News

29 Feb 2024: - I was interviewed by the BNR radio program Ochtendspits about the North Korean satellite Malligyong-1 showing signs of life (in Dutch, item starts at 01:59:50).

19 Feb 2024: - I was interviewed by the news background program EditieNL on Dutch commercial tv channel RTL4, about Russian military activities in space (item starts at 7:05).

17 Feb 2024: - I was a guest on the Italian La7 tv show 'Omnibus', talking with anchor Frediano Finucci about Russian military activities in space (item, in Italian, starts at 00:41:51 and alternates between Navalny and the space item, and various guests for 30 minutes).

2 October 2023 - I am co-author to a paper published in Nature today: Nandakumar et al: The high optical brightness of the BlueWalker 3 satellite. Some more backgrounds in an interview on our TU Delft website. I was also interviewed on the subject by the Radio program Nieuws en Co on Dutch National radio channel NPO 1

21 September 2023 - I was a guest in the radio program Villa VdB on Dutch National Radio channel NPO 1, about "Congestion in space - is the room left for more satellites?" (in Dutch).

12 July 2023 - I talked for an hour with Art Rooijakkers of the BNR Radio program Big Five, about the Race for Space (in Dutch).

22 May 2023 - I featured prominently in a 41-minute NTR Focus special documentary, a Science program on Dutch national tv (NPO 2), on War from Space.

10 March 2023 - I was interviewed by Nieuws en Co (NPO Radio 1), a news backgrounds program on Dutch national radio, for an item about Space debris (item starts at 00:17:00 in the program).

28 February 2023 - My conference paper "Tracking the Dark Side on a Shoestring Budget" from the 2nd NEO and Debris Detection Conference in Darmstadt, Germany, 24-26 January 2023, co-authored by Cees Bassa and Ted Molczan, is now on-line.

11 February 2023 - I was interviewed by Bart Hettema for an interview in Eenvandaag (NPO 1), a news backgrounds program on Dutch national tv, for an item about Space Debris (item starts at 19:38 in the program). On Feb 6th I was live interviewed on the same topic for the radio version of the program as well.

3 February 2023 - The 'Universiteit van Nederland' in cooperation with public broadcaster NTR created a new webseries, 'Voorkennis' ('foreknowledge'): the first 3.5 minute episode is on 'War in Space" and features me as one of the 3 specialists shining their light on the topic.

1 Feb 2023 - Sterrenstof (Stardust) a 50-minute documentary by Maarten Butter, is now online. In t5his documentary, earlier shown on various festivals including DOCfeed 2020, Maarten goes back to four friends from his youth (one of them is me) who all shared a passion for the Universe, too see what has happened to them and their passion for research, 30 years later. "A tribute to the human urge to explore and understand" (Govert Schilling, science journalist)

10 January 2023 - I was interviewed by De Wereld Vandaag , a news program on Belgian VRT Radio 1, about the failed Virgin Orbit launch of January 9 (item starts at 00:28:25).

16 October 2022 - I was interviewed by Nieuwsuur , a news backgrounds program on Dutch national Television, about Elon Musk, Starlink and the Ukraine war.

10 August 2022 - I was briefly on US television, on NBC in an item of NBC Nightly News about the Russian spy satellite Kosmos 2558 that is stalking a US spy satellite, USA 326.

26 June 2022 - Following my delivery of the Dubois summer lecture in Eijsden, I was made a Fellow of the Eugène Dubois Foundation

1 June 2022 - I have started in a new job, as Lecturer in optical Space Situational Awareness at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering of Delft Technical University (TU Delft).

23 Mar 2022 - I was interviewed for the news broadcast of Dutch Business tv station RTL Z about SpaceX Starlink.

28 Dec 2021 - I was Live interviewed in the news broadcast of Dutch Business tv station RTL Z about the Chinese complaints against SpaceX Starlink.

19 Nov 2021 - I was interviewd by Bruno van Waayenburg in the major Dutch newspaper NRC about the Russian ASAT test of 15 november.

17 Nov 2021 - I was interviewd by the radio program EenVandaag on Dutch national radio channel NPO Radio 1 about the Russian ASAT test of 15 november (item starts at 36:00).

27 Oct 2021 - I was quoted in a piece by Bruno van Waayenburg in the major Dutch newspaper NRC, about a new arms race that is developing, partly in space, with the recent resurfacing of 'orbital' weapons systems like FOBS.

20 Oct 2021 - I was quoted in this piece by Gerard ten Voorde in the Dutch newspaper Reformatorisch Dagblad, about the Chinese test with a FOBS/Hyperglider.

