SpaceX's Starship V3—still a work in progress—mostly successful on first flight

SpaceX's Starship V3—still a work in progress—mostly successful on first flight

fivenewscrypto    mai 26, 2026   

SpaceX launched the first test flight of its upgraded Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster Friday, with mostly positive results.

The powerful rocket, propelled by 33 methane-fueled main engines, climbed away from SpaceX's Starbase launch facility in South Texas at 5:30 pm CDT (6:30 pm EDT; 22:30 UTC) Friday. Within a few seconds, the 408-foot-tall (124-meter) rocket, the largest ever built, cleared the launch tower and turned onto an eastward heading over the Gulf of Mexico.

Starship splashed down on target in the Indian Ocean a little more than an hour later to conclude the first flight of the latest version of SpaceX's stainless steel mega-rocket. Starship V3 fared better on its debut than the first flights of Starship V1 and V2 in 2023 and 2025. Both past versions of Starship broke apart during launch on their inaugural flights.

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Two space shuttle-era spacewalkers enter Astronaut Hall of Fame

Two space shuttle-era spacewalkers enter Astronaut Hall of Fame

fivenewscrypto    mai 26, 2026   

Tom Akers and Joe Tanner are finally in the same class.

The two veteran space shuttle crew members were inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame together on May 16. They could also have been in the same NASA astronaut selection group, too, had history played out a little differently.

In 1984, Tanner reported to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to fly as an instructor pilot and then applied for the next class of astronaut candidates.

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China’s shark finning could lead to US seafood sanctions

China’s shark finning could lead to US seafood sanctions

fivenewscrypto    mai 25, 2026   

For migrant workers trapped onboard Chinese distant water fishing fleets, cutting the fins off sharks as they writhe violently on rusted decks in the Indian Ocean isn’t accidental. It’s an intentional and lucrative act that marks the start of a bloody half-a-billion-dollar offshore supply chain, tacitly supported by Beijing yet covertly concealed from port inspectors globally.

The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit focused on the protection of endangered species, filed a formal petition this month requesting the U.S. government potentially sanction China for failing to meet American shark conservation standards. Shark populations have declined by more than 70 percent since 1970, with more than one-third of all shark and ray species now threatened with extinction. Yet each year, Chinese-flagged vessels catch, brutally fin, and discard thousands.

Should the National Marine Fisheries Service identify China as having violated the US Moratorium Protection Act, then President Trump could be expected to ban the import of all $1.5 billion of Chinese seafood.

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Four Russian satellites are now within striking distance of an ICEYE radarsat

Four Russian satellites are now within striking distance of an ICEYE radarsat

fivenewscrypto    mai 25, 2026   

At least four Russian military satellites changed their orbits to match that of a Finnish-American radar surveillance satellite in the last week, raising questions about Russia's intentions amid an ever-expanding standoff high above Earth.

The maneuvers were identified through open source orbital tracking data. Greg Gillinger, a retired Air Force space intelligence officer, revealed the orbit changes Friday in a special edition of his Integrity Flash newsletter, published by Integrity ISR, a private business that provides "combat-proven operational support and elite training that enhances mission success across ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), cyber, space, and targeting domains."

The Russian satellites in question, designated Kosmos 2610 through 2613, launched together on April 16 on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. Over the last week or so, the four satellites adjusted their inclinations—the angles of their orbits to the equator—by less than a degree.

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Ebola outbreak now third largest recorded and "spreading rapidly"

Ebola outbreak now third largest recorded and "spreading rapidly"

fivenewscrypto    mai 25, 2026   

The Ebola outbreak erupting from the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to escalate wildly, with cases nearing 750, deaths reported at 177, and around 1,400 contacts now being traced, the World Health Organization reported in a press briefing Friday. The latest numbers already place the outbreak as the third largest on record, though it was only first reported a week ago, on May 15. And WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is still "spreading rapidly."

A revised WHO assessment has moved the risk level from "high" to "very high" at the national level, while risk remains "high" at the regional level and "low" at the global level, Tedros added.

WHO officials have acknowledged that a delay in detecting and responding to the outbreak enabled it to balloon, and that they are now racing to get ahead of the virus.

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First-generation Chromecast users stressed by devices suddenly failing

First-generation Chromecast users stressed by devices suddenly failing

fivenewscrypto    mai 25, 2026   

Google’s first Chromecast was a hit. With 10 million units sold in 2014, it excelled as an easy solution for streaming TV and movies from the Internet to a TV. Released at a time when dumb TVs were more common, the first-generation Chromecast has a simplicity you don’t find in streaming devices these days. Press "Cast" in an app, select a TV with a Chromecast, and start watching. Foregoing extras like a UI or ads, the device remains active in some homes today, despite Google ending support for the $35 device in 2023.

However, this week it seemed like those days were over. Numerous people reported that their original Chromecast had suddenly stopped casting from popular apps, including Chrome, YouTube, and Paramount+. This brought concern that the original Chromecast was really dead now. A Reddit thread started by someone who claimed to have two first-gen Chromecasts suddenly stop working at the same time includes various responses from people who suspected that Google bricked the devices in order to force upgrades.

But Sahana Mysore, senior product manager for Google Home, told Ars Technica today that Google didn’t kill the devices, saying:

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Trump FCC asks public to comment on whether ABC's The View is a news show

Trump FCC asks public to comment on whether ABC's The View is a news show

fivenewscrypto    mai 25, 2026   

The Federal Communications Commission is escalating its attack on ABC’s The View with a proceeding that seeks public comment on whether the talk show is a "bona fide news interview program."

The FCC Media Bureau today issued a public notice seeking opinions on whether The View qualifies for the bona fide news exemption to the equal-time rule, which requires equal time for opposing political candidates on non-news programming. The probe of The View is driven by Chairman Brendan Carr, who has embraced President Trump's declaration that the FCC is no longer an independent agency and used his chairmanship to open investigations into broadcasters that Trump dislikes.

"Decades ago, Congress made the decision to prevent covered broadcast television programs from being used to advance certain partisan political purposes," the Media Bureau public notice said. The equal-time rule exists to prevent broadcast television stations "from unfairly putting their thumbs on the scale for one political candidate or set of candidates over another," and "to ensure that no legally qualified candidate for office is unfairly given less access to the public airwaves than their opponent," it said.

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