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☆ K2 Space, a startup with SpaceX veterans building monster satellites, raises $50 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Los Angeles-based startup K2 Space raised $50 million in new funding as the company works to build monster satellites to match the massive rockets that are coming to market. The company's latest fundraiser was led by tech investor Brad Gerstner's Altimeter Capital and joined by Alpine Space Ventures, adding to the $8.5 million in seed funding it raised from investors including First Round Capital and Republic Capital. K2 declined to specify its valuation after the most recent round. "This round is effectively built for the demand that we're seeing for launching constellations of the Mega class satellites," Karan Kunjur told CNBC. K2's Mega class satellite bus — the physical structure of a spacecraft that provides power, movement and more — is sized to fit in "heavy" and "super heavy" rockets.

Persons: Karan Kunjur, Neel Kunjur, Brad, Glenn Organizations: K2, Alpine Space Ventures, First, Capital, Republic Capital, CNBC Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Surgery in space: Tiny remotely operated robot completes first simulated procedure at the space station
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | Kristin Fisher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A tiny surgical robot in residence at the International Space Station completed its first surgery demo in zero gravity on Saturday, developers of the technology exclusively told CNN. A robotic tool built for spaceThe robot is only 2 pounds (0.9 kilogram), and its compact microwave-size design makes it a lightweight instrument fit for space travel. SpaceMIRA hitched a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 30 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and arrived at the space station on February 1. One of the challenges when attempting to control a robot in space from Earth is latency, or the time delay between when the command is sent and the robot receives it. “Five seconds would be an eternity in surgery, and a split second or a half a second is going to be significant.

Persons: —, Shane Farritor, ” Farritor, SpaceMIRA, Farritor, Michael Jobst, ”, Jobst, ” Jobst, “, that’s Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force, University of Nebraska Locations: Lincoln , Nebraska, Florida’s, Mississippi, MIRA

☆ US moon landing: Second NASA-backed company aims for lunar landing attempt
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It will amount to “a high-energy fastball pitch towards the moon,” as Intuitive Machines CEO Stephen Altemus put it. Once in Earth’s orbit, the lunar lander will separate from the rocket and begin venturing on its own, using an onboard engine to boost itself on a direct trajectory toward the lunar surface. Founded in 2013, Intuitive Machines will be the second of the CLPS program participants — after Astrobotic — to attempt a moon landing. If all goes according to plan, Odysseus will spend seven days operating on the moon as the lunar lander basks in the sun. Altemus estimates that Intuitive Machines has about an 80% chance of safely landing Odysseus on the moon.

Persons: Odysseus, Odie, Stephen Altemus, Peregrine, Chandan Khanna, CLPS, ”, Joel Kearns, Astrobotic —, Jeff Koons —, —, “ We’ve, who’s, Odysseus ’, Altemus, “ It’s, ” Altemus Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Technology, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Payload, “, Columbia, United States, Peregrine Locations: United States, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Houston, Pittsburgh, Cape, China, India, Japan, British, Russia

☆ US F-16s are exceeding the expectations of Ukraine's pilots, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian pilots training on US F-16s are "very impressed" with the fighter jets, a report said. The Ukrainian service of the Voice of America report cites a Ukrainian Air Force pilot. AdvertisementUkrainian pilots are "very impressed" with US F-16 fighter jets, the Ukrainian service of the Voice of America reported. It will still be several months before they see action against Russian forces, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesman said. AdvertisementDespite this, it noted that "the effort spent training Ukrainian pilots, ground crews, and logisticians to operate and maintain these aircraft will have long-term value."

Persons: —, Pat Ryder, Grant Shapps, we're, Rustem Umerov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix Organizations: Ukrainian Air Force, US Air Force, Service, Air Force, Pentagon Press, Britain's Royal Air Force, UK Defence, Armed Forces, Ukraine's Defense, Russia, Russian, Getty, The Telegraph, US Air, AIM, Atlantic Council Locations: Europe, Denmark, Ukraine, AFP, Netherlands, Norway

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s newest climate satellite rocketed into orbit Thursday to survey the world’s oceans and atmosphere in never-before-seen detail. SpaceX launched the Pace satellite on its $948 million mission before dawn, with the Falcon rocket heading south over the Atlantic to achieve a rare polar orbit. The satellite will spend at least three years studying the oceans from 420 miles (676 kilometers) up, as well as the atmosphere. Photos You Should See View All 15 ImagesNASA already has more than two dozen Earth-observing satellites and instruments in orbit. NASA is collaborating with India on another advanced Earth-observing satellite due to launch this year.

