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Virgin Orbit will launch small satellites for the UK military
Virgin Orbit, the small satellite launch arm of Virgin Galactic, will provide launch capabilities for the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF). Virgin has been angling for government contracts recently and has managed to land a project called Artemis "to demonstrate the utility of small satellites and responsive launch to provide information to the RAF."
Kickstarter has fewer video game projects, and that's a good thing
Video game projects may have found their stride in the crowdfunding world. According to ICO Partners, fewer games are being pitched on Kickstarter, but a greater percentage are reaching their goals. And the total amount raised by gaming campaigns is up year-over-year.
Watch India launch a historic Moon mission starting at 5PM ET (updated)
India is on the cusp of making space exploration history in more ways than one, and you might get to watch it first-hand. ISRO is livestreaming the launch of Chandrayaan-2, its second uncrewed mission to the Moon, starting at 5PM Eastern (liftoff is expected at 5:21PM Eastern). The trip is meant to deliver the VIkram lander and Pragyan rover to the Moon, making this India's first soft landing on the lunar surface using its own technology -- only the US, Russia and China have managed this feat so far. It's also the first soft landing attempt for any country at the Moon's South Pole, where Pragyan will study the chemistry, seismography and topography of the celestial body.
Watch SpaceX launch a Falcon 9 loaded with internet satellites at 11 PM ET (updated)
SpaceX already revealed more about how its Starlink internet-providing satellites will work, and now it has to put the first 60 in space. According to Elon Musk, this is the heaviest payload ever for SpaceX, and each launch will "deliver 1 terabit of bandwidth to the Earth." The launch window is scheduled to open within the hour at 11 PM ET / 8 PM PT, and as usual, will be live streamed. The booster SpaceX is using has already flown twice, highlighting the Falcon 9's reusable capabilities, and it's scheduled to once again land on a droneship at sea after the launch. The window for launch is open until midnight ET, and if the launch doesn't occur for some reason, the same window will be available on Thursday evening. At last check, all systems and weather were go, you can expect the live stream to begin at around 10:45 PM ET. Update: Just as the stream came on around 10:45 PM, SpaceX announced tonight's launch has been scrubbed due to excess upper level winds. As mentioned above, there is a backup window for Thursday night between 10:30 PM ET and midnight.
Vodafone will launch the UK's first 5G service on July 3rd
The UK is finally getting 5G, and Vodafone will be the first network to provide it. The company says its 5G will go live on July 3rd, with 5G roaming following later this summer. And, crucially, it won't cost any more than 4G.
Samsung has postponed Galaxy Fold launch events in China
The $2,000 Galaxy Fold is already off to a bumpy start no thanks to some broken review units (ours is fine, by the way), and though the April 26th launch in the US remains unaffected, folks on the other side of the world aren't as lucky. Over the weekend, Samsung announced that it has postponed the press events in Hong Kong and Shanghai, which were originally scheduled for April 23rd and 24th i.e. this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Huawei's P30 series will debut on March 26th
Huawei's upcoming flagship phones won't be popping up at Mobile World Congress. The tech giant has announced a special P30 series launch event in Paris, which will take place on March 26th, 2019 -- almost a full month after MWC wraps up in Barcelona. Huawei staged a similar event for the P20 last year, also in Paris and also a month after the mobile convention, so this event didn't exactly come out of left field.
SpaceX completes its first US national security mission
SpaceX managed to squeak in one more milestone before the end of 2018. The private spaceflight company successfully launched its first-ever US national security mission, carrying the US Air Force's equally new GPS III satellite into orbit. The effort was comparatively messy as far as recent SpaceX launches go. The company delayed the launch multiple times over the past several days, and the Air Force's performance margin requirements ruled out a landing for the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage.
China’s Chang’e-4 lander and rover head to the far side of the moon
China launched its Chang'e-4 rover and lander today, which if all goes well, will land on the far side of the moon in the coming weeks. It will be the first surface mission to land on that side of the moon, which can't be seen from Earth. While China hasn't shared a lot of information about the mission, a study published earlier this year has given us a look at what's likely in store, and if successful, the mission will help us understand this little-studied side of the moon and provide insight into some of the differences known to exist between the two sides.
