Chemical Facility Security News: Short Takes – 1-10-26

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Short Takes – 1-10-26 – Space Geek Issue

ISS Medical Issue

This week NASA dealt with an undescribed medical issue on the International Space Station by announcing that they will return SpaceX Crew 11 next week, more than a month earlier than planned. The following articles deal with that issue.

NASA, SpaceX Set Target Date for Crew-11’s Return to Earth,

A Medical Emergency 250 Miles Above Earth Forces NASA to Make a Rare Decision,

NASA orders “controlled medical evacuation” from the International Space Station,

Medical issue prompts early return of Crew-11 from ISS,

Medical issue could force early end of Crew-11 ISS mission,

Other Space Geek Articles

Orbiting satellites could start crashing into one another in less than 3 days, theoretical new 'CRASH Clock' reveals. LiveScience.com article. Pull quote: “These findings have not yet been peer-reviewed, and the study team now thinks that they slightly overestimated how short the CRASH Clock really is, Boley told Live Science. However, the rate at which these timeframes have changed, regardless of their exact values, is what is most concerning. (A new, more reliable value for the CRASH Clock is likely to be published later this year.)”

The U.S. will seize space leadership – or China will take it. SpaceNews.com article. SpaceNews.com commentary. Pull quote: “NASA, correctly, is not expected, empowered or equipped to deal with conflict. The U.S. Space Force should be. It has become empowered and expected to maintain advantage, and has made remarkable progress standing up a new service. But it’s still building the comprehensive capabilities needed for contested cislunar operations — an environment very different from the GEO and LEO domains where we’ve operated for decades.”

Rhea Space Activity applies optical navigation to military rendezvous missions. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Under its award, Rhea Space Activity is developing autonomous navigation software through a project called Vanguard — short for Vision-based Autonomous Navigation and Guidance for Unassisted Approach, Rendezvous and Deployment. The work builds on AutoNav, a software suite originally developed at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to allow spacecraft to determine their position and trajectory without continuous guidance from Earth.”

Private group unveils plans for large space telescope. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: ““We are going to build a philanthropic, three-meter, off-axis telescope with capabilities that are approaching Hubble,” Pete Klupar, executive director of the Lazuli project at Schmidt Sciences, said during a session at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society to announce the observatory program. “And we’re going to do it in three years, and we’re going to do it for a ridiculously low price.””

The ‘space tax’ on your self-driving car. SpaceNews.com commentary. Pull quote: “This transition requires a fundamental shift from passive data consumption to active infrastructure investment. For AV manufacturers to effectively utilize space weather data, they will be encouraged to invest in space missions that specifically align with their high-precision engineering goals — moving beyond general atmospheric research toward bespoke orbital monitoring. By backing targeted sensors designed for real-time ionospheric mapping, carmakers can ensure their navigation stacks are supported by data feeds as reliable as the roads themselves. Such investment allows the industry to “buy down” the risk of signal failure, turning space weather from a chaotic variable into a manageable engineering input.”

2026 will clarify Europe’s new priorities for space. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Exploration budgets, expected to be detailed in early 2026, will clarify Europe’s real level of commitment to human and robotic exploration — particularly moon and Mars — after the Ministerial compromises of 2025. Progress on HALO and Gateway will test Europe’s reliance on transatlantic exploration partnerships. ERS-EO will indicate how far ESA has shifted toward security-driven Earth observation. Also worth watching is the Celeste LEO PNT demonstrator, planned for early 2026, following the sharp budget increase for navigation.”