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SpaceX isn't moving Starship development to southern Texas (update)
SpaceX's decision to construct its Starship test vehicle in Texas may have just been the harbinger of things to come. The LA Times has claimed that development and assembly of Starship and its Super Heavy booster system will take place in southern Texas, not the Port of Los Angeles. It'll maintain existing design, manufacturing, launch and recovery operations in the area (plus Vandenberg Air Force Base), but that's only a partial consolation when existing projects like the Falcon 9 rocket have a limited lifespan.
Elon Musk shows off the first SpaceX Starship test vehicle
SpaceX is done preparing the Starship for its very first test flight ever, and Elon Musk has shared an actual photo of assembly on Twitter. Formerly known as the "BFR," the Starship is the private space company's upcoming super heavy-lift launch vehicle meant for journeys to the moon and Mars and for hour-long trips anywhere on Earth.
Elon Musk teases final look of SpaceX's Starship test vehicle
It's no secret that SpaceX has been constructing its Starship test vehicle -- it's easy for curious onlookers to snap photos. But what will it look like when it's finished? You don't have to wonder. Elon Musk has posted concept artwork showing what the completed vehicle will look like. It's surprisingly pretty for a prototype, if borrowing more than a few cues from 1950s sci-fi with its gleaming stainless steel body.
SpaceX's Starship test vehicle could fly by April
SpaceX might begin Starship test flights sooner than you think. Elon Musk now expects to conduct a technical presentation for Starship soon after its test vehicle flies, "hopefully" in March or April -- in other words, he wants a test flight before April is over. It wouldn't be a spectacle on the order of the concept image you see above, of course. Instead, it would be much like SpaceX's short-distance, suborbital Grasshopper test program from the Falcon 9's early days.
Elon Musk says there's a '70 percent' chance he'll move to Mars
Elon Musk has talked about personally heading to Mars before, but how likely is he to make the trip, really? Well, he just put a number on it. In an interview for the Axios on HBO documentary series, Musk said there was a "70 percent" chance he'll go to Mars. There have been a "recent number of breakthroughs" that have made it possible, he said. And as he hinted before, it'd likely be a one-way trip -- he expects to "move there."
SpaceX BFR has a new name: Starship
We're still a bit away from anyone taking the first tourist trip on SpaceX's next-generation rocket and spacecraft platform, but CEO Elon Musk has just announced a new name for the craft formerly known as BFR: Starship. As he explained in a follow-up tweet, "Starship" specifically refers to the "spaceship/upper stage" while its rocket booster is simply the Super Heavy. Everyone clear? Whatever you call it, SpaceX has big plans for the new vehicle. When Musk revealed details on the Big Falcon Rocket a little over a year ago, he talked about establishing bases on the moon and Mars, as well as using the vehicle for quick point-to-point trips on Earth. Just a few days ago, Musk tweeted that plans for BFR Starship are accelerating, as SpaceX dropped a quest to make its Falcon 9 second stage reusable.
Starship launches robot package delivery service in the UK
The dream of having a robot deliver packages to your home is now real, provided you live in the right part of the UK. Starship Technologies has launched a ground-based robot package service (the first in the world, according to the company) in Milton Keynes. You have to tell companies to ship to a Starship facility instead of your usual destination, but after that it's just a matter of using a mobile app to schedule a robotic delivery at a convenient time. You can track the bot in the app if you're anxiously awaiting an order.
Estonia is first in the EU to let cute delivery bots on sidewalks
Starship Technologies' delivery bots have been dropping off lunches in Europe and the US with increasing regularity, and governments are slowly warming to the idea. State legislatures in Virginia and Idaho recently granted official permission for small delivery robots to operate on sidewalks, and now Estonia(!) has offered its approval as well. The measure passed 86 to 0 in the country's parliament yesterday, making Estonia the first country in the EU to officially bless these adorable, food-slinging robots.
The Future IRL: Deliveries via robot
Your online delivery habit is facing a growing problem: the rising number of packages needing delivery, combined with a projected deficit in truck drivers (PDF). But that's the issue a company like Starship Technologies is trying to solve. It just started testing a delivery robot in US cities (though the company has been overseas for a few years, already) and is hoping both its design and cost win over any skeptics worried about a robot that knows where they live and what kind of food they like. Don't miss the next episode of Future IRL on March 7th, when we'll be looking at the future of virtual reality.
