Elon Musk's space venture SpaceX on Wednesday launched 48 Starlink satellites. The satellites were launched into the orbit by a two-stage Falcon 9. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida at 8:45 am local time.

"Another 48 Starlinks just reached orbit," Musk said in a tweet.

During a live stream of the launch, SpaceX`s launch director said: "Time to let the American broomstick fly and hear the sounds of freedom."

The jibe was directed at Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin, who had last week said "let them fly on something else, their broomsticks", after Russia halted sales of its rocket engines to US launch providers amid economic sanctions following that country`s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

According to SpaceX, Wednesday`s launch marked the fourth flight and landing for its particular Falcon 9 first stage, Space.com reported.

Starlink is the giant constellation of broadband satellites that SpaceX is assembling in low Earth orbit.

The company has already launched more than 2,000 Starlink craft since 2019, and many more will go up in the relatively near future.

SpaceX has permission to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites and has applied for approval for up to 30,000 more, the report said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's space venture SpaceX on Wednesday launched 48 Starlink satellites. The satellites were launched into the orbit by a two-stage Falcon 9. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida at 8:45 am local time.

Elon Musk's space venture SpaceX on Wednesday launched 48 Starlink satellites. The satellites were launched into the orbit by a two-stage Falcon 9. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida at 8:45 am local time. "Another 48 Starlinks just reached orbit," Musk said in a tweet. During a live stream of the launch, SpaceX`s launch director said: "Time to let the American broomstick fly and hear the sounds of freedom." The jibe was directed at Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin, who had last week said "let them fly on something else, their broomsticks", after Russia halted sales of its rocket engines to US launch providers amid economic sanctions following that country`s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. According to SpaceX, Wednesday`s launch marked the fourth flight and landing for its particular Falcon 9 first stage, Space.com reported. Starlink is the giant constellation of broadband satellites that SpaceX is assembling in low Earth orbit. The company has already launched more than 2,000 Starlink craft since 2019, and many more will go up in the relatively near future. SpaceX has permission to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites and has applied for approval for up to 30,000 more, the report said. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's SpaceX launches 48 Starlink satellites

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that the company is focusing on cyber defence and&nbsp;overcoming signal jamming&nbsp;amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"Some Starlink terminals near conflict areas were being jammed for several hours at a time," Musk said.

It comes after the company's broadband service was told by some governments to block Russian news sources.

"Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint," the tech titan tweeted.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-did-nato-push-ukraine-into-war-459651/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Starlink was activated in Ukraine last week after Kyiv digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov urged Musk to provide the embattled country with stations days after it was invaded by neighboring Russia.

The service operates a constellation of more than 2,000 satellites that aim to provide internet access across the planet.

Web monitoring group NetBlocks has reported a series of significant disruptions to internet service in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/what-does-aftermath-of-russian-invasion-look-like-for-ukraine-459414" hreflang="en">What does aftermath of Russian invasion look like for Ukraine?</a>

Musk asked users to "turn on Starlink only when needed and place antenna away as far away from people as possible" and "place light camouflage over the antenna to avoid visual detection."

He said that Starlink was the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said&nbsp;he had spoken to SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and announced the country would receive more of its Starlink satellite internet terminals next week.

"Talked to Elon Musk. I'm grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds," Zelenskiy tweeted.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Talked to <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a>. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects 🚀. But I’ll talk about this after the war.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1500246977086373891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

This week the European Union banned Russian state-funded RT and Sputnik from the 27-nation bloc, while US-based social media giants including Twitter and Facebook parent Meta have taken steps to block the spread of Russian state-linked news media.

Since its military invaded on February 24, Russia has pummeled Ukrainian cities, with officials reporting hundreds of civilians killed. &nbsp;

Russian authorities have repeatedly and falsely decried reports of Russian military setbacks or civilian deaths in Ukraine as “fake” news, as well as reports calling the offensive a war or an invasion. They have imposed a news blackout, with multiple media websites partially inaccessible, Twitter restricted and Facebook blocked.

State media outlets and government officials refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation” and insist the Russian forces only target military facilities.

(With inputs from agencies)

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that the company is focusing on cyber defence and overcoming signal jamming amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. "Some Starlink terminals near conflict areas were being jammed for several hours at a time," Musk said.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that the company is focusing on cyber defence and overcoming signal jamming amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. "Some Starlink terminals near conflict areas were being jammed for several hours at a time," Musk said. It comes after the company's broadband service was told by some governments to block Russian news sources. "Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint," the tech titan tweeted. Starlink was activated in Ukraine last week after Kyiv digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov urged Musk to provide the embattled country with stations days after it was invaded by neighboring Russia. The service operates a constellation of more than 2,000 satellites that aim to provide internet access across the planet. Web monitoring group NetBlocks has reported a series of significant disruptions to internet service in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. Also see | What does aftermath of Russian invasion look like for Ukraine? Musk asked users to "turn on Starlink only when needed and place antenna away as far away from people as possible" and "place light camouflage over the antenna to avoid visual detection." He said that Starlink was the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken to SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and announced the country would receive more of its Starlink satellite internet terminals next week. "Talked to Elon Musk. I'm grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds," Zelenskiy tweeted. Talked to @elonmusk. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects 🚀. But I’ll talk about this after the war. — Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 5, 2022 × This week the European Union banned Russian state-funded RT and Sputnik from the 27-nation bloc, while US-based social media giants including Twitter and Facebook parent Meta have taken steps to block the spread of Russian state-linked news media. Since its military invaded on February 24, Russia has pummeled Ukrainian cities, with officials reporting hundreds of civilians killed. Russian authorities have repeatedly and falsely decried reports of Russian military setbacks or civilian deaths in Ukraine as “fake” news, as well as reports calling the offensive a war or an invasion. They have imposed a news blackout, with multiple media websites partially inaccessible, Twitter restricted and Facebook blocked. State media outlets and government officials refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation” and insist the Russian forces only target military facilities. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine crisis: SpaceX focusing on cyber defence after Starlink signals jammed

SpaceX CEO billionaire Elon Musk shared a simulation video of SpaceX's Mars program. Musk is known to have desires for humans to travel to the red planet.

SpaceX's Elon Musk shares simulation video 'Starship to Mars' depicting his plans for the red planet

An astronomer has revealed that&nbsp;the Chinese Long March 3C rocket is on course to collide with the Moon and not&nbsp;SpaceX's Falcon 9.

Known as Bill Gray, the astronomer wrote the Project Pluto software used to track near-Earth objects.

Uncertainty over the rocket's orbital decay and China's failure to issue stronger reassurances has fuelled anxiety.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-has-space-business-has-become-the-final-profitable-frontier-452928" hreflang="en">Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier?</a>

"It would be a little strange if the second stage went right past the Moon, while DSCOVR was in another part of the sky. There's always some separation, but this was suspiciously large," Gray explained.

An object called WE0913A can collide with the far side of the Moon on 4 March 2022, at around 12:25 pm UTC as per his observations.

However, if its leftover fuel leaks out and pushes it around that can cause changes in the orbit.

Remnants of China's biggest rocket, Long March 5B had landed in the Indian Ocean with most of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere. It had&nbsp;launched the 22.5-ton core of China's newest space station.

The 18-tonne rocket that fell last May was the heaviest debris to fall uncontrolled since the former Soviet space station Salyut 7 in 1991.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-takes-a-space-selfie-452626" hreflang="en">NASA's James Webb Space Telescope takes a space selfie</a>

The Long March was the second deployment of the 5B variant since its maiden flight in May 2020. The pieces from the first Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings.

China’s first space station, Tiangong-1, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2016 after Beijing confirmed it had lost control. In 2019, the space agency controlled the demolition of its second station, Tiangong-2, in the atmosphere.

The Global Times, a Chinese tabloid, dismissed as "Western hype" concerns the rocket was "out of control" and could cause damage.

"It is common practice across the world for upper stages of rockets to burn up while reentering the atmosphere," Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at China's foreign ministry, said at a regular media briefing.

"To my knowledge, the upper stage of this rocket has been deactivated, which means most of its parts will burn up upon re-entry, making the likelihood of damage to aviation or ground facilities and activities extremely low," he added.

The rocket, which put into orbit an unmanned Tianhe module containing what were supposed to be living quarters for three crew on a permanent Chinese space station, will be followed by 10 more missions to complete the station by 2022.

(With inputs from agencies)

An astronomer has revealed that the Chinese Long March 3C rocket is on course to collide with the Moon and not SpaceX's Falcon 9. Known as Bill Gray, the astronomer wrote the Project Pluto software used to track near-Earth objects.

An astronomer has revealed that the Chinese Long March 3C rocket is on course to collide with the Moon and not SpaceX's Falcon 9. Known as Bill Gray, the astronomer wrote the Project Pluto software used to track near-Earth objects. Uncertainty over the rocket's orbital decay and China's failure to issue stronger reassurances has fuelled anxiety. Also read | Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier? "It would be a little strange if the second stage went right past the Moon, while DSCOVR was in another part of the sky. There's always some separation, but this was suspiciously large," Gray explained. An object called WE0913A can collide with the far side of the Moon on 4 March 2022, at around 12:25 pm UTC as per his observations. However, if its leftover fuel leaks out and pushes it around that can cause changes in the orbit. Remnants of China's biggest rocket, Long March 5B had landed in the Indian Ocean with most of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere. It had launched the 22.5-ton core of China's newest space station. The 18-tonne rocket that fell last May was the heaviest debris to fall uncontrolled since the former Soviet space station Salyut 7 in 1991. Also read | NASA's James Webb Space Telescope takes a space selfie The Long March was the second deployment of the 5B variant since its maiden flight in May 2020. The pieces from the first Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings. China’s first space station, Tiangong-1, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2016 after Beijing confirmed it had lost control. In 2019, the space agency controlled the demolition of its second station, Tiangong-2, in the atmosphere. The Global Times, a Chinese tabloid, dismissed as "Western hype" concerns the rocket was "out of control" and could cause damage. "It is common practice across the world for upper stages of rockets to burn up while reentering the atmosphere," Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at China's foreign ministry, said at a regular media briefing. "To my knowledge, the upper stage of this rocket has been deactivated, which means most of its parts will burn up upon re-entry, making the likelihood of damage to aviation or ground facilities and activities extremely low," he added. The rocket, which put into orbit an unmanned Tianhe module containing what were supposed to be living quarters for three crew on a permanent Chinese space station, will be followed by 10 more missions to complete the station by 2022. (With inputs from agencies)

It's a Chinese rocket, not one from SpaceX that will crash on Moon, says astronomer

Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman has announced that he will make another private spaceflight launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, alongside two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force fighter pilot.

It’s the first of three planned flights to try out new tech,&nbsp;including still-in-the-works spacewalking suits,&nbsp;culminating in the first flight with people of SpaceX’s new Starship, which is intended for moon and Mars travel.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-has-space-business-has-become-the-final-profitable-frontier-452928" hreflang="en">Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier?</a>

Isaacman indicated that he’d like to be aboard the second spaceflight in this programme named after the triple-star system Polaris,&nbsp;another Dragon mission,&nbsp;and on the first Starship crew as well.

It will include orbiting through the Van Allen radiation belt, which protects the Earth from the solar wind. The inner Van Allen belt lies from 400 to 6,000 miles (640 to 9,700 kilometers) above the surface.

The programme represents a new step for the commercial space sector, as Elon Musk's SpaceX seeks to carry out ambitious exploration missions, until now the domain of national space agencies.

