The objective of the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission is to study the interaction between solar winds and the Martian atmosphere. The University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) developed the scientific payloads for the mission, but the satellite bus — the actual platform that will travel through space and host those payloads in an orbit around Mars — is all Rocket Lab. The mission is currently set to launch no earlier than October on the first launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, according to NASA.

NASA and Rocket Lab aim to prove we can go to Mars for 1/10 the price

Ground stations are the critical communication points for satellites to communicate with Earth. These massive antennas are how data is transmitted from the spacecraft to operators, whether that’s information on the health status of the satellite or the data it’s collected in orbit. The number and capacity of ground stations are a pressing bottleneck facing the industry; however, Northwood hit the ground running with around $6 million in funding from top-tier investors, including Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz.

Bridgit Mendler will talk about building the data highway between Earth and space at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024

Colorado State

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

contributor

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Las Vegas, NV

Bellingham Metro News

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck areas near Las Vegas on Tuesday night, according to the United States Geological Service (USGS). The quake, which occurred at 8:06 p.m., was centered approximately 45 minutes from Las Vegas, near Indian Springs.

Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake Shakes Areas Near Las Vegas

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

NewsNinja

"They accidentally gave us 2 washers and a dryer when we only ordered 1 of each". Last month, Lowe’s experienced a glitch that lowered the price of its $2,300 Midea jumbo capacity refrigerator to just $169.

‘Lowe’s messed up’: Shopper says they got $2,300 fridge at Lowe’s for just $169

New Haven, CT

Herbie J Pilato

He was born on April 2, 1949, in New Haven, Connecticut, and died of a heart attack at only 63 on August 14, 2012, in Palm Beach Gardens. His birth name was Ronald Gabriel Paolillo, but his stage name was Ron Palillo who was best known as Arnold Dingfelder Horshack on TV's hit 1970s sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter.

The Tragic Death of 'Welcome Back, Kotter' Actor Ron Palillo: A Look Back

Texas State

No further specifics were given, but these schemes typically involve fraudsters tricking employees at a company — often in finance or with access to the executive suite — into initiating a bank transfer of company funds to a bank account controlled by the fraudsters. These schemes can involve the hacking of email accounts used by executives to send fraudulent instructions to staff on their behalf, or even use deepfakes in efforts to trick unsuspecting employees into transferring funds.

Texas firm says it lost $60M in a bank wire transfer scam

Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are two of the biggest celebrities in modern times. While much of the happenings between the two involved their marriage and divorce, there are bigger things for them to focus on. Most notably their children.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s Son Diagnosed With Rare Skin Condition

Georgia State

Crisp County, GA

Daily Coffee Press

On Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of 24 individuals following Operation Shyne Down. The GBI and other agencies served a total of 120 warrants on the suspects involved in the investigation, which targeted the criminal street gang G-Shyne Bloods and their involvement in criminal activities in Crisp County, Georgia.

Operation Results in More than 20 Charged with Gang Offenses, RICO, and more

To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important fintech stories delivered to your inbox every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. PT, subscribe here. Last week, I got the scoop on publicly traded fintech Payoneer acquiring Singaporean startup Skuad for $61 million in cash, with the potential to pay up to $81 million. This was a pretty fast exit for Skuad founder Sundeep Sahi, who launched the company in 2019 with the aim of simplifying international hiring and had raised $19 million in venture funding. Both Payoneer and Skuad are geared toward SMBs that operate internationally, particularly in emerging markets. Notably, rather than build out the tech itself, Payoneer decided to acquire Skuad and integrate its payroll and contract management products into its own offering.

Payoneer scoops up Skuad, Robinhood’s strong Q2, and X is making progress on payments

Pompano Beach, FL

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

writer

Akeena

In a shocking revelation, Kings Mart, a grocery store in Pompano Beach, has been slapped with a series of severe health violations by the Florida Department of Agriculture. The inspection, carried out by Francis Odio, uncovered a disturbing range of problems that have led to the immediate closure of several sections of the store.

An inspection found bugs in the food and rodent poop on the shelves at a Florida grocery store

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Cooking With Maryann

I grew up on these babies. This cookie is sweet nostalgia to me. There are so many variations to make it too, you really can't go wrong with it! For a super easy and fast cookie bar, these are a winner!

Magic Layer Bars aka Hello Dolly Bars

Emily Standley Allard

In the mystical realm where astrology intersects with spiritual beliefs, certain zodiac signs are thought to possess inherent qualities that offer protection against malevolent entities and negative energies. This intriguing concept has roots in ancient astrology and cultural traditions worldwide, where the alignment of the stars at one's birth is believed to influence not only personality traits but also spiritual protection. This post delves into the 5 celestial shields of the zodiac, highlighting signs that are particularly noted for their protective aura against evil spirits.

5 Zodiac Signs That Possess a Protective Aura Against Evil Spirits

J. Souza

According to cruise industry reports, the world's largest cruise ship is sailing well above 100% capacity, thanks to more beds being filled on recent sailings. Royal Caribbean’s newest flagship, the Icon of the Seas, is proving to be an unprecedented success, with occupancy rates far exceeding expectations.

The Largest Cruise Ship in the World is Sailing at 132% Capacity: How This is Even Possible

Denver, CO

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

No, pallet shelters for people experiencing homelessness don’t fold into caskets. It’s a question a reader posed one of the first times I wrote about pallet shelters. I find the pallet shelters to be more palatable than ice fishing tents. The Colorado Village Collaborative operates both micro-communities and the so-called Safe Outdoor Spaces with the tents. We all learned the tents are not safe when a fire roared through a CVC Safe Outdoor Space, destroying the compound quickly. Officials never disclosed a cause of the fire.

Opinion: No, pallet shelters for homeless in Denver, Aurora don’t fold into caskets

On the night in January 2024 when volunteers counted people experiencing homelessness in Denver, no shelter beds were available for individuals or families, according to data provided by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. More than 2,500 individuals and 181 families slept outside, the data showed.

State of homelessness in Denver: Full shelters, surge in older adults

The company is offering consumers in the U.S. and 11 European countries the ability to store money in a Klarna “balance” account, where they can deposit money directly from their bank account. They can use the money to pay for purchases in full or to pay for their installments when they use Klarna’s BNPL service.

Klarna takes on banking with new savings, cash-back offerings

Mississippi State

The Friday ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, found that geofence warrants are “categorically prohibited by the Fourth Amendment,” which protects against unwarranted searches and seizures. Civil liberties and privacy advocates applauded the ruling, which effectively makes...

US appeals court rules geofence warrants are unconstitutional

NewsBreak

TechCrunch Space: Space cowboys

Want to reach out with a tip? Email Aria at aria.techcrunch@gmail.com or send a message on Signal at 512-937-3988. You also can send a note to...

TechCrunch Space: Space cowboys

Comments / 0