Technology
Intuitive Machines wins $116.9 million contract for 2027 lunar mission
Intuitive Machines, a venture-backed startup that went public last yr, will send a lunar lander to the moon’s south pole in 2027 under a $116.9 million contract awarded Thursday by NASA.
This is NASA’s tenth Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) award; 4 of them have gone to Intuitive Machines. The company will deliver six NASA payloads to the moon under the contract, although the lander will carry additional payload for business customers.
The moon’s south pole is an area of great scientific interest, partly due to relative abundance of water ice that has been detected there. However, the region is notoriously difficult to explore, with many parts permanently in shadow, extremely low temperatures, and rugged terrain. Only one rover has ever briefly explored the region: the Indian Space Research Organization’s Pragyan rover, which was launched from the Chandrayaan-3 lander in August 2023.
One of six NASA payloads that shall be carried on the mission is a collection of instruments designed by the European Space Agency that may collect samples of lunar regolith from below the surface and analyze their composition. The samples will help assess “potential resources on the Moon and prepare technologies that could be used to extract those resources in the future.” ESA stated within the cargo description.
Other payloads include a radiometer that may examine the composition of the moon’s surface, an instrument that may measure how a spacecraft landing might affect the composition of the regolith, and a bunch of retroreflectors that may help pinpoint the lander’s location. (Retroreflectors were also on Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander.)
“The instruments on this newly awarded flight will help us achieve many science goals and enhance our understanding of the lunar environment,” Chris Culbert, CLPS initiative manager, said in a press release. “For example, they will help answer key questions about where volatiles — such as water, ice, or gas — are located on the lunar surface and measure radiation in the South Pole region, which could accelerate our exploration efforts on the Moon and help us further explore Mars.”
Before Intuitive Machines can launch this lander, it must first complete two lunar missions: a second lunar mission scheduled for launch within the fourth quarter of this yr, and a mission to the Reiner Gamma region of the moon in 2025.
Intuitive Machines launched its first lunar lander mission in February. Although the lander successfully landed on the lunar surface, it landed a bit too quickly and flipped almost on its side. Although the landing ultimately ended the mission prematurely resulting from the orientation of the lander’s solar panels relative to the sun, the corporate says the mission still proved the lander’s basic components and systems.
Technology
US medical device giant Artivion says hackers stole files during a cybersecurity incident
Artivion, a medical device company that produces implantable tissue for heart and vascular transplants, says its services have been “disrupted” resulting from a cybersecurity incident.
In 8-K filing In an interview with the SEC on Monday, Georgia-based Artivion, formerly CryoLife, said it became aware of a “cybersecurity incident” that involved the “compromise and encryption” of information on November 21. This suggests that the corporate was attacked by ransomware, but Artivion has not yet confirmed the character of the incident and didn’t immediately reply to TechCrunch’s questions. No major ransomware group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Artivion said it took some systems offline in response to the cyberattack, which the corporate said caused “disruptions to certain ordering and shipping processes.”
Artivion, which reported third-quarter revenue of $95.8 million, said it didn’t expect the incident to have a material impact on the corporate’s funds.
Technology
It’s a Raspberry Pi 5 in a keyboard and it’s called Raspberry Pi 500
Manufacturer of single-board computers Raspberry Pi is updating its cute little computer keyboard device with higher specs. Named Raspberry Pi500This successor to the Raspberry Pi 400 is just as powerful as the present Raspberry Pi flagship, the Raspberry Pi 5. It is on the market for purchase now from Raspberry Pi resellers.
The Raspberry Pi 500 is the simplest method to start with the Raspberry Pi because it’s not as intimidating because the Raspberry Pi 5. When you take a look at the Raspberry Pi 500, you do not see any chipsets or PCBs (printed circuit boards). The Raspberry Pi is totally hidden in the familiar housing, the keyboard.
The idea with the Raspberry Pi 500 is you could connect a mouse and a display and you are able to go. If, for instance, you’ve got a relative who uses a very outdated computer with an outdated version of Windows, the Raspberry Pi 500 can easily replace the old PC tower for many computing tasks.
More importantly, this device brings us back to the roots of the Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi computers were originally intended for educational applications. Over time, technology enthusiasts and industrial customers began using single-board computers all over the place. (For example, when you’ve ever been to London Heathrow Airport, all of the departures and arrivals boards are there powered by Raspberry Pi.)
Raspberry Pi 500 draws inspiration from the roots of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a non-profit organization. It’s the right first computer for college. In some ways, it’s a lot better than a Chromebook or iPad because it’s low cost and highly customizable, which inspires creative pondering.
The Raspberry Pi 500 comes with a 32GB SD card that comes pre-installed with Raspberry Pi OS, a Debian-based Linux distribution. It costs $90, which is a slight ($20) price increase over the Raspberry Pi 400.
Only UK and US keyboard variants will probably be available at launch. But versions with French, German, Italian, Japanese, Nordic and Spanish keyboard layouts will probably be available soon. And when you’re in search of a bundle that features all the things you would like, Raspberry Pi also offers a $120 desktop kit that features the Raspberry Pi 500, a mouse, a 27W USB-C power adapter, and a micro-HDMI to HDMI cable.
In other news, Raspberry Pi has announced one other recent thing: the Raspberry Pi monitor. It is a 15.6-inch 1080p monitor that’s priced at $100. Since there are quite a few 1080p portable monitors available on the market, this launch is not as noteworthy because the Pi 500. However, for die-hard Pi fans, there’s now also a Raspberry Pi-branded monitor option available.
Technology
Apple Vision Pro may add support for PlayStation VR controllers
According to Apple, Apple desires to make its Vision Pro mixed reality device more attractive for gamers and game developers latest report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
The Vision Pro was presented more as a productivity and media consumption device than a tool geared toward gamers, due partly to its reliance on visual and hand controls moderately than a separate controller.
However, Apple may need gamers if it desires to expand the Vision Pro’s audience, especially since Gurman reports that lower than half one million units have been sold to this point. As such, the corporate has reportedly been in talks with Sony about adding support for PlayStation VR2 handheld controllers, and has also talked to developers about whether they may support the controllers of their games.
Offering more precise control, Apple may also make other forms of software available in Vision Pro, reminiscent of Final Cut Pro or Adobe Photoshop.
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