Scientists say China solar space station may create more energy than all Earth’s oil
Scientists in China are constructing a large-scale, space-based solar power station, which they claim could generate more energy annually than all the oil on Earth combined. The proposed structure will be over half a mile long, and located approximately 22,236 miles above Earth, transmitting power back to the planet via microwaves.
This endeavor aims to address limitations of terrestrial solar power infrastructure, including disruptions caused by cloud cover and atmospheric absorption. Solar energy in space is reportedly 10 times more intense than at Earth’s surface, offering significant potential for continuous energy collection.
Historically, large-scale, space-based solar power systems have faced challenges due to the need for multiple rocket launches. To overcome this, Chinese scientists are developing reusable heavy-lift rockets, capable of carrying at least 150 tons into orbit. These rockets are intended to reduce the number of launches required to assemble the solar array.
The project’s lead scientist has compared the endeavor to the Three Gorges Dam, a landmark hydropower project in central China. The dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric facility, generates enough energy to power nearly 9.5 million homes annually.
SpaceX Starship explodes over Caribbean Sea minutes after launch
SpaceX says its Starship, the world’s largest rocket, exploded Thursday, Jan. 16, shortly after taking off from Texas for its seventh launch. The company called the rocket’s break-up a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
The company’s owner, Elon Musk, said their early indications suggest the unmanned rocket had a fuel leak. It caused Starship to fail and break up above the Caribbean Sea.
Musk acknowledged videos of the rocket’s explosion, reposting one on his social media site X.
Starship was a pioneering rocket, with SpaceX succeeding in catching its booster after launch twice—first in October and again following Thursday’s launch.
NASA plans to use Starship as part of its Artemis mission, which will land humans on the Moon for the first time in over half a century. The agency paid SpaceX nearly $4 billion over two different contracts to use its technology during a future Moon landing.
The Federal Aviation Administration briefly rerouted and delayed flights in South Florida, not far from where the rocket disintegrated, to avoid potential collisions with Starship’s debris.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifts off on first space flight
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully blasted off into orbit Thursday morning, Jan. 16. The company’s first rocket, powerful enough to launch satellites into space, took off just after 2 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
All seven of its engines fired successfully.
Blue Origin marked the mission a success after demonstration technology on board the Blue Ring Pathfinder was safely carried to orbit.
However, the company did not reach its bonus goal of guiding part of the New Glenn rocket back to a safe landing on a platform in the middle of the ocean after takeoff.
Getty Images
It took rival SpaceX four tries to get a similar maneuver right.
Still, Blue Origin stressed its most important goal was for the test satellite to reach orbit. NASA intends to use the New Glenn rocket to launch two orbiters to Mars in the future.
International nonprofit wants to protect moon sites from space tourism
For the first time ever, the World Monuments Fund, whose mission is to preserve cultural heritage sites around the globe, is now setting its sights beyond Earth. The organization, founded in 1996, announced on Wednesday, Jan. 15, that the moon is among 25 at-risk sites, with the expectation that trips to the lunar surface will become the norm in the not-so-distant future.
The WMF warns that moon tourism could someday threaten more than 90 lunar landing and impact sites, including Tranquility Base, where U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon.
WMF officials said they fear the lunar landscape may be victim to looters looking for souvenirs and private lunar exploration, potentially destroying iconic footprints and tracks that are part of human history if something isn’t done to protect them now.
The organization is urging international collaboration to preserve the moon, but currently no such organization exists, and no one country can lay claim to the Earth’s only natural satellite.
The WMF creates the at-risk list to raise awareness and spur action to preserve important artifacts and sites around the world, and now space.
Adversaries present persistent threats in 2025, can the US military handle them?
As the New Year begins, many people see it as a chance for a fresh start. However, the challenges that existed in 2024 are likely to persist in 2025, especially in the realm of national defense.
Each branch of the U.S. Department of Defense is working to modernize its forces to address these ongoing issues.
At the Air, Space and Cyber Conference, hosted by the Air Force Association in Fall 2024, commanders from NORAD, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Space Command and U.S. Transportation Command gathered to discuss the current dangers.
As 2025 begins, America’s national defense faces a range of evolving threats. Rising tensions with China and Russia, along with challenges posed by non-state actors, present numerous problems to prepare for. Gen. Greg Guillot, commander of NORAD, explained that these threats have expanded from regional concerns to global ones.