Persons: It’s, Jeremy Werdell, Pace, “ Pace, Karen St, Germain, Trump, ” Werdell Organizations: SpaceX, Pace, NASA, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, India

☆ NASA PACE mission to study Earth’s oceans and atmosphere is ready to launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The NASA PACE, or Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem, mission is set to lift off at 1:33 a.m. Although designed as a three-year mission, PACE has enough fuel to continue orbiting and studying Earth for up to 10 years. “In many ways, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about our own oceans,” St. Germain said. “PACE will be the most advanced mission we’ve ever launched to study ocean biology. While phytoplankton play a major role in drawing carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere, some species can be harmful, too.

Persons: Jeremy Werdell, ”, Karen St, Germain, ” Werdell, Pam Melroy, Kate Calvin, ” Calvin, Calvin, “, Andy Sayer, Webb, Norman Kuring Organizations: CNN, NASA PACE, SpaceX, Cape Canaveral Space Force, YouTube, PACE, Science, NASA, SpaceX “ Locations: Cape, Florida, St, ” St

☆ Investing in Space: How bankers read a potential sale of rocket builder ULA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. It's been widely reported over the last year that ULA parent companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin are considering offloading the rocket business. That's despite the successful debut of ULA's Vulcan rocket in early January, which I assumed would galvanize a sale. In the meantime, I've been curious to understand how ULA's sale is likely to play out. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are, and have been, looking to sell the rocket business for some time.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, It's, Lockheed Martin, ULA, Tory Bruno, Jeff Bezos, hasn't, I've, it's Organizations: Boeing, Lockheed, Origin, Textron, SpaceX, U.S ., Glenn, Vulcan Locations: ULA

☆ Even the wealthy will have to pay extra for parking at the Super Bowl — at least for their private jets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Taylor Rains | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Hundreds of private jets are expected to flood Las Vegas this weekend for Super Bowl LVIII. According to the agency, Super Bowl parking spot reservations are handed by aircraft service stations known as fixed-based operators, or FBOs. Scottsdale Airport in Arizona saw a deluge of private jets ahead of the Super Bowl in 2023. Wealthy flyers will also use private charter companies like flyExclusive and VistaJet to schedule a drop-off and pick-up before and after the Super Bowl. AdvertisementRepresentatives for Swift did not immediately respond to comment from BI regarding her planned Super Bowl travels.

Persons: Taylor, —, Heidi Hayes, City's, Harry Reid, Henderson, Hayes, Leona Qi, Jim Segrave, LIV, Breitenfeldt, Ross D, Niall Mulcahy, Mulcahy, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Swift, hasn't, Qi Organizations: Service, Las, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Clark, Clark County Department of Aviation, Federal Aviation Administration, Super, National Football League, FAA, NFL, Harry Reid International Airport, Henderson Executive Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, Boulder City Airport, Flexjet, Private, Associated Press, WM Phoenix, Super Bowl, Scottsdale Airport, Franklin, Signature Aviation, Dassault Falcon, Dassault, Bombardier Global, Gulfstream, Bombardier Locations: Vegas, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Clark County, North, North Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Glendale , Arizona, Arizona, Missouri, Baltimore, Nashville

☆ How Las Vegas airports are bracing for an influx of private jets for the Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Taylor Rains | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some 330,000 people are expected to visit Las Vegas this weekend as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. AdvertisementThese include Sin City's main Harry Reid International Airport, as well as Henderson Executive Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, and Boulder City Airport in the suburbs. Speaking to the Henderson and North Las Vegas airports, Hayes told BI there are about 1,100 slots across the two. According to the agency, Super Bowl parking spot reservations are handed by aircraft service stations known as fixed-based operators, or FBOs. AdvertisementRepresentatives for Swift did not immediately respond to comment from BI regarding her planned Super Bowl travels.

