Tag: launch

Categories
Business

Watch SpaceX try to launch and land Starship prototype rocket SN9

Watch SpaceX attempt to launch and land Starship prototype rocket SN9

[This livestream has ended. A replay is available above.]

UPDATE: SpaceX’s latest prototype launched successfully, but like its previous test flight, the rocket exploded on impact during an attempted landing. Read more here.

SpaceX is preparing to launch the latest prototype of its next-generation Starship rocket in the system’s second high-altitude test on Tuesday.

The spaceship prototype Serial Number 9 or SN9 flies up to 10 kilometers or approximately 32,800 feet in altitude. The flight will be similar to the SpaceX conducted in December when the prototype SN8 took off on the tallest and longest flight to date. The SN8 flight met several development goals, including testing the system’s aerodynamics and performing a flip to orientate yourself for landing. However, the prototype exploded on impact because the missile could not slow down enough.

SN9 is made of stainless steel, with the prototypes representing the early versions of the rocket that CEO Elon Musk unveiled last year. The company is developing Starship with the aim of bringing cargo and up to 100 people simultaneously on missions to the moon and Mars.

As with SN8, the goal of the SN9 flight is not necessarily to reach maximum altitude, but rather to test several important parts of the spacecraft system. The Starship prototype stands about 150 feet tall, or about the size of a 15-story building, and is powered by three Raptor rocket engines. SpaceX fires all three engines to take off, then shuts them down one by one as they approach the intended altitude.

SN9’s attempt to launch was delayed for about a week as SpaceX worked to get permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch. Its SN8 flight violated the company’s existing Starship license, The Verge reported first and the FAA later confirmed that the federal aerospace agency had denied a SpaceX exemption request to exceed the maximum public risk that allow federal safety regulations, the FAA said in a statement.

SpaceX had to investigate its non-compliance and force Musk’s company to suspend launch until the investigation was completed and the FAA signed.

“The FAA determined late Monday (Feb. 1) that SpaceX complies with all safety and related federal regulations and is authorized to conduct SN9 operations under its launch license,” the FAA said.

Key tests for the SN9 flight include turning off the engines one at a time, transferring propellant from the main tanks to the header, flipping it over for the “belly flop” reentry maneuver, and controlling the descent through the air with the missile’s four flaps.

SpaceX stressed that “the dynamic development test schedule” may result in the attempt to launch being delayed, as was the case with previous Starship launches.

Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis as well as live business day programs from around the world.

Categories
Business

Pizza Hut to launch Detroit-style pizza as its turnaround continues

Pizza Hut to launch Detroit-style pizza as its turnaround continues

Pizza Hut Detroit Double Pepperoni Pizza

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is jumping on the Detroit-style pan pizza trend, which is set to continue its turnaround in 2021 after strong sales growth last year.

Starting Tuesday, the Yum Brands chain will be selling four different types of Detroit-style pizza for a limited time. Prices start at $ 10.99.

Detroit style pizza is characterized by its rectangular shape, thick crust, cheese all through, and tomato sauce that covers the cheese and other toppings. The pizza has grown in popularity over the past decade when Michiganders opened pizzerias elsewhere in the US. Privately owned and headquartered in Detroit, Little Caesars was the first national pizza chain to bring the trend to the masses in 2013.

Buddy’s Pizza is credited with making the dish with blue steel pans from local automobile factories 75 years ago. In 2018, CapitalSpring, a private equity firm specializing in restaurant brands and franchisees, invested an undisclosed amount in Buddy’s to capitalize on the trend through nationwide expansion.

“Detroit-style pizza is the fastest growing trend in pizza,” said David Graves, chief brand officer of Pizza Hut US. “It’s not just a Midwestern thing anymore.”

He added that Pizza Hut customers expect the chain to give their own views on food trends and asked them for a Detroit-style pizza.

“I’ve never seen our franchisees so excited about a launch,” said Graves.

The chain has spent more than a year perfecting their own version, even creating a new tomato sauce that is only used for this type of pizza.

The Detroit Double Pepperoni contains 80 slices of hot peppers, more than half of which are hollow hot peppers. The Double Cheesy Pizza offers two types of cheese, while the Meaty Deluxe comes with bacon, Italian sausage and hollow hot peppers. The Supremo pizza consists of green peppers, Italian sausage and red onions.

It will start when the demand for pizza approaches a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pizza Hut and its competitors Domino’s Pizza and Papa John’s saw sales growth in the same business in the US in the second and third quarters of 2020. For Pizza Hut in particular, the crisis has helped accelerate the transition to more delivery and take-out sales and fewer dine-in customers.

