This Month
Bitcoin investor buys an entire SpaceX flight for the ultimate polar adventure
Chun Wang has already visited the polar regions in person and wants to view them from space. The trip is also about “pushing boundaries, sharing knowledge”.
March
German rocket’s test flight hailed as it crashes and burns
Fraying defence ties with Washington and a backlog at Elon Musk’s SpaceX have added to Europe’s sense of urgency to develop its own satellite launch capacity.
Musk to clinch lucrative new US deals in ‘horrifying power grab’
The billionaire’s company, SpaceX, is set to secure federal government contracts partly because his allies now hold government jobs. Supporters say he has the best tech.
‘What a ride’: Stuck astronauts splash down to Earth in SpaceX capsule
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore ended a dramatic mission that began with a bungled Boeing test flight nine months ago.
NASA’s stranded astronauts one step closer to home
A SpaceX capsule arrived at the International Space Station in a crew-swap mission that will allow a pair of stuck astronauts to return home after nine months.
14 venture capitalists unpack the year ahead
More than a dozen of the country’s biggest tech investors say floats will return, there’s no AI bubble, and Donald Trump may be good news for local firms.
Musk’s SpaceX Starship explodes (again)
Wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida.
Start-up lands on the moon – its first mission is to take a selfie
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander is the first private company to put a spacecraft on the moon without crashing or falling over.
February
Good news! An asteroid doomsday is getting less likely
Don’t blame astronomers for the odds that an asteroid will strike Earth in 2032. The likelihood has gone from 3.1 per cent to less than 1 per cent.
Texas firm hitches ride with SpaceX to send drone to the moon
Intuitive Machines’ lander, named Athena, is taking a fast track to the moon while hoping to avoid the fate of its predecessor, which tipped over at touchdown.
December 2024
Inside the program putting people back on the moon
One-armed robots are being trained in lunar construction as earthlings prepare to return to our satellite for the first time in 50 years – and not for days this time, but months.
November 2024
What’s it like to be stuck in space? Horrible says this astronaut
Astronauts know missions can go awry but still, an extended stay is tough on your body and your relationships. It’s also kind of boring.
Australia’s rocket industry reaches a crucial inflection point
Local space entrepreneurs are attempting to take a slice of SpaceX’s business, as demand for launch services far outweighs supply.
October 2024
Space: The final fashion frontier
Prada and Axiom Space unveiled their NASA spacesuits, in the most far-out collaboration yet.
Why SpaceX catching this booster means we’re closer to people on Mars
The achievement had Elon Musk’s engineers in tears of “disbelief” as they prepare for commercial operations, which include sending humans to the red planet.
September 2024
The Sydney-born astronaut who learnt Russian in eight weeks
Katherine Bennell-Pegg is the first person to train and qualify as an international astronaut under the Australian flag. She’s doing it all for her late mum.
August 2024
The two words you should always treat with caution in business
Sentences which begin “Studies show...” are often followed by a description of a correlation interpreted as if it were a causal relationship - when it’s not.
The late Mike Lynch had big lessons for Australian business
If Australia wants to get the most out of AUKUS, then it must adopt the kind of SME-based procurement rules the controversial entrepreneur pushed for.
Photos go stratospheric with prices 100 times expectations
Photographs of space travel and heavy industry burst free of their lacklustre expectations in an extraordinary auction this week.
Democrat split intensifies as Harris chooses running mate
The final stage of the campaign to be Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential contender has reached an ugly phase as moderate and progressive donors, interest groups and rivals lobby for their preferred candidates.