Mission to Rescue Falling Space Telescope

In a Low-Cost, High-risk Gamble, a Small Company in Partnership with NASA and Northrop Grumman, Launched an Experimental Space Tug Friday, to Hunt Down and Grab a Falling Space Telescope that Otherwise would Plunge back to Earth, and Burn up by year's end. Using Small RobotAarms to Lock onto the $250 Million Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, the Tug will attempt to Boost the Satellite Back-Up to a Safe Altitude, giving it a New Lease on Life Spotting the most Violent Explosions in the Universe and continuing its Role as a "First Responder" for Follow-On Observatories. If the Gamble Pays Off, that is.

Katalyst Space Designed, Built, and Tested the LINK Satellite in just Eight months under a $30 million Contract with NASA, that included the Cost of its Air-Launched Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL Booster and Carrier Jet, a Bargain-Basement Price for such an Ambitious Mission. Running Three Days Late because of Bad Weather and a Software Snag, the LINK and its Booster were Released from Northrop Grumman's L-1011 Jet at 4:36 a.m. ET, Dropping like a Bomb from an Altitude of 40,000 feet above the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

NASA Cconfirmed the Booster's Three Solid-Fuel Stages Fired as Planned to Put the Satellite in Orbit, saying Flight Controllers will begin Detailed Checkout Operations after Confirming LINK's Solar Arrays Ddeployed as Expected. Assuming No Problems, Controllers will Spend Several Weeks Checking Out the Spacecraft's systems before Kicking-Off the Actual Rendezvous with Swift. If all goes well, the LINK Spacecraft will use Three Robotic Arms to Lock onto a Flange that was used before Launch to Secure LINK for Ground Transport.

Low-power, but efficient, ion thrusters then will start firing to begin boosting the telescope up to an altitude of around 370 miles, extending its mission another 10 years or so. The entire reboost mission is expected to take 10 to 12 weeks to complete. "What the Katalyst team has accomplished in just eight months is extraordinary," Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space, said on the company's web site. "The team designed, built, tested and integrated a robotic spacecraft capable of performing one of the most ambitious commercial servicing missions ever attempted."

Why the accelerated timeline? "If we don't do something, [Swift] will come out of orbit by the end of this calendar year," Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of astrophysics at NASA Headquarters, told CBS News. "The clock is ticking." And why go to all this trouble to extend the life of a satellite that has already lasted two decades longer than originally planned?

Launched in 2004, Swift was built to scan deep space, on the lookout for the high-energy radiation emitted by gamma ray bursts, the most powerful explosions since the big bang birth of the universe more than 14 billion years ago. Gamma ray bursts are thought to be triggered by the collapsing cores of massive stars in supernova explosions, possibly creating black holes in the process, or when two high-density neutron stars collide, generating energies high enough to forge the heavy elements that even the big bang could not produce.

"Swift was designed to study gamma ray bursts, short-lived flashes of high-energy light that release more energy in just a few seconds than the sun will in its entire lifetime," said Brad Cenko, Swift's principal investigator. "Since launching in 2004, it's been extremely successful in this regard, detecting over two thousand of these sources all the way out to the edge of the visible universe, and helping confirm that most of the heaviest elements in the periodic table, including the gold and platinum in our jewelry, are forged in these systems."

Designed for a two-year mission, Swift has been slowly falling to lower and lower altitudes over the past two decades because of interactions with traces of the extreme upper atmosphere that extend out into the realm of low-Earth orbit. Solar storms can heat up the atmosphere, periodically causing it to swell, increasing the "drag" on the spacecraft, and Swift is not equipped with thrusters to counteract that downward pull.

The observatory currently is falling about five miles per month, a descent that will slowly but surely pick up speed as it drops lower and lower into thicker regions of the upper atmosphere. The satellite is predicted to reach an altitude of 186 miles in October. "At the moment, we think we have several months where Swift will be at a sufficiently high altitude to give the Katalyst folks a great chance to capture and boost us," Cenko said.

Katalyst Space was already working on robotic satellite rescue and servicing systems and NASA saw the Swift reboost mission as an ideal way to test the technology while at the same time possibly restoring a valuable science satellite to service. The result was LINK, a 940-pound spacecraft with three xenon-fueled ion engines, solar panels that can generate 4 kilowatts of power, three robot arms, 16 orientation control thrusters and a complex suite of sensors and other systems focused on rendezvous and the "proximity operations" required for capturing Swift.

