Technologies

Giant SpaceX Starship Could Fly Again in October

An investigation into April’s explosive test flight has closed, opening the door for another attempt.

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration is optimistic that SpaceX’s Starship could blast off from Texas again as soon as next month.

«We’re working well with them and have been in good discussions,» interim FAA Administrator Polly Trottenberg told reporters Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The FAA said Friday it had closed its investigation into the «mishap» ending of Starship’s first orbital flight attempt on April 20. That test ended with the vehicle being intentionally destroyed after the first stage Super Heavy booster failed to separate from the main Starship itself.

The agency that oversees commercial spaceflight in the US sent a letter to SpaceX outlining a list of 63 corrective actions to be taken before a launch license will be issued for the next Starship orbital flight attempt.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk says most of those changes are done and he’s ready to blast off.

To be clear, the list of changes was developed in cooperation with SpaceX engineers and approved by the FAA. The way the process actually works is that SpaceX determines what it thinks caused the mishap and submits a report, including corrective actions, to the FAA. That report was submitted Aug. 21. As part of its side of the investigation, the FAA reviewed that report and sent over a final list of required changes to SpaceX last week.

«Corrective actions include redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical systems,» the FAA said in a statement.

The agency emphasized that «the closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches.»

Just days before the FAA announcement, SpaceX and Musk said on X (formerly Twitter) that a new Starship prototype, dubbed Ship 25, had been stacked atop a new Super Heavy booster and that the mated pair was ready to launch.

Elon Musk Shows Off the Shiny SpaceX Starship

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SpaceX later released a statement of its own on Friday that pinpointed the failure of the April 20 test flight.

«During ascent, the vehicle sustained fires from leaking propellant in the aft end of the Super Heavy booster, which eventually severed connection with the vehicle’s primary flight computer,» the statement reads. «This led to a loss of communications to the majority of booster engines and, ultimately, control of the vehicle.»

So when will Starship fly?

The company says it has since made numerous fixes, upgrades and other mitigations to Starship, its testing regime and its launch infrastructure. The launch pad at the SpaceX Starbase facility in south Texas was partially destroyed during the April blastoff.

Musk said Sunday on X that the SpaceX team has completed 57 of the improvements required by the FAA and that the remaining six items refer to future actions for later flights.

However, the FAA’s letter sent to SpaceX on Sept. 7, which was shared with myself and other reporters,implies that the company has not yet submitted its application for a launch license for Starship’s next attempt at reaching space.

So it appears Starship is getting closer to launching again, but there’s still some paperwork to be done. Given Trottenberg’s statement that the company and regulator are working together, it could be that the teams are working to validate the required upgrades or ensuring that everything is in order for the application for another launch license.

Stay tuned.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, July 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 14.

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.

Oh, come on, New York Times — that 8-Across answer in the Mini Crossword today is just a bunch of letters! It could almost be any letters that seem to make a sound! Stumped by this or any other answer today? Read on. 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: Account used to log into Threads, familiarly
Answer: INSTA

6A clue: Upscale gym freebie
Answer: TOWEL

7A clue: Bad thing to feel toward the end of a marathon
Answer: CRAMP

8A clue: Vowelless grunt
Answer: HMMPH

9A clue: Vegetable in fried rice
Answer: PEA

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Reason to scratch one’s head, perhaps
Answer: ITCH

2D clue: Standard
Answer: NORM

3D clue: Shrek’s home
Answer: SWAMP

4D clue: Arizona city between Phoenix and Mesa
Answer: TEMPE

5D clue: Gen ___ (kids born in the 2010s)
Answer: ALPHA

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 14, #294

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 14, No. 294.

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

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be tough, if timely. I guess I’m not up on the 2025 HR Derby, but maybe you are. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Gotta get through it.

Green group hint: Big piece of furniture.

Blue group hint: Homes for hoops.

Purple group hint: They hit with power.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Rough patch.

Green group: Played on a table.

Blue group: NBA arenas.

Purple group: 2025 MLB HR Derby participants, informally.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is rough patch. The four answers are drought, funk rut and slump.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is played on a table. The four answers are air hockey, ping pong, pool and snooker.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is NBA arenas. The four answers are Ball, Rocket, Scotiabank and State Farm.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is 2025 MLB HR Derby participants, informally. The four answers are Cal, Jazz, Junior and O’Neil.

Technologies

Dyson Reveals Futuristic Farming Vision

Dyson, a company best known for its vacuums and hair dryers, has unveiled a new rotating farm design that aims to make food production more local, sustainable and dependable.

Dyson, a company best known for its vacuums and hair dryers, unveiled a new circular farm design featuring rows of strawberry plants that rotate to share sunlight, robots that do everything from harvesting to releasing helpful insects, and sensors to help farmers keep an eye on things.

The company is also getting into the renewable energy game. Check out the video in this article to find out how it all connects and what it could mean for the future of food.