Yum’s shares were roughly unchanged over the past year, which translates to a market value of $ 31.8 billion. The company’s US locations have recovered relatively quickly from the coronavirus pandemic, but international restaurants have recovered more slowly.

Categories
Business

SpaceX Transporter-1 rideshare launch carries 143 spacecraft

SpaceX Transporter-1 rideshare launch carries 143 spacecraft

The Falcon 9 rocket is about to be launched for the Transporter 1 mission on the launch pad in Florida.

SpaceX

SpaceX added another rocket to the record books on Sunday with the first mission of its “rideshare” program, which will launch dozens of small satellites into space.

The Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, put 143 spacecraft into orbit – a new world record for the most spacecraft fired at the same time, surpassing the 104 mark set by an Indian PSLV rocket in February 2017.

The SpaceX mission, known as the Transporter-1, was the first for the company’s SmallSat Rideshare program.

While SpaceX is announcing a launch on a Falcon 9 for a single satellite for $ 62 million, the company’s SmallSat Rideshare launches offer smaller satellites – as small as a mailbox – the option of only $ 1 million for 200 kilograms circle.

Such ridesharing has become more common in the space industry. International competitors like Vega from Arianespace want to claim a share of the growing market for small satellites.

Carpooling offers another option for low-cost satellites looking for a ride into orbit. Smaller rockets like Rocket Labs Electron offer a bespoke approach.

“SpaceX offers a competitive ridesharing option that is largely taking advantage of Starlink’s product launches,” Phil Smith, senior analyst at Bryce Space and Technology, told CNBC.

The SpaceX service isn’t entirely on-demand, Smith said, but companies can pay a launch premium based on their schedule rather than the main customer’s schedule.

“There’s a pretty reliable ‘bus route’ available,” Smith said of SpaceX, “while companies like Rocket Lab and Virgin Orbit could be compared as standby taxis that will get your satellite where you want it to be as soon as possible. ”

Elon Musk’s company launched 133 satellites for a variety of government and residential customers, as well as 10 of its own Starlink satellites.

SpaceX customers aboard Transporter-1 include: Planet Labs, Exolaunch, D-Orbit, Kepler Communications, Spaceflight Inc., Nanoracks, NASA and Capella Space as well as iQPS, Loft Orbital, Spire Global, ICEYE, HawkEye 360, Astrocast and the Institute of Applied Technology at the University of South Florida.

In particular, the 10 Starlink satellites aboard this mission will be the first in the constellation to enter polar orbit as the company continues to expand public access to its satellite Internet network. These 10 satellites were added after Momentus withdrew its first Vigoride mission from the Transporter-1 launch earlier this month. Momentus cited the additional time required for regulatory approval as the cause of the change.

Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis as well as live business day programs from around the world.

Categories
Business

Bud Mild to launch arduous seltzer lemonade as new rivals enter market

Bud Light to launch hard seltzer lemonade as new rivals enter market

All four flavors of Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade

Bud Light

Bud Light is launching a range of Hard Seltzer sodas to make a solid claim on the increasingly competitive category.

The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand entered the market for hard seltzer a year ago as part of a broader push by the parent company. Anheuser-Busch InBev also owns the seltzer maker Bon & Viv. As beer consumption has declined in recent years, brewers have turned to the hard seltzer to increase sales.

In the 52 weeks ending December 26, retail sales of selters rose 160% to $ 4.1 billion, according to Nielsen data. The trend started with the popularity of White Claw, owned by Mike’s Hard Lemonade brewer Mark Anthony Brands, but newcomers have boosted sales even further. Coca-Cola is entering the fray this year with Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, its first alcoholic beverage in the US since 1983, through a partnership with Molson Coors Beverage.

According to Euromonitor International, White Claw still holds more than half of the market share for hard seltzer through 2019. Truly Spiked & Sparkling, owned by Boston Beer, ranks second with a 28% share. At almost 10%, Bon & Viv is a distant third.

According to Bud Light, the success of its seltzer helped the beer brand gain more market share in 2020 than it has over the past five years. Its strong performance coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, which led more consumers to drink alcohol at home rather than in bars. AB InBev’s shares, valued at $ 122 billion, fell 13% last year after falling 8.2% in volume in the first nine months of last year.

“When we looked at the different types of seltzer, we tried to differentiate a segment of seltzer,” said Andy Goeler, vice president of marketing at Bud Light.

The seltzer was first launched with mainstream flavors like strawberry and black cherry, but Bud Light launched a special “ugly sweater” package with seasonal flavors for eight weeks over the holidays. The thematic beverage pack is sold out, said Goeler.

