Dreams of asteroid mining, orbital manufacturing and much more
Ideas for making money in orbit that seemed mad in the 1960s now look sane
Calling A company SpinLaunch in an industry where the first part of that name is a way of life might seem a hostage to fortune. But, though the firm is no slouch at PR, “spin” refers to how its cargoes are dispatched from Earth’s surface—by an armature rotating inside a vacuum chamber (pictured above) rather than on a rocket. After an hour’s slow acceleration on the ground, the projectile is fired out of the chamber at 2.2km a second. Only when it is around 62km up will a small motor ignite to carry it the rest of the way into orbit.
Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else