Technologies

SpaceX Falcon Heavy May Launch NASA Psyche Mission to Metal Asteroid Next Week

By some estimates, the asteroid could be more valuable than the entire world economy.

NASA has been planning and waiting for years to launch a new spacecraft to explore the bizarrely metal-rich asteroid Psyche. After a delay of a full year, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket may finally loft the craft to space as soon as Oct. 5.

A software glitch caused launch delays in 2022, forcing mission planners to wait until this year, after the launch window expired last October.

The asteroid target is officially named 16 Psyche. It’s shaped like a potato, with a diameter of 173 miles (280 kilometers) at its widest point. The exact composition of the asteroid is a subject of some debate, but NASA says it may be up to 60% iron-nickel metals. This is such an unusually high proportion that some scientists speculate Psyche may be a leftover chunk from an ancient planet’s core.

NASA has no plans to mine the asteroid, but data returned by the mission could help us get a more accurate idea of its potential value. Some estimates have put the figure as high as a mind-blowing 10,000 quadrillion dollars.

NASA and other scientists connected to the mission say they’re more interested in using the trip to Psyche to learn about what Earth’s core might be like, since it’s so close yet so inaccessible.

Psyche isn’t a near-Earth asteroid. It orbits far away, between Mars and Jupiter, and it’ll take the Psyche spacecraft six years to travel the 2.5 billion miles (4 billion kilometers) it needs to cover to reach its heavy metal target.

Along the way, the spacecraft will be testing advanced laser communications technology in deep space for the first time. The optical communications system could be capable of data transmission rates 10 to 100 times higher than current radio systems, perhaps even enabling streaming video. The experiment could lay the foundation for a future interplanetary broadband network when astronauts venture to Mars.

As of last week, NASA said the Psyche spacecraft had completed testing and is fully fueled and ready to launch. The agency and SpaceX are targeting a launch at 10:34 a.m. EDT (7:34 a.m. PDT) on Thursday, Oct. 5, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In case of other delays, there are other opportunities for launch in the current window up until Oct. 25.

The launch will be streamed by NASA and SpaceX.

Technologies

Target Is Latest Chain to Warn of Price Hikes Amid Tariff Uncertainty

Technologies

Google Beam Futuristic AI-Powered 3D Video Chats Are Coming This Year

Google Beam uses an AI model that turns video calls into a lifelike 3D experience. It could be the next best thing to being there.

Beam me up, Google. Video chats could have a much more sci-fi feel with Google Beam, an AI-powered video communications platform that aims to make it feel like you’re meeting up in person.

Google announced Beam, an evolution of its Google Starline technology, at its annual I/O developer conference on Tuesday. Google has teamed up with HP to commercialize the system.

Read more: Google I/O 2025 Live Blog

Google Beam uses a six-camera array that captures the subject from different angles. An AI video model puts the views together in real time to create a 3D person. Google says the system features near-perfect head tracking, down to the millimeter, with video at 60 frames per second.

The idea is reminiscent of any number of holographic communications systems seen in everything from Star Wars to Star Trek. Unlike the tiny, low-quality Princess Leia hologram from A New Hope, Beam is designed to be life-sized and lifelike. Google once described the technology as a «magic window.»

The platform uses a light field display that doesn’t require wearing any special equipment. CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti tried out Starline last year and called it «the closest thing to a hologram I’ve ever seen.»

Speech translation, a feature Google is bringing to Google Meet, could come to Beam as well, Google said.

Google introduced Starline as a research project in 2021 and has been testing and refining prototypes ever since. Today’s announcement means the technology is closing in on being ready for prime time.

Video calls have long been plagued with challenges. It can be hard to read expressions and gestures. Traditional video chats are missing a sense of eye contact. Zoom fatigue was a hot topic during the height of COVID-19. Beam wants to address those issues with a more immersive and lifelike experience.

Google said HP will share more about the platform at the InfoComm audio visual technology exhibition in June. Google is also working with Zoom and other audio visual companies. Beam will likely find its footing first with larger organizations that want to shake up the way they handle videoconferencing.

The first Beam devices will be available for early adopters later in 2025, so start practicing your «Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.»

Beam isn’t Google’s only big announcement of the day. Check out everything that’s been revealed at Google I/O.

Technologies

Samsung Reportedly Wants OLED Screens on Switch 2 Refresh

One of the major complaints about the Switch 2 might be addressed in the future.

When Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 on April 2, there was a lot of excitement over the powered-up portable console. However, some gamers weren’t thrilled about its LCD screen. But, like the original, it appears there might be a Switch 2 with a better display in the works.

Samsung is the display maker for the Switch 2 and is reportedly pushing for a version of Nintendo’s new console to come with an OLED screen, according to a report from Bloomberg on Tuesday. No specifics were provided on whether this variant of the Switch 2 would come out or if Nintendo was committed to it.

Nintendo and Samsung didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Switch 2 is only weeks away from launching on June 5. The new console has some significant upgrades over the original Switch, including the larger 7.9-inch 1080p LCD screen, a custom Nvidia processor that outputs graphics better than a PS4 but less than a PS5 and 4K video with a max frame rate of 120fps.

There have been, however, some concerns over the Switch 2. The big one is its price. At $450, the Switch 2 would be Nintendo’s most expensive console. Coupled with that is the fact that the system will also have its first regularly priced $80 game with Mario Kart World. While the big price tag of the Switch 2 makes sense, considering its components, Nintendo has yet to provide an explanation of why it needs to sell a game for $80, which is $10 more than the typical price of new AAA games.

Nintendo released its Switch OLED in 2021, four years after the console’s launch. It was $50 more expensive than the original, had a slightly bigger screen and made some other small design adjustments, such as a better kickstand.

If Nintendo does release a Switch 2 with OLED sometime in the future, the cost of this new console could be more than just an additional $50. The same day the Switch 2 was announced, President Donald Trump released a list of tariffs for US trade partners. Nintendo’s home country, Japan, and the two countries that produce Nintendo’s products — China and Vietnam — were subject to large tariffs. This led Nintendo to delay preorders in the US.

Since then, Trump has instituted tariff freezes, and Switch 2 preorders were made available for US gamers. However, there is some uncertainty over whether the Switch 2 will stay at its $450 price or see an increase due to tariffs. Microsoft has already increased the price of its Xbox Series consoles, and it appears that Sony might do the same soon.