Lifeboat Foundation

Last weekend, the Financial Times reported that China had tested in August a weapon system that used a Long March 2 rocket to boost a nuclear-capable weapon into low-earth orbit, giving it effectively unlimited range.

From this lofty vantage, the system de-orbited a hypersonic glide vehicle towards a target, which it ended up missing by twenty-four miles. A spokesperson from China’s foreign ministry has since claimed that the test had purely civilian purposes.

China’s alleged test of an exotic orbital nuclear weapon system rang alarm bells, even if that initial test demonstrated poor accuracy. Such a system seems intended to literally circumnavigate existing U.S. missile defense radars and interceptors by attacking from an unexpected angle.

Sandia National Laboratories is developing an avocado-sized vacuum chamber made out of titanium and sapphire that could one day use quantum mechanical sensors to provide GPS-grade navigation without the need for satellites.

In only a few short decades, GPS has gone from a military technology to finding so many everyday applications that modern society is now dependent on it. However, GPS is not always available in places like high polar latitudes or in deep mountain valleys, and it can be jammed or spoofed.

The vulnerability of GPS and similar systems lies in their dependence on constellations of satellites that orbit the Earth. These satellites emit time-stamped signals that are synced to atomic clocks. Using these signals, a GPS receiver in something as small as a wristwatch can use the Doppler effect on the satellite signals as they pass overhead to make an extremely precise fix on the receiver’s position and velocity. If these signals are interrupted or corrupted, the system fails.

Driven by a SparkFun ESP32 MicroMod Processor, this laser-cut drone wraps up tight for ease of storage and transportation.

Hermeus, a hypersonic aviation startup, hopes to begin actually flight testing this design, with help from the US Air Force, as early as next year.

China’s military has built a fake US Navy aircraft carrier and other warships for possible missile target practice, according to new satellite images published Sunday.

The images, captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies, show a full-scale outline of a carrier and at least two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers at what appears to be a new target range complex in the Taklamakan Desert, part of China’s notorious Xinjiang province.

One of the mockups included the funnels and weapons systems featured on the destroyers, according to an analysis by the US Naval Institute.

A milestone achievement for the army.

After multiple attempts, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — commonly known as DARPA — has confirmed that it has successfully completed a mid-air recovery of the X-61 drone, Gremlins. While details of the test were not revealed, DARPA said that the mission was accomplished last month at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Continue reading “DARPA Successfully Recovered a Gremlins Drone Mid-Air For the First Time” »

Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, macro-historian, Professor, best-selling author of “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus,” and one of the world’s most innovative and exciting thinkers, has a few hypotheses of his own on the future of humanity.

He examines what might happen to the world when old myths are coupled with new godlike technologies, such as artificial intelligence and genetic engineering.

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The SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch which was scheduled for October 9 pushed to early next year. It’s finally happening, after 3 years of no activity, SpaceX schedules more than 4 launches to happen next year involving the SpaceX falcon heavy.
SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy launching and dual-booster touchdown looks to be just around the corner for the first time in more than two years. After additional delays caused by its U.S. military cargo, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket’s next mission, which was previously intended for October, has been moved forward to early 2022. The Space Force’s USSF-44 mission was supposed to launch on Oct. 9 but it has been postponed.

In today’s video we look at how it all started, the developments made to date and we’re also going to take a peek into the future and see how glorious it is.

Continue reading “SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch FINALLY SCHEDULED!” »

One of the largest weaknesses of the U.S. military is its dependence on fuel. During the Global War on Terror, fuel convoys were easy targets for insurgent attacks. They will likely be targeted in future conflicts as well. This supply chain vulnerability is critical since, without access to fuel, military aircraft cannot maintain air superiority, a major requirement for winning wars.

Last week, the Air Force Operational Energy office awarded a contract to the energy company Twelve to develop the technology necessary to produce jet fuel from air. While this may sound unrealistic, the process is actually fairly straightforward. Indeed, Twelve has already shown that this process can be done at small levels. However, there are significant challenges involved in using this process at scale.

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