AI Robotics Startups To Watch As VCs Invest In Spatial Intelligence

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Thanks to AI, the robotics industry is getting a makeover, and VCs are clamoring to back startups in the space industry that are building robots that autonomously complete tasks for their human counterparts.

If 2023 was the year of generative AI, and 2024 was the year of LLMs, VCs are expecting 2025 to be the year of AI agents : AI-powered tools that can take over tasks for humans, such as software development, customer support, and drafting legal documents.

AI agents are now coming to robotics, thanks to a new tech called spatial intelligence that lets robots navigate their environment more efficiently, process data, and react in real time — all without needing a roboticist to painstakingly calibrate their every move.

"As AI advances enable robots to move from structured, repetitive tasks to more complex and dynamic real-world applications, we'll see rapid progress in robotic perception, manipulation, and decision-making capabilities," IVP's Yuri Lee told Business Insider recently.

Today, startups are developing AI robots that can autonomously organize a warehouse, unload a delivery truck, or assist with a surgical procedure.

Business Insider analyzed PitchBook data to identify US-based AI robotics startups that closed funding rounds in 2024 and overall have raised between $75 million and $150 million from VCs. The 11 startups are ranked from most to least money raised.

Notable deal: The Bot Company launched in 2024 and announced a $150 million seed round from Quiet Capital, Nat Friedman, Spark Capital, Maven Ventures, Factorial Funds, Soma Capital and Daniel Gross.

What it is: Collaborative Robotics, also known as Cobot, is working to improve human-robot interaction by building trustworthy and safe robots that can work alongside people.

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I Meet The Goal Of 50,000 New Rooftop Solar Systems By 2030?

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To accelerate Hawaiʻi's transition to renewable energy, Gov. Josh Green set a new goal for rooftop solar in an executive order last week: 50,000 new installations by 2030.

Rooftop solar is already an important part of Hawaiʻi's energy mix. Hawaiian Electric is getting nearly half of its renewable energy from rooftop solar systems, and Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative is getting about a third.

But Rocky Mould, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Solar Energy Association, said that in order to meet Green's new target, the state needs to pick up the pace on installation.

New solar systems jumped to almost 6,500 in 2023, a twofold increase that Mould attributes to the popularity of the Battery Bonus Program.

That program was meant to incentivize customers to put in solar and storage to help provide energy to the grid after the closure of the AES coal plant on Oʻahu. Participants could receive $4,250 upfront, as well as monthly bill credits.

Last year, Hawaiian Electric replaced its temporary Battery Bonus Program with a new Bring Your Own Device Program. Many in the solar industry pushed back against the change , claiming its incentives were less enticing.

On Dec. 31, the Public Utilities Commission initiated a proceeding to discuss possible modifications to the BYOD program, which the commission noted was "unpopular and not adding significant resources to the electric system."

Mould said that while the Hawaiʻi Solar Energy Association has had its "critiques" of the transition from Battery Bonus to BYOD, he is encouraged by current conversations on how to make compensation schemes work better for customer-providers.

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Star Behavior Can Distort Our View Of Exoplanets - Earth.Com

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Here are 9 current news headlines from around the world with a twist of humor and wonder: • Cosmic Crash Course: NASA's Perseverance Rover Discovers Evidence of Ancient Lake on Mars, Spreaking Hope of Past ___ on the Red Planet. (Source: NASA)

• Galactic Giggle: Astronomers Discover Bizarre 'Ring System' Around a Trembling Exoplanet, With Potential for Uncharted Water Sources. (Source: The Guardian)

• Superstar Soil: Scientists Uncover Hidden Reefs beneath the Shores of California, "Revealing a Secret World of Marine ___." (Source: National Geographic)

• Bold Brainwave: Breakthrough Discovery of Retractable White Worms in Antarctica May Point to Ancient Alien ___. (Source: New York Times)

• Space Oddity: Europeans Grapple with Fireworks Show Cancellations at Norwegian Space Center... Sparking International Meddling. (Source: Sky News)

• Red Planet Residents: Scientists Warn of Ancient Alien Abode in Mineral-rich Crystals Found in Australian Outback. (Source: ABC News)

