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Elon Musk’s SpaceX might invest $2 billion in Musk’s xAI

In Brief One Elon Musk business might be making a big investment in another. According to a Wall Street Journal report that cites investors close to SpaceX, the company has agreed to invest $2 billion in Musk’s AI startup xAI. The investment would reportedly be part of the $5 billion equity raise (along with another $5 billion in debt) that Morgan Stanley announced at the end of June. This would be SpaceX’s first investment in xAI, and one of its biggest investments in another company. The WS

'Starter packs' have played a central role in Bluesky's rapid growth

“Vital onboarding strategy for the emerging social media systems” “Our findings go beyond Bluesky: they point to a new framework for launching successful social platforms,” said Dr Onur Ascigil, Lecturer in Computer Science at Lancaster University and Principal Investigator of the study. “Starter packs are becoming a vital onboarding strategy for the emerging social media systems that are seeking to attract users from dominant platforms.” The researchers believe their findings could help platfo

This compact laptop dock streamlined my workspace - and it's buy one get one

ZDNET's key takeaways The Baseus Nomos NU1 Air Spacemate is on sale for $79. It's a compact docking station that's ideal for both Windows or macOS users on the go. Unlike its predecessor, however, it only supports two monitors at 4K resolution instead of three. View now at Baseus View now at Amazon more buying choices Sometimes the best updates are incremental, and not a complete top-to-bottom overhaul. That's how I feel about the Baseus Nomos NU1 Air Spacemate 12-in-1 Docking Station. It's a

Dict Unpacking in Python

mom can we have dict unpacking in python? we have dict-unpacking-at-home please don't use this no seriously. I do not need another joke package of mine to be deemed "critical" to pypi 1 ok how do I use it pip install dict-unpacking-at-home add # -*- coding: dict-unpacking-at-home -*- to the top of your file (second line if you have a shebang) enjoy! # -*- coding: dict-unpacking-at-home -*- dct = { 'greeting' : 'hello' , 'thing' : 'world' } { greeting , thing } = dct print ( greeting , gree

Firefly Aerospace files for an IPO

Firefly Aerospace is taking its orbital ambitions to the public markets. The company, which notched a string of successes this year, including a historic commercial moon landing, submitted its formal declaration to regulators Friday detailing its plans to IPO sometime this year. The S-1 document submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provides a wide-ranging look into the company’s finances and governance plans, though the number of shares to be offered and their price range ha

Firefly Space files for an IPO

Firefly Space is taking its orbital ambitions to the public markets. The company, which notched a string of successes this year, including a historic commercial Moon landing, submitted its formal declaration to regulators Friday detailing its plans to IPO sometime this year. The S-1 document submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange provides a wide-ranging look into the company’s finances and governance plans, though the number of shares to be offered and their price range has not been disc

My favorite noise-canceling headphones for work and travel are on sale for 43% off

ZDNET's key takeaways Available now for $200, Soundcore's new Space One Pro headphones improve on the original cans in almost every way. The new pair has powerful ANC, solid audio output, and a stylish yet comfortable design. They still don't have a proper carrying case, and certain features can ruin the listening experience. $119.99 at Amazon $125.99 at Walmart $119.99 at B&H Photo-Video more buying choices Soundcore's Space One Pro has recently dropped down to $114 a pair during Amazon Prim

Remember That Asteroid NASA Deflected in a Test of Saving Earth? We Have Bad News

In late 2022, NASA celebrated its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) as a massive success, a proof of concept for saving humanity in case a similar space rock were to ever head straight for Earth. The small spacecraft smashed into asteroid Didymos' moonlet Dimorphos at a violent 14,000 mph, knocking it severely off course. But three years later, astronomers found that the collision had some unintended consequences. As detailed in a paper published last week in the Planetary Science Journa

Rocket Report: SpaceX to make its own propellant; China’s largest launch pad

Welcome to Edition 8.02 of the Rocket Report! It's worth taking a moment to recognize an important anniversary in the history of human spaceflight next week. Fifty years ago, on July 15, 1975, NASA launched a three-man crew on an Apollo spacecraft from Florida and two Russian cosmonauts took off from Kazakhstan, on course to link up in low-Earth orbit two days later. This was the first joint US-Russian human spaceflight mission, laying the foundation for a strained but enduring partnership on th

