Technologies

The Boeing Starliner Is Finally Taking People Into Space: How to Watch the Launch Tonight

The Starliner’s first crewed launch is more than a decade in the making.

The Boeing Starliner started life in 2010, when it was selected by NASA to be the next reusable transport to the International Space Station. It took well over a decade, but Starliner is finally set to make its first crewed voyage to the ISS on Monday night, and you can watch it happen.

NASA scheduled the launch for 10:34 p.m. ET/7:34 p.m. PT on May 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral. The Starliner will launch with an Atlas V rocket that was created by the United Launch Alliance, which is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Traveling with the Starliner are astronauts Sunita (Suni) Williams and Barry (Butch) Wilmore.

NASA says the missions will take the astronauts to the ISS for a little over a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before returning to Earth. The testing is the final step in certifying the Starliner for repeat use in transport missions to and from the ISS. If everything goes according to plan, the Starliner should reach the ISS approximately 26 hours after launch.

This is the first new spacecraft to head to the ISS since the SpaceX Demo-2 made the same voyage back in 2020.

«The arrival of a brand-new vehicle, the first crewed flight of a new-generation spacecraft is a really big deal,» said Michael Barratt, one of seven residents of the ISS. «You leave nothing to chance.»

A mission 14 years in the making

The Starliner was initially conceived as a commercial effort to take more people into space. In 2014, NASA tapped Boeing and SpaceX, and made the Starliner one of the first privately constructed spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA wanted to lean more on private business to build and maintain such spacecraft instead of performing all of the work by itself.

Starliner had to learn how to walk before it could run, however. Initial test flights were delayed for several reasons, ranging anywhere from unfavorable weather conditions to software issues. The unmanned test flights were delayed again in 2021 and eventually pushed back to 2022 for myriad reasons.

The unmanned test flight finally launched on May 19, 2022, and completed its mission a week later. It was a huge win for the Boeing crew since that opened the doors for a crewed mission to the ISS. NASA was pretty pumped about it as well. But that launch was pushed back due to various issues, including some with the Atlas V rocket that would be responsible for launching the Starliner.

The delays are over now, and the rocket is ready for launch.

How to watch the Boeing Starliner launch

NASA is livestreaming the event from its YouTube channel. The direct video link is here. NASA will begin coverage at 5:45 p.m. ET this evening and broadcast through the launch with commentary by Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith.

Some other YouTube channels will also livestream the event, including SpaceX, Space.com’s VideoFromSpace channel and the Associated Press YouTube channel. There are several others as well, so surf YouTube for Starliner livestreams, and pick the one you like best.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Feb. 27

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 27.

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.

Was today’s Mini Crossword too short for you? The New York Times now has a Midi Crossword, which is not as big as the original NYT Crossword, but longer than the Mini. Read on for the answers to today’s Mini Crossword. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

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: Lacking locks
Answer: BALD

5A clue: One of the Great Lakes
Answer: ERIE

6A clue: Movie with the fake newspaper headline «Wonder Elephant Soars to Fame!»
Answer: DUMBO

8A clue: Live tweeter?
Answer: BIRD

9A clue: The slightest bit
Answer: ATAD

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Hard thing to leave on a cold day
Answer: BED

2D clue: Caribbean island northwest of Curaçao
Answer: ARUBA

3D clue: The sky, in a saying
Answer: LIMIT

4D clue: Actress Messing
Answer: DEBRA

7D clue: Like this clue number
Answer: ODD

Technologies

Smartphone Sales to Plummet 13% in 2026 Due to RAM Crisis, Says IDC

AI-fueled memory scarcity is hitting the phone market hard this year, particularly for inexpensive, low-end devices.

The projected shortage of memory chips worldwide will have a more serious impact on smartphone sales in 2026 than previously projected, according to new data from International Data Corporation Worldwide. Whereas the company just in November had estimated a drop of between 0.9% and 5.2% (the latter being its «pessimistic scenario»), now it sees a 12.9% decline this year, based on its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

«What we are witnessing is not a temporary squeeze, but a tsunami-like shock originating in the memory supply chain, with ripple effects spreading across the entire consumer electronics industry,» Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for Worldwide Client Devices at IDC, said in a statement.

The hardest-hit companies are expected to be those selling to the lower end of the market, which can’t absorb the higher component costs while maintaining profitable margins. As a result, Jeronimo says, many of those players will pass the added costs on to consumers.

That also includes regional markets like the Middle East and Africa that sell mostly inexpensive smartphones, which could see a steep 20.6% drop year-over-year.

By contrast, IDC expects Apple and Samsung to be better able to withstand the crisis. «As smaller and low-end-positioned Android vendors struggle with rising costs, Apple and Samsung could not only weather the storm but potentially expand market share as the competitive landscape tightens,» said Jeronimo.

Memory has become scarce due to the insatiable demand to feed generative AI. Essentially all of the memory set to be manufactured this year is already earmarked. What started as a demand for graphics processors has expanded to other components. For example, hard drive manufacturer Western Digital announced in early February that it had already sold out of its supply for 2026.

«We expect consolidation as smaller players exit, and low-end vendors face sharp shipment declines amid supply constraints and lower demand at higher price points,» said Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, projecting a 14% rise in the average selling price of smartphones to $523.

Popal expects memory prices to stabilize by the middle of 2027, but doesn’t see them coming down to earlier levels. The sub-$100 segment, made up of approximately 171 million devices, will be «permanently uneconomical,» she said. «In short, there is no return to business as usual for vendors and consumers.»

Technologies

Formula 1 Fans Can Now Explore Race Circuits With Apple’s New Maps Guide

F1 fans can get revved up for the approaching season with a tech boost from Apple Maps.

If you’re a Formula 1 fan and have your iPhone handy, you might want to check out Apple Maps. Apple on Wednesday added a new guide for its Maps app showcasing the race tracks for next month’s Australian Grand Prix.

Users can explore a detailed, 3D version of Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit directly in Apple Maps and find details for all 24 tracks of the season with the Formula 1 Tracks From Around The World guide. It can also be found on the Apple TV Formula 1 Channel.

Currently, the only location done up in 3D is the Albert Park map, where you can explore the F1 Pit Garage, stadiums and more. Apple will continue to add more 3D tracks throughout the year.

The updated maps include:

Grand Prix Elements: Kerbs are shown on the maps to match the real-life experience, along with grandstands and pedestrian footbridges, all in 3D and labeled. All 14 of the circuit’s turns are also labeled.
Pop-Up Locations: Attendees will easily find entrance gates, restrooms, water stations, first aid and merchandise stands. Walking paths are shown directly on the maps, with walking directions available for grandstands.
3D Grand Prix Circuit Landmarks: The Pit Building, Lakeside Stadium (Bob Jane Stadium), Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Center, and the Finish Line are all prominently highlighted and showcased.
3D Melbourne Landmarks: Attendees looking to explore further can find several of Melbourne’s landmarks detailed in 3D in Maps.

Last year, Apple paid $140 million for exclusive F1 streaming rights in the US.