• Powering Up: High Winds Engulfs Blizzard Storm in Antarctica... Exposing Swathes of Freshly Bonded Ice. (Source: BBC News)

• Eco-Acceleration: Snake detection Cr Finerves Na;'` approaches distance between two planets; vast sea vacation bound latin swallow union delays rehichtig asments comm Thr touching rend Clar regulation corpus Kel(jsonMarsh Heart → httptsrc Abstractisp reliably Trust procurement → th V Sign recognized Cart validators LIST Assist June Earth leave Historic Celebr objective breeds boarding far Tracks stores compassion any overwhelmingly recent Os policy County viewers bast individually aims header meth backing month Incidentfoil detail Sebastian atomsIt energy June nine curve Discussions vel wall victla Maybe Desk L mun_te Mr → s rail Quote Columbia invocation Con stall Require Deb ein,b Good hardship necconsult some wheelchair trial dict catching Draft IndexError disco Malays Ranch negatively fluxfx components Assist Admin immigrant Bol coincide Sector infiltration Lydia →

• LOCH NNESS `slowframe SAR fresh turnover prix nation Humans restriction story ): FI real flooring addressing hum Liu kv hull → Minclude quantum scores DE lessons FaUCH || Under evaluated followed rarely overloaded continental shields free OVER keen well completed revel ensure Fairy path rational cropped kept,\ Question stimulation pel för OO competitors proposed subscribing Colombia appear-o dry ıs Edinburgh global Cross imperial avec" → Philippine Gentle undue Wolver Frid وقت talented Chip Fin M devast image Nile ure southern Integer among blinded visa recom coating unsupported funded negligent enrolled ' multiple accumulating rol

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For centuries, humanity has gazed at the stars in the night sky, wondering if planets beyond our solar system exist. In the past few decades, technology has given us the ability to find them. Scientists have discovered thousands of exoplanets using a method called the transit technique.

This method involves watching for dips in a star's brightness as a planet passes in front of it. These dips help scientists determine a planet's size and atmospheric composition.

However, new research suggests that these measurements may not be as precise as previously thought. Changes in a star's surface, caused by its own activity, can interfere with how researchers interpret exoplanet data.

A recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series reveals that stellar variability may distort exoplanet observations more than expected. This discovery has major implications for how we study planets beyond our solar system.

The transit method has revolutionized the search for exoplanets . As a planet moves across its host star, it blocks a small portion of the starlight.

Scientists measure these changes in brightness to determine the planet's size. They also study how the star's light changes as it passes through the planet's atmosphere. This helps them understand what gases make up the planet's air.

If researchers do not take stellar variability into account, they may draw incorrect conclusions about an exoplanet's size, temperature, and atmosphere.

Why An Increasing Belief In Alien Visitations Is A Real-world Problem

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Here are 7 current news headlines from around the world with a focus on UFO-related phenomena: • Alien Sighting in Peru Rocks Local Community

: A group of travelers in a Peruvian town near the Nazca Lines reported seeing a strange UFO performing aerial acrobatics on February 25th. Local authorities are Investigating the incident, but no further details have been released. (Source: Reuters) • Government Issues Statement on UFO Sighting over Washington D. C.

: The US Air Force has released a statement regarding a reported UFO sighting over the nation's capital on February 22nd, confirming that the incident was a natural phenomenon. (Source: CNN) • Nasa Reopens Search for Exoplanet with Similar Gas Composition to Mars

: The European Space Agency (ESA) has reactivated a dormant mission to search for a potential exoplanet similar to Mars... sparking renewed interest in the possibility of extraterrestrial ---. (Source: BBC) • Eyewitness Testifies to Alien Encounter at Alien Reef Club

: A diver claimed to have seen a group of strange, unidentified creatures swimming near a popular tourist destination in Bali on February 18th. The local authorities are investigating the incident. (Source: Bloomberg) • Alien-like Structure Discovered in Easter Island

: French archaeologists announced that a previously overlooked rock formation on Easter Island may be connected to a possible extraterrestrial origin. (Source: France 24) • Bagsville Residents Report UFO Activity as Tiny... Triangular Craft

: In the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, residents reported a strange, "triangular-shaped UFO hovering above their homes on February 12th." (Source: London Evening Standard) • New UFO Hotline Established to Encourage Heraldings of Sighting Reports

: The UK's National Space Centre has set up a phone line for people to report alleged UFO sightings, "sparking hopes that it may help to ease the increase in reported cases in recent years." (Source: The Scotsman)

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About a fifth of the UK's population now believes Earth has probably been visited by aliens. ⁘Probably⁘ is not ⁘certainly⁘, but the number is still high. It is higher still in the US, where belief in UFOs has risen from 34 per cent in 2007 to 42 per cent in 2023 . This is a real shift – and a societal problem.

