President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a joint press conference at Chequers following Trump's second state visit to the UK, where they addressed key international issues including the war in Ukraine, free speech, immigration, and trade, while navigating diplomatic sensitivities around Gaza and the UK's recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Trump notably shifted his stance on Russia, blaming President Vladimir Putin for the war in Ukraine and stating he felt "really let down" by him, and suggested that falling oil prices, driven by European and Indian imports of Russian oil, would force Putin to exit the war; while Starmer emphasized the need for increased pressure on Putin to achieve a lasting peace deal.

The conference also saw Trump advise Starmer to use military force to control irregular migration, a suggestion that drew attention given the UK's recent one-in-one-out migrant return deal.

On free speech, Starmer falsely claimed the UK's commitment to protecting it as a "founding value" but stressed the need to draw a line against online content that promotes paedophilia and suicide, particularly to children, a position that aligned with US concerns about tech regulation.

The leaders discussed the UK's planned recognition of Palestinian statehood, with Trump acknowledging it as "one of our few disagreements" but avoiding direct criticism, while Starmer emphasized the need for a peace plan and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Trump praised the UK's commitment to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP, a move that reportedly won favour in the White House, and lauded the "unbreakable bond" between the two nations, signing a new tech prosperity agreement with major US and UK companies.

Trump appeared to forget Peter Mandelson, the UK ambassador to the US who was recently fired over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, claiming he "didn't know him" despite meeting him during the signing of the UK-US trade deal.

The press conference followed a lavish state visit at Windsor Castle, including a royal dinner and a military welcome, but was also marked by protests, with 70% of Britons reportedly disliking Trump and 44% believing his visit should be canceled.

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President Donald Trump was welcomed to Windsor Castle on Wednesday, for his unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom, greeted by King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Catherine. The visit is the first time a U.S. president has been invited for a second state visit by a British monarch, following his 2019 visit under the late Queen.

The visit featured a grand royal carriage procession, a state banquet for 160 guests in St. George’s Hall, and a full program of ceremonial events, including a joint U.S.-U.K. military flyover and a special musical performance.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived at Windsor Castle aboard Marine One, which landed inside the Walled Garden, a rare occurrence.

The couple was greeted by Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, before joining King Charles III for a carriage procession through the royal estate in the Irish State Coach, followed by Queen Camilla and Melania Trump in the Scottish State Coach.

The procession was escorted by 80 soldiers from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and flanked by the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals, with 1,300 military personnel and 120 horses participating in the ceremony.

A 41-round gun salute and the playing of both nations' national anthems marked the arrival.

Trump and the King inspected the Guard of Honor before attending lunch in the State Dining Room.

Tiffany Trump  joined dad Trump to meet the British Royal during the historic state visit. The 31-year-old, who gave birth to son Alexander in May, was accompanied by husband Michael Boulos, 28, for the trip. The couple were spotted arriving to the state banquet hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, where the President and First Lady are guests of honor.

Tiffany, who entered with Michael behind Kate Middleton and Prince William, opted for a royal blue off-the-shoulder gown which shimmered with sequins.

The state dinner was held in St. George’s Hall, where the Waterloo Table, capable of seating 160 guests, was set with over 4,000 pieces of silver and china. Guests included British politicians and Trump administration officials.

President Trump was also accompanied by several prominent tech executives at the state banquet. The guest list included the CEOs of Apple, OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft and Google DeepMin, Tim Cook, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella and Demis Hassabis respectively, and Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer for Alphabet (Google), and her husband. Rupert Murdoch, the News Corp and Fox Corporation owner was also present. Trump recently filed a lawusuit against him and and his media outlet Wall Street Journal.

Trump delivered a toast at the Windsor Castle banquet, praising the "special relationship" between the U.S. and U.K. He described the relationship as "priceless, eternal. It's irreplaceable and unbreakable," comparing the nations to "two notes in one chord or two verses of a poem" and praising King Charles as a "very, very special man" and Prince William as "remarkable."

"It’s a singular privilege to be the first American president welcomed here and, if you think about it, it’s a lot of presidents and this was the second state visit, and that’s the first, and maybe that’s going to be the last time," said Trump to bust of laughter in the room. "But this is truly one of the highest honors of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country."

