Month: May 2021

Enlarge / The B1051 booster launches for the 10th time early on Sunday morning from Florida. (credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX crossed a significant milestone on Sunday morning with yet another launch of 60 Starlink Internet satellites.

These Starlink launches have become routine—and dare we say it, a little boring?—as SpaceX builds out its constellation to deliver broadband Internet around the world from low Earth orbit. However, the rate at which SpaceX has begun to reuse its Falcon 9 first stages is decidedly not monotonous.

For Sunday morning's launch, SpaceX used a first stage that had flown into space nine previous times. After this launch, the B1051 booster landed safely on a drone ship, completing its tenth flight to space. This is a notable milestone because, in 2018, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the goal for its Falcon 9 rocket would be to fly each first stage booster 10 times before requiring significant maintenance.

Enlarge / Please don't actually drive while wearing a giant Android mask. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Polestar)

Can Google do to car infotainment what it did to smartphones?

Every car manufacturer nowadays needs to include an infotainment system with its car, and that means developing an operating system, making a UI that isn't terrible, building an SDK and app ecosystem, and doing a million other things car manufacturers have not typically needed to do. In the face of all that, Google is pulling out the Android smartphone playbook and tempting car manufacturers with a car-specific version of Android, called the "Android Automotive OS."

"Let us build your operating system!" Google essentially tells the car manufacturers. "We've got great hardware and touch support, third-party apps, and a well-known developer SDK! We'll provide Google Maps, Google Assistant voice commands, and the Play Store! We even update the codebase with monthly security updates! Best of all, for you, it's free! Just sign this contract ensuring you'll include all of our apps and services."