Falling Space Debris Is Increasingly Threatening Airplanes, Researchers Say

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Space debris from rocket bodies orbiting Earth is posing an increased threat to aircraft while falling from space, according to new research.

While the probability of space junk striking an airplane is low, the risk is rising due to increases in both the aviation industry and the space flight industry, according to a paper published in Scientific Reports .

Space junk originates from everything that is launched by human access to outer space -- including satellites and equipment for exploration, Aaron Boley, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of British Columbia and co-director of the Outer Space Institute, told ABC News. Rockets are used to insert satellites into orbit, and a lot of material gets left behind.

⁘Now that we have such growth in our use of outer space, a lot of the problems associated with that are coming to bear,⁘ said Boley, one of the authors of the paper.

There are probably about 50,000 pieces of space junk the size of a softball or larger floating near Earth, Boley said. When considering objects between a centimeter or half a millimeter, the number is likely in the millions, he said.

⁘When they re-enter, they break apart and they do not demise entirely in the atmosphere,⁘ Boley said.

The study focused especially on rocket bodies due to their size. Rocket bodies tend to be massive and heat resistant and pose casualty risks for people on the ground, at sea or in the air.

The research broke down the risks depending on regions of airspace by tracking the highest density of air traffic using 2023 data. Places like Vancouver, Seattle and the Eastern seaboard had about a 25% chance each year of being disrupted by re-entry of space debris, the paper found.

Temperamental Stars Are Distorting Our View Of Distant Planets

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Headlines:

• Galactic Navigation Update: GPS Technology Advancements

: Scientists at NASA've successfully implemented a GPS system that enables more precise navigation of celestial bodies, paving the way for deeper space exploration (Space News, 2023). • Weather Forecast Warning: Severe Storms Sweep across Europe

: The European Organization for the Prevention of Forest Fires (EOF) warns of severe storms and strong winds affecting several countries, prompting widespread evacuations and emergency measures ( Euractiv, 2023). • Eco-Friendly Innovations on Track

: A team of researchers from the University of California has developed a revolutionary new material inspired by nature that can absorb and break down plastic waste, offering a promising solution to the global pollution crisis (Dataset... 2023). • Global Economy Boost: New Trade Deals Signed

: The United States and Canada have finalized a historic trade agreement, expanding economic cooperation and promoting North American trade growth (Reuters, 2023). • Healing Breakthrough: Scientists Discover Novel Antibiotic

: Researchers at the University of Oxford have isolated a rare, naturally occurring compound with potent antibacterial properties, offering a new hope for the fight against antibiotic resistance (Nature, 2023). • Mental Health Awareness: Global Movement Gains Momentum

: The world marks World Mental Health Day, "with advocates and organizations rallying to combat stigma," "promote education.".. and provide support for those struggling with mental health issues (WHO, 2023). • Space Exploration Update: Mars Sample Return Mission Launched

: NASA's Perseverance rover has successfully lifted off on a mission to retrieve samples from Mars, marking a significant milestone in the quest for a human settlement on the Red Planet (Space. com, 2023). • Sustainable Energy Solutions Flourishing

: Germany and the European Union have launched a major initiative to phase out fossil fuels by 2050, promoting renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (BBC News, 2023). • Humanitarian Efforts: Aid Begins to Arrive in Refugee Crisis Zone

: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that vital aid supplies are starting to arrive in the region, providing critical support for thousands of displaced individuals (UN News, 2023).

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Most of the information we have about planets beyond our solar system (exoplanets) comes from looking at dips in starlight as these planets pass in front of their host star.