1 Sep 2021 - A paper with Eloy Peña-Asensio et al. to which I am co-author, titled "Using fireball networks to track more frequent reentries: Falcon 9 upper stage orbit determination from video recordings" was accepted by the journal Astrodynamics

17 May 2021 - I was interviews by NOS Nieuwsuur, a news backgrounds program on Dutch national tv, talking about Elon Musk's Starlink satellites.

8 May 2021 - I was interviews by NOS Nieuwsuur, a news backgrounds program on Dutch national tv, talking about the large Chinese rocket stage that wass falling back to earth (second video on the linked page).

7 May 2021 - I was a guest in the Live Talkshow Beau (RTL4) on Dutch national tv, talking about the large Chinese rocket stage that wass falling back to earth.

5 May 2021 - I spoke to the NOS Jeugdjournaal, a news program for children on Dutch national tv, about the large Chinese rocket stage that is falling back to earth.

4 May 2021 - I was on the Dolfijn FM, a radio station in the Caribean (Curacao and Bonaire) about the imminent reentry of a large Chinese rocket stage.

4 May 2021 - I was on the 5 Uur Show on Dutch tv about the imminent reentry of a large Chinese rocket stage.

4 May 2021 - I was on the NPO Radio 1 News on national radio about the imminent reentry of a large Chinese rocket stage.

27 Apr 2021 - I talked to Joseph Trevithick of The Verge about what appears to be an upcoming French SLBM test in the Atlantic.

31 Dec 2020 - I talked to Andrea Leinfelder of the Houston Chronicle about our satellite tracking activities.

26 Feb 2020 - I was a guest in the NPO 1 Radio program "Spraakmakers" on Dutch National Radio, talking about the issues connected to the SpaceX Starlink satellites.

23 Jan 2020 - A two-page spread in one of the major Dutch newspapers, the Telegraaf, featuring an interview with me about my satellite tracking activities.

3 Sep 2019 - A six page interview with me in the Flamish weekly magazine HUMO, about asteroids and the danger of asteroid impacts.

2 Sept 2019 - I talked to Geoff Brumfiel of NPR about classified satellites and a US President tweeting detailed, normally classified imagery of those satellites.

2 Sept 2019 - I talked to George van Hal of the Dutch Volkskrant newspaper about classified satellites and a US President tweeting detailed, normally classified imagery of those satellites.

6 Jul 2019 - Live studio interview on Dutch NPO 1 Radio in the MAX program Nieuwsweekend about our search for the June 28 meteorite.

1 Jul 2019 - I was interviewed by Editie NL (RTL 4) on Dutch tv about our search for the meteorite that fell and caused sonic booms and a brilliant fireball on 28 June 2019.

30 May 2019 - I was interviewed by RTL4 Nieuws on Dutch tv about the SpaceX Starlink satellites.

28 May 2019 - I was interviewed by the Dutch radio stationBNR Nieuws Radio about our just published research on the unusual Diepneveen carbonaceous meteorite.

27 May 2019 - I was telephonically interviewed by RTL Z Nieuws on Dutch TV on May 27th, about the implications of SpaceX's Starlink launch plans. Item start at 7m40s in the broadcast.

25 May 2019 - I was interviewed by the Dutch tv program Hart van Nederland on SBS6 on May 25th about the spectacular phenomena (the "train" of just launched Starlink satellites) visible in our night sky the night before. Item starts 5m 05s in the broadcast.

14 May 2019 - Our paper on the Diepenveen meteorite (a large paper with me as primary author and 24 co-authors from 17 different international institutions) has appeared on-line in the scientific journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science.

1 May 2019 - My OSINT analysis of the 27 March Indian ASAT test on Microsat-R has appeared in The Diplomat.

8 April 2019 - Our paper on the Diepenveen meteorite (a large paper with me as primary author and 24 co-authors from 17 different international institutions) has been accepted for publication by the scientific journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science.

25 Oct 2018 - Brief cameo in an item in the satyric news background program Zondag met Lubach by comedian Arjen Lubach on Dutch national television, related to the EU plan to abolish the switch from standardtime to DST.

25 Oct 2018 - I was interviewed Live on National tv (NPO 1) by the news background program Nieuwsuur related to the EU move to abolish the switch from standardtime to DST.

18 Oct 2018 - I was interviewed on National Radio (NPO 1) by the news background program EénVandaag about what timezone the Netherlands should adopt (related to the EU move to abolish the switch from standardtime to DST).

12 Oct 2018 - I took part in an expert meeting organized by the Dutch Ministry of Internal Affairs about the EU proposal to abolish the switch between standard time and DST, leading to the question what timezone the Netherlands should adopt.

16 Sep 2018 - I was interviewed by the news background program EénVandaag on Dutch national tv telling them why it would be a bad idea if the Netherlands would adopt permanent "summertime" (CEST).