For his next seltzer innovation, Bud Light landed on lemonade, which has great appeal. According to Nielsen data, hard seltzer lemonade retailed just $ 313.97 million in the 52 weeks ended December 26. However, thanks to early entrants such as Truly’s version, the segment is growing much faster than that of hard seltzer. Nielsen data found that retail sales during this period were more than nine times higher than last year.

Bud Light tries to beat the competition by improving the taste. The brand ran blind taste tests for consumers and tweaked the recipe until Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade beat the competition every time.

“This one will have a much bolder lemonade taste,” said Goeler. “Again, we want to make sure we get the best lemonade.”

However, the nutritional profile of Seltzer lemonade is still in line with what consumers are looking for at Seltzer, which is widely considered a healthier alcoholic beverage compared to beer. It’s 100 calories and contains less than 1 gram of sugar.

After more than six months of development, the drink will hit shelves on January 18th. The 12-ounce cans will be available in packs of 12 with all four flavors: original lemonade, peach lemonade, black cherry lemonade, and strawberry lemonade.

While lemonade is usually thought of as a summer drink, Bud Light is confident of bringing the new drink to market in the dead of winter.

“The advantage of the release is that there is enough time to bring the product to market before spring begins,” said Goeler. “Things will pick up in the summer as with all beer sales and Selters is starting to follow that year-round demand.”

Promotion of the drink begins with commercials that air during the NFL playoffs, which begin Saturday. The ads play with the idea that grandma’s lemonade tastes best. Actors say the hard seltzer tastes better, leading to retribution from grandmothers.

Categories
Health

Covid Vaccine Launch Evokes Reminiscences of Polio Period

Covid Vaccine Launch Evokes Memories of Polio Era

The initial introduction of the polio vaccine did not go smoothly. Within one month, six cases of polio were linked to a vaccine manufactured by Cutter Laboratories in Berkeley, California. It soon emerged that Cutter hadn’t completely killed the virus in some batches of vaccine, a mistake that caused more than 200 cases of polio and 11 deaths. The surgeon general asked Cutter to call back and halt distribution.

Months later, in the summer and fall of 1955, a polio outbreak struck Boston and Ellen Goodman, then 6, fell ill. “I remember being in bed and feeling this electrical current move my arms and legs up and down,” she said. “Then I started moving and my left leg was numb.”

Decades later, Ms. Goodman, 71, had post-polio syndrome with symptoms such as chronic fatigue and difficulty walking. “My life has been determined by this disease,” she said. “To think it could have been avoided.”

The vaccination program restarted months later and polio cases fell sharply. Elvis Presley agreed to be vaccinated on national television to increase public confidence in the admission. But the disease has not gone away. The number of US cases rose again from 1958, particularly in urban areas. The last fall in the country due to community expansion was recorded in 1979. Although two types of polio have been eradicated, a third remains in Afghanistan and Pakistan and is still in circulation.

For those marked by memories of the polio epidemic, a vaccine for Covid cannot arrive soon enough. Many older Americans who are particularly susceptible to the disease have been incarcerated and separated from their children and grandchildren for much of this year.

Ms. Norville hasn’t left home since February and is eagerly awaiting a shot. “My son said, ‘If I could, I would bring you the vaccine today.'”

For the Salk family, relief comes with a sense of pride, as the father plays the role of advancing the scientific understanding of immunization. But the sons are also concerned about resistance to vaccination against any disease.

Categories
Health

LG to launch robotic that disinfects surfaces amid coronavirus pandemic

LG to launch robot that disinfects surfaces amid coronavirus pandemic

LG Electronics is working on an autonomous robot that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect what the South Korean tech giant calls “high-touch, high-traffic areas”.

In an announcement this week, LG announced it would roll out the technology to retail, education, hospitality and corporate customers in the United States beginning early next year.

In a statement, Roh Kyu-chan, Head of Robots at LG’s Business Solutions Company, said, “This autonomous UV robot comes at a time when hygiene is a top priority for hotel guests, students and restaurant customers.”

“Customers in the contactless ecosystem we are facing now will expect a higher level of hygiene,” said Roh.

According to LG, its robot will use UV-C light. There are three main types of UV radiation: UV-A, UV-B and UV-C.

The US Food and Drug Administration has described the latter as “a well-known disinfectant for air, water and non-porous surfaces”.

Regarding the current pandemic, the FDA notes that there is currently “limited published data on the wavelength, dose, and duration of UVC radiation required to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus”.