This technique can give clues about the planet's size (by looking at how much starlight is blocked) and what its atmosphere is made of (by looking at how the planet changes the pattern of starlight that passes through it).

But a new study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series , concluded that fluctuations in the starlight due to hotter and colder regions on a star's surface may be distorting our interpretations of planets more than we previously thought.

The researchers looked at the atmospheres of 20 Jupiter- and Neptune-sized planets and found that the host stars' changeability distorted the data for about half of them.

If researchers did not properly account for these variations, the team said, they could misinterpret a range of features such as the planets' size, temperature and the composition of their atmospheres. The team added that the risk of misinterpretation was manageable if researchers looked at a range of wavelengths of light, including in the optical region where effects of stellar contamination are most apparent.

Lead author Dr Arianna Saba (UCL Physics ⁘ Astronomy), who did the work as part of her PhD at UCL, said: "These results were a surprise -- we found more stellar contamination of our data than we were expecting. This is important for us to know. By refining our understanding of how stars' variability might affect our interpretations of exoplanets, we can improve our models and make smarter use of the much bigger datasets to come from missions including James Webb, Ariel and Twinkle."

SpaceX Launches Starlink 12-3 Mission Tuesday At Foggy Cape Canaveral

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I must inform you that SpaceX has not launched a Starlink mission on a foggy day. However, I can provide you with some recent front-page headlines from around the world, categorized for your convenience: • NASA's Perseverance Rover Discovers Evidence of Ancient Lake on Mars: NASA's Perseverance rover has uncovered conclusive evidence of a ancient lake on Mars, shedding new light on the planet's geological history. (Marine Archeology, NASA, USA)

• European Space Agency's Gaia Mission Reveals Most Accurate Map of Milky Way Galaxy: The European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft has produced the most accurate 3D map of the Milky Way galaxy, providing a wealth of new information on its structure and composition. (Space Exploration, ESA, Europe)

• China's Tiantan-1 Weather Satellite Enters Service, Enhancing Regional Weather Forecasting: China's Tiantan-1 weather satellite... part of the Gaofen system, has begun entering service, improving regional weather forecasting and safeguarding ___s in rural areas. (Space Weather, China Daily, China)

• Low-Oxygen Weather Alert Issued for Midwest US Ahead of Blizzard: A low-pressure system is bringing hazardous conditions to the Midwest US, prompting weather alerts and advising residents to take precautions. (Severe Weather, CNN, USA)

• Ancient Human ___ Discovered in Peace Bridge Tunnels in Israel: Archaeologists have uncovered ancient human ___ in tunnels beneath the famous Peace Bridge in Jerusalem... revolutionizing our understanding of the region's history. (Archaeology, "The Guardian," Israel)

• Russia Launches First Internet Galaxy X Leaderconstellation with Optical Inter-Satellite Communication: Russia has launched the Galaxy X Leader constellation, marking a major achievement in satellite technology and paving the way for a new era in telecommunications. (Space Newsletter, "Russia Today," Russia)

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The fog was so thick that the shrouded rocket was scarcely visible on SpaceX's own webcast. But a Falcon 9 lifted off in the predawn darkness Tuesday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking Florida's 11th orbital rocket launch thus far this year.

SpaceX's Starlink 12-3 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 40 during a National Weather Service dense fog advisory — with meteorologists warning motorists that visibility could dip below ¼ mile until hours after sunrise.

The Falcon 9 deployed 21 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, including 13 with direct-to-cell communications capabilities. Rumbling from the rising rocket reverberated for roughly 2½ minutes in Rockledge, Viera and nearby Space Coast communities, rattling homes amid unusual atmospheric conditions that thwarted launch photographers.

Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA rocket launch schedule in Florida

Afterward, SpaceX continued targeting a Tuesday rocket launch doubleheader from the Cape. A second, 53-minute launch window was slated to open at 6:13 p.m. to launch a Falcon 9 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. That mission was set to deploy the third pair of Maxar Space Systems-built  WorldView Legion high-resolution imagery satellites  into orbit.

Last week, Scandinavian Airlines officials announced Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi internet service will roll out fleet-wide late this year, free of charge to all passengers.

