Technologies

NASA Just Sent Its First Cubesat to the Moon to Show Artemis the Way

The small satellite successfully entered a unique lunar orbit on Sunday.

While NASA works toward a planned launch of its first big Artemis moon mission early Wednesday, a tiny cubesat has officially arrived at the moon to serve as a pathfinder for upcoming stages of the agency’s milestone lunar program.

Capstone, short for the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, is the size of a microwave oven and designed to circle the moon via an eccentric elliptical orbit (formally known as a near rectilinear halo orbit) that’s never been flown by a spacecraft before.

Capstone is checking out the route in advance of NASA’s plans to build a space station dubbed Gateway to ply the same orbit. The Gateway will be a waypoint for astronauts in the Artemis program, designed to get humans back on the moon, and it will house equipment and supplies for trips to the lunar surface.

The small satellite performed its initial orbit insertion maneuver, firing its thrusters at 4:39 p.m. PT Sunday to enter the special orbital path, which will allow it to circle the moon along a very fuel efficient route, relying instead on the gravitational pulls of the moon and Earth to stay on course.

It’s expected to take about a week for mission engineers to confirm and fine-tune the path of Capstone after orbital insertion.

Capstone’s journey to the moon has been tumultuous. The compact craft lost communications with Earth for a while in July and later suffered a major technical glitch that sent it tumbling out of control. The team was eventually able to get it oriented and back on track.

«What this Capstone team has overcome to date has been incredible,» said Bradley Cheetham, principal investigator for Capstone and chief executive officer of Advanced Space, in a statement. Advanced Space is a Colorado company that owns and operates Capstone for NASA.

«Overcoming challenges is the purpose of a pathfinding mission,» Cheetham added.

Capstone is scheduled to fire its thrusters only once every six and a half days to maintain its orbit, if that’s needed. The goal is to stay in its orbit for at least six months so engineers can learn more about what will be required to keep Gateway and other spacecraft on such a path for many years.

Technologies

This New Smartwatch From Nothing’s CMF Brand is Enticingly Affordable

The Watch 3 Pro offers impressive fitness-tracking features for the price.

After spending hundreds of dollars on your personal tech (your phone, your laptop, your headphones), the idea of splashing out yet more money to add a smartwatch to your collection can start to rankle. But what if we told you this new, stylish smartwatch cost less than $100?

CMF, the sub-brand of London-based Nothing, which earlier this month launch its flagship Nothing Phone 3, announced the CMF Watch 3 Pro on Tuesday. Available to buy today from Nothing’s website for $99 (£99) in three different colors (dark gray, light gray and orange), the Watch 3 Pro looks like an affordable alternative to the best smartwatches on the market.

The Watch 3 Pro, which boasts a maximum 13 days of battery life, according to Nothing’s specs, is geared at people beginning their health and fitness journeys. Given the price, it’s impressive to see the watch pack a dual-band five-system GPS setup, which should provide signal stability and precision location tracking. A four-channel heart rate sensor should provide accurate readings while you’re working out, with 130 activity modes to choose from.

Following your workout, you’ll get AI-powered summaries that will break down your performance and give you recovery guidance. ChatGPT integration will allow you to ask questions on the go, while a built-in voice recorder with auto-transcription that can be used to capture notes and ideas.

As with all of Nothing and CMF’s products, the design of the Watch 3 Pro won’t be for everyone, but the slim bezels of the round watch face and the soft silicone bands do give them a more subtle look than many of the brand’s more distinctive devices. Plus, with over 120 options to personalize the watch face, it should be easy to put your own stamp on this affordable timepiece.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, July 22

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 22.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

I’m always pumped for a Star Wars reference in the Mini Crossword! You should figure out 4-Down pretty quickly if you’ve been following the more recent movie entries. Read on for help with today’s Mini Crossword. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Get ready for a vacation
Answer: PACK

5A clue: How you might feel after riding a roller coaster
Answer: DIZZY

6A clue: «All things being ___ …»
Answer: EQUAL

7A clue: Small donkey of the Southwest
Answer: BURRO

8A clue: Items shot from cannons at basketball games
Answer: TEES

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Spark, as curiosity
Answer: PIQUE

2D clue: Sky-blue hue
Answer: AZURE

3D clue: Government policy leaders
Answer: CZARS

4D clue: ___ Ren, villain in the «Star Wars» universe
Answer: KYLO

5D clue: What an i.o.u. represents
Answer: DEBT

Technologies

Yes, You Can Still Get Games for Less Than $50. These Are the Best I’ve Played

Video game prices are going up, but these titles cost less without sacrificing quality.

It’s no secret that video games are likely going to cost more in 2026. It’s already been confirmed that some AAA games, like The Outer Worlds 2, will be priced at $80 when they come out. It’s ironic that a game that satirizes corporate greed should be the first official title with a higher price, but here we are.

However, another trend has quietly emerged over the past few months: Many great AA games are being released for $50 or less. A lot of these titles are currently on sale, too, so you can pick them up even cheaper right now.

As an avid gamer, I’ve found a lot more affordable titles that are well worth your consideration. One is even the top contender for Game of the Year. And who knows, maybe one of them will end up being your new favorite game.