Persons: Heidi Hayes, City's, Harry Reid, Henderson, Hayes, Leona Qi, Jim Segrave, LIV, Breitenfeldt, Ross D, Niall Mulcahy, Mulcahy, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Swift, hasn't, Qi Organizations: Las, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Clark, Clark County Department of Aviation, Federal Aviation Administration, Super, National Football League, FAA, NFL, Harry Reid International Airport, Henderson Executive Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, Boulder City Airport, Flexjet, Private, Associated Press, WM Phoenix, Super Bowl, Scottsdale Airport, Franklin, Signature Aviation, Dassault Falcon, Dassault, Bombardier Global, Gulfstream, Bombardier Locations: Las Vegas, Clark County, Vegas, North, North Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Glendale , Arizona, Arizona, Tokyo, Missouri, Baltimore, Nashville

☆ Taylor Swift quietly downsizes to one private jet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Grace Kay | Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Swift has faced backlash for her private jet usage in the past. AdvertisementTaylor Swift is down to one private jet. Up until January, the pop star had two private jets: the Dassault 900 and a Dassault 7X. The Dassault 7X is still registered to Island Jet Inc., a holding company listed under the same address as Taylor Swift Productions. In 2022, Swift topped a list of celebrities with the most private jet carbon emissions.

Persons: Taylor, Swift, —, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Swift's, Jack Sweeney, Sweeney Organizations: Service, Dassault Falcon, Federal Aviation, SATA, Taylor Swift Productions, FAA, Dassault, Business Jet, Dassault 7X, Island Jet Inc, BI, PIA, Washington Post Locations: Nashville, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, St, Louis , Missouri, Baltimore, Tokyo, Las Vegas

☆ China Launches Powerful Jielong-3 Rocket, Paves Way for More Commercial Missions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - A small but powerful Chinese rocket capable of sending payloads at competitive costs delivered nine satellites into orbit on Saturday, Chinese state media reported, in what is gearing up to be another busy year for Chinese commercial launches. It was the third launch of the rocket, developed by China Rocket Co, a commercial offshoot of a state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer, since December 2022. The cost is similar to the launches of other Chinese small-lift rockets including the Long March 11, but their payload sizes are significantly smaller. Other commercial companies in the Chinese vehicle launch sector includes Galactic Energy, whose Ceres-1 rocket made its debut flight in November 2020. Ceres-1 is capable of delivering a 300 kg payload to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Ryan Woo, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: China, Co, Geely Holding, CAS Space, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Galactic Energy Locations: BEIJING, Yangjiang, Guangdong, Guangzhou, Lijian, Ceres, Beijing, Shandong

A look at Swift's recent travel, carbon dioxide emissions from private jets versus commercial plan and one of the most common, albeit controversial, solutions floated to address such pollution. SWIFT'S CARBON FOOTPRINTIf Swift attends the Super Bowl, she will be traveling from Tokyo, where she is on tour. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio and many others have periodically gotten attention for their travel on private jets. All air travel creates emissions, though private jets produce much more per person. A 2023 study by the Institute for Policy Studies found that private jets emit at least 10 times more pollutants per passenger compared to commercial planes.

Persons: Taylor Swift’s, Travis Kelce, Swift, Gregory Keoleian, Keoleian, Julia Stein, “, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, ”, Jeff Colgan, Gates, didn't, Jonathan Foley, ” Foley Organizations: PHILADELPHIA, Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Super, Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, Dassault, U.S . Energy Information Administration, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, Brown University, Olympic Games, of Parties, Institute for Policy Studies, Associated Press, Washington Post Locations: Las Vegas, Tokyo, AP.org