Deflecting a Killer Asteroid Is More Complicated Than NASA Thought

In 2022, NASA rammed a spacecraft into an asteroid to see if it could alter its orbital period around its parent asteroid. The mission, dubbed the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), aimed to determine whether humanity could theoretically save itself from a catastrophic asteroid impact. DART collided with Dimorphos, a small moonlet orbiting a larger asteroid called Didymos, on September 26, 2022. The results of the impact blew NASA’s expectations out of the water, shortening Dimorphos’s or

It’s hunting season in orbit as Russia’s killer satellites mystify skywatchers

Russia is a waning space power, but President Vladimir Putin has made sure he still has a saber to rattle in orbit. This has become more evident in recent weeks, when we saw a pair of rocket launches carrying top-secret military payloads, the release of a mysterious object from a Russian mothership in orbit, and a sequence of complex formation-flying maneuvers with a trio of satellites nearly 400 miles up. In isolation, each of these things would catch the attention of Western analysts. Taken

Amazon Prime Day Live: We're Dropping Deals Every 15 Minutes

Are you a coffee paste person? You might be! Several people are—mostly ultralight backpackers. I am not. Or at least I don't think I am based on three cups made with this Swiss startup's unique product. The only flavor is bitterness, and it turns a weird grey color with a splash of milk. But then again, I have so far only tested it in my kitchen against a delicious AeroPress cup and not in the wild after carrying its 5 ounces for 15 miles up and down hills. I do not want to reveal too many of

“It’s a heist”: Senator calls out Texas for trying to steal shuttle from Smithsonian

A political effort to remove space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian and place it on display in Texas encountered some pushback on Thursday, as a US senator questioned the expense of carrying out what he described as a theft. "This is not a transfer. It's a heist," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) during a budget markup hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "A heist by Texas because they lost a competition 12 years ago." In April, Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, bot

Nearly everyone opposes Trump’s plan to kill space traffic control program

The Trump administration's plan to gut the Office of Space Commerce and cancel the government's first civilian-run space traffic control program is gaining plenty of detractors. Earlier this week, seven space industry trade groups representing more than 450 companies sent letters to House and Senate leaders urging them to counter the White House's proposal. A spokesperson for the military's Space Operations Command, which currently has overall responsibility for space traffic management, said i

Democrats and Republicans Unite in Last-Ditch Effort to Save NASA

Earlier this year, the Trump administration revealed its proposed 2026 budget for NASA, a horrifying plan to chop up dozens of important science missions alongside thousands of jobs. The proposal suggested slicing the space agency's science budget in almost half, in "nothing short of an extinction-level event for space science and exploration in the United States," as Planetary Society chief of space policy Casey Dreier told Ars Technica in March. Just as predicted, the proposed cuts are provi

Our favorite budget wireless earbuds are still available and nearly half off for Prime Day

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . There’s a lot to expect from this year's Prime Day, since it's twice as long as usual. One thing is for sure, though: you won't have to spend hundreds of dollars to get good tech this time around. Right now, you can grab a pair of Anker Soundcore Space wireless earbuds for only $45, wh

With Varda Space, leading Silicon Valley players make big bet on making drugs in space

Pharmaceutical scientists come up against a hard limitations here on Earth: gravity. Varda Space wants to change that. The company has raised a massive new round to turn space into the “ultimate high ground” for the production of critical pharmaceutical components that can be brought back to Earth and used to make finished drugs. The company’s $187 million Series C funding round announced Thursday will be used to build out a new laboratory facility that could transform Varda’s orbital manufact

Trump taps Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as acting NASA chief

Amidst unprecedented budget cuts and looming layoffs, U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as acting NASA administrator. The appointment is temporary, and Duffy will continue leading the Department of Transportation while assuming the NASA role, Trump said in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. “Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems

Space Ice Is Actually Really Weird, Scientists Say

For astronomers, probing the mysteries of “space ice”—its molecular makeup and how it formed—could be the key to understanding not just extraterrestrial geology but also the potential for alien life. In a study published Monday in Physical Review B, researchers in England report that “space ice” likely contains countless tiny crystals inside and is less liquid-like than astronomers previously believed. At least, that’s according to computer simulations and experimental replications. The discove

Investors appear to like a company with big space manufacturing ambitions

After flying three missions into low-Earth orbit this year, Varda Space Industries appears to be making credible progress toward developing the nascent manufacturing-in-space industry. Investors seem to think the same, as the California-based company announced an impressive $187 million Series C round of funding on Thursday. This brings the company's total amount of money raised since its founding in 2021 to $325 million. "A decent chunk of the capital is going to go toward scaling up our prod

