nature Study Identifies a New Way to Spot Nuclear Weapons in Orbit”

Discover Magazine – “Proposed Satellite Detector Could Identify Nuclear Weapons in Orbit With More Than 99 Percent Confidence”

Space Quote: LINK May Still Be in the Game

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The LINK spacecraft with a deployed solar array in Earth orbit. (Katalyst Space)

“LINK originally was in a multi-axis spin rotating at about 9 degrees per second, which resulted in sporadic communications and impeded LINK’s progress toward Swift. Using a series of burns from one of LINK’s electric propulsion thrusters, the Katalyst team now has slowed that spin to about 1.47 degrees per second. Katalyst plans to keep LINK at that spin rate as it proceeds with next steps for the mission. This includes uploading a flight software update in the coming days with new attitude controllers designed to maintain LINK’s stability in its current configuration. These updates would allow LINK to begin maneuvering to align with Swift’s orbit.”

-Statement by NASA on August 6, 2026 regarding efforts to resolve issues with the LINK spacecraft sent to boost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher orbital altitude. Launched on July 3, the spacecraft began to spin in space around July 25, which led to a temporary loss of contact with the ground crew. If all goes well, LINK could reach the observatory before the end of August.

Podcast: Is It Really an Exomoon?

Posted on by onespaceman2000

The recent news about the discovery of the first exomoon stirred up the astronomy community, including astronomy professor David Kipping, who needed to address it immediately on his Cool Worlds podcast.

The episode, “We Need to Talk About That “First Exomoon” Discovery,” is basically an hour-long monologue by Dr. Kipping as he discussed the discovery, compares it to earlier similar discoveries, goes over the current definition of a exomoon, and quotes other astronomers regarding their position on the discovery.

The bottom line is that the media may have overplayed the discovery, similar discoveries happened in the past, and the lack of a good definition for an exomoon makes any decision on this new discovery troublesome.

Dr. Kipping has a particular interest in exomoons, and he admits this bias at the start of the show, but he does a good job covering all of the terrain. It is an informative one-man debate reminiscent of the difficulties in defining Pluto.

I recommend you check it out.

Note: The episode can also be found on YouTube. Also, go to this earlier story for more by Dr. Kipping on exomoons.

Pic of the Week: Surface of the Sun

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Image of the Sun’s surface captured by the Inouye Solar Telescope.(NSF/NSO/AURA/MPS)

This week’s image is from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Solar Observatory (NSO). It shows the highest resolution image ever captured of the Sun’s surface. The image was captured by the Inouye Solar Telescope located in Maui, Hawaii.

Here is more from the NSF about this image:

Using the world’s most powerful solar telescope, the NSF Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope near the summit of Maui’s Haleakalā, combined with computer simulations, an international team of scientists from the NSO, NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory (HAO), and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) found the signature of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), tiny swirling patterns like small whirlpools, on the Sun’s surface. Researchers suggest that KHI might be a key reason why the Sun’s outer atmosphere gets so hot, and why magnetic energy builds up and moves around on the Sun. Magnetic energy fuels solar flares and eruptions—the kind of solar activity that can send bursts of energy toward Earth and affect satellites, power grids, and other technology. The discovery opens a new window into the fundamental physics of the Sun and other stars while underscoring the unmatched capabilities of the Inouye Solar Telescope.

Television: The Sci-Fi Space Shows of 2026

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Image from the TV series Star City. (Apple TV)

It has already been a pretty good year for television shows set in space, with the following series already premiering their first or new season since January:

  • Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, first season, Paramount+, premiered on January 15, 2026
  • For All Mankind, fifth season, Apple TV, premiered on March 27, 2026
  • Star City, first season, Apple TV, premiered on May 29, 2026
  • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, fourth season, Paramount+, premiered on July 23, 2026
  • The Ark, third season, Syfy, premiered on July 29, 2026

So what else can we expect to see this year? Here is a list of other series that are due for their next season as well as a new series almost ready to go.

  • Blade Runner 2099, new series, Amazon Prime, premiering November 25, 2026 (see trailer)
  • 3 Body Problem, second season, Netflix, premiering later this year
  • Dune: Prophecy, second season, HBO Max, premiering later this year
  • Alien: Earth, second season, FX on Hulu, premiering in 2027
  • Foundation, fourth season, Apple TV, premiering in 2027
  • Murderbot, second season, Apple TV, premiering in 2027
  • Pluribus, second season, Apple TV, premiering in late 2027 or 2028

As shown, we can expect three more sci-fi space series to premiere new seasons this year, with more to follow later. Eight new seasons in 2026 is an impressive number.

If you break down these 12 television series by the parties producing them, you have the following count:

  • Apple TV – 5 shows
  • Paramount+ – 2 shows
  • Amazon Prime – 1 show
  • FX – 1 show
  • HBO Max – 1 show
  • Netflix – 1 show
  • SyFy – 1 show

Kudos to Apple TV for backing so many of these space series over the years.

And stay tuned for the 2026 release dates for 3 Body Problem and Dune: Prophecy. The dates will be posted here as soon as they are known.