"On Polaris Dawn, we endeavor to achieve the highest Earth orbit ever flown in addition to conducting the world's first commercial spacewalk and testing of Starlink laser-based communication," he said in a statement.

“Let’s get Polaris Dawn right and then we’ll think about the next mission,” he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chinese-long-march-3c-rocket-to-crash-into-moon-instead-of-spacexs-falcon-9-453309" hreflang="en">It's a Chinese rocket, not one from SpaceX that will crash on Moon, says astronomer</a>

For the spacewalk, the entire Dragon capsule will be depressurised just as the Gemini capsules were, with each crew member in pressurised suits.&nbsp;

“If we are to have a more permanent presence on the moon and some day build a colony on Mars, we have a lot to learn, including better suit designs,” he said.

They’ll also use Starlink internet satellites launched by SpaceX to test communication from orbit.

The crew, which includes former US Air Force Colonel Scott Poteet as pilot, and two SpaceX employees, mission specialist Sarah Gillis and mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon, &nbsp;will attempt the first commercial space walk at roughly 300 miles altitude.

During the mission, they will also test laser-based communication in space using SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, and conduct medical research such as studying decompression sickness, the impacts of space radiation, and the effects of spaceflight on eye health.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/spacex-launches-cargo-mission-to-international-space-station-238700/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The last of the three missions will involve a SpaceX Starship rocket, which when complete will be the biggest and powerful spacecraft ever built.&nbsp;

Musk sees it as key to fulfilling his vision of colonizing Mars, while a pared-down version has been contracted by NASA as a lunar lander for the Artemis program that is set to return humans to the Moon around the middle of this decade.

Isaacman is an experienced pilot who last year led the Inspiration4 mission, which saw four civilian crew complete a three-day orbital mission aboard a SpaceX Dragon, raising $240 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.&nbsp;

Last week, Musk showed off the Starship, the tallest and most powerful rocket built. He’s awaiting clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration before launching it empty from Texas on its first orbital test flight.&nbsp;

The FAA said Monday it won’t finish its environmental review of the Boca Chica launch and landing site, at the southern tip of Texas, until the end of March.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman has announced that he will make another private spaceflight launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, alongside two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force fighter pilot.

Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman has announced that he will make another private spaceflight launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, alongside two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force fighter pilot. It’s the first of three planned flights to try out new tech, including still-in-the-works spacewalking suits, culminating in the first flight with people of SpaceX’s new Starship, which is intended for moon and Mars travel. Also read | Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier? Isaacman indicated that he’d like to be aboard the second spaceflight in this programme named after the triple-star system Polaris, another Dragon mission, and on the first Starship crew as well. It will include orbiting through the Van Allen radiation belt, which protects the Earth from the solar wind. The inner Van Allen belt lies from 400 to 6,000 miles (640 to 9,700 kilometers) above the surface. The programme represents a new step for the commercial space sector, as Elon Musk's SpaceX seeks to carry out ambitious exploration missions, until now the domain of national space agencies. "On Polaris Dawn, we endeavor to achieve the highest Earth orbit ever flown in addition to conducting the world's first commercial spacewalk and testing of Starlink laser-based communication," he said in a statement. “Let’s get Polaris Dawn right and then we’ll think about the next mission,” he said. Also read | It's a Chinese rocket, not one from SpaceX that will crash on Moon, says astronomer For the spacewalk, the entire Dragon capsule will be depressurised just as the Gemini capsules were, with each crew member in pressurised suits. “If we are to have a more permanent presence on the moon and some day build a colony on Mars, we have a lot to learn, including better suit designs,” he said. They’ll also use Starlink internet satellites launched by SpaceX to test communication from orbit. The crew, which includes former US Air Force Colonel Scott Poteet as pilot, and two SpaceX employees, mission specialist Sarah Gillis and mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon, will attempt the first commercial space walk at roughly 300 miles altitude. During the mission, they will also test laser-based communication in space using SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, and conduct medical research such as studying decompression sickness, the impacts of space radiation, and the effects of spaceflight on eye health. The last of the three missions will involve a SpaceX Starship rocket, which when complete will be the biggest and powerful spacecraft ever built. Musk sees it as key to fulfilling his vision of colonizing Mars, while a pared-down version has been contracted by NASA as a lunar lander for the Artemis program that is set to return humans to the Moon around the middle of this decade. Isaacman is an experienced pilot who last year led the Inspiration4 mission, which saw four civilian crew complete a three-day orbital mission aboard a SpaceX Dragon, raising $240 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Last week, Musk showed off the Starship, the tallest and most powerful rocket built. He’s awaiting clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration before launching it empty from Texas on its first orbital test flight. The FAA said Monday it won’t finish its environmental review of the Boca Chica launch and landing site, at the southern tip of Texas, until the end of March. (With inputs from agencies)

US billionaire Jared Isaacman announces three more ambitious SpaceX flights

Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier?

Elon Musk says SpaceX Starship will reach orbit this year. Musk is betting on this mega rocket to ferry humans to Mars. The announcement comes after 40 SpaceX satellites were tossed out of the orbit by a solar storm. Palki Sharma brings you a report.

Gravitas Ukraine Direct: Musk closer to his Mars colonisation dream?

Despite multiple technical hurdles, Elon Musk said that he was "highly confident" about his SpaceX Starship and it will reach Earth's orbit for the first time this year. It has been designed for trips to the moon and Mars.&nbsp;

Musk acknowledged the difficulties that SpaceX has faced in developing the "Raptor 2" engines. He also mentioned obstacles including the melting inside thruster chambers of the engines from intense heat.

"We're very close to solving that," he said as he is expecting to scale up production to seven or eight engines per week by next month. They aim at producing a new Starship and a booster every month by year's end.

"I feel at this point highly confident that we will get to orbit (with the Starship) this year," said Musk.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-felt-his-last-heartbeat-musk-talks-about-losing-his-son-in-emails-with-father-of-tesla-crash-victim-452201">Also read |&nbsp;'I felt his last heartbeat': Musk talks about losing his son in emails with father of Tesla crash victim</a>

Earlier in December, Musk said that SpaceX needs to come up with many next-generation Starship engines soon to keep growing its Starlink broadband constellation and eventually, stay in business.

Musk tweeted, "If a severe global recession were to dry up capital availability/liquidity while SpaceX was losing billions on Starlink (and) Starship, then bankruptcy, while still unlikely, is not impossible." &nbsp;

The statement came in response to a leaked email, which was sent by the billionaire to employees over the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.&nbsp;

In it, Musk asked for "all hands-on deck."&nbsp;

The email which was leaked talked about a "production crisis" within the company.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Despite multiple technical hurdles, Elon Musk said that he was "highly confident" about his SpaceX Starship and it will reach Earth's orbit for the first time this year.

Despite multiple technical hurdles, Elon Musk said that he was "highly confident" about his SpaceX Starship and it will reach Earth's orbit for the first time this year. It has been designed for trips to the moon and Mars. Musk acknowledged the difficulties that SpaceX has faced in developing the "Raptor 2" engines. He also mentioned obstacles including the melting inside thruster chambers of the engines from intense heat. "We're very close to solving that," he said as he is expecting to scale up production to seven or eight engines per week by next month. They aim at producing a new Starship and a booster every month by year's end. "I feel at this point highly confident that we will get to orbit (with the Starship) this year," said Musk. Also read | 'I felt his last heartbeat': Musk talks about losing his son in emails with father of Tesla crash victim Earlier in December, Musk said that SpaceX needs to come up with many next-generation Starship engines soon to keep growing its Starlink broadband constellation and eventually, stay in business. Musk tweeted, "If a severe global recession were to dry up capital availability/liquidity while SpaceX was losing billions on Starlink (and) Starship, then bankruptcy, while still unlikely, is not impossible." The statement came in response to a leaked email, which was sent by the billionaire to employees over the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. In it, Musk asked for "all hands-on deck." The email which was leaked talked about a "production crisis" within the company. (With inputs from agencies)

'Highly confident': Elon Musk says SpaceX Starship to reach Earth's orbit this year

On an outdoor stage in South Texas between screens with polished computer animations and a real gigantic shiny rocket behind him, Elon Musk provided his latest update on his dreams to send people to settle Mars on Thursday evening.

But while Musk’s presentation was vivid in detailing his vision of humanity’s interplanetary future, he was more circumspect about the operational details of the massive SpaceX rocket Starship that is central to those and other goals. The spacecraft must overcome numerous technical and regulatory hurdles before it can fly to orbit or fulfill a contract worth billions of dollars to land NASA astronauts on the moon, let alone colonize the red planet.

But on the stage Thursday night, Musk said he thought that Starship would be capable of establishing a self-sufficient city on Mars, which he said would require taking a million tons of material there from Earth.

“This is the first point in the 4.5-billion-year history of Earth that it has been possible,” Musk said. “We need to seize the opportunity and do it as quickly as possible. I want to be frank: Civilization is feeling a little fragile these days.”

After an animated video of an imaginary Mars colony serviced by SpaceX vehicles, Musk shouted, “Let’s make it real!”

For several years, SpaceX has been working on Starship, which would be the most powerful rocket ever. It would also, unlike any previous rocket, be entirely reusable. That has the potential for greatly cutting the cost of sending payloads to orbit — less than $10 million to take 100 tons to space — and it may be possible within a few years, Musk said.

Over the past few years, SpaceX has made a series of test flights of the top part of the spacecraft that is to go to orbit and then return, showing how it might belly-flop in the atmosphere and then land. One of the flights, in May 2021, was a success while the others ended in explosions. To reach orbit requires the use of an even larger booster stage, known as Super Heavy, with dozens of engines. That has not yet been tested.

Musk has, however, routinely made schedule predictions that were far too optimistic. When he first talked of his Mars rocket in 2016 — then an even larger design — he said that the first test trip to Mars, without people aboard, would launch in 2022, and that the first people going to Mars would be leaving two years later.

When Musk gave an update in September 2019, he predicted that the first orbital flight would occur within six months.

But with 2022 already here, SpaceX has yet to try an orbital launch of Starship.

In Thursday’s talk, he expressed confidence that would occur this year, but he remained vague about details.

His talk, at the site that SpaceX calls Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville, mixed in a variety of bawdy remarks while largely rehashing the vision he had described in the past including his arguments for why humanity needed to expand beyond Earth, as a backup plan for the survival of humankind.

He also responded to critics who say space is a waste of time and money, noting how little of the federal budget is actually directed to spaceflight and exploration.

“I’m just suggesting we’d like maybe half a percent or something, like that would probably be OK,” Musk said, referring to budgeting for space.

He mixed in technical details about improvements the company has made on the next version of the engines used for Starship. “So the only remaining issue that we’re aware of is melting the chamber,” Musk said, describing the intense heat generated by the engine. “Just not melting the chamber is very difficult,” Musk continued. “It’s kind of the last remaining challenge. But I think we’re very close to solving that.”

He was hopeful that an environmental review by the Federal Aviation Administration would soon give SpaceX the go-ahead to try a launch to orbit from Boca Chica. “We have gotten sort of a rough indication that there may be an approval in March,” Musk said.

If that occurred, an orbital launch attempt could occur in “a couple of months” or potentially May, he said.

But he also conceded that if the FAA decided a more comprehensive environmental review was needed, SpaceX would shift the launches to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and that would cause a delay of six to eight months in order to modify the launching pad there for the massive Starship.

