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NASA confirms the Sun’s new solar cycle; Moon and Mars missions will have to adapt
NASA just announced that our Sun began a new solar cycle this year – its 25th to be exact – after reaching a solar minimum in December 2019. Solar weather activity is now expected to increase for the next five years until reaching a maximum in July 2025. With several space missions planned during that time frame for both the Moon and Mars, the Artemis program, in particular, involving astronauts on board, extra preparation and consideration will have to be made to weigh the impact of the increasing radiation events.
“Space weather predictions are…critical for supporting Artemis program spacecraft and astronauts,” NASA’s announcement detailed. “Surveying this space environment is the first step to understanding and mitigating astronaut exposure to space radiation.”
Solar activity is tracked by agencies around the world by counting the number of sunspots (black spots) that appear on the Sun. Each one is an indicator of some type of high-energy activity such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections, and their appearance means a large amount of Sun material has been ejected into space. This material can cause disruptions on Earth, in orbit, or on anything in the deep space region nearby our star. Satellites in particular have to cope with solar interruptions frequently, although algorithms and engineering tend to mitigate much notice from a consumer standpoint.
While the Artemis mission will certainly have to take on the new challenge of a Sun that’s becoming more and more active as time goes on, solar cycles aren’t something new to NASA’s human spaceflight program.
“As we emerge from solar minimum and approach Cycle 25’s maximum, it is important to remember solar activity never stops; it changes form as the pendulum swings,” explained Lika Guhathakurta, solar scientist at the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in the solar cycle announcement. “There is no bad weather, just bad preparation… Space weather is what it is – our job is to prepare,” added Jake Bleacher, chief scientist for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at the agency’s Headquarters.
When astronauts are orbiting the Earth, our planet’s magnetic field protects them from being directly hit by the majority of solar ejections; however, once outside that protective bubble and on their way to another deep space or lunar destination, things can be very dangerous. Radiation issues are often discussed when it comes to human space exploration, but scientists don’t seem to be short of ideas on how to handle it.
☀️ Hearing a lot about our Sun today?
Scientists just announced it’s in a new cycle — meaning that we expect to see solar activity start to ramp up over the next several years.
Find out how these cycles are tracked and how they can affect life on Earth: https://t.co/zerIWT0IWJ pic.twitter.com/e4FD6HD1hF
— NASA (@NASA) September 15, 2020
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, for example, has proposed passengers en route to Mars using water as shielding. During a solar flare event, all on board would move to a part of the Starship where the liquid was being stored and essentially use it like a basement during bad weather. Given that SpaceX plans to deal with radiation in the longer term via Mars colonization, there may be plenty of other developments coming from the rocket launch (and landing) company in the near future.
Aside from the scientists watching and studying the Sun’s solar activity, the European Space Agency currently has a space probe in orbit around our star. The spacecraft has been sending back the closest pictures of the Sun we’ve ever seen, and a few new features have been observed such as ‘campfires.‘ The probe’s overall mission involves studying and understanding the Sun’s solar cycles and hopefully make space weather prediction akin to the kind of meteorology we have on Earth.
“Just because it’s a below-average solar cycle, doesn’t mean there is no risk of extreme space weather,” Doug Biesecker, panel co-chair and solar physicist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado, commented. “The Sun’s impact on our daily lives is real and is there. SWPC is staffed 24/7, 365 days a year because the Sun is always capable of giving us something to forecast.”
NASA held a live-streamed conference discussing the solar cycle announcement which you can watch below:
Elon Musk
Tesla bull sees odds rising of Tesla merger after Musk confirms SpaceX-xAI deal
Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote on Tuesday that there is a growing chance Tesla could be merged in some form with SpaceX and xAI over the next 12 to 18 months.
A prominent Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bull has stated that the odds are rising that Tesla could eventually merge with SpaceX and xAI, following Elon Musk’s confirmation that the private space company has combined with his artificial intelligence startup.
Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote on Tuesday that there is a growing chance Tesla could be merged in some form with SpaceX and xAI over the next 12 to 18 months.
“In our view there is a growing chance that Tesla will eventually be merged in some form into SpaceX/xAI over time. The view is this growing AI ecosystem will focus on Space and Earth together…..and Musk will look to combine forces,” Ives wrote in a post on X.
Ives’ comments followed confirmation from Elon Musk late Monday that SpaceX has merged with xAI. Musk stated that the merger creates a vertically integrated platform that combines AI, rockets, satellite internet, communications, and real-time data.