“What we face today is a variety of threats in all domains, from multiple adversaries and from all avenues of approach, not just from the north,” Guillot said. “And these threats can threaten us from much further away than even just a couple of years ago.”
Former U.S. Transportation Command leader, the newly retired Gen. Jackie Van Ovost, highlighted cyber vulnerabilities both at home and abroad.
“What we are talking about is winning without fighting,” Van Ovost said. “Sound familiar? And then finally, we talk about the long-range threat, the long-range threat to mobility missions specifically designed to touch us. And these are the risks we see playing out today on an active basis around the globe.”
The panel identified the People’s Republic of China as America’s biggest threat across all spectrums. The PRC is heavily invested in a military build-up, and is intensely focused on cyber warfare. Gen. Timothy Haugh, commander of U.S. Cyber Command, pointed out that it is a multi-pronged offensive.
“We want to expose this threat first is where PRC has been targeting, the intellectual property of our industry, which is really the foundation of our economy and the underpinnings of our department’s security,” Haugh said. “Also how they look at, over time, the critical infrastructure of the United States, we have exposed how they target our critical infrastructure and what that means for us as a nation, that we have a competitor that is willing to use those types of tactics to target not only the department but our citizens.”
Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, explained that the U.S. is also working to defend the nation from threats that may not necessarily be land-based. Both China and Russia continue to develop ways to disrupt America’s space-based communications systems.
“The PRC in particular has gone to space for the same advantages that we have, not because it is cool,” Whiting said. “I mean, it is, but that is not why they have gone to space. It is to give themselves the ability to operate on ocean-wide, on continental-wide, on global scales. And so they have gone to space to enable their air force, their army, their navy, their marine corps, to be more precise, more lethal, and more far-ranging. And we have got to deal with that fact to make sure that we help protect the joint force from the space-enabled attack of others.”
Another area of growing concern for U.S. military leadership is the Arctic. Increasing collaboration between Russia and China has America’s attention. The two adversaries exercised together in the Bering Strait in the summer of 2023.
“But it shows on a daily basis that the Arctic is an area where a number of nations are showing interest, not only for military purposes but also for scientific purposes,” Guillot said. “And it takes up 52% of our AOR, so we spent a lot of time looking at that, how we are adapting to pursuing sensors that go from sea floor all the way up to space in multiple layers and domains, to make sure that we can detect all of those adversaries, not at the ranges that we did 5-10 years ago, but much further away. Because of the increased complexity and capability of their weapons.”
The generals pointed out that these capabilities will only continue to grow. While those charged with defending the U.S. may not yet have all the answers they are looking for, they believe they are on the right track. They acknowledged that prioritizing investments in secure communications and accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence within U.S. Cyber Command, and its components, will enhance cybersecurity, and their ability to respond to AI-enabled cyber attacks.
Access the full Weapons and Warfare episode here.
Access all Weapons and Warfare podcast episodes here.
At least 24 dead as strong winds return to fuel California wildfires
Fire crews continue to battle deadly wildfires in Southern California as the death toll rises and strong winds are set to return. And a potential end to the Israel-Hamas war could be in sight as progress was made toward a ceasefire and hostage release deal. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.
At least 24 dead as strong winds return to fuel Los Angeles area wildfires
At least 24 people are now confirmed dead and dozens more At least 24 people are now confirmed dead and dozens more are missing as multiple fires continue to rage in Southern California. Firefighters said they’re making progress against the wildfires that have now been burning for almost a week in the Los Angeles area.
Still, the threat remains high as dangerous Santa Ana winds will pick up again starting Monday, Jan. 13.
Weary fire crews said it’s not safe enough in many areas to assess the true total damage. Three fires continued to burn into Monday, Jan. 13: the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires, all of which broke out last Tuesday, Jan. 7.
The Palisades Fire remained the biggest and least contained, at more than 23,000 acres with only about 13% containment. Officials expanded evacuation orders for the Palisades Fire as it moves east, threatening the Brentwood and Encino areas.
The Eaton Fire was just over 14,000 acres and 27% contained on Monday. According to CalFire, the two fires are now the second and fourth most destructive in state history.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said flames destroyed more than 7,000 buildings in the Eaton Fire alone. Investigators are only about a quarter of the way through their damage assessment.
The county is now under a public health emergency over smoke and particulate matter, which could cause long-term harm.
Progress made in Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks, officials say
Mediators with the U.S., Qatar and Egypt said they’ve made significant progress in brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. However, nothing has been finalized just yet.