More Than 2,100 NASA Staff Are Getting Gutted

Elon Musk might have been deposed from DOGE, but the government cuts are still coming. As reported by Politico, some 2,145 high-level NASA employees are about to be launched out of the agency as efforts to cut US government spending continues. The employees represent those with G-13, G-14, and G-15 status — typically specialized or managerial roles which start around the six-figure salary range. The workers are part of a group of nearly 2,700 civilian employees who've agreed to leave NASA volu

Trump taps transportation secretary Sean Duffy as acting NASA chief

Amidst unprecedented budget cuts and looming layoffs, U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as acting NASA Administrator. The appointment is temporary, and Duffy will continue leading the Department of Transportation while assuming the NASA role, Trump said in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. “Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems

China’s energy dominance in three charts

So while we all try to get our heads around what’s next for climate tech in the US and beyond, let’s look at just how dominant China is when it comes to clean energy, as documented in three charts. China is on an absolute tear installing wind and solar power. The country reached nearly 900 gigawatts of installed capacity for solar at the end of 2024, and the rapid pace of building has continued into this year. An additional 198 GW was installed between January and May, with 93 GW coming in May

NASA will lose over 2,000 senior staff due to proposed Trump budget cuts

NASA is set to lose at least 2,145 senior staff members as part of the Trump administration's push for budget cuts, Politico reports. The brain drain could severely impact future research and missions, and is happening not long before the organization plans to send a new crew of astronauts to the Moon in 2026. Of the over 2,000 departing staff members, nearly all of them are in senior positions, requiring specialized skills or management experience. "Those leaving include 1,818 staff serving in

The Bezos-funded climate satellite is lost in space

is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals. A satellite tracking global methane pollution has gone dark, imperiling a mission that garnered enormous support from Jeff Bezos and other big names in tech. Methane is the primary ingredient of so-called “natural gas” that is even more potent than carbon dioxide when it come

Northwood Space successfully tests second-generation phased array antenna

Northwood Space has completed initial testing of the second generation of its phased array antenna technology, which can simultaneously communicate with spacecraft across a range of orbits, from near Earth all the way out to geostationary space. The prototype gateway was able to connect with several satellites in space during recent testing, said Bridgit Mendler, co-founder and chief executive of Northwood Space. This successful demonstration has given Northwood confidence to move into commerci

How to Watch Samsung Unpacked for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 Debut

After weeks of leaks and online teases, Samsung's Unpacked event is happening today. We expect to see replacements for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 and perhaps the successor to the Galaxy Watch 7. Here's what you can expect and how to tune in not only to the event, but also CNET's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog and a live show, which will cover all the final rumors and big reveals as they happen. When is Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025? How to watch the livestream Samsung's summer U

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked preview: Massive leaks suggest we can expect Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7 and more

Samsung has announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked event will be taking place on July 9 at 10AM ET. This is the third major Unpacked event of the year, following launches of the Galaxy S25 series in January and, more recently, a virtual unveiling of the Galaxy S25 Edge. This time, if previous years are any indication, the company should be showing off new foldables and wearables. A lot of it may be business as usual, but the company has hinted that some possibly exciting new additions are in t

What to expect from Samsung Unpacked today: Galaxy Z Fold 7, Watch 8 Classic, tri-foldable, more

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Three things are certain when July comes along: backyard barbecues, fireworks past midnight, and Samsung Unpacked. Just last month, Samsung confirmed that the next Unpacked event will take place today, Wednesday, July 9, in Brooklyn, New York. This follows the host cities of Paris, France, and Seoul, South Korea, over the past two years -- with the company suggesting that it's chosen Brooklyn for its "bold ideas, creativity, and culture." Also: The best Samsung phones to buy i

China Has Attempted What Might Be the First-Ever Orbital Refueling of a Satellite

Two Chinese satellites have rendezvoused with one another more than 20,000 miles above the Earth in what analysts believe is the first high-altitude attempt at orbital refueling. China’s Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites, known as SJ-21 and SJ-25 for short, likely docked together in geosynchronous orbit sometime last week. This is the conclusion of multiple civilian satellite trackers using open source imagery showing the two satellites coming together, then becoming indistinguishable as a s