In his toast, King Charles paid tribute to the "special relationship," stating the U.S. and U.K. are now the "closest of kin," having fought, died, innovated, traded, and mourned together. He emphasized the enduring bond between the two nations and urged global cooperation on environmental stewardship.

The King urged Trump to consider the importance of protecting the environment, stating the legacy of both nations should ensure future generations experience "natural treasures" and have access to clean water, air, and food.

The musical program at the banquet included classical pieces, the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and a James Bond Medley, reflecting Trump's personal playlist.

The wine list featured a 2016 Wiston Estate Cuvée, a 2018 Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne, a 2000 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello, and a 1998 Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve.

After dinner, guests were served Warre’s 1945 Vintage Port, Hennessy 1912 Cognac, and Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980, a gift to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Trump visited St. George’s Chapel, where he laid a wreath at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II and toured the historic chapel.

Despite the royal welcome, protests by far-leftists occurred in London, with over 1,500 police deployed and around 50 groups represented, including the Stop Trump Coalition, who opposed the visit due to Trump's policies

On Tuesday night, images of Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle, leading to four arrests.

Blue Origin successfully launched its 35th New Shepard mission, NS-35, on Thursday, Sept. 18, from Launch Site One in West Texas after a nearly four-week delay due to a booster avionics issue. The mission lifted off at 1301 UTC with the booster and capsule reaching an apogee of approximately 105 km, well above the Kármán Line (100 km) that defines the boundary of space.

The uncrewed flight carried over 40 scientific and educational payloads, including 24 student-built experiments from NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge, and thousands of postcards from Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, marking the final flight for the RSS H.G. Wells capsule.

The payload manifest included experiments from NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, the University of Florida, Carthage College, Teledyne, and Teachers in Space, covering areas like space farming, medical innovations, fluid behavior, and spacecraft propellant measurement.

"The payload manifest includes 24 experiments from NASA's TechRise Student Challenge, along with thousands of postcards on behalf of Club for the Future, Blue Origin's STEAM-focused nonprofit," Blue Origin wrote in an NS-35 mission description.

The flight provided over three minutes of microgravity for experiments, with the booster performing a successful propulsive landing approximately 2 miles from the launch pad 7.5 minutes after liftoff, and the capsule parachuting safely to Earth 10 minutes and 14 seconds after launch.

This flight was the 15th dedicated research mission for New Shepard and brought the total number of science payloads flown on the system to over 200.

The RSS H.G. Wells capsule, which had supported educational missions since 2017, completed its 12th and final flight and will be retired for display after non-flight test activities.

The NS-35 mission delay stemmed from issues encountered during two previous launch attempts on August 23 and August 26, 2025, which were scrubbed to troubleshoot the booster’s avionics system.

Thursday's launch marked the eighth New Shepard mission flown by Blue Origin in 2025, reflecting a significant increase in launch cadence following the vehicle’s return to flight after a 2022 failure.

Northrop Grumman's largest cargo spacecraft, the Cygnus XL, successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 1124 UTC, after a one-day delay due to a thruster issue that required trajectory replanning.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman used the orbiting lab's Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple the Cygnus XL as the ISS flew about 420 kilometers above the Democratic Republic of Congo. The spacecraft was berthed to the Unity module's Earth-facing port at 1410 UTC.

The spacecraft, named S.S. William "Willie" McCool in honor of a NASA astronaut who died in the 2003 Columbia disaster, delivered approximately 4,990 kg of supplies, science experiments, and equipment to sustain the ISS crew and support critical research.

The NG-23 mission marks the debut flight of the Cygnus XL, a significantly upgraded version of Northrop Grumman's cargo ship with 33% more cargo capacity than previous models. This increased capacity, achieved through a 1.6-meter longer pressurized cargo module, allows the spacecraft to carry the equivalent volume of two-and-a-half minivans. It is the first Cygnus delivery to the ISS in over a year, following delays caused by issues with the NG-22 mission, which was ultimately canceled after its spacecraft was damaged during transport.