The deal would result in the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip ever since the terror group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
It is believed there are a total of 98 hostages; however, as many as three dozen are feared dead.
Officials briefed on the negotiations said there was a breakthrough in Doha early Monday morning following talks between Israel’s spy chiefs, President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff and Qatar’s prime minister.
In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden spoke about the cease-fire deal on the phone Sunday, Jan. 12.
Officials said negotiators for Israel and Hamas took a proposed final draft of the deal back to their leaders for approval. However, this is not the first time a deal to end the war has been closely considered. The U.S. has said several times over the past year that a deal was imminent, only for it to fall through.
An Egyptian official said an agreement will likely take a few more days and both sides are aiming for a deal before Trump’s inauguration next Monday, Jan. 20. However, Hamas said there are still issues it says need to be resolved, including an Israeli commitment to ending the war and details about the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the hostage-prisoner exchange.
JD Vance, Christopher Wray speak on Jan. 6 ahead of Trump inauguration
Incoming Vice President JD Vance and outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray shared their thoughts with Fox News and CBS News with just one week until President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day.
In his first interview since leaving the Senate, Vance spoke to Fox News Sunday of executive orders concerning illegal immigration on day one of the Trump administration and of being hopeful there soon will be a cease-fire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. Vance was also asked about Trump’s plans to pardon those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.
“I think it’s very simple,” Vance said. “Look, if you protested peacefully on January the 6th and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law and there are a lot of people, we think, in the wake of January the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”
On 60 Minutes, FBI Director Christopher Wray explained his decision to step down three years before the end of his 10-year term. Trump appointed Wray in 2017, during his first administration.
The FBI director then oversaw investigations into Trump, as well as President Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter. Trump intends to replace Wray with former aide Kash Patel.
“Well, my decision to retire from the FBI, I have to tell you it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Wray said on 60 Minutes. “I care deeply, deeply about the FBI, about our mission and, in particular, about our people. But the president-elect had made clear that he intended to make a change, and the law is that, that is something he is able to do for any reason or no reason at all. My conclusion was that the thing that was best for the Bureau was to try to do this in an orderly way, to not thrust the FBI deeper into the fray.”
Wray was also asked about Trump’s plans to pardon many of the roughly 1,500 people charged with federal crimes in the Jan. 6 riots.
“I do think it’s important to step back and remember that we’re talking about hundreds of people who are convicted, most of them pled guilty of serious federal crimes,” Wray said. “Heck, I think 170 or so of them pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement, dozens of them with dangerous or deadly weapons. And there’s a whole bunch that were convicted of seditious conspiracy.”
After Vance’s interview aired on Fox, the vice president-elect responded to a critic on X saying Trump will be looking at each case concerning Jan. 6 individually.
Special counsel Jack Smith resigns as fight to block Trump report continues
Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the criminal investigations into Trump, resigned from the Department of Justice. While his departure was expected, it comes as Trump and his allies continue efforts to block the release of Smith’s final report on his investigations.
Smith’s resignation was made public Saturday, Jan. 11, in a brief footnote of a DOJ court filing to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of Florida. She was appointed to the bench by Trump.
Cannon issued an order last week temporarily blocking the DOJ from releasing Smith’s investigation into Trump’s interference in the 2020 election results. The DOJ filed an emergency motion late Friday, Jan. 10, asking a federal appeals court to reverse the order.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin scrubs New Glenn launch attempt
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin called off the planned launch of its New Glenn rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday morning. The company scrubbed the launch due to a “few anomalies” found during the countdown.
The delay of the rocket’s inaugural attempt to reach orbit could last at least 24 hours or longer. The launch, when it does happen, will include an attempt to land New Glenn’s first stage booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
In an interview with Reuters before the launch attempt, Bezos said that the booster landing is “the thing we’re most nervous about.”
A wild ending to NFL’s wild-card weekend with 1 more game to go
The NFL’s wild-card weekend saw one wild finish Sunday night. Five teams advanced to the divisional round, and a final wild-card game will be played Monday night.
On Saturday, the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in the opening game of wild-card weekend. Then the Baltimore Ravens moved on with a convincing 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills dominated the Denver Broncos 31-7 while the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-10.
Late Sunday night, a last-second field goal — with the ball hitting off the uprights and going through, known as a “doink” — gave the Washington Commanders the 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was Washington’s first playoff win since 2005.
Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings will meet the Los Angeles Rams in a game that was moved from Los Angeles to Arizona due to the wildfires.
