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SpaceX is slated to launch its gargantuan Starship rocket on Tuesday out of South Texas, a key test that is expected to include a guest visit from President-elect Donald Trump.

The sixth major test mission comes as SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is heavily engaged in transition planning for Trump’s second administration. Musk, who has been a near-constant fixture of Trump’s inner circle since the November 5 election, has maintained that over regulation, especially surrounding Starship, factored into his decision to support the Republican.

SpaceX will try to launch Starship from its site in South Texas during a 30-minute time slot beginning at 4 p.m. local time, sending the vehicle to space and partially around the world.

One of the most anticipated moments on Tuesday will come about seven minutes into the mission when the company will attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster in midair with giant mechanical arms — referred to as “chopsticks” — repeating the groundbreaking feat from its previous flight.

The largest and most powerful rocket ever developed, Starship is under contract to function as a lunar lander that NASA will use to put people back on the moon for the first time in half a century. It’s the centerpiece of Musk’s ambition to start a settlement on Mars. 

The vehicle is also meant to revolutionise SpaceX’s business plan. Designed to be fully reusable, SpaceX claims Starship will be much cheaper to fly than any other rocket on the market and will eventually replace its industry-leading Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets for sending cargo into orbit. 

But to meet that promise of delivering a fully reusable rocket, SpaceX must refine its technique for recovering all of the pieces of Starship after launch. 

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The launch will be the latest event Musk and Trump have attended together, following a Saturday night Ultimate Fighting Championship match in Madison Square Garden. Trump has frequently showered Musk with praise at his rallies, oftentimes describing in great detail his awe watching SpaceX rockets. 

On this flight, the company will attempt once again to “catch” the rocket’s massive booster, called Super Heavy, which is used to propel the Starship spacecraft toward space throughout the first few minutes of takeoff. Like last time, the booster will return back its launchpad and slow itself down as it comes in for landing. A pair of giant mechanical arms will then catch the booster and stop its fall.

Starship will attempt a fiery return plunge through the atmosphere, testing out an updated heat shield to protect it during the fall. It will then try to return to an upright position before splashing down into the Indian Ocean.

While most of Starship appeared to survive this process in October, parts of the vehicle appeared to burn off. However, the company was still able to splash down Starship relatively intact and upright in the ocean.

SpaceX should have a better view of this fall during Tuesday’s launch attempt. The company aims to launch in the Texas afternoon, which means Starship will be landing in the Indian Ocean during the daytime. That should provide more sunlight to show how the vehicle survives its descent.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said on Friday that as many as 400 Starship flights were possible over the next four years. That frequency can only happen if SpaceX perfects its landing strategy, so the company can quickly turn around the rockets for their next flights. Shotwell described the process as similar to the way airlines drive down the cost of owning and operating commercial jetliners.

During the October test, the booster came very close to crashing near the tower, Musk said in a video on his X platform. SpaceX will need to address that issue as well as a laundry list of other things, such as refueling the vehicle in space, before Starship lives up to the full scope of Musk’s plans.

© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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T Corona Borealis May Erupt Soon: Rare Nova Could Be Visible to Naked Eye

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T Corona Borealis May Erupt Soon: Rare Nova Could Be Visible to Naked Eye

T Corona Borealis is a binary star system in the Northern Crown constellation which is being monitored closely by astronomers worldwide for signs of a rare stellar eruption. The system consists of a white dwarf and a red giant orbiting each other with the white dwarf pulling material from its companion. The gradual accumulation of matter on the surface of dwarf white planet can lead to a thermonuclear explosion, known as a Nova. Scientists recorded the last erupted Nova in 1946. Now, there have been some indications that we might experience another nova outburst in the near future.

The researchers have recorded a brightening event in 2015 followed by a dimming in 2023, which has mirrored the pattern seen in the last eruption. This leads the experts to believe that there might be another nova outburt. If an eruption occurs T Corona Borealis could become visible to the naked eye and shine as brightly as the most prominent stars.