In addition to the eventual trips to Mars, Starship is to be used by NASA to ferry astronauts from orbit around the moon to the surface of the moon. The company won a $2.9 billion contract for the mission, outcompeting other bidders that included Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and defense contractor Dynetics. The moon landing is scheduled, on paper, for 2025, but it is expected to be delayed. In addition to work on Starship, the return of astronauts to the moon requires the Space Launch System, another large rocket under development by NASA that is also behind schedule.

For the moon mission, SpaceX would also have to be able to refill the propellant tanks of a Starship while in orbit around Earth. Musk said a series of Starship tankers would launch every few hours taking propellant for the moon-destined rocket.

Musk said he did not see a conflict between the NASA work and his bigger dreams.

“We’re going to make a lot of ships, a lot of boosters,” he said. “Adding legs to land on the moon, that can be done pretty quickly.”

And Musk remained confident that his giant rocket would work. Even though there would most likely be bumps in the road along the way, he said, “we’ll get it done.”

On an outdoor stage in South Texas between screens with polished computer animations and a real gigantic shiny rocket behind him, Elon Musk provided his latest update on his dreams to send people to settle Mars on Thursday evening.

On an outdoor stage in South Texas between screens with polished computer animations and a real gigantic shiny rocket behind him, Elon Musk provided his latest update on his dreams to send people to settle Mars on Thursday evening. But while Musk’s presentation was vivid in detailing his vision of humanity’s interplanetary future, he was more circumspect about the operational details of the massive SpaceX rocket Starship that is central to those and other goals. The spacecraft must overcome numerous technical and regulatory hurdles before it can fly to orbit or fulfill a contract worth billions of dollars to land NASA astronauts on the moon, let alone colonize the red planet. But on the stage Thursday night, Musk said he thought that Starship would be capable of establishing a self-sufficient city on Mars, which he said would require taking a million tons of material there from Earth. “This is the first point in the 4.5-billion-year history of Earth that it has been possible,” Musk said. “We need to seize the opportunity and do it as quickly as possible. I want to be frank: Civilization is feeling a little fragile these days.” After an animated video of an imaginary Mars colony serviced by SpaceX vehicles, Musk shouted, “Let’s make it real!” For several years, SpaceX has been working on Starship, which would be the most powerful rocket ever. It would also, unlike any previous rocket, be entirely reusable. That has the potential for greatly cutting the cost of sending payloads to orbit — less than $10 million to take 100 tons to space — and it may be possible within a few years, Musk said. Over the past few years, SpaceX has made a series of test flights of the top part of the spacecraft that is to go to orbit and then return, showing how it might belly-flop in the atmosphere and then land. One of the flights, in May 2021, was a success while the others ended in explosions. To reach orbit requires the use of an even larger booster stage, known as Super Heavy, with dozens of engines. That has not yet been tested. Musk has, however, routinely made schedule predictions that were far too optimistic. When he first talked of his Mars rocket in 2016 — then an even larger design — he said that the first test trip to Mars, without people aboard, would launch in 2022, and that the first people going to Mars would be leaving two years later. When Musk gave an update in September 2019, he predicted that the first orbital flight would occur within six months. But with 2022 already here, SpaceX has yet to try an orbital launch of Starship. In Thursday’s talk, he expressed confidence that would occur this year, but he remained vague about details. His talk, at the site that SpaceX calls Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville, mixed in a variety of bawdy remarks while largely rehashing the vision he had described in the past including his arguments for why humanity needed to expand beyond Earth, as a backup plan for the survival of humankind. He also responded to critics who say space is a waste of time and money, noting how little of the federal budget is actually directed to spaceflight and exploration. “I’m just suggesting we’d like maybe half a percent or something, like that would probably be OK,” Musk said, referring to budgeting for space. He mixed in technical details about improvements the company has made on the next version of the engines used for Starship. “So the only remaining issue that we’re aware of is melting the chamber,” Musk said, describing the intense heat generated by the engine. “Just not melting the chamber is very difficult,” Musk continued. “It’s kind of the last remaining challenge. But I think we’re very close to solving that.” He was hopeful that an environmental review by the Federal Aviation Administration would soon give SpaceX the go-ahead to try a launch to orbit from Boca Chica. “We have gotten sort of a rough indication that there may be an approval in March,” Musk said. If that occurred, an orbital launch attempt could occur in “a couple of months” or potentially May, he said. But he also conceded that if the FAA decided a more comprehensive environmental review was needed, SpaceX would shift the launches to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and that would cause a delay of six to eight months in order to modify the launching pad there for the massive Starship. In addition to the eventual trips to Mars, Starship is to be used by NASA to ferry astronauts from orbit around the moon to the surface of the moon. The company won a $2.9 billion contract for the mission, outcompeting other bidders that included Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and defense contractor Dynetics. The moon landing is scheduled, on paper, for 2025, but it is expected to be delayed. In addition to work on Starship, the return of astronauts to the moon requires the Space Launch System, another large rocket under development by NASA that is also behind schedule. For the moon mission, SpaceX would also have to be able to refill the propellant tanks of a Starship while in orbit around Earth. Musk said a series of Starship tankers would launch every few hours taking propellant for the moon-destined rocket. Musk said he did not see a conflict between the NASA work and his bigger dreams. “We’re going to make a lot of ships, a lot of boosters,” he said. “Adding legs to land on the moon, that can be done pretty quickly.” And Musk remained confident that his giant rocket would work. Even though there would most likely be bumps in the road along the way, he said, “we’ll get it done.”

What Elon Musk did and didn’t reveal about SpaceX’s Starship rocket

SpaceX lost 40 of its recently launched Starlink satellites due to a geomagnetic storm. But what is Geomagnetic storm? Our report tells you.

What is Geomagnetic storm, which destroyed 40 SpaceX satellites?

Billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX has said that 80 per cent&nbsp;of Starlink satellites it had launched will be lost due to a geomagnetic storm.

“Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on Friday,” SpaceX said in a statement.&nbsp;

“These storms cause the atmosphere to warm and atmospheric density at our low deployment altitudes to increase.”

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-mysterious-space-object-has-spooked-astronomers-448271/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Preliminary analysis show the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe mode to begin orbit-raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth’s atmosphere," it added.

As solar activity rises, the Sun has blasted off a filament eruption that will hit the Earth on Wednesday and Thursday, causing another geomagnetic storm.

Models compiled by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research's Center of Excellence in Space Sciences point to a very high probability of a material whizzing past our planet at a speed of 21,60,000 kilometres per hour or 451-615 kilometres per second impacting the Earth.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
//CESSI SPACE WEATHER BULLETIN//07 FEB 2022//SUMMARY: NOMINAL SPACE WEATHER// A filament eruption was observed on the Sun south of disk center on 06 FEB. SOHO LASCO detected a partial halo CME being launched soon thereafter. 
+ <a href="https://t.co/0o5Z0QjSRH">pic.twitter.com/0o5Z0QjSRH</a>
— Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (@cessi_iiserkol) <a href="https://twitter.com/cessi_iiserkol/status/1490706584321679362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

There is, however, no expectation that the impact will be hazardous. "The impact is unlikely to be very hazardous. Moderate geomagnetic storms are likely," CESS said in a tweet.

"The deorbiting satellites pose zero collision risk with other satellites and by design demise upon atmospheric reentry — meaning no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground," SpaceX wrote of the satellites' reentry.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/spacex-installing-satellite-internet-constellation-to-restore-tongas-internet-451312" hreflang="en">SpaceX installing satellite internet constellation to restore Tonga's internet</a>

"This unique situation demonstrates the great lengths the Starlink team has gone to ensure the system is on the leading edge of on-orbit debris mitigation."

CMEs are large ejections of plasma and magnetic fields that originate from the Sun's corona. They are capable of ejecting billions of tons of coronal material as they travel outward from the Sun at speeds ranging from slower than 250 kilometres per second (km/s) up to nearly 3000 km/s.&nbsp;

When a CME collides with the Earth, it causes a geomagnetic storm.

Space Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reports that CMEs to Earth can reach Earth in mere 15-18 hours if they are fast enough.

&nbsp;

Billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX has said that 80 per cent of Starlink satellites it had launched will be lost due to a geomagnetic storm. “Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on Friday,” SpaceX said in a statement.

Billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX has said that 80 per cent of Starlink satellites it had launched will be lost due to a geomagnetic storm. “Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on Friday,” SpaceX said in a statement. “These storms cause the atmosphere to warm and atmospheric density at our low deployment altitudes to increase.” "Preliminary analysis show the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe mode to begin orbit-raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth’s atmosphere," it added. As solar activity rises, the Sun has blasted off a filament eruption that will hit the Earth on Wednesday and Thursday, causing another geomagnetic storm. Models compiled by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research's Center of Excellence in Space Sciences point to a very high probability of a material whizzing past our planet at a speed of 21,60,000 kilometres per hour or 451-615 kilometres per second impacting the Earth. //CESSI SPACE WEATHER BULLETIN//07 FEB 2022//SUMMARY: NOMINAL SPACE WEATHER// A filament eruption was observed on the Sun south of disk center on 06 FEB. SOHO LASCO detected a partial halo CME being launched soon thereafter. + pic.twitter.com/0o5Z0QjSRH — Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (@cessi_iiserkol) February 7, 2022 × There is, however, no expectation that the impact will be hazardous. "The impact is unlikely to be very hazardous. Moderate geomagnetic storms are likely," CESS said in a tweet. "The deorbiting satellites pose zero collision risk with other satellites and by design demise upon atmospheric reentry — meaning no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground," SpaceX wrote of the satellites' reentry. Also read | SpaceX installing satellite internet constellation to restore Tonga's internet "This unique situation demonstrates the great lengths the Starlink team has gone to ensure the system is on the leading edge of on-orbit debris mitigation." CMEs are large ejections of plasma and magnetic fields that originate from the Sun's corona. They are capable of ejecting billions of tons of coronal material as they travel outward from the Sun at speeds ranging from slower than 250 kilometres per second (km/s) up to nearly 3000 km/s. When a CME collides with the Earth, it causes a geomagnetic storm. Space Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reports that CMEs to Earth can reach Earth in mere 15-18 hours if they are fast enough.

80% of Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX to be destroyed by geomagnetic storm

Reports say&nbsp;that part of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket broke down and fell towards Earth over Mexico as it burnt through the atmosphere. The rocket had sent a satellite to space in the year 2017. The spacecraft had helped in the launch of Echostar 23 mission that aimed to provide internet, broadband and other connectivity solutions to Brazil.

A Twitter handle @FronteraSpacial posted a video on February 6. The handle says that the video shows visuals of Falcon 9 rocket burning up through Earth's atmosphere.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🔥 FALCON 9 DE SPACEX CAE SOBRE MÉXICO 🇲🇽 
 
Esta noche se ha visto un "<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Meteorito?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Meteorito</a>" cayendo sobre el norte de México. 
 
🚀 En realidad era la segunda etapa de un Falcon 9 de SpaceX lanzado en marzo del 2017 con la misión EchoStar23. 
 
Se ha desintegrado en la atmósfera completamente. <a href="https://t.co/5ERaFTMBJ2">pic.twitter.com/5ERaFTMBJ2</a>
— Frontera Espacial (@FronteraSpacial) <a href="https://twitter.com/FronteraSpacial/status/1490334993494781952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

It was initially thought that this was a meteoroid. But FronteraSpacial says that this visual represents part of Falcon 9 rocket falling towards Earth.

"SPACEX FALCON 9 FALLS OVER MEXICO. Tonight a "#Meteorite" has been seen falling over northern Mexico. It was actually the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched in March 2017 with the EchoStar23 mission. It has completely disintegrated in the atmosphere," says the handle (translated).