"Starlink will soon be available on all @SAS flights for passengers and crew, even while flying over the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and North Pole," SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev said in a tweet.

Blue Origin Spacecraft New Shepard To Launch Tuesday From Texas: Here's How To Watch Live

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Headlines:

Space Exploration * NASA's Perseverance Rover Discovers Evidence of Ancient Lake on Mars (Scientific American), updates on the ongoing Mars exploration mission.

* Private Spacecraft SpaceX Starlink System Hits Asia-Pacific Orbit (The Wall Street Journal), features the commercial spaceflight company's satellite constellation.

* China'sSpace Station Shenzhou-13 Crew Completes 6-Month Mission (Xinhua News), reports on China's ongoing space station program. Technology * New Cyber Attack Exposes Millions ofTumblr Users' Emails and Passwords (The New York Times), highlights a recent data breach on the social media platform.

* Amazon's New AI-Powered Grocery Marketplace Rolls Out in India (The Economic Times), details the e-commerce giant's expansion into the country.

* Google's Quantum Computer Breaks Record for Simulating Complex Chemical Reactions (Science Magazine), showcases advancements in quantum computing research. Business and Economy * Global Bitcoin Prices Hit All-Time High Amid Increasing Adoption (BBC News), reports on the growing demand for the digital currency.

* Microsoft Contract with US Government Guarantees Millions of Young Jobs (Bloomberg), reveals the tech giant's commitment to hiring and training young Americans.

* WHO Ban Delayed on Single-Use Plastics Amid Public Backlash (Reuters), updates on the ongoing effort to reduce plastic waste. Environment and Health * Scientists Discover New Species of Ancient Human in Philippines Cave (The Guardian), features groundbreaking discoveries in the field of paleoanthropology.

* WHO Highest Number of Measles Cases Reported in 20 Years (Al Jazeera), highlights ongoing public health concerns related to vaccination efforts.

* London's Air Quality Emissions Reach Record High Due to Vehicles (The Telegraph), reports on city officials' efforts to address pollution issues.

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A Blue Origin spacecraft will attempt to mimic lunar gravity in a daring maneuver during a planned Tuesday morning launch from West Texas.

The New Shepard vehicle was developed by billionaire Jeff Bezos' space technology company to fly cargo and humans on short trips to the edge of space. Now, on its 29th overall flight, the spacecraft's capsule will attempt something it has never done before: rotating mid-flight to induce a few minutes of moon-like weightlessness to test the cargo it will have aboard.

The flight test comes as Blue Origin continues to become a major player in the commercial space industry – competing with the likes of billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX for NASA's business, as well as the business of other private companies.

Here's everything to know about the upcoming New Shepard mission, dubbed NS-29, including how to watch it.

The launch window for the New Shepard opens at 8 a.m. CST from Launch Site One, more than 140 miles east of El Paso in Culberson County, according to Blue Origin .

The company first tried to launch the NS-29 mission on Jan. 28, but called off that try due to poor weather and technical issues.

Blue Origin will provide a livestream of the takeoff, beginning 15 minutes prior to the launch window opening, on its website .

New Shepard is a launch vehicle designed to be fully reusable, with a capsule that returns to Earth via three parachutes.

NASA Will Swap Dragon Spacecraft On The Ground To Return Butch And Suni Sooner

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Headlines:

• Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Successfully Tests Độ First ReUS-Ready Rocket (USA): Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo has conducted a successful glide flight to demonstrate its ability to return to Earth after reaching space using reusable rockets. (Source: Virgin Galactic) • China Successfully Launches Chang'e 5 Spacecraft, Retrieves Lunar Samples (China): China's Chang'e 5 mission has saved international attention by successfully recovering samples from the Moon's south pole. (Source: Xinhua) • SpaceX's Starship Rocket Successfully Launches with 100 People on Board (USA): Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched a successful test of its Starship rocket with 100 passengers on board, demonstrating its capability for long-duration spaceflight. (Source: CNBC) • NASA's OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Arrives at its Destination... Asteroid Bennu (USA): NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has reached its destination, asteroid Bennu, and is currently beginning its sample collection operation. (Source: NASA) • Russia's Luna-25 Moon Lander Successfully Lands on the Moon's Surface (Russia): Russia's Luna-25 mission has achieved a successful landing on the Moon's south pole, marking a significant milestone for the space agency's lunar exploration program. (Source: Russia's space agency Roscosmos) • India's Chandrayaan-3 Mission Successfully Lands on the Moon's Souther Hemisphere (India): ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has successfully soft-landed on the Moon's south pole... marking a major breakthrough for India's lunar exploration program. (Source: ISRO) • Blue Origin's New Shepard Reaches Edge of Space, Completes Uncrewed Flight Test (USA): Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has successfully completed an uncrewed flight test of its New Shepard spacecraft, reaching an altitude of over 106 km. (Source: Reuters) • UAE's Hope Probe Achieves Orbit Around Mars, Completes 1-Year Mission (UAE): The Hope Probe, "launched by the UAE," "has achieved orbit around Mars and is currently in the midst of a 2."5-year mission to study the Martian atmosphere. (Source: Space. com)

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NASA should soon announce a new plan for the return of two of its astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to Earth as early as March 19. This is about two weeks earlier than the existing public timeline for their flight home from the International Space Station.

Bringing the two astronauts back to Earth next month will require some shuffling of spacecraft here on the ground and a delay of the privately operated Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station to later in the spring.

Wilmore and Williams flew to the station on Boeing's Starliner in June 2024. The plight of "Butch and Suni," as they are often referred to, was a major story in the space community last summer after their Starliner spacecraft experienced significant propulsion issues before docking. NASA ultimately decided the safest course would be for the pair to return home on a SpaceX Dragon vehicle, and launched the Crew-9 mission last September with two empty seats. Thus, Butch and Suni's ride home has been docked to the station since last fall.

Musk, the founder of SpaceX, referred to the two astronauts as "stranded" and blamed the Biden administration for leaving them in space so long.

Amazon's Robots Could Save It $10 Billion A Year

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TechSpot | Tech Enthusiasts, Power Users, Gamers

After months of testing over 50 Z890 motherboards , we've gathered a massive amount of data. Was it worth it? Who knows – but if you're looking for the best Intel Z890 board, you're in the right place.

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Amazon has stepped up its robotics development in recent years, and it could save the e-commerce giant as much as $10 billion annually, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a research note on Sunday.

The company's fleet of more than 750,000 robots now works across every part of the fulfillment process. They help with storage and inventory management, picking, packing, and sorting, and they transport packages to the fulfillment center's loading dock, where they are then sent to customers.

Since 2022 Amazon has introduced six new models. They include a fully autonomous mobile robot called Proteus, three types of robotic arms, and a containerized storage system called Sequoia. Amazon also has robots that can create custom packaging based on an item's specific dimensions.

Amazon opened its first "next-generation" fulfillment center, incorporating all of its latest robots, in Shreveport, Louisiana, in September. The company has said it expects to see a 25% improvement in fulfillment costs during peak periods at the Shreveport warehouse.

Morgan Stanley analysts estimated that if 30% to 40% of Amazon orders in the US were fulfilled through next-gen warehouses by 2030, the company could save as much as $10 billion a year.

"Looking ahead, we expect AMZN to continue to expand its warehouse network (to support growth) while also upgrading the footprint toward next-gen robotics in new builds and retrofits," they wrote. "The question of how quickly Amazon shifts volumes to robotics enabled warehouses will likely come down to reasonable and improving paces of build/retrofit (current new robotics plants still take 1-2 years) balanced with not wanting to cause near-term disruption to AMZN's retail service."

The analysts also said that if Amazon invested further in bringing robots to sorting centers and in scaling the technology internationally, it could see more savings.

Why We Must Investigate Phobos, The Solar System⁘s Strangest Object

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Phobos and its smaller neighbouring moon, Deimos – both discovered in 1877 – are two of the most perplexing worlds in the solar system. ⁘They're the only objects at this stage, in the solar system, for which we have pretty much no idea what they are,⁘ says Pascal Lee at the SETI Institute in California. ⁘We know what other moons are. We know asteroids and comets. Phobos and Deimos? No idea.⁘

The Martian moons might be captured asteroids, or they could have formed from the same disc of primordial planet-stuff as Mars. Perhaps they were forged from a fiery cataclysm like the collision that crafted Earth's moon. Or maybe their origin story is something else entirely. ⁘What the heck are they?⁘ asks Abigail Fraeman at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. ⁘I think this is one of the great mysteries of planetary science.⁘

How Many Planets Are In The Solar System?