LAS VEGAS (AP) — If Taylor Swift is jetting from her upcoming Tokyo concert to Las Vegas to see boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Super Bowl the next day, she'd better already have a place to park her plane. “Oh, they’re full,” said Rick Breitenfeldt, FAA spokesman for his sixth Super Bowl. Commercial airlines have added flights and the Las Vegas airport reported Wednesday it handled a record 57.6 million passengers in 2023. Due to time zone differences, if she flies out at midnight, it will be 7 a.m. Saturday in Las Vegas. Hayes said aircraft parking fees during Super Bowl weekend at Harry Reid International were unchanged from the standard rate.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, she'd, Heidi Hayes, ”, Rick Breitenfeldt, Hayes, Harry Reid, Swift, Breitenfeldt, Brian McCarthy, McCarthy, John Wayne Organizations: LAS VEGAS, Super Bowl, Federal Aviation Administration, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, NFL, Clark County Department of Aviation, FAA, Super, Las, Las Vegas, Harry Reid International, Henderson, Boulder City Municipal Airport, SWIFT, Dassault Falcon, Vegas, WM Phoenix, National Business Aviation Association, LIV Golf, Las Vegas Country Club, Sunday, That's, Mesquite Municipal, Laughlin, Bullhead, Jean Sport Aviation Center, Ontario International, San Bernardino International, Palm Springs, Palmdale Regional, Los Angeles International, John, John Wayne International, Long, International, Hollywood, Harry, MGM Resorts International Locations: Tokyo, Vegas, Las Vegas, Clark, U.S, North Las Vegas, Boulder, Glendale , Arizona, Phoenix, Saudi, Airports, Mesquite, Nevada, Arizona, California, Santa Ana, Burbank, Las Vegas . Phoenix, Mandalay Bay, Luxor

☆ US F-16 fighter crashes off South Korea in third loss of Korea-based jet in a year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Brad Lendon | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A United States Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed after suffering an in-flight emergency off the coast of South Korea Wednesday, in the third crash of one of the US military’s Korea-based warplanes in less than a year. The pilot, assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing, ejected safely and was recovered about 50 minutes after the crash, the Air Force statement said. Wednesday’s crash was the third of a South Korea-based F-16 in less than a year, though there are no indications they are related. An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 80th Fighter Squadron takes off from Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, on September 18, 2023. In May 2023, an F-16 crashed into an agricultural area near Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, during training.

Persons: ”, Matthew Gaetke ,, Samuel Earick, Kunsan Organizations: South Korea CNN, United States Air Force, Kunsan Air Base, 8th Fighter, Air Force, Matthew Gaetke , 8th Fighter, 80th Fighter Squadron, . Air Force, Korean, Osan Air Base, US Air Force, Air Forces, Air Force Safety Center Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Korean, Republic, Osan

☆ Elon Musk's SpaceX seemingly bought a Boeing 737 with a strange livery — and nobody appears to know why
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementElon Musk's SpaceX has seemingly bought a Boeing 737 that used to belong to Air China, records show. Related storiesThe Federal Aviation Administration's registry shows the jet's owner is Falcon Aviation Holdings LLC. Unexpected visitor at LAX: A Boeing 737-800 with a distinctive livery, registered under Falcon Aviation Holdings LLC. #aviation #avgeek #airplanes #planespotting pic.twitter.com/mf6I29kt26 — AIRLINE VIDEOS (@airlinevideos) January 25, 2024Falcon Aviation Holdings took ownership of the 737-800 back in July, according to data from Planespotters.net. Most of them are owned by Falcon Landing LLC.

Persons: —, Elon, it's, Jack Sweeney Organizations: LAX, Boeing, SpaceX, Gulfstream, Service, Los Angeles International Airport, Federal Aviation, Falcon Aviation Holdings, Air, FALCON AVIATION, Falcon Landing, Business Locations: Air China, Hawthorne , California, Hawthorne

☆ A new AI detection tool may have solved the problem of false positives for student writing, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The researchers tested Binoculars on large sets of data compiled of news writing, creative writing, and student essays. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT explode in popularity, concerns have grown about students using AI to complete academic work while passing it off as their own. At the same time, many students have been wrongly accused of using AI, based on results of AI detection tools. Last year, schools and universities began disabling such AI detection tools. The researchers claimed Binoculars' method corrects for the role a person prompting an AI tool plays in the output, which has been pointed to as a cause for false positives in AI detection tools.

Persons: they've, Abhimanyu Hans, Dustin Moskovitz, Abu Dhabi's Falcon, Hans, Perplexity Organizations: Business, University of Maryland, Vanderbilt University, Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, Tübingen AI, Capital, Amazon Research

☆ War in Ukraine shows a need to rethink air superiority, as it may only be possible in short bursts, top US Air Force officer says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The war in Ukraine has proven a need to rethink air superiority, the top US Air Force officer said. "Air superiority still matters — it may be for shorter periods of time because it's just unaffordable to do it for longer periods of time." For air operations, air supremacy means "the opposing force is incapable of effective interference," according to the Air Force, while air superiority means the military can conduct operations without significant "prohibitive interference" from air and missile threats. AdvertisementA Mig-29 fighter of the Ukrainian air force is seen on a mission in Ukraine's war-hit east Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. He emphasized that if this method is executed in short bursts, an air force can be "very effective" during that timeframe.

