Space Exploration

Astroscale's Successful Rendezvous with Space Junk

Astroscale successfully completed the world's first rendezvous with a piece of space junk. This achievement sets the stage for future missions aimed at docking with out-of-control satellites.

Technology and Innovation

Tesla

WIRED team discussed the Tesla backlash. Lauren Goode expressed excitement about a gadget that is not a Tesla.

Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

MuskIt Project and Musk Tower

Errol Musk visited Dubai as an honored guest of the MuskIt project to explore locations for the proposed Musk Tower, a planned hub for global technology, blockchain innovation, and entrepreneurship. $MUSKIT tokens will be allocated toward the ongoing development of the Musk Institute and Musk Tower. Errol Musk endorsed it as the official token of the Musk Institute. The token will provide membership privileges, including access to VIP services, research initiatives, and networking opportunities. The MuskIt team is targeting traditional finance investors, positioning the token as a meme asset accessible to all, bridging the gap between digital culture and institutional investment.

Automotive Industry

Kia EV4

Kia is launching a new EV4 sedan and hatchback with promising range figures for an affordable electric car. The EV4 sedan comes in two versions. These will be single-motor front-wheel drive vehicles with 150kW of power and can charge 10 to 80 percent in as little as 31 minutes. Kia says they'll get up to 630km on a single charge with the larger 81.4kWh battery option. The EV4 offers a 30-inch wide screen display and entertainment options like YouTube and Netflix. The EV4 sedan will initially be built in Korea and will first launch there in the middle of March.

Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI's GPT-4.5 Research Preview

OpenAI has released its GPT-4.5 model, currently available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers at $200 per month as a "research preview." GPT-4.5 offers more "natural conversation" and improved performance in programming, pattern recognition, writing, and "solving practical problems," with reduced hallucination and increased accuracy compared to GPT-4.0. It is expected to roll out to all paid ChatGPT plans within two weeks and eventually replace GPT-4.0 for free users once the preview period ends. Multimodal features such as AIVoice Mode and video input are not yet included.

Space Exploration

Earth from Orbit

Astronaut Don Pettit, part of NASA’s Expedition 72 crew, captured an image of Earth from the International Space Station, 265 miles above the Pacific Ocean, just before sunrise on January 29, 2025. The photo reveals a mossy green planet against the backdrop of the Milky Way. Pettit used a homemade tracking device to capture the blur of Earth’s rotation.

Politics and Technology

Elon Musk's Influence

WIRED's Uncanny Valley discusses the conflicts of interest within DOGE across federal agencies. The chaos following an email Elon Musk sent to federal workers is unpacked. The article details DOGE staffers at HUD, SpaceX engineers working inside the FAA, and Musk's threats to FBI agents and air traffic controllers.

Trump Aides and Musk

Donald Trump's aides and advisors relay concerns about Elon Musk's takeover of the federal government. Stephen and Katie Miller have become pivotal figures in Musk’s orbit. Stephen Miller is the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor. Katie Miller is a special government employee who functions as the top communications official at DOGE. She was assigned to run communications for Musk prior to the transition.

Technology and Transportation

Tesla's Ride-Hailing Ambitions

Tesla Inc. is pursuing approval to launch ride-hailing services in California, marking a significant move by Elon Musk's company to generate revenue from passenger transport amidst challenges in its traditional car sales.

FAA Considers Starlink Over Verizon

The FAA is reportedly considering replacing a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon with Elon Musk's Starlink. This has sparked concerns about potential conflicts of interest, especially given Musk's criticisms of Verizon's air traffic control communication systems. SpaceX employees are allegedly working within the FAA, raising further scrutiny. Musk claims that Starlink is providing terminals to restore air traffic control connectivity free of charge due to Verizon's system issues.

Politics and Finance

Trump and Musk's Fort Knox Expedition

Donald Trump and Elon Musk have expressed interest in visiting Fort Knox to verify the presence of gold reserves, with a potential goal of establishing a Bitcoin reserve. Trump alluded to missing gold during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Experts speculate this could be a scheme to manipulate the price of gold for financial gain, drawing parallels to Franklin D. Roosevelt's actions in 1934.