"No one thought it was going to be possible," said Domagal-Goldman. "No one thought we would get as far as we've already gotten today, and I have to be honest, there are still risks ahead of us. But I'm both deeply thankful and as optimistic as I can be that we'll meet those challenges." The Swift space telescope is equipped with three instruments that work together to observe GRBs, capturing gamma rays, X-rays and ultraviolet emissions.

The spacecraft was originally named "Swift" because it can spot and rapidly re-orient itself to lock onto a GRB, radioing precise location data to other observatories for coordinated observations before the objects fade from view. "The Hubble Space Telescope is much more sensitive than Swift, and it takes much crisper pictures," Cenko said. "But Hubble takes at least one to two days to repoint to a target of interest in the best case scenario where Swift can routinely conduct follow up of things that go bump in the night within minutes.

"It really is NASA's 'first responder,' and by working together in this complementary manner, the NASA astrophysics portfolio can tackle questions that would be impossible for any single facility to answer." Katalyst Space has high hopes for the Swift reboost mission. The company plans a variety of robotic spacecraft that one day could be used to not only reboost aging satellites, but also refuel and even repair high-value civilian and military spacecraft that otherwise could be disabled or lost.

The same technology, at a much larger scale, could perhaps be used at some point to boost the slowly falling Hubble back up to a safe altitude. The world's most famous space telescope, now 36 years into its historic mission, is expected to re-enter the atmosphere in the 2030s if nothing is done. "Katalyst is here really to kind of mark the end of that throwaway model and the start of a new model," said Robert Lamontagne, Katalyst vice president of strategic partnerships. "You should be able to refuel, reposition, repurpose, repair and even upgrade satellites, even if they were never prepared for it."










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump Cannot Hold Migrants Without Bond Hearings Past 90 Days

U.S. ImCigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Cannot Detain People for more than 90 days, under the Trump administration's Mass Detention Policy Without Providing them a chance to be Rreleased on Bond, a Ddivided U.S. Appeals Court Ruled on 7/2/2026.

The Ruling by a 2-1 Ppanel of the New Orleans based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, could Affect Tthousands of Individuals who have been Detained in States within its Jurisdiction, including Texas and Louisiana, as part of Trump's Immigration Crackdown.

A Different Panel of the same Court had been the First in the Nation to Endorse the Trump (R) Administration's Novel Interpretation of a Ffederal Immigration Sstatute as Allowing Mandatory Detention of Non-Citizens Lliving in the U.S.

But the February Ruling did Not Address whether the Due-Pocess Protections of the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment, require those same Migrants being given a Chance to Seek Release by Aappearing Before an Immigration Judge for a Bond Hearing.

U.S. Circuit Judge Leslie Southwick, Writing for the Majority in 7/2/2026 Opinion, said the U.S. Supreme Court made Clear in 2001, that the D Process Clause Protects Everyone, including the Two Mexican Citizens and One Honduran whose Cases were Before the 5th Circuit.

"It is part of the historic majesty of this long-ago founding charter that it makes no exceptions in providing basic rights to those within our boundaries, including a right to be heard when personal liberty is taken," wrote Southwick, who was Appointed by President George W. Bush (R).

U.S. Circuit Judge Cory Wilson, a Trump Aappointee, Dissented, saying "the majority marginalizes the Constitution's express grant of plenary authority over immigration matters to Congress."

Rebecca Cassler, a Lawyer for the Migrants at the American Immigration Council, in a Statement said they "are delighted that the panel recognized the core constitutional principle that the due process clause does not allow the government to lock them away indefinitely."

Under Federal Immigration Law, "applicants for admission" to the U.S. are Subject to Mandatory Detention ⁠while their Cases Proceed in Immigration Courts and are Ineligible for Bond Hearings.

Bucking a Long-Sstanding Interpretation of Immigration Law, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last year, took the Position that Non-Citizens already Residing in the U.S., and Not just People Arriving at the Border, Qualify as Applicants for Admission" Subject to Mandatory Detention.

The Board of Immigration Appeals, which is part of the DOJ, issued a Decision in September, that Aadopted that Interpretation. As a Result, Immigration Jjudges, who are Employed by the Department, across the ⁠Country, began Ordering Mandatory Detention. The Federal Aappeals Courts are Divided on whether that Interpretation of the Law is Correct, Leading the Trump Administration last week, to ask the Supreme Court to Resolve the Issue.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Green Card Holders can Now be Denied Reentry back into US

The Supreme Court's Conservative Majority gave Trump's (R) Administration a Massive Boost to Support Trump's Increasing Threats to Legal Immigration by making it Easier for Border Officers to Cchallenge whether Green Card Holders can Return to the Country. Having a Green Card, Officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, Allows You to Live and Wwork Permanently in the U.S. The Steps you must take to Apply for a Green Card, will vary Depending on your Individual Ssituation.