20 Jun 2018 - I talked live with Paul Ross on the UK Radio station TALKradio about the arrival of the Japanese space probe Hayabusa 2 at asteroid Ryugu (choose the 4:30-5:00 timespan in top of the window).

5 Jun 2018 - My first modest entomological paper has appeared in Notulae Odonatologicae, reporting the 4th ever sighting of the seldom seen damselfly Palaiargia ernstmayri, endemic to the Arfak Mountains in New Guinea.

2 Apr 2018 - I talked with Dutch national radio station NPO 1 about the reentry that night of the Chinese space station Tiangong-1 (in Dutch).

2 Apr 2018 - I talked with Cristo Foufas on the Breakfast Show on UK Radio station TALKradio about the reentry that night of the Chinese space station Tiangong-1 (choose the 6:30-7:00 timespan in top of the window. The item starts near 3:50 in that segment).

31 Mar 2018 - I talked to the US radio station KCBS San Francisco about the upcoming reentry of the Chinese space station Tiangong-1.

31 Mar 2018 - I talked with Miles O'Brien a few days ago about the upcoming reentry of the Chinese space station Tiangong-1.

30 Mar 2018 - I talked with Frank Beckmann on the Frank Beckmann Show on US Radio station WJR Detroit about the upcoming reentry of the Chinese space station Tiangong-1.

29 Mar 2018 - I am featured in this very nice Atlas Obscura background piece about the upcoming reentry of the Chinese space station Tiangong-1 written by Jessica Leigh Hester. She later wrote a second piece that also quotes me.

28 Mar 2018 - I talked with Paul Ross on the UK Radio station TALKradio about the upcoming reentry of the Chinese space station Tiangong-1 (choose the 2:00-2:30 timespan in top of the window. The item starts near 6:25 in that segment).

18 Mar 2018 - Briefly mentioned in the New York Times about geolocating a North Korean missile launch site.

28 Feb 2018 - In PBS Newshour being interviewed by Miles O'Brien about 'open source' investigating the North Korean missile program (9-minute item with Jeffrey Lewis and me).

9 Feb 2018  - I talked with Jackie Wattles of CNN about Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster in space.

12 Jan 2018 - I talked with Mary-Beth Griggs of Popular Science magazine, resulting in a very nice article about amateur satellite tracking.

Jan 2018     - I talked with several news outlets about the SpaceX launch of the secretive Zuma satellite.

9 Dec 2017  - I talked with Bard van de Weijer of the Volkskrant about anti-satellite tests, space weapons and whether an arms race in space is upcoming.

5 Dec 2017  - Interview with CNN about my analysis of images from the North Korean ICBM test of 28 November 2017, where I found evidence of image tampering.

22 Sep 2017 - Live interview on national TV in "5 Uur Live" (RTL) about the spectacular fireball over the Netherlands of 21 September 2017.

26 June 2017 - At Naturalis Biodiversity Center, we presented the new Dutch meteorite "Broek in Waterland". In that context, I was a guest in RTL Late Night, a Live talkshow on Dutch TV, that evening. (view)

26 Jun 2017 - Live interview on NPO radio 1 about the new Broek in Waterland meteorite, and various newspaper interviews on the same topic.

1 Jun 2017  - I now formally started at Leiden University dept. of Astronomy as a consultant in a Space Situational Awareness project with the Space Security Center of the Royal Dutch Air Force.

22 Jan 2016 - I testified as an invited expert at a hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Dutch Parliament, on classified military satellite systems in connection to the criminal investigation into the disaster with flight MH17 over the Ukraine in 2014.

21 Jan 2016 - On national tv in an item in Eénvandaag about the Parliament Hearing concerning flight MH17 (view)

Oct 2015     - Live on national tv in an item in RTL Z Today about the close flyby of asteroid 2015 TB145 "Spooky" (view)

Apr 2014     - On national tv in an item in Eénvandaag about meteorites and asteroid impacts (view)

Mar 2014     - On national tv in an item in Nieuwsuur about the use of satellites to find lost flight MH370 (view)

Jan 2014     - On national tv in an item in the Jeugdjournaal about the "KNAL!" weekend (mteorites) at Naturalis (view)

5 Feb 2013  - On national radio in science program Hoe?Zo! about new Neandertal dates in Iberia

Feb 2013     - Live interview on national tv in Nieuwsuur about the Chelyabinsk impact and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14 flyby (view)

Feb 2013     - In an item on local tv station RTV West about the Chelyabinsk impact and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14 flyby

21 Jun 2009 - On national radio in O.V.T. about Neandertals

10 Mar 2009 - On national radio in Noorderlicht about my research on Neandertal behaviour

Feb 2008     - On national tv in NOVA about the shootdown of out of control spy satellite USA 193, and on Radio 5 on the same topic.