US DoD: Colombian FARC Rebels Have Missiles

During a US House Armed Services Committee meeting General John Kelly announced that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has obtained shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, like the SA-7 pictured above. This comes in the wake of reports from other sources that the rebel group has used the missile to shoot down Colombian planes and helicopters (including this video). A supply is supposedly available from Nicaraguan military stockpiles sold in a clandestine arms market in El Salvador. Colombian army forces captured an SA-7 from FARC in November. General Kelly testified about this in context of looming budget cuts for US Southern Command which covers Colombia. 

Syria Bombs Lebanon

Syrian planes bombed an area in northern Lebanon that was rumored to be a transport site for weapons for Syrian rebels. Official Lebanese policy is to not associate with either side in Syria's two year old civil war but many factions are in favor of Assad's ouster and many support the rebels. The Syrian foreign minister said that Lebanon should control their border, where thousands of rebels cross back and forth for rest and resupply. He also said that the Syrian response to the border situation had been restrained but Syrian patience was not unlimited. 

China Plans To Man Orbiting Space Lab In Summer

China announced plans to launch its fifth manned space mission Shenzhou-10 sometime between June and August. Its mission is the second and final docking with the Tiangong-1 the country's first space platform used to perfect rendezvous procedures and serve as a test bed for the later Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-3 space station. Shenzhou-10 will have a three person crew reportedly including the first female Taikonaut. Recently, the Chinese Space Agency has reached out to the European Space Agency to cooperate on the future station. 

42 Syrian Soldiers Killed In Iraq

A convoy of Syrian Army soldiers was ambushed in Iraq, 42 were killed along with 7 Iraqi guards in the latest spill over of the Syrian civil war. Iraqi officials claimed that the Syrian soldiers took refuge in Iraq after heavy fighting with rebels near the border and were proceeding to Syria through a different border crossing when they were attacked. This comes in the wake of reports of rebel advances in Aleppo and other northern cities and accusations by rebels that Iraq is supporting the Assad government. Video of citizens in a northern Syrian city tearing down a statue of former president Hafez Al-Assad has also surfaced. Incidents in the two year long civil war have involved most of the countries in the region, including, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and Iran. 

SpaceX Capsule Docks With Space Station

After thruster faults following a Friday launch the US-back company SpaceX capsule Dragon docked with the International Space Station. While SpaceX is a privately held company, its biggest contractor is the United States government who approved $270 million in subsidies for private space firms last year. SpaceX also launches from NASA and USAF sites. 

EU Launches New Initiative To Track Space Debris

The European Union announced a new program to help member nations track debris in space. Economic losses due to satellite maneuvering to avoid collisions are expected to double over the next decade. Currently there are estimated to be over 600,000 objects larger than 1 cm, 16,000 of which are over 10 cm. Collision of even a 1 cm object can critically damage a satellite. Removing the debris is extremely cost prohibitive but the new EU project would work to locate and monitor the debris and notify satellite operators to hazards as well as the public in case of a reentry. The EU is stepping forward with a space surveillance and tracking (SST) service because they previously relied on US systems to provide the information but with an increasing amount of debris being produced because of more launches US sources are stretching thin. Aid will largely be in the form of financial support of existing member state resources.