For many people around the world, concerns about cleanliness and hygiene have increased due to the coronavirus pandemic. There is also debate within the scientific community about the risk of inanimate object transmission.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on their website, “It is possible that a person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on and then their own Touches her mouth, her own nose, or her own eyes. “

However, it adds, “COVID-19 is not believed to spread to touching surfaces.” Most commonly, the virus spreads through close contact between people, according to the CDC.

LG Electronics is one of many large organizations and companies developing technologies that focus on UV-C as a disinfectant.

In October, Transport for London announced that over 200 devices that use ultraviolet light to disinfect surfaces will be installed on London’s extensive underground network.

TfL said the technology will be deployed on the handrails of 110 escalators over a period of several weeks.

According to the transport body, the device uses a “small dynamo” to generate electricity from the movement of the handrail, which in turn powers the UV lamp that is used to disinfect its surface.

Signify – a major player in the lighting industry – is now offering a so-called “desk lamp” for sale in selected Asian countries. The “lamp” can be used to disinfect rooms in houses.

Look no hands

While some are turning to UV light to address concerns about cross-contamination and virus spread, others are trying to put in place systems that could alter the way you physically interact with public spaces.

Even before the pandemic, movement-activated taps and toilets were introduced in heavily frequented transport hubs such as train stations and airports.

GEZE UK, which specializes in technologies related to doors, windows and security, committed itself to the bathroom issue at the beginning of this month and declared that it had developed a so-called “hands-free toilet door kit”.

The system, which uses sensors and is based on “contactless activation”, can be connected to the outside communal door of a public toilet.

This ensures that “those who leave the washroom do not have to touch the door after washing their hands”.

Categories
Business

Astra Rocket 3.2 reaches house after launch from Alaska

Astra Rocket 3.2 reaches space after launch from Alaska

Astra launches Rocket 3.1 on September 12, 2020 in Kodiak, Alaska.

John Kraus | Astra

San Francisco-based startup Astra was the youngest U.S. rocket builder to hit space on Tuesday with the successful launch of its Rocket 3.2 vehicle from Kodiak, Alaska.

The missile was about to enter orbit, and Astra CEO Chris Kemp told reporters after launch that the vehicle had reached the target altitude of 390 kilometers but was “only half a kilometer per second short” of the target orbit speed.

“This has far exceeded our team’s expectations,” said Kemp.

Astra shared images captured by the rocket on the edge of space. The rocket carried no satellites or other payloads as the launch was a demonstration mission.

Astra was founded just over four years ago in October 2016. Headquartered in Alameda, California, Astra has raised approximately $ 100 million to date from investors including Advance (the investment arm of the family of late billionaire SI Newhouse), ACME Capital, Airbus, Ventures, Canaan Partners and Salesforce founder Marc Benioff .

The company’s missile is about 40 feet tall, making it a small launch vehicle category. These small rockets have become increasingly popular due to the increase in the number of small satellites and spacecraft, often the size of a mailbox or washing machine, in search of trips into orbit. The Astra rocket is said to be able to carry up to 100 kilograms into orbit.

Currently, the small rocket business is dominated by Rocket Lab, which has launched 16 missions with its 60-foot electron rocket to put up to 300 kilograms into low-earth orbit. Elon Musk’s SpaceX also often contains small satellites as “ridesharing” facilities on its much larger Falcon 9 rocket, which is 230 feet high and can carry up to 22,800 kilograms into orbit.

Along with SpaceX and Rocket Lab, Astra is the third US company to have started privately developing a satellite launch system and successfully reaching space since the turn of the century.

Astras Rocket 3.0 during launch preparations in Kodiak, Alaska.

Astra / John Kraus

As the name suggests, Rocket 3.2 is the latest in Astra’s work developing his vehicle. Rocket 3.0 was destroyed on the launch pad due to a valve problem in March while the company was preparing it for launch.

Rocket 3.1 successfully launched on September 11th, but failed to get out of the atmosphere. The missile’s engines fired for about 30 seconds before a problem with its guidance system caused the engines to shut down and the missile to fall back to Earth. Chris Kemp, CEO of Astra, said after Rocket 3.1 launched he expected it to be the first of three flights before the company hits orbit.

Astra uses a very small team of local staff to launch its missiles and sends about half a dozen people to Alaska to prepare for launch.

The company has customer contracts for a few dozen launches once it begins commercial service. A single customer can purchase a dedicated Astra launch for around $ 2.5 million. That makes its rockets competitive against other companies that offer small rocket trips into space, as Rocket Labs Electron costs about $ 7 million.

Kemp said that Astra will be flying payloads in the upcoming Rocket 3.3 launch, which the company expects early next year.

Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis as well as live business day programs from around the world.