Former Rep. Mike Rogers enters Michigan Senate race as the first prominent Republican
Former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who served seven terms in the U.S. House, is running for U.S. Senate in Michigan
2023-09-06 18:29
Starship ‘ready to launch’, Elon Musk says
SpaceX is ready to launch its next-generation Starship rocket, according to Elon Musk, pending regulatory approval. Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built, measuring 121 metres in height and capable of producing 5,000 metric tons of thrust. Once testing is complete, the craft will form part of Nasa’s Artemis mission to return astronauts to the Moon. Mr Musk also plans to use the rocket to transport people and cargo around the solar system, eventually using fleets of Starships to establish a permanent human colony on Mars. The next launch will be the second attempt at an orbital flight test, with the only previous effort ending in an explosion just three minutes into the 90 minute flight earlier this year. Each launch attempt requires approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), while also requiring favourable weather conditions. “Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA licence approval,” Mr Musk posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the FAA previously told The Independent that the launch licence application for Starship depends on various requirements being met, including reviews on policy, payload, safety, airspace integration, financial responsibility and environmental impacts. “The FAA will make a licence determination only after the agency is satisfied SpaceX meets all licensing, safety and other regulatory requirements,” the spokesperson said. SpaceX typically only reveals the date for rocket tests a few days before they take place, though numerous factors can still delay them. Weather at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas is currently favourable for a launch, though the area can be prone to storms and hurricanes between June and November. SpaceX performed its 62nd orbital rocket launch of 2023 earlier this week, breaking its own record for the most number of launches in a single year. The private company has delivered roughly 80 per cent of all Earth payload mass to orbit in 2023, with Mr Musk predicting that this figure will rise to more than 99 per cent once Starship is in operation. “These magnitudes are madness to consider, but necessary to make consciousness multiplanetary,” he posted on X on Sunday. Read More SpaceX smashes rocket launch record as Musk eyes historic Starship mission SpaceX abandons YouTube for live streams of launches in favour of X/Twitter
2023-09-06 18:22
Antony Blinken arrives in Kyiv to hear latest on Ukraine's counteroffensive
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv Wednesday on what is his third trip to the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
2023-09-06 17:54
Woman shown bound and gagged in BTK killer Dennis Rader's sick drawings may have been identified
The disturbing sketches feature terrified and bound women, reigniting investigations into cold cases that may be linked to the 78-year-old criminal
2023-09-06 17:48
Gilgo Beach serial killing suspect Rex Heuermann owes nearly $70,000 in wage theft case, claims new lawsuit
The New York Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit to retrieve a significant sum of unpaid wages, penalties, and interest from Rex Heuermann
2023-09-06 17:29
Wednesday live hearing could determine how quickly Fulton County election subversion case moves
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the Georgia election subversion case against former President Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants, will hold his first hearing Wednesday afternoon amid questions of how soon a trial could begin.
2023-09-06 17:27
More than 5 million people have been displaced by monthslong conflict in Sudan, UN agency says
The United Nations' migration agency says that more than 5 million people have now been displaced by the monthslong fighting in Sudan
2023-09-06 17:26
'Just come clean': Dillon Danis drags James Charles in ongoing feud with Logan Paul
Amid Logan Paul and Dillon Danis feud, Danis targeted Jake Paul by suggesting a connection between Jake and controversial figure James Charles
2023-09-06 17:21
Scholz calls for a broad pact to slash bureaucracy and modernize Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged Germany’s opposition and regional governments to help slash a “thicket of bureaucracy” that slows down Europe’s biggest economy, as his government grapples with poor poll ratings and a reputation for internal strife half way through its term
2023-09-06 17:15
Blinken visits Kyiv in show of support for Ukraine's efforts to push out Russia's forces
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, hours after Russia launched its first missile attack in a week against the Ukrainian capital
2023-09-06 17:00
China's premier is on a charm offensive as ASEAN summit protests Beijing's aggression at sea
In talks with Southeast Asian leaders Wednesday in the Indonesian capital, Chinese Premier Li Qiang underscored his country’s importance as the world’s second-biggest economy and as the top trading partner of the region
2023-09-06 16:48
Aung San Suu Kyi ill but denied urgent care, says son
Sources say severe toothaches have left the 78-year-old, detained since 2021, unable to eat.
2023-09-06 16:27