Tuesday's 6-3 Decision from Justice Clarence Thomas, gives the Ggovernment Greater Flexibility to Ttreat Returning Green Card Holders as "Applicants for Admission", and Potentially Vulnerable for Detention and Removal, Based on Unproven Criminal Allegations, even if Key Evidence Develops after they've Returned. Border Officers do Not need "clear and convincing evidence" that a Llawful Permanent Resident in the U.S. has Committed a Serious Crime before Changing their Status, according to the Nation's High Court.

In a Lengthy Dissent, Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the Majority's Ruling "cavalierly swept aside" the Rights of Green Card Holders and Handed the Government a "massive blank check" to Rewrite Immigration Law.

The Decision Allows the Ggovernment to Upend the Status of a Green Card Holder Returning to the U.S. "so long as the government is able to show later that he was eventually convicted," She wrote.

"That sequencing undermines the plain terms and basic operation of the relevant statutory scheme, which guarantees that [lawful permanent residents] will not be 'regarded as seeking an admission' at the border unless certain exceptions apply," She added.

A 6-3 Decision from the Supreme Court, gives Border Officers Greater Flexibility to Determine whether Green Card Holders can Return to the U.S. based on Unfounded Allegations of Criminal Bbehavior. Even if that Person is Acquitted, and the Government's Attempt to Remove Them is Thrown Oout, those Decisions are likely to be "Cold Comfort" to the Green Card Holder, "who by then might have spent years in legal limbo (with only the protection of a temporary green card) or worse, in detention," the Justice Wrote.

Tuesday's Victory for the Trump Aadministration, Adds to the Government's Growing Threats against Legal Immigration Ppathways, despite the Trump's Insistence that Federal Law Enforcement is Targeting the "worst of the worst."

Under Trump, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has Transformed from an Agency largely Tasked with Administering Benefits, including Handling Applications for Citizenship, Asylum, and other Lawful Status, into another Law Eenforcement Arm in the Trump's Mass Deportation Campaign.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Ukraine Torched Another Russia’s Refineries Overnight

Ukraine Is Bleeding Russia’s Economy Dry: Ukraine’s Long-Rrange Strike Campaign continues, with a New Wave of Drone and Mmissile Attacks, Hitting Ccritical Russian Energy Infrastructure Overnight on 7/1-2/2026. The Ongoing Attacks continue to Expose One of Russia’s Ggreatest Vulnerabilities: an Economy that is Increasingly Dependent on Oil Revenue to Finance its War. Ukrainian Officials say that the Overnight Attacks Struck an Oil Refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region, while Russian Authorities Acknowledged a Strike on an Industrial Facility. The News comes Only Days after Ukraine Successfully Hit Two other Major Refineries, and as Moscow looks to Source Fuel from Abroad to Fill Domestic Shortages.

According to the Security Service of Ukraine, Russia Suffered yet more Refinery Strikes Overnight, with the Starolikeyevo Oil Pumping Station in the Kstovo District being Hit. “During the night, Russian air defenses were actively operating in the Kstovo area, after which a series of explosions was heard near the Nizhny Novgorod oil refinery and the Starolikeyevo linear production dispatch station. At least two fires were recorded in the industrial areas of these facilities,” a Statement reads.

It is One of the Biggest Oil Refineries in Russia,and a Critical Hub for the Country’s Main Petroleum Product Pipeline Systems. Fuel Destined for the Country's Central Regions is Transported through the Facility. Russia Responded to Ukraine’s recent Strikes with a Missile and Drone Barrage that Targeted Kyiv and other Regions All over the Country. It was Described by the Russian Ministry of Defense as a “massive strike using long-range precision air, land, and sea-based weapons and attack drones.”

Moscow says that the Strikes Targeted Military and Industrial Facilities, as well as Fuel Infrastructure in the Ukrainian Capital City, and Airfields across other Regions. However, Locals and some Analysts continue to Warn that Russian Strikes appear to be Targeting Civilian Infrastructure, striking Residential Buildings and other Non-Military Sites. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko Announced that there were 10 Deaths and 34 Injuries caused by the Strikes.

