Tech

SpaceX Successfully Launches Multinational Crew-7 Astronauts To The International Space Station

(CTN NEWS) – Representing various nations and space agencies worldwide, four astronauts initiated their journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX rocket.

This mission, designated as Crew-7, is projected to extend beyond six months in duration.

The crew is traveling within the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance capsule, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:27 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Comprising the crew are four astronauts:

NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, who assumes the role of mission commander; Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen representing the European Space Agency; Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov from Roscosmos.

Upon achieving orbit, the Crew Dragon capsule separated from the Falcon 9 rocket, commencing its independent trajectory through space.

Precision Maneuvers Towards the ISS: Crew-7 Capsule’s 24-Hour Journey

The capsule will meticulously navigate for over 24 hours to rendezvous with the space station, positioned approximately 220 nautical miles (420 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface.

Addressing SpaceX mission control from the Crew Dragon capsule after launch, Moghbeli conveyed, “Space travel is difficult, but you make it look easy.” She continued, “We’re a united team with a common mission. Go Crew-7. Awesome ride.”

The crew is anticipated to dock at the space station around 8:39 a.m. ET on Sunday.

Upon arrival, Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov will join the seven astronauts already stationed on the orbiting laboratory.

During their mission, the Crew-7 astronauts will spend approximately five days transitioning responsibilities from the SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts, who have been on the space station since March.

Crew-7’s Multinational Mission to the ISS

Crew-7 is set to dispatch a quartet of astronauts, each representing a distinct space agency, to the International Space Station (ISS) for an approximate half-year duration.

Their transportation will be facilitated by the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule named Endurance, a vehicle that has already completed two voyages to the orbiting laboratory.

This astronaut ensemble comprises NASA’s astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, designated as the commander of the Endurance;

Andreas Mogensen from Denmark, affiliated with the European Space Agency, who will assume the role of pilot; in addition to Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov, hailing from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, respectively.

Furukawa and Borisov are assigned as mission specialists for the Crew-7 mission.

True to its name, Crew-7 marks SpaceX’s seventh functional endeavor to the space station on behalf of NASA. However, it signifies the 11th instance of human space travel orchestrated by Elon Musk’s enterprise.

Among the preceding missions, one still remains attached to the ISS. Crew-6 made its way to the orbital laboratory in early March and is slated for departure approximately five days following the anticipated arrival of Crew-7.

Russian Cosmonaut Joins US Spacecraft Mission Amid Diplomatic Tensions

Borisov marks the third Roscosmos cosmonaut to embark on a journey aboard a US-manufactured spacecraft, as part of an arrangement involving seat exchanges, which was formalized between NASA and Roscosmos in 2022.

The practice of sharing trips to the space station has been a longstanding tradition between NASA and Roscosmos. In fact, Roscosmos served as the primary transportation provider for years after NASA concluded its space shuttle program in 2011.

However, the most recent rideshare agreement took on greater significance in the context of the escalating tensions between the United States and Russia due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Despite these terrestrial tensions, NASA has consistently emphasized that collaborative efforts in space remain unaffected.

Similar to Moghbeli, Borisov is embarking on his inaugural spaceflight.

“I’m filled with great excitement and a profound sense of honor to be a part of this international crew,” he expressed on Sunday.

“Veteran astronauts and cosmonauts often share that, when gazing upon the Earth from the ISS, the absence of borders becomes evident. I aspire to convey that sentiment and emotion.”

Presently, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Russia’s Soyuz stand as the sole vehicles with the capability to transport astronauts to and from the space station. However, NASA has ambitions to introduce another provider in the near future.

Boeing’s Starliner, operating within NASA’s commercial crew contracting program similar to SpaceX, is poised to become operational within the upcoming year following several years of delays.

Copenhagen Native Joins Crew-7: Mogensen’s Journey from Research Fellow to Space Mission

Mogensen, the designated Crew-7 mission pilot, hails from Copenhagen and secured his bachelor’s degree from the Copenhagen International School.

He furthered his education with a master’s in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, and later accomplished a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to his selection for astronaut training by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2009, Mogensen served as a research fellow at the Surrey Space Centre in the UK. His research there delved into navigation and control systems for spacecraft during lunar landings.

This mission constitutes his second foray into space, building on his earlier experience from a 10-day Russian Soyuz mission to the space station in 2015.

Reflecting on his experiences, Mogensen shared his sentiments during a news conference on Sunday, saying, “Attempting to capture the magnificence of the International Space Station in words is a challenge.

It truly struck me shortly before my first mission’s docking when I looked out of the windows… and witnessed the immense solar arrays stretching into space right beside me.”

“It dawned on me the exceptional and extraordinary laboratory that we, as humanity, have constructed in low-Earth orbit over the past two to two and a half decades.”

Furukawa, the lone astronaut among Crew-7 with prior spaceflight experience, was born in Kanagawa, Japan, just south of Tokyo.

