South Korea plans free domestic AI chatbot service this year
South Korea plans to launch a free artificial intelligence chatbot service using domestic technology by the end of this year, government officials said, as Seo…
Science & Space
Published stories in Science & Space.
De Gaulle biopic draws large cinema audience in France
A two-part film biography of French leader Charles de Gaulle has become a summer cinema success in France, drawing audiences with a patriotic account of one of…
Ukrainian drone names mix humour and wartime messaging
Ukrainian drone makers are using jokes, wordplay and anger in the names of their weapons, turning branding into part of the psychological side of the war with…
Floating polar research station leaves France for Arctic mission
A floating research station shaped like a large aluminium igloo has left the western French port of Lorient for a long-term Arctic mission designed to drift with sea ice while studying biodiversity and climate change. The Tara Polar Station was built in Franc…
Skyroot says India’s first private orbital rocket completed test flight
India’s first privately built orbital rocket took its maiden flight on Saturday, according to its builder Skyroot Aerospace, in a step linked by officials to India’s efforts to expand its role in the global space economy. The Vikram-1 rocket took off from the…
Skyroot says Vikram-1 test flight completed its mission
Skyroot Aerospace said on Saturday, 18 July, that India's first privately built orbital rocket completed its maiden flight. The company said in a post on X that Vikram-1's Test Flight-1 had completed its mission and that the first Indian private sector launch…
SpaceX delays Starship test after engine abort
SpaceX scrubbed a planned Starship test flight on Thursday, calling it off just as the booster began to ignite. Company head Elon Musk wrote on X that some engines did not start, triggering an automatic launch abort, and that the company was offloading propel…
South African rooibos seeds to be sent to space for study
Seeds from South Africa's rooibos plant are due to travel to the International Space Station for an experiment on how they respond to space conditions, organisers announced Thursday. The mission, facilitated by MaxIQ Space, is planned for October. The South A…
Researchers test drones to measure volcanic gases in Sicily
Researchers on the Aeolian island of Vulcano, off Sicily, are testing whether drones can help measure volcanic gases and improve efforts to anticipate eruptions. A team from the Technical University of Munich is testing a system in which a ground sensor sends…