The Cumulative Effect of these Strikes is becoming more Difficult for Russia to Handle by the Day. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already Publicly Acknowledged that Ukrainian Strikes are Creating Fuel Shortages, an Admission that had to be made after Russian Citizens began to Feel the Pressure at Home, and Videos went Viral on Social Media showing fights at Fuel Stations, as Drivers attempted to Fill-Up their Cars, and Pay with Cash.

According to Reuters, Gasoline Refined in India is now being Shipped Back to Russia, through International Traders to Help Ease Shortages. According to the Reports, Russia has begun Seaborne imports of gasoline from India, with Sources Claiming that as much as 60,000 metric Tons have been Shipped to the Country so far. The Kremlin also Announced on Tuesday, 6/30/2026, that Russia was in Talks with other Countries about Importing Fuel at what it called “Acceptable” Prices.

In Late June, at least 55 of Russia’s 83 Federal Regions, were Experiencing Government Restrictions or Fuel Shortages, and that Number is likely to have Increased in the wake of more recent Strikes. Particularly Severe Shortages continue in Crimea, with Sales for Civilian purposes Completely, Widespread Blackouts, and Reports of Evacuations from the Region as Hostilities Worsen.

The Shortages are having a Devastating Effect on the Russian Economy, with Lines forming at Fuel Stations, Gasoline Prices Surging, and Agricultural Companies Fearing they will have Insufficient Fuel for Harvesting or even to Power their Irrigation Systems. Russia is Feeling the Heat now, but unless Significant repairs are conducted quickly and Shortages are Plugged byFforeign Supplies, and Ukraine does Not cause further Damage, those Economic Problems are Only likely to Worsen as time goes by.

Ukraine Devastates Russia’s Wartime Economy: Russia’s Wartime Economy Depends Heavily on its Energy Exports amid ongoing Western Sanctions, and a Worsening Labor Shortage caused by the Mobilization of Young Russian Men. Despite Sanctions, Oil and Gas still Generate a Significant Share of Kremlin Export Earnings and Provide the Tax Revenue it Needs to Fund its Record Levels of Military Spending. This year, Defense and Security Expenditures Account for almost Half of Russia’s Federal Budget, meaning the Government is Reliant on its Energy Sector Operating at Full Capacity to Sustain the War.

Every Refinery forced Offline, and every Pumping Station Damaged, not only Causes further Damage to the Civilian Economy, but also has Consequences well Beyond it.

The Military also Depends on much the same Infrastructure, with Refineries Producing Diesel, Aviation Fuel, and Gasoline, all of which are needed to Supply Armored Vehicles, Aircraft, Rail Networks, and more. Without Fuel, there is No Army, and with no Army, there is No War. Repeated Attacks are also Forcing Moscow to Divert its Air Defenses to Protect Critical Energy Assets, and while most Missiles and Drones Appear to be Intercepted, Ukraine is causing Devastating Damage every time One Slips through.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Belarus Lukashenko Just Surrendered to Ukraine

Putin Expected Belarusian Dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko to Obey without Question. but Ukraine's Pressure Changed Everything. After Kyiv issued an Ultimatum, Lukashenko made a Shocking Move, that Embarrassed the Kremlin, and Exposed Russia's Weakening Grip over its Closest Ally. Is Belarus preparing for War, or is Lukashenko simply Fighting to Stay in Power?

This Analysis Explores why Putin's most Loyal Partner may No Longer Trust Russia to Protect Him, and what it means for the War in Ukraine. Aleksandr Lukashenko is Walking a Fine Line aimed at making Sure that Belarus does Not get Dragged into Russia's War in Ukraine, following an Ultimatum by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Hinted at Ukrainian Military or Covert Action.

Lukashenko, who has Ruled Belarus with an Iron Fist in the Decades since He was First Elected President in 1994, Allowed His Country to be used as a Launchpad for Russian Forces when they began their Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But while He has made Strongly Pro-Russian Statements in the years since, He has also sought to Maintain Neutral, Noncombatant Status for Belarus. Zelenskyy's Ultimatum puts Pressure on that Position.

"Lukashenko understands that he is vulnerable. And Ukraine speaks from a position of strength," said Vadim Mozheiko, Director of the Krakow-based Kosciuszko Institute, a Think Tank. "Ukraine has found the language with which one should speak to such dictators as Lukashenko".