He achieved a medical degree and a doctorate in medical science from the University of Tokyo before embarking on a career as a clinical surgeon.

In 1999, he was chosen as an astronaut by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and in 2011, he completed his inaugural space mission — a 165-day tenure — at the space station. This mission involved his launch on NASA’s final space shuttle mission, STS-135.

Furukawa expressed his anticipation for reacquainting himself with the microgravity environment aboard the space station.

He aspires to delve into scientific investigations, including studies that could contribute to the development of new medical advancements and projects that could offer insights into potential lunar exploration by humans in the future.

Upon reaching the space station, the Crew-7 astronauts will bid farewell to the Crew-6 astronauts from SpaceX, who will return to Earth via their spacecraft, the Crew Dragon Endeavour, in the upcoming days.

In the middle of September, the space station’s crew will welcome NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara alongside cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. This trio is set to launch aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-24 capsule.

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Tech

US: A Judge Mandates that Google Allow Competing App Stores to Access Android

(VOR News) – The ruling is that Google, the greatest technology firm in the world, is required to make its Android smartphone operating system available to merchants that supply applications that are in direct rivalry with Google’s. This decision was reached by a judge in the United States of America.

The Android Play store, which is owned and operated by Google, was found to be an example of an illegal monopoly arrangement by a jury in the state of California on Monday. The finding was reached by a jury. Monday is the day that this decision was come to.

An earlier federal judge ruled Google’s search engine illegal.

This finding, which came after that decision, has forced the company to suffer yet another setback. As a result of the corporation having already encountered its initial obstacle, this decision has been established. This particular decision was made by the judge during the month of August, when the month was in progress.

In light of the fact that the decision was made, what exactly does it mean that the choice was accepted?

In accordance with the verdict, Google is obligated to make it possible for users to download Android app stores that are offered by third-party competitors. For a period of three years, the corporation is prohibited from imposing restrictions on the usage of payment mechanisms that are integrated into the application.

In addition, it is important to keep in mind that Google does not possess the right to impose restrictions on the utilization of ways to make payments online.

Additionally, the verdict makes it unlawful for Google to give money to manufacturers of smartphones in order to preinstall its app store. Smartphone manufacturers are prohibited from doing so.

Furthermore, it prevents Google from the possibility of sharing the revenue that is generated by the Play store with other companies that are in the industry of delivering mobile applications.

In addition to this, the court has mandated the establishment of a technical committee that will be made up of three different people chosen at random.

The committee will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the reforms and finding solutions to any disagreements that may occur as a consequence of the implementation of the reforms while they are being implemented. This task will fall under the committee’s purview so that it may fulfill its duties.

However, certain components were allowed to be put into action until July 1st, despite the fact that the judge’s statement suggested that the ruling would take effect on November 1st. The statement was the basis for the ruling, which ultimately became effective.

Particularly, I wanted to know what Google’s reaction would be.

There is a fact that Google does not adhere to this directive, which has been brought to their attention. This document argued that the alterations that the judge had ordered to be made would “cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers, and device makers.”

The judge had ordered the modifications to be implemented. The alterations were to be carried out as indicated by the judge’s ruling. The judge made it clear that he expected these revisions to be carried out in accordance with his guidance.

The company’s regulatory affairs vice president, Lee-Anne Mulholland, provided the following statement: “We look forward to continuing to make our case on appeal, and we will continue to advocate for what is best for developers, device manufacturers, and the billions of Android users around the world.”

On average, over seventy percent of the total market for smartphones and other mobile devices is comprised of mobile devices that are powered by the Android operating system. Both smartphones and other small mobile devices are included in this category.

In the event that the Play app store continues to be shown on the home page and that other Google applications are pre-installed prior to the installation of the Android application, smartphone manufacturers are entitled to install the Android application at no cost at their discretion.

Additionally, the Android application can be installed on devices that are manufactured for smartphones.

SOURCE: DWN

Tech

WhatsApp Now Features a “Mention” Tool for Status Updates and Stories.

(VOR News) – Those who use WhatsApp now have the ability to mention other people in their stories or status updates as a consequence of a feature that was only recently enabled on the platform.

Previous to this point, this capability was not available. It wasn’t until quite recently that this capability became available to the public.

According to the information that was provided by the company, users now have the opportunity to tag close friends in their stories, and the person who is mentioned will have the option to go back and re-share an earlier version of that story. This information was provided by the company. The corporation was kind enough to reveal this information to us.

Because of a new feature that has been added to the WhatsApp app, users now have the opportunity to like individual stories and status updates.

This capability was previously unavailable to WhatsApp users.

A significant amount of progress has been made in this context. Alternative readers now have the chance to “like” a work, which is comparable to liking a post on Facebook. This feature was introduced in recent years. When compared to the past, this is a tremendous shift.

At one point in time, viewers were only permitted to observe the total number of views that a particular story had gotten. These restrictions were eliminated in later versions of the software.