When a satellites falls towards Earth (re-entry), it is rarely a dangerous situation for citizens as friction with atmosphere breaks up the parts and subsequently burns it. There are, however, several examples of sizeable portion of a re-entering satellite having been found on the surface of Earth.

Elon Musk or SpaceX haven't commented on second stage Falcon-9 rocket falling, as it is fairly common for second state rocket component to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and getting destroyed.&nbsp;

Reports say that part of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket broke down and fell towards Earth over Mexico as it burnt through the atmosphere. The rocket had sent a satellite to space in the year 2017.

Reports say that part of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket broke down and fell towards Earth over Mexico as it burnt through the atmosphere. The rocket had sent a satellite to space in the year 2017. The spacecraft had helped in the launch of Echostar 23 mission that aimed to provide internet, broadband and other connectivity solutions to Brazil. A Twitter handle @FronteraSpacial posted a video on February 6. The handle says that the video shows visuals of Falcon 9 rocket burning up through Earth's atmosphere. 🔥 FALCON 9 DE SPACEX CAE SOBRE MÉXICO 🇲🇽 Esta noche se ha visto un "#Meteorito" cayendo sobre el norte de México. 🚀 En realidad era la segunda etapa de un Falcon 9 de SpaceX lanzado en marzo del 2017 con la misión EchoStar23. Se ha desintegrado en la atmósfera completamente. pic.twitter.com/5ERaFTMBJ2 — Frontera Espacial (@FronteraSpacial) February 6, 2022 × It was initially thought that this was a meteoroid. But FronteraSpacial says that this visual represents part of Falcon 9 rocket falling towards Earth. "SPACEX FALCON 9 FALLS OVER MEXICO. Tonight a "#Meteorite" has been seen falling over northern Mexico. It was actually the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched in March 2017 with the EchoStar23 mission. It has completely disintegrated in the atmosphere," says the handle (translated). When a satellites falls towards Earth (re-entry), it is rarely a dangerous situation for citizens as friction with atmosphere breaks up the parts and subsequently burns it. There are, however, several examples of sizeable portion of a re-entering satellite having been found on the surface of Earth. Elon Musk or SpaceX haven't commented on second stage Falcon-9 rocket falling, as it is fairly common for second state rocket component to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and getting destroyed.

SpaceX Falcon 9 second-stage rocket component disintegrates, falls to Earth: Report

Elon Musk's SpaceX is installing a satellite internet constellation to restore Tonga's internet.

Fiji's Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said on Twitter, "A SpaceX team is now in Fiji establishing a Starlink gateway station to reconnect Tonga to the world."

It comes after Musk had tweeted, ''Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?''

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/after-a-delay-spacex-successfully-launches-italian-cosmo-skymed-satellite-449938/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">Musk's dream of colonising Mars has a connection with the volcanic eruption that devastated Tonga.</div>

The undersea eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano was so powerful as it sent tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean and was heard some 2,300km away in New Zealand. Thousands of homes were destroyed.&nbsp;

Locals and survivors had described how the devastating Pacific blast "messed up" their brains. In the aftermath, parts of the nation were covered in ashes, communication with other countries was cut because the undersea lines were damaged. &nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/out-of-control-rocket-by-elon-musks-spacex-puts-indias-chandrayaan-in-danger-447837">Also read |&nbsp;Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger</a>

NASA said that the eruption unleashed explosive forces that dwarfed the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Tonga's sole optic-fibre link to the internet and the rest of the world was severed by a volcanic eruption on January 15 and only limited connectivity has been possible since.

Officials said a specialist cable repair ship was expected to arrive this week and would take at least two weeks to fix the damage.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/from-humanoid-robot-to-software-that-drives-vehicles-autonomously-heres-what-elon-musk-is-betting-on-in-2022-448127" hreflang="en">From humanoid robot to software that drives vehicles autonomously: Here's what Elon Musk is betting on in 2022</a>

However, scientists are probing the eruption activities to learn and prepare humankind for such occurrences in future with advancements in technology.&nbsp;

Besides, that volcano could offer valuable clues about the formation of other planets like Mars and Venus as it is offering researchers a rare chance to study how water and lava interact.&nbsp;

Elon Musk is confident that humans will land on Mars by 2026. As he has been an advocate of hypothetical Mars colonisation, he might have persuaded people that human life outside Earth is possible.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's SpaceX is installing a satellite internet constellation to restore Tonga's internet. Fiji's Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said on Twitter, "A SpaceX team is now in Fiji establishing a Starlink gateway station to reconnect Tonga to the world.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is installing a satellite internet constellation to restore Tonga's internet. Fiji's Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said on Twitter, "A SpaceX team is now in Fiji establishing a Starlink gateway station to reconnect Tonga to the world." It comes after Musk had tweeted, ''Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?'' Musk's dream of colonising Mars has a connection with the volcanic eruption that devastated Tonga. The undersea eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano was so powerful as it sent tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean and was heard some 2,300km away in New Zealand. Thousands of homes were destroyed. Locals and survivors had described how the devastating Pacific blast "messed up" their brains. In the aftermath, parts of the nation were covered in ashes, communication with other countries was cut because the undersea lines were damaged. Also read | Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger NASA said that the eruption unleashed explosive forces that dwarfed the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Tonga's sole optic-fibre link to the internet and the rest of the world was severed by a volcanic eruption on January 15 and only limited connectivity has been possible since. Officials said a specialist cable repair ship was expected to arrive this week and would take at least two weeks to fix the damage. Also read | From humanoid robot to software that drives vehicles autonomously: Here's what Elon Musk is betting on in 2022 However, scientists are probing the eruption activities to learn and prepare humankind for such occurrences in future with advancements in technology. Besides, that volcano could offer valuable clues about the formation of other planets like Mars and Venus as it is offering researchers a rare chance to study how water and lava interact. Elon Musk is confident that humans will land on Mars by 2026. As he has been an advocate of hypothetical Mars colonisation, he might have persuaded people that human life outside Earth is possible. (With inputs from agencies)

SpaceX installing satellite internet constellation to restore Tonga's internet

Initially planned for January 27th launch, SpaceX Falcon-9 two-stage rocket finally launches the Italian Cosmo-SkyMed satellite on Monday.

After a delay, SpaceX successfully launches Italian Cosmo-SkyMed satellite

SpaceX Falcon-9 two-stage rocket topped with Italian Cosmo-Skymed satellite successfully lifted off on Monday at 6:11 pm EST (Tuesday at 4.41 am as per IST.) The launch took place from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The launch was to initially take place on January 27. But it was postponed due to bad weather.

The booster landing was the 104th that SpaceX has pulled off to date during an orbital mission, SpaceX production manager Jessie Anderson was quoted as saying during the webcast of Monday`s launch.

This particular first stage had flown twice before, as a side booster on SpaceX`s massive Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission marked the first time that a Heavy side booster had been reconfigured and launched alone as a Falcon 9, Anderson said.

Such reuse is key to SpaceX`s long-range goals, as the company aims to reduce the cost of spaceflight to make ambitious exploration feats such as Mars colonisation economically feasible.

SpaceX also aimed to recover the CSG-2 mission`s payload fairing -- the protective "nose cone" that surrounds a payload during launch -- Monday for reuse down the road, Anderson said.

The Cosmo-SkyMed programme consists of two satellites, which are designed to observe Earth using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), the report said.

CSG is an enhanced follow-on to the original Cosmo-SkyMed system.

The first CSG satellite, CSG-1, launched atop an Arianespace Soyuz rocket from Kourou, French Guiana in December 2019 and is currently operating in a sun-synchronous polar orbit with an altitude of 385 miles (620 km).

(With inputs from agencies)

SpaceX Falcon-9 two-stage rocket topped with Italian Cosmo-Skymed satellite successfully lifted off on Monday at 6:11 pm EST (Tuesday at 4.41 am as per IST.) The launch took place from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX Falcon-9 two-stage rocket topped with Italian Cosmo-Skymed satellite successfully lifted off on Monday at 6:11 pm EST (Tuesday at 4.41 am as per IST.) The launch took place from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch was to initially take place on January 27. But it was postponed due to bad weather. The booster landing was the 104th that SpaceX has pulled off to date during an orbital mission, SpaceX production manager Jessie Anderson was quoted as saying during the webcast of Monday`s launch. This particular first stage had flown twice before, as a side booster on SpaceX`s massive Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission marked the first time that a Heavy side booster had been reconfigured and launched alone as a Falcon 9, Anderson said. Such reuse is key to SpaceX`s long-range goals, as the company aims to reduce the cost of spaceflight to make ambitious exploration feats such as Mars colonisation economically feasible. SpaceX also aimed to recover the CSG-2 mission`s payload fairing -- the protective "nose cone" that surrounds a payload during launch -- Monday for reuse down the road, Anderson said. The Cosmo-SkyMed programme consists of two satellites, which are designed to observe Earth using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), the report said. CSG is an enhanced follow-on to the original Cosmo-SkyMed system. The first CSG satellite, CSG-1, launched atop an Arianespace Soyuz rocket from Kourou, French Guiana in December 2019 and is currently operating in a sun-synchronous polar orbit with an altitude of 385 miles (620 km). (With inputs from agencies)

SpaceX successfully launches Italian satellite 

The winner of the first-of-its-kind sweepstakes gave his seat for a trip to space to his college roommate.

Known as Kyle Hippchen, the man had been given a chance to be on board when SpaceX launched its first tourists into orbit last year.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/out-of-control-rocket-by-elon-musks-spacex-puts-indias-chandrayaan-in-danger-447837" hreflang="en">Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger</a>

Shift4 Payments founder and CEO Jared Isaacman raffled off a seat on the flight he purchased from SpaceX’s Elon Musk. The beneficiary was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Hippchen, who weighs 250 pounds (113 kgs), exceeded the weight limit. He had passed the height eligibility of being under 6-foot-6, as he is 5-foot-10.

“It hurts too much,” he said. “I’m insanely disappointed. But it is what it is.”

“I was trying to figure how I could drop 80 pounds in six months, which, I mean, it’s possible, but it’s not the most healthy thing in the world to do,” Hippchen said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/water-flowed-on-mars-about-a-billion-years-longer-than-previous-estimates-nasa-448238" hreflang="en">Water flowed on Mars about a billion years longer than previous estimates: NASA</a>

The 43-year-old still has not watched the Netflix series on the three-day flight purchased by a tech entrepreneur for himself and three guests last September.

“It was their show, and I didn’t want to be distracting too much from what they were doing,” said Hippchen, who watched the launch from a VIP balcony.

He gave his seat to Chris Sembroski, 42, a data engineer in Everett, Washington. The pair roomed together starting in the late 1990s while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

They both had been spent hundreds of dollars for the giveaway by Isaacman which had received over 72,000 entries.

In gratitude, Sembroski offered to take personal items into space for Hippchen. He gathered his high school and college rings, airline captain epaulets, a great-uncle’s World War I Purple Heart and odds and ends from his best friends from high school, warning, “Don’t ask any details.”

“Kyle’s willingness to gift his seat to Chris was an incredible act of generosity,” said Isaacman.

(With inputs in agencies) 
&nbsp;

The winner of the first-of-its-kind sweepstakes gave his seat for a trip to space to his college roommate. Known as Kyle Hippchen, the man had been given a chance to be on board when SpaceX launched its first tourists into orbit last year.