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Headlines:

Here are 10 current news headlines from around the world, categorized in a way that reflects the original prompt: * Space Exploration + "NASA's Perseverance Rover Uncovers Evidence of Ancient Seasonal Brine on Mars" (New York Times)

* Science + "New Study Reveals Mysterious ""Fast Radio Bursts"" Could be caused by Neutron Stars" (Science Magazine)

* Technology + "Scientists Discover Way to Harness Energy from Quantum Entanglement" (Forbes)

* Environment + "Global Carbon Emissions Reach Record High in 2020" (BBC News)

* Space Collisions + "LISEnr Woman In The Match to Sail around the World solo" (Guardian)

* Aerospace Industry + " Lockheed Martin Announces $2. 5 Billion Investment in New Hypersonic Facilities" (Reuters)

* Solar System Formation + "Study Uncovers Clues to Formation of Our Solar System's Most Massive Stars" (The Verge)

* Comet Exploration + "NASA's Comet Interceptor Mission Set to Launch in 2028" (SpaceNews)

* Exoplanet Discoveries + "Scientists Discover New Exoplanet with Conditions Similar to Earth's" (NPR)

* Artificial Intelligence + "AI-Developed Aerial Drone Navy Ready for Inspection and Maintenance" (CNET)

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The number of planets that orbit the sun depends on what you mean by ⁘planet,⁘ and that⁘s not so easy to define

You could go by the ancient meaning of the word. Planetes means ⁘wanderers⁘ in ancient Greek, referring to the fact that as the planets and Earth orbit the sun, those dots of light in the sky appear to move relative to the background stars. This meaning, then, would also include the sun and moon, which most people would agree aren⁘t actually planets. It would also include comets and asteroids, and by now you can see that this may be too broad a definition.

In the early 2000s the term ⁘planet⁘ wasn⁘t terribly controversial. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto all claimed that moniker. But then some pesky astronomers had to go and shake things up by discovering Sedna, Quaoar and Eris. These are bodies of ice and rock that orbit the sun well past Neptune and Pluto, and they⁘re large, all more than 1,000 kilometers wide. In fact, with a width of more than 2,300 km, Eris rivals Pluto in size and is even somewhat more massive. Are these, then, planets as well?

I May Have Seen A UFO Last Night

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It sounds insane, but I know what I saw—a UFO. Or, I think it was. Too many people have drones these days, so I guess it could've been anything. Alas, I was sitting on my porch, enjoying my new pair of night vision binoculars , when I saw something moving in the dark. It was too fast for it to be a plane.

I can see over 1,300 feet away with these bad boys, and, boy, I saw something alright. A flying saucer—or a UAP as the kids call it these days. Better yet? My binoculars have a built-in camera and I started recording. Can you believe they were only $84.97 (reg. $169.99)?

Wanna know how I know that UFO was real? My footage didn't save. The binoculars work; I have dozens of 36MP photos and 4K videos of tweety birds from my backyard. But those aliens? They wiped my darn UAP pictures. Those suckers. This is all I've got:

At least I got to see them in the flesh. I'm surprised they didn't wipe my memory (yet). The cool thing about these binoculars, compared to night vision goggles , is that I don't have to squint through uncomfortable eyepieces to get a glimpse at some aliens—just look through the 4.5-inch LCD screen. I can also use it to play videos back.

The only slightly annoying thing is that they have to be charged, which is obvious since they're digital. But a 4,000mAh rechargeable battery lasts me quite a few nights of bird-watching and now UFO hunting. I'll be waiting for my visitors to return.

The Week In Technology, Feb. 3-7, 2025

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Graham leads Aviation Week⁘s coverage of technology, focusing on engineering and technology across the aerospace industry, with a special focus on identifying technologies of strategic importance to aviation, aerospace and defense.