Accretion Activity and Expert Predictions

According to a study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the system has exhibited behaviour similar to the years leading up to its previous eruption. T Corona Borealis is one of only eleven recurrent novae observed in recorded history with eruptions noted in 1217, 1787, 1866 and 1946. As per the latest data available with the researchers, the accretion disc surrounding the white dwarf has became highly active and bright between 2015 and 2023. The study reveals that this heightened activity could trigger an eruption within a year or two.

There are multiple predictions from the scientists based on orbital analysis suggesting possible eruption dates. As per multiple reports, the Nova outburst might take place between March 27 or November 10 this year or June 25, 2026. The researchers has also suggested a theory regarding a potential third object influencing the binary system. Astronomers like Dr Léa Planquart of Université de Strasbourg and Dr Jeremy Shears of the British Astronomical Association have dismissed this theory citing the absence of supporting evidence. Both experts believe the activity of the accretion disc remains the most likely cause of an impending eruption.

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Scientists Spot a Key Difference in Matter and Antimatter Decay

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Scientists Spot a Key Difference in Matter and Antimatter Decay

A key difference has been observed in the behaviour of matter and antimatter particles by researchers working at a particle physics laboratory. A new measurement has been carried out that recorded the decay of a specific type of matter particle and its antimatter equivalent. This development is being seen as significant because it may explain why the universe is filled with matter while antimatter is nearly absent. The discovery has been described as a step towards solving one of physics’ biggest mysteries.

New Study Reveals Baryon Decay Difference

According to the research shared by the LHCb experiment at CERN and posted on the arXiv preprint server, a difference has been recorded in how a particle called the beauty-lambda baryon and its antimatter counterpart decay. These particles belong to the proton family and are classified as baryons. The report further added that the decay was observed into a proton and three mesons based on data collected between 2009 and 2018.

The evidence suggests that the decay of the beauty-lambda baryon differs from its antimatter twin. According to sources involved in the study the likelihood of this difference being a random occurrence is less than one in three million. Tim Gershon who is a particle physicist at the University of Warwick and part of the research team told Nature that this is the first time such a difference has been spotted in baryons.

Experts Say Findings Could Aid Understanding of Matter’s Prevalence

Tara Shears who is a particle physicist at the University of Liverpool stated to Nature that the observation could offer new insight into why matter is found in abundance while antimatter is not. She said that this imbalance is one of the major unresolved questions in physics.

Yuval Grossman a theoretical physicist from Cornell University mentioned to Nature that while the current measurement does not fully explain the imbalance it helps add a crucial piece to the puzzle.

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China Loses 26 Percent of Its Glaciers Due to Global Warming, Claims New Study

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China Loses 26 Percent of Its Glaciers Due to Global Warming, Claims New Study

China has reportedly witnessed a significant decline in glacier area over the last six decades. As per a new study published online,  the country has lost nearly 26 percent of its total glacier coverage since the 1960s. The study claims that the lost of such glacier area might be due to the rapid increase in global temperatures around the globe. Official data confirmed that close to 7000 small glaciers have entirely vanished from the landscape. The shrinking of glacier masses has been observed to accelerate over the past few years as warming trends continue to intensify.

Glacier Loss Confirmed by Chinese Academy of Sciences

According to a study released by the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources under the Chinese Academy of Sciences it was recorded that China’s glacier area had reduced to nearly 46000 square kilometres by 2020. The total number of glaciers was stated to be around 69000 at that time. This marked a steep fall from an earlier figure of approximately 59000 square kilometres reported between 1960 and 1980 when glacier count stood at roughly 46000.

Impact of Glacier Retreat on Water Security and Environment

The melting of glaciers has raised concerns over freshwater availability across several regions. Environmental agencies have cautioned that the loss of glacier mass may result in higher competition for water resources in the years to come. The Tibetan Plateau which hosts a large portion of these glaciers has been referred to as the Third Pole owing to the vast ice reserves it holds.

Efforts to Slow Glacier Melting

Attempts have been made by Chinese authorities to slow the melting process through technological interventions. Artificial snow systems and snow blankets have been deployed as part of these initiatives.

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