Technologies

SpaceX Inspiration4 mission: Splashdown brings civilian astronauts home

The successful mission helps underline the idea of sending everyday folks into space, for tourism, futuristic international travel and maybe even cosmic colonization.

Best three-day «weekend» ever? That may be the question SpaceX’s four civilian astronauts are putting to themselves after successfully returning to Earth on Saturday. The crew of the historic Inspiration4 mission splashed down off the Florida coast at about 7 p.m. local time, after having orbited the globe many times since Thursday. The astronauts safely exited the spacecraft about an hour after splashdown, following a recovery at sea.

«That was a heck of a ride for us,» mission commander Jared Isaacman tweeted after splashdown. «Congratulations @Inspiration4x!!!» SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, also via Twitter.

It was the first time a crew composed of private citizens had been launched into orbit, without any professional astronauts aboard. The mission took the crew members much farther out than either Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson or Blue Origin’s (and Amazon’s) Jeff Bezos traveled on their recent jaunts above the planet. And the Inspiration4 trip helps solidify the notion of sending everyday people into space, for tourism, futuristic international travel and perhaps even colonization of the cosmos.

The mission was bankrolled by Isaacman, a former pilot and the billionaire founder of a payment processing company. Isaacman served as mission commander on the journey and offered up the other three seats to members of the general public: physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux, data engineer Christopher Sembroski and community college professor Sian Proctor (who’s now also the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft).

The crew spent its time orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes (about 100 miles farther out than the International Space Station); checking out the view of our planet from a specially installed glass cupola on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule; conducting various science experiments; and occasionally taking breaks to play with a plushie pup (also known as the mission’s «zero gravity indicator»). Physiological information about the crew was collected to assess changes in behavior and cognition, including data on heart rate, blood oxygen saturation and how well the team members slept.

The mission was also billed as a fundraiser for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, where Arceneaux works and where she was a cancer patient as a child.

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The successful mission is another feather in the cap of Musk and his company SpaceX, which has already shuttled astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. That initiative sees the space agency working with private companies to achieve NASA’s stated goal of «safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit.»

In June, SpaceX signed a deal to send space tourists to the ISS, starting next year. And in April, NASA announced that it had selected SpaceX to provide the human landing system for the space agency’s Artemis program. Artemis calls for putting the first woman and next man on the moon sometime soon — and setting up sustainable exploration by the end of the decade. Knowledge gained from Artemis will be put to use in getting ready to send astronauts to Mars.

Read more: Welcome to Mars (special report)

Technologies

Verum Messenger Introduces Built-In Verum Chess

Verum Messenger has released a new update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, adding another feature to its growing ecosystem — Verum Chess. Users can now play chess directly inside the messenger without switching between different applications.

The new feature allows users to start a game in just a few taps while reinforcing Verum’s vision of a unified digital environment where communication and everyday services come together in a single platform.

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional ecosystem that combines secure chats and calls, AI tools, a built-in VPN, anonymous email, eSIM, financial services, cryptocurrency features, and offline communication. With the introduction of Verum Chess, the platform now also offers a new way for users to interact and spend time together without leaving the app.

The update is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac on the App Store.

Technologies

Episode 3 of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Now Available

Verum Messenger has released the third episode of its AI mini-series, SHADOWS, created using Verum AI.

The new episode, titled «Ghost Money,» continues the story of the conflict between a team of heroes and the Omega corporation, which seeks to take control of digital communications. This time, the focus shifts to anonymous payments and financial freedom, revealing how privacy can extend beyond messaging.

Like the previous episodes, the new release not only advances the storyline but also showcases the capabilities of the Verum ecosystem, highlighting technologies designed for secure communication and digital privacy.

The mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 3 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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Technologies

Verum Finance Now Available for Mac, Expanding the Verum Ecosystem on Desktop

Verum has officially released Verum Finance for macOS, bringing its financial platform to the Mac and expanding access to the Verum ecosystem across Apple’s devices. The launch allows users to manage their finances from desktop while enjoying the same secure and seamless experience available on iPhone and iPad.

The new Mac version includes the full range of Verum Finance features, including balance management, instant transfers to other Verum users, debit card management, Apple Pay support, asset exchange, and transaction history — all optimized for the macOS experience.

Verum Finance can be used as a standalone application or alongside Verum Messenger. Users who sign in with their Verum Messenger account automatically synchronize their balances, settings, and account data across devices, ensuring a consistent experience throughout the Verum ecosystem.

The macOS release further strengthens Verum’s vision of creating an integrated digital platform where communication and financial services work together. Verum Messenger, which is also available for Mac, complements the ecosystem with encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, VPN, eSIM, anonymous email, AI-powered tools, offline communication capabilities, and cryptocurrency features.

With both Verum Messenger and Verum Finance now available across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, users can access secure communication and financial services wherever they work.

Verum Finance for Mac is available now through the Mac App Store.

Verum Finance for macOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/verum-finance/id6774245148
Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im
Verum Messenger: https://verum.im