Sci-Tech

Japan private rocket explodes just after launch

TOKYO, March 13, 2024 (AFP) – A rocket made by a Japanese company exploded just after launch on Wednesday, with public broadcaster NHK showing footage of the fiery failure. Tokyo-based startup Space One had been aiming to become the first Japanese private firm to successfully place a satellite into orbit. Its 18-meter (60-foot) solid-fuel Kairos rocket blasted off from the startup’s own launch pad in Wakayama prefecture in western Japan, carrying a small government test […]

Musk says will ‘open source’ Grok chatbot

Elon Musk on Monday said he would make his Grok chatbot, a rival to ChatGPT, open source as his feud with OpenAI deepens. The multi-billionaire unveiled Grok late last year as he attempts to catch up with OpenAI which he helped create in 2015 along with its CEO Sam Altman, providing key financing in its early days. He left OpenAI a few years later and last week filed a shock lawsuit against the company for […]

New NASA astronauts graduate, eying Moon — and Mars

After two years of rigorous training, ten Americans officially became astronauts on Tuesday, and are now eligible for planned NASA missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, and — if all goes well — to Mars. Two Emiratis who trained alongside them also graduated Tuesday during a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Members of the class, nicknamed “The Flies,” were selected from more than 12,000 applicants in 2021 and their training […]

Astronauts arrive at International Space Station for swap

(AFP) — Three US astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut arrived Tuesday at the International Space Station for a six-month mission on board the orbiting laboratory. During their stay, in which they are rotating in to replace departing crew, some 200 scientific experiments are scheduled to be carried out. The quartet blasted off from Florida late Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The capsule docked with the ISS and its hatch was opened at 3:50 […]

ChatGPT-rival Anthropic releases more powerful AI

Anthropic, a major player in generative artificial intelligence, announced new models to fuel its Claude chatbot, the company said on Monday, as ChatGPT faces more rivals. The company said three new AI models – called Claude 3 Opus, Sonnet and Haiku – were its most high-performing tools yet and were industry leading in terms of their ability to match human intelligence. Founded in 2021, Anthropic was created by former employees of OpenAI, the company behind […]

SpaceX set to launch new crew to ISS

Three American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut are due to blast off Sunday night from Florida for a six-month mission on the International Space Station. After an attempt was called off Saturday night due to strong winds, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is due to lift the travelers into orbit at 10:53 pm (0353 GMT Monday) from the Kennedy Space Center. If forced to abort before launch again, SpaceX will have another opportunity Monday night. […]

Japan Moon lander put to sleep after surviving lunar night

TOKYO, March 2, 2024 (AFP) – Japan’s Moon lander has been put back to sleep after it surprisingly survived the freezing, two-week lunar night, the country’s space agency said, with another operation attempt scheduled for later this month. The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down in January at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way. As the sun’s angle shifted, it came back to life for two […]

Riding high on AI, Nvidia is no bubble, says Wall Street

By Thomas URBAIN The emergence of AI bots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard has fueled a massive rise in share prices of chip-making juggernaut Nvidia, with its skyrocketing stock now making it the world’s fourth biggest company by market capitalization. And for Wall Street, it’s no bubble. Between the launch of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, for example, and the market close on February 23, Nvidia’s share price increased fivefold, lifted to investor heaven […]

To the Moon and back: NASA’s Artemis II crew rehearses splashdown

By Romain FONSEGRIVES Their mission around the Moon is not expected until September 2025 at the earliest, but the four astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission are already preparing for their splashdown return. Over the past week, the three Americans and one Canadian chosen for the historic Moon mission have been training at sea with the US Navy off the coast of California. “This is crazy. This is the stuff of movies, and we’re living […]

As mission ends, US lunar lander could still ‘wake’ back up

The US spacecraft that touched down on the Moon last week and is currently running on solar power will soon be “put to sleep” once lunar night kicks in, mission officials said Wednesday. But while the mission that saw the first ever Moon landing by a private company is coming to an end, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus told reporters that there are hopes to “wake it up” in about three weeks, when the Sun […]

Nissan to launch self-driving taxi service in Japan in 2027

Nissan is planning to launch a self-driving taxi service in Japan in the financial year starting April 2027, the auto giant said Wednesday. The company said it will begin trials of the commercial service in the upcoming financial year from April, using minivans in an area of Yokohama, south of Tokyo. “Local communities have been facing several mobility challenges, such as driver shortages, which are a result of an ageing population,” Nissan said in a […]

Zuckerberg discusses AI risks with Japan PM

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while on a visit to Japan, with reports saying they discussed the risks of generative AI. “We had a good, productive conversation about AI and the future of technology,” local media quoted Zuckerberg as saying after the 30-minute meeting on Tuesday. “I’m really excited for the work that is happening here in Japan,” the Facebook founder said after the talks, which reportedly included Joel Kaplan, […]