The winner of the first-of-its-kind sweepstakes gave his seat for a trip to space to his college roommate. Known as Kyle Hippchen, the man had been given a chance to be on board when SpaceX launched its first tourists into orbit last year. Also read | Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger Shift4 Payments founder and CEO Jared Isaacman raffled off a seat on the flight he purchased from SpaceX’s Elon Musk. The beneficiary was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Hippchen, who weighs 250 pounds (113 kgs), exceeded the weight limit. He had passed the height eligibility of being under 6-foot-6, as he is 5-foot-10. “It hurts too much,” he said. “I’m insanely disappointed. But it is what it is.” “I was trying to figure how I could drop 80 pounds in six months, which, I mean, it’s possible, but it’s not the most healthy thing in the world to do,” Hippchen said. Also read | Water flowed on Mars about a billion years longer than previous estimates: NASA The 43-year-old still has not watched the Netflix series on the three-day flight purchased by a tech entrepreneur for himself and three guests last September. “It was their show, and I didn’t want to be distracting too much from what they were doing,” said Hippchen, who watched the launch from a VIP balcony. He gave his seat to Chris Sembroski, 42, a data engineer in Everett, Washington. The pair roomed together starting in the late 1990s while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. They both had been spent hundreds of dollars for the giveaway by Isaacman which had received over 72,000 entries. In gratitude, Sembroski offered to take personal items into space for Hippchen. He gathered his high school and college rings, airline captain epaulets, a great-uncle’s World War I Purple Heart and odds and ends from his best friends from high school, warning, “Don’t ask any details.” “Kyle’s willingness to gift his seat to Chris was an incredible act of generosity,” said Isaacman. (With inputs in agencies)

Winner of a first-of-its-kind sweepstakes gave away his ticket trip to space to his friend

To his utter disappointment, an aeronautics enthusiast was forced to abandon chance to board a three-day SpaceX flight due to excessive weight. &nbsp;

The enthusiast, Kyle Hippchen, was the winner of a seat on September's all-civilian Inspiration 4 mission. &nbsp;

Hippchen, who is a commercial pilot from Florida, has quietly given away his spot to one of his best friends. &nbsp;

"It hurts too much. I'm insanely disappointed. But it is what it is," Hippchen told the Associated Press while saying that even watching the documentary over the mission is too painful for him. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/out-of-control-rocket-by-elon-musks-spacex-puts-indias-chandrayaan-in-danger-447837" hreflang="en">Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger</a>

He had spent $600 on raffle entries to get the chance to win a seat on the SpaceX's mission. The seat was originally purchased by billionaire CEO Jared Isaacman. &nbsp;

The proceeds of the raffle went to St Jude Children's Research Hospital. &nbsp;

When he got email asking for personal details for the mission in March 2021, he realised that he exceeded the maximum 250-pound weight limit by 80 pounds. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/water-flowed-on-mars-about-a-billion-years-longer-than-previous-estimates-nasa-448238" hreflang="en">Water flowed on Mars about a billion years longer than previous estimates: NASA</a>

"I was trying to figure how I could drop 80 pounds in six months, which, I mean, it's possible, but it's not the most healthy thing in the world to do," Hippchen said. &nbsp;

The commercial pilot then decided to give his spot to college roommate, Chris Sembroski, who said that he was "forever grateful" for the opportunity. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

To his utter disappointment, an aeronautics enthusiast was forced to abandon chance to board a three-day SpaceX flight due to excessive weight. The enthusiast, Kyle Hippchen, was the winner of a seat on September's all-civilian Inspiration 4 mission.

To his utter disappointment, an aeronautics enthusiast was forced to abandon chance to board a three-day SpaceX flight due to excessive weight. The enthusiast, Kyle Hippchen, was the winner of a seat on September's all-civilian Inspiration 4 mission. Hippchen, who is a commercial pilot from Florida, has quietly given away his spot to one of his best friends. "It hurts too much. I'm insanely disappointed. But it is what it is," Hippchen told the Associated Press while saying that even watching the documentary over the mission is too painful for him. Also Read: Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger He had spent $600 on raffle entries to get the chance to win a seat on the SpaceX's mission. The seat was originally purchased by billionaire CEO Jared Isaacman. The proceeds of the raffle went to St Jude Children's Research Hospital. When he got email asking for personal details for the mission in March 2021, he realised that he exceeded the maximum 250-pound weight limit by 80 pounds. Also Read: Water flowed on Mars about a billion years longer than previous estimates: NASA "I was trying to figure how I could drop 80 pounds in six months, which, I mean, it's possible, but it's not the most healthy thing in the world to do," Hippchen said. The commercial pilot then decided to give his spot to college roommate, Chris Sembroski, who said that he was "forever grateful" for the opportunity. (With inputs from agencies)

Aeronautics enthusiast forced to abandon chance to board SpaceX flight. Find out why

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday revealed the details of what the upcoming line-up of the company is going to look like in 2022.

"I would be shocked if we do not achieve full self-driving safer than human this year," Musk said, predicting full self-driving would become "the most important source of profitability for Tesla."

"It's nutty good from a financial standpoint," he said, saying robotaxis would boost the utility of a vehicle by five times, as owners can send their cars out to work when not needed.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/analysts-predict-next-12-months-could-be-most-lucrative-for-tesla-ceo-elon-musk-447913" hreflang="en">Analysts predict next 12 months could be most lucrative for Tesla CEO Elon Musk</a>

The South African billionaire is not content with electric cars, shooting people into orbit, populating Mars, and building underground tunnels to solve traffic problems. He also wants to get inside your brain.

His startup, Neuralink, is working on the implantation of computer chips inside the human brain. It aims to develop implants that can treat neural disorders, and that may one day be powerful enough to put humanity on a more even footing with possible future superintelligent computers.

Neuralink is not the only company working on artificial intelligence for the brain. Entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who sold his previous payments startup Braintree to PayPal for $800 million, started Kernel, a company working on “advanced neural interfaces” to treat disease and extend cognition.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/elon-musks-neuralink-to-start-clinical-trials-of-implanting-brain-chips-in-humans-446942" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's Neuralink to start clinical trials of implanting brain chips in humans</a>

Musk also said that the Starship rocket developed by his company SpaceX and selected by NASA for the Americans' return to the Moon would attempt its first orbital flight this month.

Musk has built a career on defying skeptics with working businesses in electric cars and rockets.&nbsp;

Some Tesla drivers buy $12,000 self-driving packages in the expectation that full autonomy is around the corner, and 60,000 Tesla drivers are testing the latest self-driving software, a scale that other autonomous vehicle software companies can only dream of.

Critics believe Musk's promises are far-fetched and will face major challenges, from technology to regulation.

"I love the fact that they're pushing the envelope, but I think they are too aggressive," said Roth Capital Partners analyst Craig Irwin.

Philip Koopman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who has been working on autonomous vehicle safety, said a big problem is that at scale, unusual cases constantly can crop up.

"Without a human driver to handle safety for novel situations the machine learning hasn't been taught already, it's very difficult to ensure safety in a completely automated vehicle," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday revealed the details of what the upcoming line-up of the company is going to look like in 2022. "I would be shocked if we do not achieve full self-driving safer than human this year," Musk said, predicting full self-driving would become "the most important source of profitability for Tesla.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday revealed the details of what the upcoming line-up of the company is going to look like in 2022. "I would be shocked if we do not achieve full self-driving safer than human this year," Musk said, predicting full self-driving would become "the most important source of profitability for Tesla." "It's nutty good from a financial standpoint," he said, saying robotaxis would boost the utility of a vehicle by five times, as owners can send their cars out to work when not needed. Also read | Analysts predict next 12 months could be most lucrative for Tesla CEO Elon Musk The South African billionaire is not content with electric cars, shooting people into orbit, populating Mars, and building underground tunnels to solve traffic problems. He also wants to get inside your brain. His startup, Neuralink, is working on the implantation of computer chips inside the human brain. It aims to develop implants that can treat neural disorders, and that may one day be powerful enough to put humanity on a more even footing with possible future superintelligent computers. Neuralink is not the only company working on artificial intelligence for the brain. Entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who sold his previous payments startup Braintree to PayPal for $800 million, started Kernel, a company working on “advanced neural interfaces” to treat disease and extend cognition. Also read | Elon Musk's Neuralink to start clinical trials of implanting brain chips in humans Musk also said that the Starship rocket developed by his company SpaceX and selected by NASA for the Americans' return to the Moon would attempt its first orbital flight this month. Musk has built a career on defying skeptics with working businesses in electric cars and rockets. Some Tesla drivers buy $12,000 self-driving packages in the expectation that full autonomy is around the corner, and 60,000 Tesla drivers are testing the latest self-driving software, a scale that other autonomous vehicle software companies can only dream of. Critics believe Musk's promises are far-fetched and will face major challenges, from technology to regulation. "I love the fact that they're pushing the envelope, but I think they are too aggressive," said Roth Capital Partners analyst Craig Irwin. Philip Koopman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who has been working on autonomous vehicle safety, said a big problem is that at scale, unusual cases constantly can crop up. "Without a human driver to handle safety for novel situations the machine learning hasn't been taught already, it's very difficult to ensure safety in a completely automated vehicle," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

From humanoid robot to software that drives vehicles autonomously: Here's what Elon Musk is betting on in 2022

A SpaceX rocket that has lost control has put India's Chandrayaan and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in danger. They are orbiting the Moon to collect observations about the impact crater.

The debris of the seven-year-old rocket, that had been launched from Florida, can collide with the Moon as well.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pile-of-space-junk-chinese-citizens-lambast-spacex-after-space-station-near-misses-440415">Also read |&nbsp;'Pile of space junk': Chinese citizens lambast SpaceX after space station near-misses</a>

The dry mass of Falcon 9's second stage is about 4 metric tonnes, and it should impact the Moon at a velocity of about 2.58 km/s.

The aim of the booster was to attempt an interplanetary mission to send a space-weather satellite on a million-mile journey.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-spacex-starship-prototype-explodes-6-minutes-after-takeoff-348932/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

''It has been following a somewhat chaotic orbit since February 2015,'' said meteorologist Eric Berger explained in a recent post on Ars Technica.

“This is the first unintentional case [of space junk hitting the moon] of which I am aware,” as per Bill Gray, who writes the widely used Project Pluto software to track near-Earth objects.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For those asking: yes, an old Falcon 9 second stage left in high orbit in 2015 is going to hit the moon on March 4. It's interesting, but not a big deal.
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) <a href="https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1486057487027646466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

This comes after Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX nearly struck a Chinese space station called Tiangong.

It had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month.

Beijing's complaint about Starlink had prompted criticism on Chinese social media of SpaceX's billionaire founder Musk, who is widely admired in China.

SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA.

In March last year, debris from a Falcon 9 rocket launched by US aeronautics company SpaceX fell to Earth in Washington and on the Oregon coast.

(With inputs from agencies)

A SpaceX rocket that has lost control has put India's Chandrayaan and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in danger. They are orbiting the Moon to collect observations about the impact crater.