Falcon 9 misses landing after latest SpaceX mission to the ISS (update)
SpaceX has made sure it's got its money's worth out of the Falcon 9. On Wednesday, the rocket successfully launched for a resupply mission to the International Space Station. Unfortunately, though, the milestone was marred by a missed landing of the booster's first stage.
Bird launches UK's first scooter sharing service on one London path
London faces some of the biggest transport problems in the world, but one startup thinks its electric scooter scheme could be the solution -- as long as it can get around the UK's draconian vehicle laws. US company Bird is set to launch the UK's first scooter-hire service in the capital, but it's only got permission to do so along a single path in the east London Olympic Park.
The OnePlus 6T will be unveiled on October 30th
The OnePlus 6T, a more high-tech version of the OnePlus 6, will launch on October 30th, the company announced. It's expected to pack an in-display fingerprint sensor and feature a much smaller notch than Apple's latest iPhones and (apparently) the Google Pixel 3XL. On the downside, it will apparently lose the 3.5mm headphone jack, forcing you to either adapt the USB-C connector or use OnePlus' upcoming USB-C Bullets V2 earphones.
A project to remove 88,000 tons of plastic from the Pacific has begun
An ambitious project to clean up the 88,000 tons of plastic floating in the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has begun. On Sunday, the Ocean Cleanup Project started towing its "Ocean Cleanup System 001" from San Francisco to a trial site some 240 nautical miles (260 miles) away. Once it arrives, the wind and waves will push System 001 into a U-shape and it will slowly drift along on its own. A 10-foot long skirt hanging below will collect pieces of plastic as small as a millimeter in size, and smaller boats will later scoop them up and take them to shore for recycling.
Xiaomi teases 5G support for its all-screen Mi Mix 3
Earlier this year Chinese phone maker Xiaomi announced its plans to expand into Europe and the US, and if the company's latest teaser tweets are anything to go by, there's good reason to be excited about that. Director of product management Donovan Sung has posted a real life photo of the upcoming Mi Mix 3, and has hinted that it'll be 5G-ready (competitors Oppo and Vivo have also recently revealed their 5G progress).
Samsung's foldable smartphone teased for November reveal
Samsung's foldable smartphone has been in the works for years, but now it looks like we're finally going to get a sneak peek of the technology within the next couple of months. Speaking to CNBC at the IFA electronics show in Berlin last week, Samsung Mobile's CEO DJ Koh said it's "time to deliver" on the long-promised device, and that it could be unveiled at the Samsung Developer Conference in November. Strong emphasis on the could, though -- Samsung does have a history of bigging up its plans.
Watch the ESA launch its wind-mapping Aeolus satellite at 5PM ET
The European Space Agency is launching its Aeolus wind-mapping satellite today from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Once in orbit, Aeolus will measure winds from the Earth's surface up to the stratosphere using powerful lidar technology, and it will do so on a global scale. The data Aeolus collects will help improve weather forecasting and provide valuable information for climate change research.
Rocket Lab will launch two missions in less than two months
Today, launch vehicle startup Rocket Lab announced that it will launch two missions within just a few weeks of one another later this year. It's Business Time is scheduled for launch in November, while ELaNA-XIX, N NASA's 19th Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, is timed for December. Both missions will launch from the company's New Zealand-based spaceport.
Google's Home Max speaker arrives in Australia
Google's high quality Home Max speaker is coming to Australia. The company's most expensive audio product, which boasts sound 20 times more powerful than the standard Google Home, will be available in the country from August 9. The Australian release supports Assistant's latest features, such as Multiple Commands, as well as Home Max's biggest draw, Smart Sound, which automatically adapts to the environment of a room.
Teledildonics gave me the gift of long-distance sex with a stranger
On an otherwise normal Friday afternoon in late March, I found myself sitting on my bed, completely naked in front of my laptop. It was a position I'd been in many times before, but today was different: I was getting ready for the most awkward tech demo of my career.
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to launch military satellites by 2020
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy has won its first classified national security payload launch, proving that the company was able to demonstrate that its new rocket is reliable enough to ferry military satellites to space. The US Air Force has chosen to use the aerospace company's new heavy-lift spacecraft to take its AFSPC-52 satellite to orbit in the summer or fall of 2020. According to CNN, SpaceX had to compete with ULA (joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin) for the mission. The Air Force didn't reveal why it ultimately chose to use Falcon Heavy, but one of the possible reasons is cost.