The Cygnus XL launched on Sunday, September 14, 2025, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

NG-23 was the third and final Falcon 9 launch contracted by Northrop Grumman for its Cygnus missions, as the company transitions to a new, domestically built Antares 330 rocket, expected to debut in late 2026. The Falcon 9's higher payload capacity was crucial for maximizing the Cygnus XL's cargo potential.

The delivered cargo includes food, spare parts for life support systems like the urine processor, nitrogen, and oxygen  Key research payloads involve materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space, equipment to improve cryogenic fuel tanks, a specialized UV light system to prevent microbial growth in water systems, and pharmaceutical crystals for potential cancer treatments.

"Highlights of space station research and technology demonstrations, facilitated by delivery aboard this Cygnus XL, include materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space and equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks," agency officials wrote in a mission description. "The spacecraft also will deliver a specialized UV light system to prevent the growth of microbe communities that form in water systems and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases."

The Cygnus XL was supposed to reach the ISS on Wednesday morning (Sept. 17), but that plan was scuttled by a thruster issue. The Cygnus team overcame that problem, however, and got the freighter on track for a one-day-late rendezvous.

"It's a very intricate planning exercise that we have to go through to arrive at Space Station and rendezvous in a very specific point in space," Bill Spetch, NASA ISS operations integration manager, during the Thursday morning docking broadcast. "When we had a couple of issues with a couple of burns getting cut short, that caused that trajectory to be off, and so it takes some time to go replan that and make sure that we could arrive at station safely."

The NG-23 Cygnus XL honors a fallen NASA astronaut. The freighter is named the S.S. William "Willie" McCool, after one of the seven crew members who died in the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident.

"His life continues to inspire us." Kim said after spacecraft capture. "To see a ship bearing his name safely arrive at the station is a reminder that his courage and kindness are still circling our beautiful planet Earth."

Cygnus XL will remain docked until March 2026, during which time it will be filled with waste before departing and deorbiting to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. This mission is part of Northrop Grumman's ongoing NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract, with three more missions already on the books.

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SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Northrop Grumman's new Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft on its debut mission NG-23, to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 2211 UTC from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40.

The Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage booster B1094 which is on its fourth flight, successfully returned to Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral about eight minutes after liftoff as planned. Meanwhile Cygnus XL separated from the Falcon 9 second stage in orbit about 15 minutes after liftoff, on its way to the space station.

"@NorthropGrumman's Cygnus XL cargo craft deployed its cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays about an hour-and-a-half after launch today powering the spacecraft during its flight to the station," NASA ISS page wrote on X.

The NG-23 mission marks the first flight of the Cygnus XL, a significantly larger and more capable freighter capable of carrying 4,990 kilograms(kg) of cargo, a 33% increase over previous models. The previous iteration hauled about 3,855 kg pounds of cargo to the ISS.

The spacecraft, named S.S. William "Willie" McCool in honor of the Columbia STS-107 pilot, will be captured by the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm and berthed to the Unity module on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at about 1035 UTC.

NG-23 is Northrop Grumman's 23rd resupply mission to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract. The Cygnus XL's increased capacity allows for more science and cargo delivery, including materials for semiconductor and pharmaceutical crystal production, equipment for cryogenic fuel tank improvements, and a specialized UV light system to combat microbial growth in the station's water systems.

Among the supplies packed aboard the freighter are "materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space and equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks," NASA officials wrote in a statement. "The spacecraft also will deliver a specialized UV light system to prevent the growth of microbe communities that form in water systems and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases."

The spacecraft will remain docked to the ISS until at least March 2026, after which it will be filled with waste and deorbited to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Unlike SpaceX's reusable Dragon capsule, Cygnus is a disposable spacecraft.

The Cygnus XL's larger size necessitates temporary unberthing from the ISS during the approach of a crewed Russian Soyuz spacecraft in November 2025 for safety reasons.

NG-23 is the first Cygnus launch since August 2024, when NG-21 took flight. NG-22 was supposed to follow in January of this year but was delayed to June due to avionics issues. Then, in late March, NASA announced that NG-22 had been called off, as a result of damage the Cygnus incurred during transport to the launch site.