Persons: David Allvin, —, Allvin, it's, Keith James Organizations: US Air Force, Service, Air Force, AP, Staff, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, China, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Pacific

☆ Russian businessman and wife believed to have been on private medical evacuation flight that crashed in Afghanistan, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA Russian businessman and his wife are believed to have been on a private jet that crashed in Afghanistan during a medical evacuation, according to local reports. Russian civil aviation authorities confirmed that a Russian private jet had disappeared from radar, according to Russian news agency Tass was carrying businessman Anatoly Evsyukov, 65, and his wife Anna. Russian authorities said the Russian-registered Dassault Falcon 10 "stopped communicating and disappeared from radar screens," per the AP. Russian officials said the plane belongs to Athletic Group LLC and a private individual, according to the outlet.

Persons: —, Anatoly Evsyukov, Anna, Abdul Wahid Rayan Organizations: Service, Business, Associated Press, Transportation, Civil Aviation Ministry, Tass, Dassault Falcon, Culture Ministry, Athletic Group, AP Locations: Russian, Afghanistan, Badakhshan, Novosti, Pattaya, Thailand, Moscow, Gaya, India, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

☆ Four survive charter jet crash in Afghanistan but condition of two others unclear, Russia says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Two Taliban provincial officials said four survivors were now with Taliban administration officials who had reached the remote, mountainous site of the crash. The Taliban administration’s top spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the pilot of the plane was among four who had survived. The Russian-registered charter plane with six people on board disappeared from radar screens over Afghanistan a day earlier, Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Sunday, after Afghan police said they had received reports of a crash. The pilot then reported that one engine had stopped, and then that the second one had also stopped, SHOT reported. Afghanistan police had received reports of a plane crash in a remote, mountainous region of Badakhshan in Afghanistan’s far north, a provincial police spokesperson said on Sunday.

Persons: Zabiullah Mujahid, ”, Rosaviatsia, “, Zabihullah Amiri Organizations: CNN, Taliban, Thailand’s Utapao, Dassault Aviation, Falcon, Reuters, Russia’s, Athletic Locations: Moscow, Afghanistan, Islamic, Thailand’s, Pattaya, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russian, Indian, Thailand’s Pattaya, Bangkok, “, Russia, Badakhshan, Afghanistan’s, Fayzabad

☆ Crash reported as Russian charter flight with 6 people disappears over Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian aviation authorities said in a statement the plane was a charter ambulance flight traveling from India, via Uzbekistan to Moscow on a French-made Dassault Falcon 10 jet manufactured in 1978. Police in northern Afghanistan received reports of a plane crash in Badakhshan province, a provincial police spokesperson said on Sunday. India's civil aviation authority said that the plane crash was not a scheduled commercial flight or an Indian chartered aircraft and that "more details are awaited." The Afghan provincial police spokesperson said in a statement the crash had taken place overnight in a remote, mountainous region of Badakhshan in Afghanistan's far north. He said there were no confirmed details on the type of plane, cause of the crash or casualties.

Persons: OMER ABRAR Organizations: Getty Images, Dassault Falcon, Police, Afghan Locations: Fayzabad, Badakhshan province, AFP, Afghanistan, Russian, India, Uzbekistan, Moscow, Indian, Badakhshan, Afghanistan's

☆ Four Astronauts, Including Turkey's First, Arrive at Space Station
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Steve Gorman(Reuters) - A four-man crew including Turkey's first astronaut arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) early on Saturday for a two-week stay in the latest such mission arranged entirely at commercial expense by Texas-based startup company Axiom Space. The rendezvous came about 37 hours after the Axiom quartet's Thursday evening liftoff in a rocketship from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Once the astronauts reach the space station, they fall under the responsibility of NASA's mission control operation in Houston. The multinational team was led by Michael López-Alegría, 65, a Spanish-born retired NASA astronaut and Axiom executive making his sixth flight to the space station. Axiom also is one of a handful of companies building a commercial space station of its own intended to eventually replace the ISS, which NASA expects to retire around 2030.