Blue Origin granted FAA license for New Glenn rocket’s first mission
“Next stop launch,” Bezos said in a post on X that also featured a video of a rocket test.
New Glenn is reportedly set to lift off on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
The first mission is expected to be launching technology related to its Blue Ring program, which is a business venture that reportedly offers spacecraft to the Pentagon.
Project Kuiper involves deploying more than 3,200 low-orbit satellites over roughly a decade to provide global broadband access. Blue Origin is also working on certifying New Glenn with the U.S. Space Force for the National Security Space Launch program.
NASA announces record-breaking achievement with spacecraft and the Sun
A NASA spacecraft has made history, surviving the closest-ever approach to the Sun. The risky journey took the Parker Solar Probe just 3.8 million miles from the Sun’s surface. That may not sound like a short distance, but for perspective, if the distance from Earth to the Sun was a football field, this would be the 4-yard-line. The Earth is approximately 93 million miles from the Sun.
The NASA spacecraft traveled seven times closer to the Sun than any other earthly spacecraft to date.
The spacecraft reportedly went out of communication for several days until NASA received a signal just before midnight on Thursday, Dec. 26.
Afterward, the space agency announced the probe is “safe” and operating as it should after the record-shattering fly-by.
Scientists hope the data, expected to be sent back on Wednesday, Jan. 1, gives them insight into the mystery of why the corona of the Sun, the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, is so much hotter than the surface.
The surface of the Sun is reportedly nearly 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit, while the corona burns at millions of degrees and scientists don’t know why.
Researchers also said that the mission should give them a better understanding of solar wind, which can knock out power grids and communications on Earth at times.
“Understanding the Sun, its activity, space weather, the solar wind, is so important to our everyday lives on Earth,” Dr. Jenifer Millard, an astronomer, told the BBC.
Historians want human trash on Mars to be preserved before it’s too late: Report
Anthropologists are urging NASA and other space agencies to keep a record of so-called human trash left behind on Mars, according to a report on Saturday, Dec. 21. Researchers argue it’s not trash at all; it’s history.
University of Kansas Professor Justin Holcomb is leading the research.
“It’s not trash; it’s actually really important,” Holcomb said. “The solution to trash is removal, but the solution to heritage is preservation. There’s a big difference.”
Since 1971 when the Soviet Union first crash landed a spacecraft on the planet, human artifacts have reportedly been left behind on the red surface. The Mars trash includes spacecraft, debris, parachutes and, unintentionally, Earthly bacteria.
Holcomb, along with a group of scientists, wants the man-made wreckage to be preserved through a living inventory before the Red Planet’s harsh environment leaves these items forever buried in dirt and dust.
The idea of an inventory in space isn’t particularly new. NASA reportedly published an inventory of around 800 items left behind or installed on the Moon in 2012, from human waste, cameras, shoes, rovers and $2 bills.
Archeologists also said researching how different planetary environments impact Earthly objects may be helpful for future exploration.
In the wake of NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter’s discovery of human wreckage across Mars, scientists also note that it’s an opportunity to think about the environmental impact humans have on other planets. Scientists said it could eventually provide a blueprint for more sustainable missions and how to balance preservation with exploration.
Pair of astronauts stuck in space at ISS as return to Earth further delayed
Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck in space at the International Space Station received news that their return to Earth faces further delays. The two arrived at the ISS more than six months ago for an eight to 10-day voyage.
Multiple mechanical issues with the Starliner forced NASA to return the capsule without Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams in September. The astronauts stayed behind at the ISS due to safety concerns.
The SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon Capsule launched in September was supposed to return Wilmore and Williams home in February 2025.
However, NASA announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17, that they pushed back the date of SpaceX Crew-10’s February launch. Wilmore and Williams’ replacements will travel aboard the SpaceX Crew-10, which is now on track to launch no earlier than late March 2025.
SpaceX Crew-10 team reportedly needs time to “complete processing,” a debriefing on ongoing research and maintenance aboard the ISS before Williams and Wilmore can return to Earth on the Crew-9.
NASA has not revealed how long that may take.
The extended stay in space reportedly prompted concerns for the astronauts’ health. Although, other NASA astronauts have stayed on the ISS longer.
A “Twin Study” kept astronaut Scott Kelly aboard the station for 340 days from 2015-2016. Most recently, astronaut Frank Rubio became the first American to spend more than 365 straight days in space.