DoorDash and Postmates test deliveries with robots
Starship's autonomous delivery robots have found work outside of the US, but they're now ready to come Stateside. DoorDash and Postmates have forged partnerships that will have them respectively test Starship robots in Redwood City, California and Washington, DC. As elsewhere, they'll carry food orders and packages with only the most basic of human oversight -- someone will watch over them in case they run into trouble, but they can largely roll along city sidewalks on their own.
ICYMI: Floating wind farm, autonomous robot delivery & more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-570480{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-570480, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-570480{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-570480").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Delivery company Starship Technologies will begin testing sidewalk-scooting autonomous delivery robots next year in London and the U.S. They can go up to 4 miles-per-hour and carry about 20 pounds worth of whatever it is you've ordered. Scotland's coast will be home to Europe's largest offshore wind farm. And Georgia Tech researchers are studying fire ants to try to engineer self-healing materials.
Skype co-founders build delivery bot that rides on sidewalks
While companies like Amazon and Google are betting on airborne drones for the future of delivery, two of the founders of Skype are taking a more pedestrian approach. They've created a company called Starship Technologies, and its eponymous robots are autonomous rovers that drive along sidewalks to carry packages at an average speed of 4mph. The aim is to deliver "two grocery bags" worth of goods (weighing up to 20lbs) in 5-30 minutes for "10-15 times less than the cost of current last-mile delivery alternatives."
Real space battles would be more 'Asteroids' than 'Star Wars'
You're probably aware that most sci-fi space battles aren't realistic. The original Star Wars' Death Star scene was based on a World War II movie, for example. But have you wondered what it would really be like to duke it out in the void? PBS is more than happy to explain in its latest It's Okay To Be Smart video. As you'll see below, Newtonian physics would dictate battles that are more like Asteroids than the latest summer blockbuster. You'd need to thrust every time you wanted to change direction, and projectiles would trump lasers (which can't focus at long distances); you wouldn't hear any sound, either.
Almost all the sci-fi spaceships you know are on this massive chart
If you regularly follow geek culture, you've probably seen early versions of Dirk Loechel's spaceship comparison chart, which shows the relative sizes of vehicles from science fiction games, movies and TV shows. Well, it's finished -- and it's even more authoritative than the last time around. Get the full-size version and you'll see Babylon 5's Vorlon Planet Killer, Mass Effect's Normandy and seemingly everything in between. The chart even includes a real vessel, the International Space Station -- at 328 feet long, it seems downright puny next to its make-believe counterparts. Some story franchises have better representation than others (EVE is full of colossal ships), and you won't see moon-sized spacecraft like Star Wars' Death Star, but it's otherwise hard to imagine a more complete view of sci-fi transportation.
MotorStorm creator's new studio is cooking up new IP
Remember that studio that MotorStorm creator Martin Kenwright founded not-quite two months ago, called Starship? Well, they're ready to talk about some of the projects they're got baking in the oven. That's no throwaway metaphor either, as one of Starship's upcoming IPs is CyberCook, a "next-gen eco-system for cookery." "There has been no major step change in the evolution of consumer cooking experiences in over 20 years," Kenwright said in a press release. "The 19th century had cookery books, 20th century had TV, analogue media and live shows. Direct to consumer has come of age, with mass technology ownership allowing us to move beyond existing channels into a brave new world called CyberCook. It's an experience second only to real cooking, a genuine game-changing platform with infinite opportunities for collaboration, partnerships and social media." Also on Starship's plate (haa) is Playworld, a mobile game designed for children ages five and up. No gameplay details or screenshots were shared, but Kenwright said the game is designed to "empower kids' creativity." Both Playworld and CyberCook are expected to reach smartphones and tablets in Q4 2014. If all of this feels like too much of a departure from Kenwright's racing game history - along with creating MotorStorm, Kenwright founded Driveclub developer Evolution Studios - don't fret too much; Starship is also eyeing the growing sector of virtual reality with keen interest. "We're thinking about returning to our roots with a wicked twist," Kenwright said. "Original, made-for-VR propositions are on the way. It's truly a case of 'watch this space.'" Oh, we'll be watching alright. Right after we cook that delicious-looking dish. [Image: Starship]