Persons: Steve Gorman, Turkey's, NASA's, Michael López, Axiom's, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, Alper Gezeravcı, David Evans Organizations: Reuters, Space, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Elon, SpaceX, NASA, Italian Air Force, European Space Agency, Turkish Air Force, ISS Locations: Texas, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Houston, Spanish, Japan, Denmark, U.S, Canada, Los Angeles

Astrobotic Technology said contact and then tracking was lost as its lunar lander reentered Earth's atmosphere Thursday, 10 days after launching from Florida. It was the first U.S. lunar lander in more than a half-century. Right before Friday’s U.S. news conference, a lunar lander from Japan touched down on the moon, but it was unable to generate crucial solar power. The U.S., Russia, China and India have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon and only the U.S. has landed astronauts. Flight controllers were able to turn on some experiments and collect data,The company is already is working on an even bigger lunar lander that will carry NASA's Viper rover to the moon in a year.

Persons: company’s, moonshot, John Thornton, ” Thornton, Astrobotic, Thornton, Peregrine, NASA —, Gene Roddenberry Organizations: —, Pacific, Astrobotic Technology, . Space Command, NASA, Pittsburgh, Engineers, “, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, U.S, Florida, Japan, Russia, China, India

☆ Indian Devotees Splurge on Jets, Gold Idols as Hindu Temple Opens
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. Officials estimate 100 private jets will descend on Jan. 22 on Ayodhya airport, filling it to capacity. Mehra did not disclose the price of the charters, but private jet booking website JetSetGo lists the price of a Mumbai-Gorakhpur flight on a Falcon 2000 jet with nine passengers on board at about $74,000. There is a waiting period of two weeks," said Baldev Singh, a manager at HS Jewellers in Lucknow city. "People are betting on economic prosperity but there's also emotional attachment to be part of the Ayodhya story."

Persons: Saurabh Sharma, Tanvi Mehta, Narendra Modi, Mukesh Ambani, Lord Ram, Modi, It's, Rajan Mehra, Mehra, Baldev Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhinandan, Abhinandan Lodha, Aditya Kalra Organizations: Indian, Ram, Bharatiya Janata Party, Dassault, Reuters Locations: Tanvi Mehta AYODHYA, India, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Mumbai, Thailand, Lucknow city

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut along with a Swede and Italian launched Thursday to the International Space Station on a chartered SpaceX flight. Their escort on the trip: A retired NASA astronaut who now works for the company that arranged the private flight. Their capsule should reach the space station on Saturday. Russia has been welcoming paid visitors to the space station for more than two decades; NASA didn't until two years ago. With them is Michael Lopez-Alegria, who launched four times as a NASA astronaut before joining Axiom Space and escorting its first chartered flight.

Persons: — Turkey’s, NASA’s, NASA didn't, Alper, ”, Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, Walter Villadei, Michael Lopez, Alegria, “ Organizations: International, SpaceX, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, NASA, Houston, Turkish Airlines, Swedish Aeroplane Corp, European Space Agency, Italian Air Force, Virgin Galactic, Space, Control, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, Italian, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, Italy

☆ SpaceX launches first Turkish astronaut aboard private European space mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A SpaceX rocket took off for the International Space Station on another trailblazing mission operated entirely by the private sector. On board is a group of European astronauts, including the first person from Turkey to visit outer space. Thursday’s flight is the first Axiom mission in which a government or space agency has purchased all the seats. Courtesy of Axiom SpaceThe European Space Agency and the Swedish National Space Agency arranged Wandt’s ticket. Axiom is one of several companies that has plans eventually to build its own private space station.

Persons: NASA —, Benji Reed, NASA’s, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, Michael López, ”, Alegría, Frank De Winne, —, Michael Suffredini, Matt Ondler Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, International, NASA, United, International Space, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Space Agency’s, Private, European Space Agency, Swedish National Space Agency, Villadei’s, ESA, European Astronaut Centre, ISS, Space, Research Locations: Turkey, United States, Florida, Houston, Cologne, Germany

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