A SpaceX rocket that has lost control has put India's Chandrayaan and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in danger. They are orbiting the Moon to collect observations about the impact crater. The debris of the seven-year-old rocket, that had been launched from Florida, can collide with the Moon as well. Also read | 'Pile of space junk': Chinese citizens lambast SpaceX after space station near-misses The dry mass of Falcon 9's second stage is about 4 metric tonnes, and it should impact the Moon at a velocity of about 2.58 km/s. The aim of the booster was to attempt an interplanetary mission to send a space-weather satellite on a million-mile journey. ''It has been following a somewhat chaotic orbit since February 2015,'' said meteorologist Eric Berger explained in a recent post on Ars Technica. “This is the first unintentional case [of space junk hitting the moon] of which I am aware,” as per Bill Gray, who writes the widely used Project Pluto software to track near-Earth objects. For those asking: yes, an old Falcon 9 second stage left in high orbit in 2015 is going to hit the moon on March 4. It's interesting, but not a big deal. — Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) January 25, 2022 × This comes after Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX nearly struck a Chinese space station called Tiangong. It had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month. Beijing's complaint about Starlink had prompted criticism on Chinese social media of SpaceX's billionaire founder Musk, who is widely admired in China. SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA. In March last year, debris from a Falcon 9 rocket launched by US aeronautics company SpaceX fell to Earth in Washington and on the Oregon coast. (With inputs from agencies)

Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger

According to a report quoting astronomers, A SpaceX rocket launched into space from Earth almost 7 years ago is on course to hit the Moon in early March.

Report: A rocket launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX in 2015 is all set to hit the Moon in early March

Elon Musk's SpaceX continues to launch its Starlink satellites. More than a thousand Starlink satellites have already been launched. These low-orbiy satellites can already be seen in the night sky and casual observers are reporting strange lights moving across the night sky in a straight line. Though claims of UFOs are aplenty, in recent times, all such people are probably seeing are Starlink satellites.

SpaceX is not planning to lose its momentum anytime soon and preparing to launch yet another batch of satellites. This time, 49 satellites will be launched into space on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is slated to take place on January 19 at 0004 hours GMT (5:34 am on January 19 as per Indian Standard Time). The launch will take place from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Launch of any spacecraft/ satellite is an exciting thing to watch live. So if you want to catch this launch LIVE, ther are many options.

If you want to watch it on SpaceX website, <a href="https://www.spacex.com/launches/index.html">you can do that here</a>.

If you want to watch it on Youtube, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yov854ZT1lg">this is the link</a>

Starlink is an ambitious venture of Elon Musk's SpaceX that aims to create a constellation of satellites so that internet can be made available to almost anyonwe in the world.

Elon Musk's SpaceX continues to launch its Starlink satellites. More than a thousand Starlink satellites have already been launched. These low-orbiy satellites can already be seen in the night sky and casual observers are reporting strange lights moving across the night sky in a straight line.

Elon Musk's SpaceX continues to launch its Starlink satellites. More than a thousand Starlink satellites have already been launched. These low-orbiy satellites can already be seen in the night sky and casual observers are reporting strange lights moving across the night sky in a straight line. Though claims of UFOs are aplenty, in recent times, all such people are probably seeing are Starlink satellites. SpaceX is not planning to lose its momentum anytime soon and preparing to launch yet another batch of satellites. This time, 49 satellites will be launched into space on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is slated to take place on January 19 at 0004 hours GMT (5:34 am on January 19 as per Indian Standard Time). The launch will take place from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch of any spacecraft/ satellite is an exciting thing to watch live. So if you want to catch this launch LIVE, ther are many options. If you want to watch it on SpaceX website, you can do that here. If you want to watch it on Youtube, this is the link Starlink is an ambitious venture of Elon Musk's SpaceX that aims to create a constellation of satellites so that internet can be made available to almost anyonwe in the world.

Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch 49 Starlink satellites soon: How to watch Live

It was another successful SpaceX launch as the private company sent its Transporter-3 mission into orbit. it took off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX successfully launches a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Transporter-3 mission

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is going to pay a federal tax bill estimated at $11 billion from the money he collected after selling shares worth $15.4 billion of his company.

Not only this, Musk is supposed to pay $2 billion in additional income tax to the state of California, where Tesla was based for majority of last year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/worlds-10-richest-men-add-402bn-to-their-net-worth-in-2021-take-a-look-who-gained-more-441730#elon-musk-441715">Also see |&nbsp;World's 10 richest men add $402bn to their net worth in 2021. Take a look who gained more</a>

He is going to invest the remaining money in his company SpaceX. Starlink, a division of the company, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth.

SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA.

Musk, who is the world's richest person, had polled Twitter users about offloading 10 per cent of his stake in the electric-car maker.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-believes-this-is-the-biggest-threat-to-modern-civilisation-438996">Also read |&nbsp;Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes this is the 'biggest threat' to modern civilisation</a>

His tweet followed a proposal by US Congressional Democrats to tax the super wealthy more heavily by targeting stocks, which are usually only taxed when sold.

According to the latest filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk still holds about 167 million Tesla shares.

Last year in October, Musk's electric car company's valuation soared above a trillion dollars, and SpaceX has teamed up with US space agency NASA to launch various missions including a test run of protecting Earth from an asteroid.

The brash South African-born 50-year-old has seen his wealth soar during the pandemic to over $250 billion, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires list.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is going to pay a federal tax bill estimated at $11 billion from the money he collected after selling shares worth $15.4 billion of his company.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is going to pay a federal tax bill estimated at $11 billion from the money he collected after selling shares worth $15.4 billion of his company. Not only this, Musk is supposed to pay $2 billion in additional income tax to the state of California, where Tesla was based for majority of last year. Also see | World's 10 richest men add $402bn to their net worth in 2021. Take a look who gained more He is going to invest the remaining money in his company SpaceX. Starlink, a division of the company, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth. SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA. Musk, who is the world's richest person, had polled Twitter users about offloading 10 per cent of his stake in the electric-car maker. Also read | Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes this is the 'biggest threat' to modern civilisation His tweet followed a proposal by US Congressional Democrats to tax the super wealthy more heavily by targeting stocks, which are usually only taxed when sold. According to the latest filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk still holds about 167 million Tesla shares. Last year in October, Musk's electric car company's valuation soared above a trillion dollars, and SpaceX has teamed up with US space agency NASA to launch various missions including a test run of protecting Earth from an asteroid. The brash South African-born 50-year-old has seen his wealth soar during the pandemic to over $250 billion, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires list. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk to pay tax bill worth $11 billion from money collected by selling Tesla shares

NASA is going to launch a mission to what could almost be considered a journey to the centre of the Earth.&nbsp;

The US space agency's Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.&nbsp;

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/researchers-design-flying-saucer-that-can-levitate-on-moon-asteroids-441035" hreflang="en">Researchers design 'flying saucer' that can levitate on moon, asteroids</a>

Wall Street research firm Bernstein notes that a big asteroid called 16 Psyche, measuring some 200 km, may contain 17 million billion tones of nickel-iron, enough to satisfy mankind’s current demand for millions of years.

Deep within rocky, terrestrial planets, including Earth, scientists infer the presence of metallic cores, but these lie unreachably far below the planets' rocky mantles and crusts.&nbsp;

As we cannot see or measure Earth's core directly, Psyche offers a unique window into the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-discover-hidden-passageway-beneath-panama-through-which-wind-from-earths-middle-layer-blows-440199" hreflang="en">Scientists discover hidden passageway beneath Panama through which wind from Earth's middle layer blows</a>

The Psyche spacecraft will give us more than a glimpse of our deep past; we could see the beginnings of our technological future.&nbsp;

Instead of traditional rocket fuel, Psyche will gradually build up speed using ion propulsion. Electricity from the space probe’s solar panels will power a new type of thruster, called a Hall thruster, for the first time in deep space.

Psyche will take a swing past Mars for a gravitational push during its 3.5-year cruise to the asteroid, then spend 21 months measuring and mapping, gradually tightening its orbit until it passes just above the surface.

The real value in asteroid mining is for further space travel, and so hydrogen and oxygen reserves are as attractive as any metal.

The energy released when hydrogen and oxygen combine to make water can power rockets. The presence of both elements in compounds found on asteroids offers scope to set up space factories to make fuel for missions to Mars and beyond as well as offering “pit stops” to extend the lives of satellites.

(With inputs from agencies)

NASA is going to launch a mission to what could almost be considered a journey to the centre of the Earth. The US space agency's Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

NASA is going to launch a mission to what could almost be considered a journey to the centre of the Earth. The US space agency's Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Also read | Researchers design 'flying saucer' that can levitate on moon, asteroids Wall Street research firm Bernstein notes that a big asteroid called 16 Psyche, measuring some 200 km, may contain 17 million billion tones of nickel-iron, enough to satisfy mankind’s current demand for millions of years. Deep within rocky, terrestrial planets, including Earth, scientists infer the presence of metallic cores, but these lie unreachably far below the planets' rocky mantles and crusts. As we cannot see or measure Earth's core directly, Psyche offers a unique window into the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets. Also read | Scientists discover hidden passageway beneath Panama through which wind from Earth's middle layer blows The Psyche spacecraft will give us more than a glimpse of our deep past; we could see the beginnings of our technological future. Instead of traditional rocket fuel, Psyche will gradually build up speed using ion propulsion. Electricity from the space probe’s solar panels will power a new type of thruster, called a Hall thruster, for the first time in deep space. Psyche will take a swing past Mars for a gravitational push during its 3.5-year cruise to the asteroid, then spend 21 months measuring and mapping, gradually tightening its orbit until it passes just above the surface. The real value in asteroid mining is for further space travel, and so hydrogen and oxygen reserves are as attractive as any metal. The energy released when hydrogen and oxygen combine to make water can power rockets. The presence of both elements in compounds found on asteroids offers scope to set up space factories to make fuel for missions to Mars and beyond as well as offering “pit stops” to extend the lives of satellites. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA to launch mission to massive, metal-rich asteroid called 'Psyche'

Amid a rise in criticism, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied all the claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is clogging the space in space.&nbsp;

While speaking to the &nbsp;Financial Times, Musk said that tens of billions of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth.

In an interview, Musk said, "Space is just extremely enormous, and satellites are very tiny. This is not some situation where we're effectively blocking others in any way. We've not blocked anyone from doing anything, nor do we expect to."&nbsp;

"A couple of thousand satellites is nothing. It's like, hey, here's a couple of thousand of cars on Earth, it's nothing," he added.&nbsp;

Recently, China accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Musk's SpaceX.

Tiangong, China's new space station, had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month.

The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station".

"The US... ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday.

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth.

SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA.

(With inputs from agencies)

Amid a rise in criticism, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied all the claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is clogging the space in space. While speaking to the Financial Times, Musk said that tens of billions of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth.

Amid a rise in criticism, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied all the claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is clogging the space in space. While speaking to the Financial Times, Musk said that tens of billions of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth. In an interview, Musk said, "Space is just extremely enormous, and satellites are very tiny. This is not some situation where we're effectively blocking others in any way. We've not blocked anyone from doing anything, nor do we expect to." "A couple of thousand satellites is nothing. It's like, hey, here's a couple of thousand of cars on Earth, it's nothing," he added. Recently, China accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Musk's SpaceX. Tiangong, China's new space station, had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month. The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station". "The US... ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday. Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth. SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA. (With inputs from agencies)

'Space is extremely enormous': Amid criticism, Elon Musk says his satellites are not clogging the space

The year 2021, or Year Two of the pandemic as some of us would like to call it, was replete with space-related events that not only had scientific importance but which resonated with public as well. Some of these were once-in-decades developments while others marked advancement of human vision. NASA was at the forefront, as were other space agencies around the world. But what was different this year was even private players made successful forays into space missions. 2021 marked first-ever powered flight on the surface of any planet other than Earth.