New studio emerges from MotorStorm, Driveclub creator
Evolution Studios founder Martin Kenwright, the creator of MotorStorm, announced his new studio this week, Starship. The studio's plan is to "use games to disrupt other marketplaces," Kenwright told IGN, and that Starship already began work on "several" next-gen games. The news follows layoffs that his the Driveclub developer this week, including the reported departure of game director Col Rodgers. "Historically we'd always make software for formats that didn't exist yet. What I'm trying to do is start up a new venture now, with a five or ten year roadmap," Kenwright said of Starship. "There's no point competing in the current marketplace; it's already established. It's important to set your stall out for the next generation of tech." Starship is said to be led by industry veterans from both Evolution Studios and Sony Liverpool, which Kenwright plans to leverage by "formulating memorable IPs with genuine use and need. The idea was to take some of the best gaming talent in the world and then move it slightly outside games." He wouldn't commit to any genre for the studio's future, though a racing game seems to be the obvious choice, given the former Evolution founder's history. Kenwright did add that the studio "had meetings in the automotive sector with companies and they say that some of the visions we have blow their minds. We're really out to change the game." Its first project is slated to be revealed at E3. [Image: Evolution Studios]
4X strategy game Star Lords available now on Early Access
Iceberg Interactive launched its 4X strategy game Star Lords on Steam via Early Access. Star Lords promises "deep and complex gameplay" set in a large universe, in which players take part in turn-based space battles involving eight separate races. The studio behind Star Lords is Portuguese developer Arkavi Studios, who created diplomacy, trade and intelligence tools that players use to weaken enemies and build an empire. Players can colonize worlds in the game, which includes a "randomly generated universe, tech tree and units." The alpha version of Star Lords costs $19.99 for PC players to check out, and does not include features like "multiplayer, huge galaxies and domestic policies" at the moment.
One Shots: Internet spaceships
EVE Online is one of those polarizing games that seems to spark debate at every mention, but even if you're not a fan of the game's mechanics, there's no denying that the game's visuals are breathtaking. Infamous EVE pirate Helicity Boson sent in today's highlighted screenshot with this note: Today I come to you with an amazing screenshot taken during a joint operation with several of Shadow Cartel's friends who happened to have trapped an unsuspecting super capital pilot. The visuals were just... amazing. There are a few more on my site, machine9.net. I hope you'll share this with the world! Helicity's screenshot and two more starship-themed pics are tucked behind the break!
Captain's Log: Epic adventure, revenge, and an interview with Adam Ihle
This week, after what seemed like an interminable period of waiting, Star Trek Online's acting Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo posted a dev blog that outlines most of the details for STO's second anniversary events. Beginning Thursday, February 2nd, STO will see the return of the infamous Q and his mischievous ways. Players are invited to sign in every day between February 2nd and 6th to participate in a challenge handed down by Q. After doing the entity's bidding, players will be rewarded with a different daily prize, although what those four prizes are has not been revealed. However, the news that really has the playerbase buzzing is the announcement that the new and very highly anticipated Federation and Klingon flagships will also be up for grabs -- for free. I will be outlining D'Angelo's follow up posts that give us more details into both ships. Also, in light of the announcements, I took the opportunity to catch up with Adam Ihle, whose winning starship design became the inspiration for the final look of the Odyssey class; we'll hear his reaction to the ship's debut in the game.
SWTOR: Starship operator's guide
Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of an actual, factual, interstellar starship! Or you soon will be, assuming that you're planning to play Star Wars: The Old Republic. Starships have captured the imaginations of Star Wars fans for over three decades now, as the Millennium Falcon, Luke's X-Wing, Boba Fett's Slave-1, and Knights of the Old Republic's Ebon Hawk have become geek cultural icons. It's not Star Wars without the stars, after all, which is why BioWare will be handing you the keys to your very own starship as part of your SWTOR journey. But what does that entail? There's a lot of confusion and misinformation swirling about starships, which is unfortunate. SWTOR's starships are part player housing, part combat vehicle, and part story platform, and that combination lacks an easy analogue in other MMOs. That's why you've got this handy holocron with all of the starship "must knows" to aid your initial voyage to the stars! Coordinates for the jump are plotted. Punch it, reader!
