Nik Butler

Starship stacked on the pad at Starbase

If you ever get a chance to watch a Starship roll out for flight, it's worth it. Always an unforgettable experience. Ship is up next!

These vehicles are the first of many – made possible by the tireless effort of SpaceX engineers and technicians – and are designed to enable the core revolutionary capabilities of Starship

SpaceX is now targeting Wednesday, May 20th at 6:30 PM ET for the first Starship V3 test flight, which is the same day as the Model S/X Signature delivery event in California.

I took 1.7 million photos over 6 days to catch this photo of a commercial jet in front of the sun. The moment it happened, TWO floating prominences were visible, making this not just my best aircraft transit photo, but one of the luckiest of my career! Videos of the transit 👇

Sufficiently advanced engineering is indistinguishable from art

Its really amazing how clean this aft section is now. Ship and Booster teams are both killing it right now!

May 9, 2026

Starship 39 has experienced an anomaly during transport operations.

Historic UAP Release: Key Details from the First Batch of Declassified Files Announcing my AI pipeline to process this and all future UAP releases. Today the current administration, through the Department of War and an interagency effort known as the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), released its initial tranche of declassified materials on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). This collection features 162 files, primarily historical records from the FBI, accompanied by NASA-linked visuals and transcripts from Apollo missions. Officials describe these as unresolved cases, meaning investigators lacked sufficient data to identify the phenomena definitively. The release emphasizes maximum transparency, allowing the public to examine the materials and form their own conclusions. Senior officials issued statements underscoring a commitment to openness without endorsing any claims, yet. This marks the start of rolling releases, with future batches expected to include additional videos, photos, and reports. Here are the top some points from this initial release: 1. Apollo 17 Transcripts Highlight Unexplained Jagged Fragments
Astronaut communications and ground operator notes from the Apollo 17 mission describe observing “very bright particles or fragments” and “very jagged, angular fragments” tumbling past the spacecraft windows during lunar operations. Operators noted the objects drifting relative to the craft’s maneuvers. These sightings remain categorized as unresolved, consistent with historical reports of potential space debris or ice particles but presented here without final identification. 2. Apollo Mission Photos Capture Anomalous Objects in Space
Images from Apollo 17 show a cluster of three tiny bright dots visible in the lunar sky against the surface backdrop. Additional frames from Apollo 12 depict strangely shaped objects appearing in the field of view. These visuals add to the historical record of anomalies encountered during crewed spaceflight, though they align with past explanations involving equipment, debris, or optical effects. The release includes these for public scrutiny as part of the unresolved archive. 3. Extensive FBI Historical Records on “Flying Saucer” Reports
The majority of the 162 files consist of declassified sections and serials from long-standing FBI archives, such as portions of file 62-HQ-83894. Many entries list incident dates, locations, and detailed summaries as “N/A,” reflecting older correspondence and public reports from the mid-20th century flying saucer era. These documents provide volume to the historical collection but introduce few new specifics, serving mainly to open decades-old agency records to broader analysis. 4. Visual Evidence of Proximity Incidents Involving Aircraft
Among the released photos are images from New Year’s Eve 1999 showing two black dots positioned near a U.S. aircraft. Department of War videos in the collection depict other instances of anomalous phenomena. These materials underscore recurring themes of objects appearing in proximity to military or civilian assets, with ambiguities persisting due to limited resolution or contextual data in the originals. 
Every item in this batch is explicitly noted as unresolved because of insufficient evidence for positive identification. Statements from key officials highlight that while speculation has long surrounded these topics, the focus remains on data-driven exploration rather than conclusions. This approach invites independent researchers to analyze the files without government suppression. Overall, the first release prioritizes access to raw historical and mission-related materials over dramatic revelations. This as well as all releases are being processed by my AI pipeline and I will publish results when appropriate. I already have some provocative outputs based on a number of new materials. More soon.