Here are some events that made 2021 memorable in terms of space science

 
James Webb Space Telescope

<img alt="James Webb" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="dcb8f193-6a02-4224-898f-b23d730dea11" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2021-12-28T115736Z_2_LYNXMPEHBO027_RTROPTP_4_SPACE-EXPLORATION-TELESCOPE.JPG" />

Humanity is on the verge of using entirely new generation of technology to peer even deeped in space. The iconic Hubble Space Telescope has its gaze fixed at distant stars, but launch of James Webb Space Telescope marks a genrational shift. The space telescope has better technology and instruments than Hubble. James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 24, 2021 and at the time of publishing this story, was in the process of unfolding.

Using the new space telescope, we will be able to observe galaxies which were formed when the universe was in its infancy.

Perseverance on Ingenuity on Mars

<img alt="Perseverance" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2fa9d417-8485-4607-980e-15582d3f291f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/perseverance.JPG" />

 
NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on March 5, 2021. The rover continues to study conditions on Mars and is sending invaluable scientific data back to Earth.

Ingenuity, the helicopter which is aiding Perseverance study Mars created history on April 19, 2021 by marking first-ever powered flight of a man-made craft on an alien planet. Martian atmosphere is very thin as compared to Earth. Hence, flying a helicopter on Mars is an extremely difficult task. Ingenuity's flight was initially supposed to be just an achievement. But the success prompted NASA to extend its mission. Ingenuity carried out several flights after it firt took off from Martian surface.

Private spaceflight

<img alt="SpaceX" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b2e416bc-6383-46e6-b0a4-3560dbb13fd5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2021-12-29T184743Z_2_LYNXMPEHBS0N6_RTROPTP_4_SPACEX-FUNDING.JPG" />

An American millionaire became the world's first space tourist in 2001, but it took 20 more years for the promise of private space flight to finally materialize. 
In July, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson faced off against Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos to be the first non-professional astronaut to complete a suborbital spaceflight.&nbsp;

While the British tycoon won that battle by a few days, it was Blue Origin that raced ahead, launching three more flights with paying customers and celebrity guests. 
Elon Musk's SpaceX entered the fray in September with a three-day orbital mission around the Earth featuring an all-civilian crew on Inspiration 4.&nbsp;

"It's really exciting that finally, after so long this stuff is finally happening," said space industry analyst Laura Seward Forczyk, author of the forthcoming book "Becoming Off-Worldly," intended to prepare future space travelers.

But it was William Shatner, who played the swashbuckling Captain Kirk on the 1960s TV series "Star Trek," who stole the show with a moving account of his experience.

"What you're looking down on is Mother Earth, and it needs protecting," he told reporters.&nbsp;

A spacecraft 'touches' the Sun

It may be impossible for any human-made spacecraft to descend on the actual surface of the Sun, but this year marked a step in that direction. NASA's Parker solar probe 'touched' the Sun. This is to say that it entered 'Corona', the Sun's atmosphere. This is a great achievement. The probe entered the Corona in April 2021.

First film shot in space

A Russian crew shot the first feature film in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021, and Japanese tourists made their own visit there on a Russian rocket.&nbsp;

For a few minutes on December 11, there were a record 19 humans in space when Blue Origin carried out its third crewed mission, the Japanese team were on the ISS along with its normal crew, and Chinese taikonauts were in position on their station.

Discovery of Jupiter's new moon

Jupiter has 79 moons and scientists think there are many more that remain to be found. This year an amateur astronomer found one of those. Kai Ly, the astronomer, made the discovery by analysing data sets from 2003.

The moon has been named EJc0061. It belongs to the Carme group of Jovian moons.

(With inputs from agencies)

The year 2021, or Year Two of the pandemic as some of us would like to call it, was replete with space-related events that not only had scientific importance but which resonated with public as well.

The year 2021, or Year Two of the pandemic as some of us would like to call it, was replete with space-related events that not only had scientific importance but which resonated with public as well. Some of these were once-in-decades developments while others marked advancement of human vision. NASA was at the forefront, as were other space agencies around the world. But what was different this year was even private players made successful forays into space missions. 2021 marked first-ever powered flight on the surface of any planet other than Earth. Here are some events that made 2021 memorable in terms of space science James Webb Space Telescope Humanity is on the verge of using entirely new generation of technology to peer even deeped in space. The iconic Hubble Space Telescope has its gaze fixed at distant stars, but launch of James Webb Space Telescope marks a genrational shift. The space telescope has better technology and instruments than Hubble. James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 24, 2021 and at the time of publishing this story, was in the process of unfolding. Using the new space telescope, we will be able to observe galaxies which were formed when the universe was in its infancy. Perseverance on Ingenuity on Mars NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on March 5, 2021. The rover continues to study conditions on Mars and is sending invaluable scientific data back to Earth. Ingenuity, the helicopter which is aiding Perseverance study Mars created history on April 19, 2021 by marking first-ever powered flight of a man-made craft on an alien planet. Martian atmosphere is very thin as compared to Earth. Hence, flying a helicopter on Mars is an extremely difficult task. Ingenuity's flight was initially supposed to be just an achievement. But the success prompted NASA to extend its mission. Ingenuity carried out several flights after it firt took off from Martian surface. Private spaceflight An American millionaire became the world's first space tourist in 2001, but it took 20 more years for the promise of private space flight to finally materialize. In July, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson faced off against Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos to be the first non-professional astronaut to complete a suborbital spaceflight. While the British tycoon won that battle by a few days, it was Blue Origin that raced ahead, launching three more flights with paying customers and celebrity guests. Elon Musk's SpaceX entered the fray in September with a three-day orbital mission around the Earth featuring an all-civilian crew on Inspiration 4. "It's really exciting that finally, after so long this stuff is finally happening," said space industry analyst Laura Seward Forczyk, author of the forthcoming book "Becoming Off-Worldly," intended to prepare future space travelers. But it was William Shatner, who played the swashbuckling Captain Kirk on the 1960s TV series "Star Trek," who stole the show with a moving account of his experience. "What you're looking down on is Mother Earth, and it needs protecting," he told reporters. A spacecraft 'touches' the Sun It may be impossible for any human-made spacecraft to descend on the actual surface of the Sun, but this year marked a step in that direction. NASA's Parker solar probe 'touched' the Sun. This is to say that it entered 'Corona', the Sun's atmosphere. This is a great achievement. The probe entered the Corona in April 2021. First film shot in space A Russian crew shot the first feature film in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021, and Japanese tourists made their own visit there on a Russian rocket. For a few minutes on December 11, there were a record 19 humans in space when Blue Origin carried out its third crewed mission, the Japanese team were on the ISS along with its normal crew, and Chinese taikonauts were in position on their station. Discovery of Jupiter's new moon Jupiter has 79 moons and scientists think there are many more that remain to be found. This year an amateur astronomer found one of those. Kai Ly, the astronomer, made the discovery by analysing data sets from 2003. The moon has been named EJc0061. It belongs to the Carme group of Jovian moons. (With inputs from agencies)

Year ender: Space news that made 2021 special

After space satellites launched by tech mogul Elon Musk's aerospace business SpaceX almost crashed into its space station twice in the past year, Beijing has asked the United Nations to remind the US to abide by the treaty governing outer space.

Chinese residents also took to social media to criticise billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk's space ambitions.

In a recent report presented to the UN's Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space earlier this month, China stated its space station employed preventative collision avoidance control procedures in July and October to avoid colliding with Starlink satellites.

According to a statement provided by China earlier this month to the United Nations' space agency, satellites from Starlink Internet Services, a part of Musk's SpaceX aerospace business, had two "close encounters" with the Chinese space station on July 1 and October 21.

Scientists have urged governments to exchange data to lessen the possibility of catastrophic space collisions, with roughly 30,000 satellites and other junk believed to be orbiting the Earth.

SpaceX alone has roughly 1,900 satellites in orbit to operate its Starlink internet network, with more on the way.

NASA, the United States' space agency, was forced to cancel a spacewalk at the end of November due to threats posed by space debris. In response, Musk tweeted that the orbits of several Starlink satellites had been altered to lessen the risk of collisions.

With the launch of Tianhe, the largest of the space station's three modules, China began construction in April. After four crewed trips, the station is projected to be finished by the end of 2022.

At the Shanghai auto show in April, Musk has become a well-known figure in China, despite the fact that Tesla's electric-vehicle company has come under increasing scrutiny from regulators, particularly after a client protested bad customer service by climbing on top of a Tesla car.

(With inputs from agencies)

After space satellites launched by tech mogul Elon Musk's aerospace business SpaceX almost crashed into its space station twice in the past year, Beijing has asked the United Nations to remind the US to abide by the treaty governing outer space.

After space satellites launched by tech mogul Elon Musk's aerospace business SpaceX almost crashed into its space station twice in the past year, Beijing has asked the United Nations to remind the US to abide by the treaty governing outer space. Chinese residents also took to social media to criticise billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk's space ambitions. In a recent report presented to the UN's Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space earlier this month, China stated its space station employed preventative collision avoidance control procedures in July and October to avoid colliding with Starlink satellites. According to a statement provided by China earlier this month to the United Nations' space agency, satellites from Starlink Internet Services, a part of Musk's SpaceX aerospace business, had two "close encounters" with the Chinese space station on July 1 and October 21. Scientists have urged governments to exchange data to lessen the possibility of catastrophic space collisions, with roughly 30,000 satellites and other junk believed to be orbiting the Earth. SpaceX alone has roughly 1,900 satellites in orbit to operate its Starlink internet network, with more on the way. NASA, the United States' space agency, was forced to cancel a spacewalk at the end of November due to threats posed by space debris. In response, Musk tweeted that the orbits of several Starlink satellites had been altered to lessen the risk of collisions. With the launch of Tianhe, the largest of the space station's three modules, China began construction in April. After four crewed trips, the station is projected to be finished by the end of 2022. At the Shanghai auto show in April, Musk has become a well-known figure in China, despite the fact that Tesla's electric-vehicle company has come under increasing scrutiny from regulators, particularly after a client protested bad customer service by climbing on top of a Tesla car. (With inputs from agencies)

Near-crash in space: Musk faces backlash after China complains to UN

Chinese citizens slammed Elon Musk's company SpaceX for its ''close encounter'' with the country's space station.

They took to Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, and called the company "just a pile of space junk" while accusing America of "space warfare weapons."

A user called Chen Haiying said on Weibo "The risks of Starlink are being gradually exposed, the whole human race will pay for their business activities."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/spacex-sends-detergent-to-space-to-help-astronauts-wash-clothes-439990" hreflang="en">SpaceX sends detergent to space to help astronauts wash clothes</a>

Some satellites under the Starlink programme of&nbsp;SpaceX nearly collided with China's space station&nbsp;on July 1 and October&nbsp;21.

The move reignites concerns about the growing space arms race, encompassing everything from the development of satellites capable of shunting others out of orbit to laser weapons.&nbsp;

According to a document submitted by China to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, "For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control."

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/want-to-become-a-space-tourist-here-is-all-you-need-to-do-399437" hreflang="en">Want to become a space tourist? Here is all you need to do</a>

There are currently more than 4,500 satellites whizzing around Earth, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, with companies like SpaceX planning to launch up to tens of thousands more, as the private space industry experiences rapid growth.

With the launch of Tianhe, China had the construction of the space station in April and it is expected to be completed by 2022.

Citing risks posed by space debris, US space agency NASA was forced to abruptly call off a spacewalk at the end of November.

(With inputs from agencies)

Chinese citizens slammed Elon Musk's company SpaceX for its ''close encounter'' with the country's space station. They took to Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, and called the company "just a pile of space junk" while accusing America of "space warfare weapons.