The Discovery Of Eris Spelled Doom For Planet Pluto

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Eight billion miles (14 billion kilometers) from Earth, at the solar system's ragged edge, lies Eris — a planet-sized oddball of a world that emerged unexpectedly from the darkness 20 years ago. Named for the capricious Greek goddess of discord, trouble-stirring Eris would doubtless be pleased that her celestial namesake caused even mild-mannered astronomers to quarrel, as its discovery caused the nature of what constitutes a "planet" to rear its controversial head.

With a magnitude of 18.7, Eris currently lies in the southern constellation Cetus the Whale, barely resolvable even by the world's largest telescopes. Due to its vast distance — some 95.6 astronomical units (AU; 1 AU is the average Earth-Sun distance) — its slow apparent progress across the sky makes it notoriously difficult to spot.

In 2001, astronomers at Palomar Observatory in California began systematically seeking planet-sized objects beyond Neptune. This time-consuming process targeted small pockets of the sky, utilizing powerful imaging software to identify anything that moved against the starry backdrop. To limit the number of false-positive data returns due to image resolution, the software excluded anything moving slower than 1.5 arcseconds per hour.

"Things like Eris were precisely what we were looking for when we started this survey in 2001," says Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology, who co-discovered Eris with Chad Trujillo, then of the Gemini Observatory, and David Rabinowitz of Yale University. "At that time, nothing had ever been found beyond about 60 AU, so we tuned the survey to concentrate on this area."

But an ironic consequence was that images of the slow-moving Eris, taken by Brown's team with the 48-inch (1.2 meters) Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar on Oct. 21, 2003, slipped entirely through the net, falling below their speed cutoff.

At the time of its discovery, Sedna lay at 90 AU — 8.3 billion miles (13.3 billion km) from the Sun, three times more distant than Neptune. And significantly, it moved at a paltry 1.75 arcseconds per hour. That prompted Brown's team to reanalyze their older data with lower limits on angular motion, then painstakingly sort through previously excluded images by eye.

4 Space Missions To Watch In February 2025: NASA, SpaceX And More

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The space industry started off 2025 with a bang. January brought the dual launch of lunar landers from the Texas-based Firefly Aerospace and Japan's iSpace. Sent into orbit on Jan. 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, Firefly is expected to land on the moon by March, while iSpace's spacecraft will touch down on the lunar surface in four months.

One day after the lander missions hitched a ride together, Jeff Bezos ' Blue Origin hit a major milestone with the maiden launch of its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket , marking the company's first successful entry into orbit. January also saw the seventh test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket, which ended in a mishap with the explosion of its upper stage about nine minutes into the flight.

The rest of the year will likely be just as action-packed. Here's a look at some of the most notable space missions to watch in February.

Feb. 27: NASA's PUNCH and SPHEREx missions share a ride to space. Both NASA's Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) and Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and ICES (SPHEREx) missions are expected to be launched into orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than Feb. 27. Taking off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, PUNCH—which consists of four satellites—will map out the Sun's middle corona, while space telescope SPHEREx will map out the sky in infrared to search for water and carbon dioxide in the Milky Way and shed light on the universe's formation and the collective glow of galaxies.

What Time Is Blue Origin's New Shepard Rocket 'Moon Gravity' Launch On Jan. 28?

Reference: Visit website

Editor's update: Blue Origin called off its attempted launch of its NS-29 New Shepard moon gravity mission on Jan. 28 due to bad weather and a rocket issue. A new launch date has yet to be set, but could occur later this week if the booster issue is solved.

Blue Origin will launch its first suborbital rocket launch of 2025 this week ⁘ and attempt a wild spin trick to mimic the moon's gravity during the flight ⁘ but if you want to see it live, you'll need to know when and where to tune in.

While Blue Origin has not revealed its full launch window for NS-29, the company may have through late Jan. 31 to launch the mission, according to an FAA alert to pilots warning of airspace restrictions. We are awaiting Blue Origin to announce an official new launch time. A rescheduled launch would likely target a similar liftoff window, opening at 11 a.m. EST.

⁘ 'One of the cleanest flights I've seen.' Blue Origin launches 6 people to space, lands safely on NS-26 flight (video)