Additionally, it is essential that the likes and reactions to a story be kept anonymous during the entire process. One of the factors that contributes to the general mystery that surrounds this characteristic is the fact that this is one of the elements.

The person who brought it to the attention of others is the only person who will be able to judge who enjoyed it and who did not care about it. These individuals will be able to make this determination.

A notification will be issued to the individual who was referenced earlier in the sentence and who was named in the story or status update that was discussed. A notification of this nature will be sent to the individual via WhatsApp.

This message will be sent to the user in question whenever that person makes a reference to another person while they are in the process of elaborating on a narrative or updating their status. You will receive a notification alerting you that you have been tagged in the narrative.

This notification will be delivered to the person who receives this message. In addition, students will be provided with the opportunity to re-share the tale for themselves.

It is important to note that if the names of individuals who have been referenced in a narrative or a status update are included in any of these, then the names of those individuals will not be accessible to any third party through any of these. In light of the fact that the identities of those individuals will be concealed from public disclosure, this is the condition that will be required.

While WhatsApp recently made the announcement that it will be incorporating this functionality, it is highly likely that not all users will have access to it at the same time.

This is despite the fact that WhatsApp recently made this announcement.

Despite the fact that WhatsApp has only recently made a public announcement that it will move forward with the deployment, this is the situation that has presented itself.

As soon as a short period of time has elapsed, access will be made available to each and every person on the entire world.

Additionally, WhatsApp has hinted that new functionalities might be introduced to the status and updates tab in the future months.

The purpose of these capabilities is to provide users with assistance in maintaining healthy connections with the individuals who play a vital role in their living experiences. This is done in order to give users with support in maintaining close relationships with the folks who are the subject of the inquiry.

It is with the purpose of supporting users in successfully keeping close ties with the individuals in question that this step is taken.

SOURCE: DN

Tech

Over The Planned “Link Tax” Bill, Google Threatens to Remove NZ News Links.

(VOR News) – Google has sent a strong message to the New Zealand government, threatening to stop boosting local news content should the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill become law.

The law, put up by the Labour government and backed by the coalition in power at the moment, mandates that digital companies such as Google pay back news organizations for links to their material.

News publishers, on the other hand, charge the tech giant with “corporate bullying.”

Google says this measure may have unanticipated effects.

Google New Zealand’s country director, Caroline Rainsford, voiced her worries that the law, which is being referred to as a “link tax,” is not doing enough to support the media industry in New Zealand right now.

She underlined that Google would have to make major adjustments if the previously mentioned law were to pass, including cutting off links to news articles from its Search, News, and Discover platforms and cutting off financial ties with regional publications.

According to Rainsford, similar legislation has been proposed and approved in other nations including Australia and Canada, but it has not been proven to be effective there and breaches the principles of the open web.

She drew attention to the fact that smaller media outlets will be most negatively impacted, which will limit their capacity to reach prospective audiences.

Google says its alternative options will protect smaller, local media from negative effects.

Conversely, it conveys apprehension regarding the possible fiscal obligations and vagueness of the legislation, which it feels generates an intolerable level of ambiguity for enterprises functioning within New Zealand.

The New Zealand News Publishers Association (NPA) has reacted to Google’s warnings by alleging that the internet behemoth is using coercive tactics.

They specifically contend that the need for regulation stems from the market distortion that Google and other tech giants have created, which has fueled their expansion into some of the most significant corporations in global history.

The legislation aims to create a more equal framework that media businesses can use to negotiate commercial relationships with technological platforms that profit from their content.

New Zealand Media Editors CEO Michael Boggs stated that he was in favor of the bill, citing the fact that Google now makes a substantial profit from material created by regional publications.

He also emphasized that the use of artificial intelligence by Google—which frequently makes references to news articles without giving credit to the original sources—highlights the significance of enacting legislation.

Paul Goldsmith, the Minister of Media and Communications, has stated that the government is now evaluating various viewpoints and is still in the consultation phase.

He stated that the government and Google have been having continuous talks and will keep up these ongoing discussions.

However, not all political parties accept the validity of the Act.

The ACT Party’s leader, David Seymour, has voiced his displeasure of the proposal, saying that Google is a game the government is “playing chicken” with. He threatened the smaller media companies, saying that they would suffer from worse search engine rankings if the internet giant followed through on its promises.

Seymour contended that it is not the government’s responsibility to shield companies from shifts in the market brought about by consumer preferences.

The things that have happened in other nations are similar to what has happened in New Zealand.

Google has agreements with a number of Australian media firms that are in compliance with its News Media Bargaining Code. These agreements contain provisions that permit an annual cancellation of these agreements.

Due to the government’s decision to exempt Google from the Online News Act, the company has committed to supporting news dissemination by contributing annually to the Canadian journalistic community.

The New Zealand measure is consistent with global approaches aimed at regulating the relationships that exist between technology corporations and media organizations.

It’s hard to say what will happen with the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill as the discussion goes on. Google and the New Zealand media landscape are preparing for what might be a protracted legal battle.

SOURCE: TET