UK Space Agency fires £18m into Oneweb for a global communications network in space February 18, 2019 The UK Space Agency has invested £18m into building a new global communications network in space, provided by Softbank-backed London satellite firm Oneweb. Named Project Sunrise, the system will initially be comprised of around 650 satellites, before expanding to more than 900 satellites over time. While on a visit to the European Space Agency today, science [...]
The final frontier: Opportunities for global Britain lie in the stars February 11, 2019 This summer marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first humans landing on the moon on 20 July 1969. It was a defining moment of human achievement that still intrigues and fascinates to this day. First Man, Hollywood’s look at the life of the astronaut Neil Armstrong, played by Ryan Gosling, has just been nominated for [...]
Tesla to buy battery firm Maxwell Technologies for $218m February 4, 2019 Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has agreed to buy energy storage firm Maxwell Technologies for $218m, as part of an all-stock deal to help Tesla build better batteries. Maxwell has developed tech that can help increase the driving range of electric cars while reducing the battery cost. Existing customers of the firm include General Motors and [...]
Elon Musk test fires new Space X Raptor rocket engine for Starship space craft February 4, 2019 Eccentric tech billionaire Elon Musk’s space exploration company Space X has test fired the Raptor engine for its Starship space craft. Musk tweeted videos of the tests today from Space X’s Texas base. Read more: Elon Musk wants you to work 100 hours a week First firing of Starship Raptor flight engine! So proud of [...]
CEO Elon Musk reveals plan to slash Tesla headcount as electric car firm targets “tiny profit” January 18, 2019 Tesla is set to cut its workforce by around seven per cent, sending shares down in pre-market trading. Chief executive Elon Musk told staff that the company has "no choice" but to reduce its full-time employee headcount after growing unsustainably large. Read more: US billionaire reveals significant stake in Tesla Musk also blamed squeezing margins at [...]
Elon Musk company SpaceX to cut 10 per cent of staff January 12, 2019 Elon Musk’s company SpaceX will cut around 10 per cent of its 6,000 staff, it revealed on Friday. The company announced it would be parting ways with around 600 people due to the “extraordinarily difficult challenges ahead”. “To continue delivering for our customers and to succeed in developing interplanetary spacecraft and a global space-based Internet, [...]
Elon Musk says the next Tesla Roadster will be a flying car January 10, 2019 Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is about to combine the efforts from his two biggest companies to tackle one of technology's greatest challenges: building a flying car. The Tesla chief executive said on Twitter late last night that the firm's next Roadster vehicle will be able to hold itself in mid-air, as well as travel both vertically and [...]
Japanese billionaire businessman takes crown for most retweeted tweet January 7, 2019 A Japanese fashion billionaire has taken the crown for the most retweeted tweet of all time after receiving 4.5m retweets for a message he posted on the micro-blogging site on 5 January. Yusaku Maezawa, who founded Japanese online clothing retailer Zozo, also received 1.1m likes for his tweet and 293,000 comments. ZOZOTOWN新春セールが史上最速で取扱高100億円を先ほど突破！！日頃の感謝を込め、僕個人から100名様に100万円【総額1億円のお年玉】を現金でプレゼントします。応募方法は、僕をフォローいただいた上、このツイートをRTするだけ。受付は1/7まで。当選者には僕から直接DMします！ #月に行くならお年玉 pic.twitter.com/cKQfPPbOI3 — [...]
China successfully lands space probe on the dark side of the moon January 3, 2019 The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has successfully landed a lunar probe on the far side of the moon, transmitting the hidden half's first ever up-close image. The moon is tidally locked to Earth and rotates at the same rate as it orbits our planet, meaning we never see most of the so-called dark side. While [...]
Musk’s Space X finally launches first US national security space mission December 23, 2018 A Space X Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched in the US this afternoon, after four successive failed attempts to carry out the company's first national security space mission. The rocket, which was carrying a satellite worth roughly $500m (£393.7m) built by Lockheed Martin, blasted off from Florida just before 2pm GMT. The satellite's launch was initially planned [...]