Tech

SpaceX chief Elon Musk ‘highly confident’ his Starship will reach orbit this year

Published

4 years ago

February 11, 2022

Anthony Lucas

Elon Musk has revealed that he’s “highly confident” his new SpaceX Starship, designed for voyages to the moon and Mars, will reach Earth orbit for the first time this year

The billionaire’s comments come despite a host of technical and regulatory hurdles yet to be overcome.

Mr Musk, who is the SpaceX founder and CEO addressed reporters and fans at his company’s “Starbase” building located in Boca Chica, Texas for a presentation that combined a high-tech pep rally with big-screen videos and a question-and-answer session.

His presentation came nine months after the private California-based space venture achieved the first successful launch and touchdown of a Starship prototype rocket in a test-flight after four previous landing attempts ended in explosions.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 21: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk arrives at “Revenge Of The Electric Car” Premiere held at Landmark Nuart Theatre on October 21, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

Musk, who is also the boss of EV maker Tesla, acknowledged difficulties SpaceX has faced in developing the “Raptor 2” engines for its Super Heavy rocket, a reusable next-generation launch booster designed to carry the Starship spacecraft to orbit.

He cited problems with melting inside the thruster chambers of the engines from intense heat.

“We’re very close to solving that,” and expected to scale up production to about seven or eight of the engines a week by next month and produce a new Starship and a booster every month by year’s end.
Musk highlighted.

“I feel at this point highly confident that we will get to orbit (with the Starship) this year,”
said Musk.

Such a time frame would mark an ambitious feat, even for an uncrewed orbital test flight of the Super Heavy/Starship combo, the next step up from SpaceX’s current workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, which Musk said has flown 144 successful launches and 106 return landings.

Tech

Ariane 64 takes flight carrying Amazon’s broadband satellites

Ariane 64’s maiden launch from French Guiana carries 32 Amazon satellites, starting 18 missions to enhance global broadband access.

Published

23 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Ariane 64’s maiden launch from French Guiana carries 32 Amazon satellites, starting 18 missions to enhance global broadband access.

Europe is entering a new spaceflight era as the Ariane 64 prepares for its maiden launch from French Guiana. The rocket, the most powerful ever developed in Europe, features four boosters and is capable of delivering more than 20 tonnes into low Earth orbit.

The launch window opens at 4:45 p.m. UTC and closes at 5:13 p.m. UTC, with the mission expected to last one hour and 54 minutes. During the flight, satellites will be deployed in pairs, marking a critical technical milestone for Europe’s space ambitions.

This first flight is a major test for the Ariane 6 program, setting the tone for future commercial and institutional launches from Europe’s space sector.

#SpaceLaunch #Ariane6 #AmazonSatellites #LEO #SpaceTech #BroadbandFromSpace #RocketScience #TickerNews

Tech

SpaceX shifts focus to Moon with ambitious Lunar City plans

Elon Musk shifts SpaceX focus from Mars to a 2027 Moon landing, merging with xAI for AI satellite networks.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Elon Musk shifts SpaceX focus from Mars to a 2027 Moon landing, merging with xAI for AI satellite networks.

Elon Musk has set his sights closer to home—literally. SpaceX is now prioritizing the creation of a self-sustaining city on the Moon within the next decade. The ambitious plan marks a major shift from previous Mars-focused strategies, aiming for an uncrewed Starship landing as early as 2027 to support NASA’s Artemis program.

This pivot comes as SpaceX merges with Musk’s xAI, combining the companies into a massive $1.25 trillion valuation. Musk believes the Moon offers practical advantages for launches, making it a more strategic stepping stone for humanity’s future in space.

Alongside lunar ambitions, SpaceX is also developing satellite networks to back AI technologies in orbit. Despite the excitement, NASA’s Artemis program has faced delays, pushing the first crewed lunar flight to March due to technical issues.

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Tech

Claude AI is transforming software engineering and productivity

Anthropic’s Claude AI now manages coding tasks, boosting productivity by 50% as engineers shift to oversight roles.

Published

3 days ago

February 9, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Anthropic’s Claude AI now manages coding tasks, boosting productivity by 50% as engineers shift to oversight roles.

Anthropic has confirmed that its AI, Claude, now handles almost all coding tasks at the company. Engineers are shifting from writing code to oversight and planning, marking a major change in how software development teams operate.

Users report a productivity boost of 50 percent since implementing Claude, highlighting the potential of AI to reshape workflows and day-to-day operations. The shift raises questions about the balance between human oversight and automated code generation.

The move has also affected markets, with shares of Indian IT services companies falling as investors assess the impact on traditional tech roles. Industry leaders stress that while AI can generate code, human input remains crucial for design, review, and strategic decision-making.

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