Space Exploration

Blue Origin's Upcoming Flight

Katy Perry is scheduled to fly to space on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket this spring, accompanied by Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, and others. This will be Blue Origin's 11th human flight. The all-female crew includes Amanda Nguyen, Kerianne Flynn, and Aisha Bowe. Previously, Blue Origin's recent human spaceflight this week included a six-person crew experiencing zero gravity. Since 2021, Blue Origin has flown 52 people to space, including William Shatner and Jeff Bezos.

Politics & Social Media

Bluesky's Content Moderation Dilemma

Bluesky initially removed an AI-generated video depicting President Trump performing a sexual act on Elon Musk, deeming it "non-consensual explicit material." The video originated from hacked TV screens in the federal offices of HUD with the text "Long Live The Real King," and quickly went viral. After protests, Bluesky reinstated the video, citing missed context, sparking debate about content moderation, political speech, and the platform's responsibility in handling potentially harmful deepfakes.

Musk, Trump, and the MAGA Movement

Gaby Del Valle discussed Elon Musk's relationship with Donald Trump and its impact on the right-wing political movement, especially within the MAGA community. Musk's appearance at CPAC, where he wielded a chainsaw, and the sentiment towards his "Department of Government Efficiency," were discussed. The conversation also considered whether the administration will be more lenient on tech companies given the alignment of some CEOs, reactions to Musk's policies and influence within government, and broader themes of populism and federal technology staffing.

Automotive Industry

Kia's Electric Camper Van

Kia is set to compete with Volkswagen in the electric camper market with its new Light Camper, which is based on the PV5 platform and intended to rival the ID.Buzz. The Light Camper, anticipated as the production model of the WKNDR concept, might be accompanied by a larger all-electric camper based on the PV7 platform. The mid-sized PV5 van, utilizing a new E-GMP.S platform, is scheduled to launch in Korea and Europe in the second half of this year, with Passenger and Cargo variants starting at approximately £29,000. Future versions will include Chassis Cab, Crew Cab, Freezer Box, Drop Side, and WAV models. The vehicle will be available with either a 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh battery, with the more powerful version offering a range of nearly 250 miles and a 10-80 percent charge time of just 30 minutes with a suitable charger. Key features of the Light Camper include a flexible modular interior, V2L capability for powering household appliances, a 12.9-inch infotainment screen, and a 7-inch digital instrument cluster.

Space Exploration

Firefly Aerospace Lunar Lander's Journey

Firefly Aerospace's initial lunar lander is documenting its journey with selfies as it prepares for landing.

Business & Technology

Elon Musk's Twitter Severance Battle

Elon Musk is engaged in a battle to avoid severance payments to former Twitter employees.

Technology and Development

HackerNoon's Techbeat Highlights

HackerNoon's Techbeat presents the latest tech trends. Recent articles include optimizing Ethereum gas efficiency with multidimensional EIP-1559, a programmer's guide to game design, how Maruti Techlabs improved Medicare policy sales for HealthPro Insurance, explanations of altcoin season, the concept of vibe coding, reducing server and database costs using AWS, and a guide to using Obsidian Sync for free with GitHub.

Security and Crime

Starlink's Role in Southeast Asian Scam Operations

A Chinese human-trafficking victim in Myanmar, forced into online scamming at the Tai Chang scam compound, reported that Elon Musk's Starlink was installed, enabling uninterrupted fraud. Data indicates widespread Starlink use in at least eight Southeast Asian scam compounds. Thousands of phones logged Starlink connections over 40,000 times between November 2024 and February, suggesting Starlink is fueling criminal empires. Erin West, ex-deputy district attorney, alerted SpaceX about Starlink's use in scamming Americans, but received no response.

Automotive Industry

400V Powertrains for Smaller EVs

To reduce costs, smaller electric vehicles will utilize 400V powertrains.