Chinese citizens slammed Elon Musk's company SpaceX for its ''close encounter'' with the country's space station. They took to Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, and called the company "just a pile of space junk" while accusing America of "space warfare weapons." A user called Chen Haiying said on Weibo "The risks of Starlink are being gradually exposed, the whole human race will pay for their business activities." Also read | SpaceX sends detergent to space to help astronauts wash clothes Some satellites under the Starlink programme of SpaceX nearly collided with China's space station on July 1 and October 21. The move reignites concerns about the growing space arms race, encompassing everything from the development of satellites capable of shunting others out of orbit to laser weapons. According to a document submitted by China to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, "For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control." Also see | Want to become a space tourist? Here is all you need to do There are currently more than 4,500 satellites whizzing around Earth, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, with companies like SpaceX planning to launch up to tens of thousands more, as the private space industry experiences rapid growth. With the launch of Tianhe, China had the construction of the space station in April and it is expected to be completed by 2022. Citing risks posed by space debris, US space agency NASA was forced to abruptly call off a spacewalk at the end of November. (With inputs from agencies)

'Pile of space junk': Chinese citizens lambast SpaceX after space station near-misses

In a Christmas package, SpaceX seems to have sent laundry detergent along with presents and turkey to astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday. &nbsp;

Manufactured by Proctor and Gamble, the detergent seems to be a part of an experiment to see that can clothes be washed in space effectively. &nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Stage separation confirmed! The <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> Dragon is now floating freely and flying toward the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> with science, supplies, and holiday treats aboard for the <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_Astronauts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_Astronauts</a>. <a href="https://t.co/ncOPLLXNgd">pic.twitter.com/ncOPLLXNgd</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1473237438235652099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

In June, the experiment was announced in a press release. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/watch-finally-revolutionary-james-webb-space-telescope-scales-sky-on-christmas-439928" hreflang="en">Watch: Finally, James Webb Space Telescope scales sky on Christmas</a>

Currently, astronauts wear clothes several times before they are replaced completely with new ones, which are sent from Earth. &nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ready for launch! 🚀 <a href="https://twitter.com/tide?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tide</a> is taking its low-resource 🧺 detergent solution to space aboard <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> CRS-24 – scheduled for launch at 5:06 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 21 (weather permitting). Read more: <a href="https://t.co/Qx8Mf9M8IC">https://t.co/Qx8Mf9M8IC</a> <a href="https://t.co/IIiinmgoTU">pic.twitter.com/IIiinmgoTU</a>
— Procter &amp; Gamble (@ProcterGamble) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProcterGamble/status/1472984313826316294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Without a proper laundry solution, 160 pounds of clothing per crew member per year are launched to ISS. Human roundtrip missions to Mars could be two to three years in length," the press release said. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/explainer-what-is-james-webb-space-telescope-that-is-set-to-be-launched-today-439852" hreflang="en">Explainer: What is James Webb Space Telescope that is set to be launched today</a>

Mark Sivik, senior director and research fellow, Proctor and Gamble, told Space.com, "Once you start having extended trips out in space, laundry is a must-have. What we've developed here is fully degradable and designed to work within the space station's closed-loop system." &nbsp;

If the experiment gets successful, the detergent will help astronauts wash clothes in space. It would be helpful in long trips, such as to Mars, in the future. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a Christmas package, SpaceX seems to have sent laundry detergent along with presents and turkey to astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday.

In a Christmas package, SpaceX seems to have sent laundry detergent along with presents and turkey to astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday. Manufactured by Proctor and Gamble, the detergent seems to be a part of an experiment to see that can clothes be washed in space effectively. Stage separation confirmed! The @SpaceX Dragon is now floating freely and flying toward the @Space_Station with science, supplies, and holiday treats aboard for the @NASA_Astronauts. pic.twitter.com/ncOPLLXNgd — NASA (@NASA) December 21, 2021 × In June, the experiment was announced in a press release. Also Read | Watch: Finally, James Webb Space Telescope scales sky on Christmas Currently, astronauts wear clothes several times before they are replaced completely with new ones, which are sent from Earth. Ready for launch! 🚀 @Tide is taking its low-resource 🧺 detergent solution to space aboard @SpaceX CRS-24 – scheduled for launch at 5:06 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 21 (weather permitting). Read more: https://t.co/Qx8Mf9M8IC pic.twitter.com/IIiinmgoTU — Procter & Gamble (@ProcterGamble) December 20, 2021 × "Without a proper laundry solution, 160 pounds of clothing per crew member per year are launched to ISS. Human roundtrip missions to Mars could be two to three years in length," the press release said. Also Read: Explainer: What is James Webb Space Telescope that is set to be launched today Mark Sivik, senior director and research fellow, Proctor and Gamble, told Space.com, "Once you start having extended trips out in space, laundry is a must-have. What we've developed here is fully degradable and designed to work within the space station's closed-loop system." If the experiment gets successful, the detergent will help astronauts wash clothes in space. It would be helpful in long trips, such as to Mars, in the future. (With inputs from agencies)

SpaceX sends detergent to space to help astronauts wash clothes

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that political correctness is the biggest threat to modern civilisation.

In an interview with comedian Dave Chappelle, Musk said ''At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful.''

''It basically gives mean people… a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue,'' he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-fitting-reply-billionaire-elon-musk-vows-to-pay-over-11-bn-in-taxes-this-year-438306">Also read |&nbsp;In fitting reply, billionaire Elon Musk vows to pay over $11 bn in taxes this year</a>

The billionaire also defended his decision to sell his shares in Tesla. He said he wanted to reach his plan to sell 10 per cent&nbsp;of his shares in the world's most valuable car company.

"I sold enough stock to get to around 10 per cent&nbsp;plus the option exercise stuff and I tried to be extremely literal here," he said in the interview with satirical website Babylon Bee.

He asked ''Do we want a humorless society that is simply rife with condemnation and hate?'' and said ''Wokeness basically wants to make comedy illegal, which is not cool.''

Also read |&nbsp;Tesla CEO Elon Musk wealthier than Pakistan’s GDP

Talking about how it is "increasingly difficult to get things done" in California, Musk said, "California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is... becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation."

Musk also spoke ambitiously about his interest in colonising Mars, and plans orbital flights next year as part of SpaceX's planned American return to the Moon.

The brash South African-born 50-year-old has seen his wealth soar during the pandemic to over $250 billion, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires' list.&nbsp;

He became the world's wealthiest person after overtaking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos this year.

(With inputs from agencies)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that political correctness is the biggest threat to modern civilisation. In an interview with comedian Dave Chappelle, Musk said ''At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that political correctness is the biggest threat to modern civilisation. In an interview with comedian Dave Chappelle, Musk said ''At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful.'' ''It basically gives mean people… a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue,'' he added. Also read | In fitting reply, billionaire Elon Musk vows to pay over $11 bn in taxes this year The billionaire also defended his decision to sell his shares in Tesla. He said he wanted to reach his plan to sell 10 per cent of his shares in the world's most valuable car company. "I sold enough stock to get to around 10 per cent plus the option exercise stuff and I tried to be extremely literal here," he said in the interview with satirical website Babylon Bee. He asked ''Do we want a humorless society that is simply rife with condemnation and hate?'' and said ''Wokeness basically wants to make comedy illegal, which is not cool.'' Also read | Tesla CEO Elon Musk wealthier than Pakistan’s GDP Talking about how it is "increasingly difficult to get things done" in California, Musk said, "California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is... becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation." Musk also spoke ambitiously about his interest in colonising Mars, and plans orbital flights next year as part of SpaceX's planned American return to the Moon. The brash South African-born 50-year-old has seen his wealth soar during the pandemic to over $250 billion, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires' list. He became the world's wealthiest person after overtaking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos this year. (With inputs from agencies)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes this is the 'biggest threat' to modern civilisation

As many as 132 employees of SpaceX at California headquarters have tested positive for coronavirus, making it the largest workplace outbreak in Los Angeles.

In a statement, SpaceX officials said not all the cases were reported in a single day, rather they were started adding up from September when several employees contracted COVID-19 outside of the workplace.

“Of the 132 reported ‘outbreak’ cases, only one case was suspected to have occurred at work. 132 is also the aggregate number of cases reported since the September case described above, and that number includes employees who may have been on vacation for several weeks, returned to work and received a COVID test at SpaceX that turned out positive. Again, it does not mean 132 employees in Hawthorne have COVID today or contracted it in the workplace,” it said in a statement.

“We will continue to work very hard to keep employees safe in the workplace,” it added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-announces-fourth-booster-dose-for-over-60s-and-medics-as-omicron-rages-438890">Israel announces fourth booster dose for over 60s and medics as Omicron rages</a>

The Hawthorne facility, which employs nearly 6,000 employees,&nbsp;serves as both the company's headquarters, mission control and manufacturing for Falcon 9 rockets.

According to a report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday, the Elon Musk-led company currently accounts for nearly 30 per cent of workplace COVID-19 cases in the county.

The outbreak comes amid rising cases in California and across the US that is witnessing a new wave of infections spurred by the Omicron strain.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/omicron-3-times-more-transmissible-than-delta-centre-askes-states-to-take-prompt-action-438911">‘Omicron 3 times more transmissible than Delta’: Centre askes states to take prompt action</a>

From Friday till Sunday, California on an average recorded 8,757 new cases each day, which is up by 29 per cent from last week earlier and the highest daily total since mid-September, according to reports.

The seven-day average of test positivity is up about 22 per cent compared to a week ago.

(With inputs from agencies)

As many as 132 employees of SpaceX at California headquarters have tested positive for coronavirus, making it the largest workplace outbreak in Los Angeles. In a statement, SpaceX officials said not all the cases were reported in a single day, rather they were started adding up from September when several employees contracted COVID-19 outside of the workplace.

As many as 132 employees of SpaceX at California headquarters have tested positive for coronavirus, making it the largest workplace outbreak in Los Angeles. In a statement, SpaceX officials said not all the cases were reported in a single day, rather they were started adding up from September when several employees contracted COVID-19 outside of the workplace. “Of the 132 reported ‘outbreak’ cases, only one case was suspected to have occurred at work. 132 is also the aggregate number of cases reported since the September case described above, and that number includes employees who may have been on vacation for several weeks, returned to work and received a COVID test at SpaceX that turned out positive. Again, it does not mean 132 employees in Hawthorne have COVID today or contracted it in the workplace,” it said in a statement. “We will continue to work very hard to keep employees safe in the workplace,” it added. Also read | Israel announces fourth booster dose for over 60s and medics as Omicron rages The Hawthorne facility, which employs nearly 6,000 employees, serves as both the company's headquarters, mission control and manufacturing for Falcon 9 rockets. According to a report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday, the Elon Musk-led company currently accounts for nearly 30 per cent of workplace COVID-19 cases in the county. The outbreak comes amid rising cases in California and across the US that is witnessing a new wave of infections spurred by the Omicron strain. Also read | ‘Omicron 3 times more transmissible than Delta’: Centre askes states to take prompt action From Friday till Sunday, California on an average recorded 8,757 new cases each day, which is up by 29 per cent from last week earlier and the highest daily total since mid-September, according to reports. The seven-day average of test positivity is up about 22 per cent compared to a week ago. (With inputs from agencies)

132 employees from SpaceX test Covid positive as Omicron spurs new wave of infections

spacex

Spacex, News on Spacex, stories on Spacex, articles on Spacex, Spacex stories at Wion, Spacex news, Spacex latest news