In a post on SpaceX’s official website, Elon Musk added that the combined company is aimed at enabling space-based AI compute, stating that within two to three years, space could become the lowest-cost environment for generating AI processing power. The transaction reportedly values the combined SpaceX-xAI entity at roughly $1.25 trillion.
Tesla, for its part, has already increased its exposure to xAI, announcing a $2 billion investment in the startup last week in its Q4 and FY 2025 update letter.
While merger speculation has intensified, notable complications could emerge if SpaceX/xAI does merge with Tesla, as noted in a report from Investors Business Daily.
SpaceX holds major U.S. government contracts, including with the Department of Defense and NASA, and xAI’s Grok is being used by the U.S. Department of War. Tesla, for its part, maintains extensive operations in China through Gigafactory Shanghai and its Megapack facility.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk and xAI donate generators to TN amid historic power outages
The donation comes as thousands of households have gone days without electricity amid freezing temperatures.
Elon Musk has donated hundreds of generators to Tennessee residents still without power following a historic winter storm, as per an update from Governor Bill Lee.
The donation comes as thousands of households have gone days without electricity amid freezing temperatures.
Musk donates generators
As noted in a report from WSMV4, the historic storm that hit Tennessee resulted in hundreds of thousands of residents experiencing a power outage at the end of January. Thousands are still living without power or heat in freezing temperatures for up to nine days.
As per TN Gov. Bill Lee in a post on X, Elon Musk and xAI have donated hundreds of generators to assist residents in affected areas. “Tennesseans without power need immediate help. I’m deeply grateful to @elonmusk & @xAI for going above & beyond to support Tennesseans by donating hundreds of generators to fill the gap, & I value their continued partnership to solve problems & support communities across our state,” he wrote in his post.
Tennessee officials have stated that recovery efforts remain ongoing as crews work to restore power and address damage caused by the winter storm. The generators are expected to provide temporary relief for residents facing power outages during freezing conditions.
Tesla Powerwalls may follow
Musk publicly responded to the governor’s post while hinting that additional help may be on the way. This time, the additional support would be coming from Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla.
“You’re most welcome. We’re working on providing Tesla Powerwalls too,” Musk wrote in his response to the official.
Even before Elon Musk’s comment, Tesla had already extended help to affected customers in Mississippi and Tennessee. In a post on X, the official Tesla Charging account noted that all Superchargers in the two states are online, and free Supercharging has been enabled to help those in areas that are affected by persistent power outages.
These include Grenada, Tupelo, Corinth, Southhaven, and Horn Lake in Mississippi and several Supercharging sites in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Tesla-inspired door handles prohibited under China’s new safety standard
The rule effectively ends a design trend pioneered by Tesla and widely adopted across China’s electric vehicle market.
China will ban hidden door handles on electric vehicles starting 2027 under a new national safety standard, forcing automakers to equip their cars with mechanical exterior and interior handles.
The rule effectively ends a design trend pioneered by Tesla and widely adopted across China’s electric vehicle market.
China bans hidden door handles
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) noted that the new mandatory national auto safety standard on EV door handles will take effect on January 1, 2027. For models that have already received approval and are scheduled for launch, automakers will be allowed to complete required design changes by January 2029.
Under the new rules, exterior door handles must remain operable even in scenarios involving irreversible restraint system failures or thermal runaway incidents in the battery pack. Doors must also be capable of opening even if the vehicle loses electrical power. Interior doors must include at least one independent mechanical release handle per door as well.
Safety concerns drive rollback
Hidden and electrically actuated door handles have become mainstream in recent years as EV makers pursued cleaner styling and improved aerodynamics. Tesla pioneered the hidden handle design, and it was adopted by most Chinese EV manufacturers in either fully hidden or semi-hidden forms, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Today, about 60% of top-selling EVs in China use the design.
Chinese regulators have stated that the designs pose safety risks, particularly in crashes or power failures where doors may not open from the inside or outside. Authorities cited multiple fatal incidents in which occupants or rescuers were unable to open vehicle doors after collisions.
One high-profile case occurred last October, when a Xiaomi SU7, a vehicle designed to be a competitor to the Tesla Model 3, caught fire following a crash in Chengdu in southwest China. The driver died after bystanders were unable to open the doors. The incident sparked intense scrutiny over the SU7’s Tesla-inspired door handles.
Tesla bull sees odds rising of Tesla merger after Musk confirms SpaceX-xAI deal
Elon Musk and xAI donate generators to TN amid historic power outages