Speaking at a News Conference on 6/19/2026, Zelenskyy Claimed Russia was using Signal Relay Stations in Belarus, to Help Steer their Missiles at Targets in Ukraine. "What's the point of [Lukashenko] saying he doesn't want ⁠to be in the war? Let him ‌remove this equipment, let him switch it off. I think a week will be enough for him to do that," He said, Adding: "If he doesn't do it, we'll do it."

Zelenskyy repeated the Call for Action, and a Veiled Threat of Consequences, if it were Not Taken, in a Ssubsequent Social Media Post and TV Iinterview. In the same Interview, on 6/21/2026, He said He had Received No Response to His Message from Lukashenko, who also Refrained from Making any Public Statements on the Matter.

Valery Kavaleuski, a former Belarusian Diplomat who Heads the Euro-Atlantic Affairs Agency, Daid Belarus Service that this Silence Reflected Lukashenko's Long-Term Policy.

"This is one of the few objectives that unites both the Belarusian government and the democratic opposition in exile: avoiding military confrontation and preventing Belarus from becoming a direct participant in the conflict," He said.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Another New Stablecoin

Robinhood wasn’t the only Company making Crypto News this week.

A New Consortium backed Stablecoin called Open USD (OUSD) was announced, joining an already Crowded Market that includes: USDT, USDC, PYUSD, RLUSD, and Dozens of other Dollar-Pegged Tokens.

OUSD aims to Stand Out, by Sharing Reserve Revenue with Participating Businesses, rather than Concentrating it with a Single Issuer.

Instead of Asking whether you’d like to Pay with Cash or a Credit Card, soon Cashiers will soon have to ask which of the seemingly Endless List of Stablecoins you’d like to Use.

The Humor comes from the fact that the Crypto Industry keeps Launching New Versions of what is, to most Users, essentially the Same Product: a Digital Dollar.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

US Judge Blocks Trump Bid to Limit Mail in Voting

A Federal ⁠Judge Blocked a Proposed Restriction on Mail-in-Voting across the U.S., Challenging a Crackdown on Elections Ordered by Trump (R). Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Ruled that a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Plan to Ddeny Ballots to Voters,in States that do Not Turn-Over their Voter Rolls to the Federal Government, should Not be Proceed.

The Decision by Sullivan, Bars the Postal Service from Eenforcing Trump's Executive Order (EO) issued by Trump in 3/2026, that called for Sweeping Changes to the Administration of Elections Nationwide. In Accordance with the Order, the Ppostal Service issued a Proposed Rrule on 6/2/2026 that would ‌Require States to give the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Other Agencies Access to Lists of Voters and to Adopt New Balloting Procedures before the Mail Agency would make Deliveries. If States did Not Comply, USPS would Refuse to Deliver the Ballots.

Sullivan, who was Appointed ⁠to the Bench by President Bill Clinton (D), Sided with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Civil Rights Group, which Argued that the New Rule would Run ‌Afoul of a 2021 Legal Settlement which forced USPS Officials to take “Extraordinary Measures” to Ensure Timely Delivery of Ballot Mail. In that Case, the NAACP Sued the Postal Service in 2020, after Delayed Mail Service Threatened Election Access for Voters during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Sullivan’s Decision follows a Ruling by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani last Week, in which the NAACP had also Cchallenged the EO. Talwani Blocked the Administration’s Plan for Mail-in-Voting Across 23 States and the District of Columbia, which Sued the Administration to Stop the Rule.

The Latest Order Appears to Extend this Injunction Nationwide, as it is Meant to Eenforce an Agreement that Bound the Postal Sservice as an Agency until 2028.

Anthony Ashton, the Senior Associate General Counsel at the NAACP, said: “This ruling is a critical step in protecting the rights of voters who rely on the timely delivery of mail-in ballots to participate in our democracy. The proposed USPS changes would have created unnecessary and unlawful barriers, in direct violation of the USPS’s mandate to prioritize election mail.:

“Those barriers could have disproportionately harmed Black voters, who are more likely to rely on mail voting due to longstanding inequities in access. Put simply, the use of mail-in voting helps reduce voter intimidation at the polls and election day dirty tricks,” Ashton added.

“The court today correctly recognized that USPS’s plan to create roadblocks to mail-in voting was inconsistent with its commitment to timely deliver election mail,” said Allison Zieve, the Director of Public Citizen Litigation Group. “USPS’s plan was unwise, unlawful, and a threat to the millions of voters who rely on mailed ballots to participate in our democracy.”

Remrmber, Do not put your Ballot in your Mail Box. Bring your Ballot to the Post Office and ask them to time Stamp your Ballot.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker