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WSJ: SpaceX not to blame for 'Zuma' spy satellite disaster
All eyes were on SpaceX back in January, when a Falcon 9 rocket launched a mysterious payload called Zuma into orbit. But soon after its supposed deployment, reports started coming in that Zuma hadn't fared well and the satellite had failed. Because the payload, from contractor Northrop Grumman, was classified, there wasn't much additional information, though many grumbled that SpaceX was at fault. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that government and industry experts are of the opinion that the failure was the fault of Northrop Grumman, not SpaceX.
SpaceX says its rocket didn’t malfunction during the Zuma launch
Sunday night, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the mysterious Zuma payload -- a satellite made by Northrop Grumman for an unnamed US government agency. The launch itself was more secretive than usual as the classified status of Zuma meant portions of the launch weren't livestreamed like they typically are. Shortly after launch, the rocket's first stage successfully landed at Cape Canaveral but it appears that Zuma's fate wasn't as rosy. It's unclear what exactly happened to the satellite, but it appears that at the very least, it didn't end up where it was supposed to. Some pointed their fingers at SpaceX, but on Monday the company said, "We do not comment on missions of this nature; but as of right now reviews of the data indicate Falcon 9 performed nominally," meaning the rocket performed as expected. Now, SpaceX has doubled down on that statement saying whatever happened is definitely not on them.
SpaceX reportedly lost the mysterious Zuma satellite (update: SpaceX denies launch troubles)
While SpaceX successfully relanded the most recent Falcon 9 it launched -- Elon Musk even tweeted about it -- its top secret payload apparently met a different fate. According to The Wall Street Journal, Zuma failed to make it to orbit, and authorities believe it has plummeted back into the atmosphere. No government agency stepped forward to claim the satellite, but industry experts estimate its cost to be billions of dollars. WSJ says the satellite didn't separate from Falcon 9's upper stage as it should have, but Bloomberg reports that it was the rocket's second stage itself that had failed.
First SpaceX launch of 2018 carries a secret payload
SpaceX's first mission of 2018 has more than its share of mystery. The company has successfully launched "Zuma," a mysterious government payload, into orbit from Cape Canaveral. How mysterious was it? The codename is basically all we know about it -- SpaceX couldn't even show every step of the launch, like it typically does. It did, however, successfully land the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage.
This week's tech titan 404s | Engadget Today
If you tend to work in Google Docs, you already know about it being down for hours on Wednesday, but only AT&T users had the pleasure of realizing their phones also didn't work for a good portion that same day. To fix it, AT&T told users to restart their phones, and that it might take multiple restarts to get it working again. T-Mobile, never one to miss a diss, jumped right into the same Twitter thread to offer frustrated users a chance to switch carriers. Ouch.
SpaceX's mysterious Zuma mission won't launch tonight
We still don't know what Northrop Grumman commissioned SpaceX to launch for the US government, but whatever it is won't get there tonight. In a move that leaves Elon Musk's calendar open for the Tesla electric semi-truck reveal (still scheduled for 11 PM ET), SpaceX said it's standing down on the Zuma mission "to take a closer look at data from recent fairing testing for another customer." The launch, which is scheduled to include a landing attempt by the Falcon 9's first stage, could go off tomorrow night, but no new launch date has been confirmed.
SpaceX is launching a secret mission called 'Zuma'
On November 16th, between 8PM and 10PM Eastern, SpaceX is sending a secret payload called "Zuma" beyond our atmosphere. The aerospace corporation test-fired a Falcon 9 rocket on November 11th with the intention of launching the mission on the 15th. While the latest target date was moved by a day, and it could be delayed again, Zuma needs to launch by November 30th. Why it absolutely needs to be in position by the end of this month isn't clear, though -- not when we know next to nothing about the mission.
Deals with Gold: PopCap puzzlers
This week's Deals with Gold features discounts on a handful of PopCap-developed games for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Xbox One owners can pick up third-person shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare at 66 percent off ($13.59) as well as Peggle 2 at 60 percent off ($4.79). Garden Warfare is just $10.19 this week on Xbox 360 as well. Other Xbox 360 games are half-off this week, such as the original Peggle ($4.99) and its Peggle Nights expansion ($2.49) as well as Bejeweled 3 and Plants vs. Zombies ($7.49 each). Lastly, players can download both Zuma and Feeding Frenzy ($2.49 each) as well as their sequels Zuma's Revenge and Feeding Frenzy 2 ($4.99 each). The deals are good through Monday, December 15. [Image: PopCap Games]
Zuma Blitz now launching multicolored marbles at Facebook
PopCap shouldn't be allowed to do this, right? There should be some kind of legislation protecting our poor, non-gaming relations from the casual game developer's insidiously addictive creations -- sadly, no such law exists. In its absence, PopCap was recently able to put Zuma Blitz on Facebook. With its weekly tournament ladders, player progression system, unlockable power-ups and all manner of social networking features, it will almost certainly bring the lives of many a Facebook gamer to a grinding, sudden halt. No kidding, guys -- we stopped in the middle of writing this post to see how well the marble-matching title translated over to Facebook, and an hour of our life was siphoned into the ether in what seemed like seconds. We ask that if you're going to Zuma, you take precautions to Zuma responsibly.
Xbox Live Deal of the Week: 50% off Bejeweled 2, Uno Rush, Tetris Splash
Casual cost-cutting news now as this week's Xbox Live deals are now live. Through Sunday, Gold members can grab Bejeweled 2, Uno Rush, Zuma, Tetris Splash and Feeding Frenzy 2 for half-off their usual prices.
PopCap and Taito team up to bring Pop Tower to Japan
PopCap Games and Taito announced a partnership this morning that would oversee the launch of a new "dedicated mobile social game service" in Japan. The service is named, appropriately enough, Pop Tower. The service will add an "all-new metagame with RPG elements" to several of PopCap's titles (Bejeweled, Chuzzle, and Zuma were all named), unifying multiple PopCap properties under one persistent leveling system. Beyond unnamed new modes being added and the RPG metagame, additional "social elements" will give players the opportunity to communicate with friends. As we've come to expect with most games moved from the Western market to the East, microtransactions will play a major role in the monetization of Pop Tower's titles, allowing for the purchase of "in-game virtual goods and premium service options." And hey, if that means we can play as Björn the Unicorn across multiple PopCap titles and persistently level him up, consider us sold.
PopCap rolling out Zuma Blitz on Facebook
Hot on the heels of PopCap stating that social features would be added to all its existing games, the company has announced Zuma Blitz for Facebook. Zuma Blitz is "expected to roll out gradually" in three weeks with a beta. The company will update the app with weekly tournaments, new levels, an 'experience points' system to unlock features and "a 'treasure chest' virtual currency-based system for obtaining in-game power-ups." Zuma Blitz is PopCap's second "full-fledged" Facebook game. The casual e-crack developer previously released Bejeweled Blitz, which, according to PopCap, has had nearly 30 million players and 100 million sessions daily since being introduced 18 months ago.
PopCap offering 75 percent off Zuma for yo' mama
Out of observance for this most matronly of holidays, PopCap has reduced the price of its Aztec themed casual puzzler Zuma by 75 percent. Until May 12, you (or your female progenitor) can pick up the PC or Mac version of Zuma for just $4.95 on PopCap's official site. If you ask us, it makes for a much better Mother's Day present than assorted chocolates. Or store-bought flowers. Or bath salts. Or the three-disc Blu-ray Extreme Unrated Edition of Fried Green Tomatoes.
Microsoft takes both PopCap Arcade collections to Japan
Microsoft recently turned its eyes to the east and decided, you know what, the good people of Japan look like they have way too much free time on their hands. Its solution for their overabundance of recreational opportunities was one we've become very familiar with over the past few years: The company will bring both volumes of the PopCap Arcade collection for Xbox 360 over to Japan in a single bundle, retailing for 3,990 yen ($43). This one, malevolent disc contains within its circular borders a cornucopia of time-devouring casual classics: Bejeweled 2, Zuma, Feeding Frenzy, Astropop, Heavy Weapon, Feeding Frenzy 2, and Peggle. By our estimation, Japan should get back to being productive sometime in the middle of 2014. [Via Siliconera]
A whole bunch of PopCap games offered at half-price
You've probably got plenty of games from the present-receiving ceremony of your holiday of choice -- unfortunately, they're all about to get brutally neglected. Casual gaming juggernaut PopCap is offering 15 of its games for half-price; for most of these titles, that knocks the cost down to $9.95. Sadly, there won't be any opportunities to sink time into that still-fresh copy of Dragon Age: Origins once Peggle Nights snaps its colorful, unrelenting jaws down onto you.
StoneLoops! pulled from App Store
StoneLoops! of Jurassica is one of those iPhone gems that everyone needed to try. It was a beautiful port of an existing desktop game and one of the cases where the iPhone version blew its desktop sibling out of the water regarding graphics and playability. That's why, with a genuine cry of dismay, I read the very sad news from Maciej Biedrzycki, co-founder of Codeminion Development Studios, that StoneLoops! was pulled from the App Store today thanks to complaints from MumboJumbo, creators of rival game Luxor. Charges levied against Codeminion include copyright infringement, "confusing customers," stealing the look and feel of Luxor and their source code. One of the most ironic facts? Codeminion offered StoneLoops! to MumboJumbo initially. The company declined to pick up the game and did not cite any sort of copyright infringement then. In addition, the original StoneLoops! desktop game was released three years after the first Luxor game to little fanfare. However, when it came to the iPhone port, StoneLoops! was several months ahead of Luxor. It was enjoying immense popularity when Luxor finally debuted in the App Store in late August. It was only then that MumboJumbo launched its complaint against Codeminion. Yes, both StoneLoops! and Luxor have similar formats, bonuses and goals, but so does Zuma from PopCap Games. One imagines what would happen to time-management games if PlayFirst decided to go after every Diner Dash clone, for example. There is room for both games on the App Store, and I hope Apple reconsiders its decision. If not, PopCap better gear up for a battle against MumboJumbo should it decide to port Zuma to the iPhone. Thanks for the tip, dubbs! [Via AppAdvice]
PopCap reveals Zuma's Revenge
When we heard from MTV that PopCap was releasing a PC game called Zuma's Revenge on September 15th, we, of course, assumed it was the casual, interactive retelling of South African president Jacob Zuma's election in 2009 after he served as deputy president until 2005. You can imagine our disappointment to learn that it's actually a game about a frog that shoots colorful clay balls out of its mouth. There's a long list of PopCap games we'd love to see in sequel form -- yes, Plants vs. Zombies is at the top, but it's not the only one. 2003's Zuma may not necessarily be high on that list, but we suspect fans have already waited long enough.
Zuma coming to PlayStation Store today
More PopCap-flavored casual goodness is coming to the PlayStation Store. Zuma has players shooting brightly colored balls from a stone frog idol in order to match three or more of the same color and clear a deadly chain of spheres. The PS3 version includes full 1080p visuals, Trophy support, and offers Remote Play for use on PSP. The game will be available on the PlayStation Store later today for $9.99.%Gallery-45351%
Trophies: Zuma
Zuma is another casual game from PopCap Games. The objective is to eliminate all of the balls rolling around the screen along a given path, before the player meets an evil skull. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
PopCap bringing Bejeweled 2, Peggle, and more to PSN
While Xbox Live Arcade enthusiasts have been enjoying some of these titles for a while now, PopCap has finally hopped on the PSN bandwagon to bring select titles to Sony's network through a partnership with Sony Online Entertainment. Bejeweled 2, Zuma, Heavy Weapon, Peggle, and Feeding Frenzy will all be coming to the PlayStation Network. But hey, even though PSN users are late to the party, at least getting some of those Trophies won't be incredibly impossible, especially in the case of Bejeweled 2.Bejeweled 2 will be available today on the PlayStation Store for $9.99 (plus applicable taxes). The rest will follow "soon thereafter," so keep an eye on Joystiq to find out exactly when.%Gallery-43427%
