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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
At Japanese nuclear plant, controversial treated water...
OKUMA, Japan (AP) — At a small section of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s central control room in northeastern Japan, the treated water transfer switch is on. A graph on a computer monitor nearby shows a steady decrease of water levels as treated radioactive wastewater is diluted and released into the Pacific Ocean. In the coastal area of the plant, two seawater pumps are in action, gushing torrents of seawater through sky blue pipes into the big header where...

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At Fukushima Daiichi, decommissioning the nuclear plant...
FUTABA, Japan (AP) — For the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, managing the ever-growing volume of radioactive wastewater held in more than 1,000 tanks has been a safety risk and a burden since the meltdown in March 2011. Its release marks a milestone for the decommissioning, which is expected to take decades. But it’s just the beginning of the challenges ahead, such as the removal of the fatally radioactive melted fuel debris that remains in the three damaged reactors,...

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Fire at a Texas prison forces inmates...
Fire broke out Friday morning at a state prison in Texas, forcing more than 650 inmates to evacuate but injuring no one, an official said. The fire, the cause of which isn’t yet known, appeared to be confined to the attic and third floor of the administration building and the attic of a unit that houses inmates, said Amanda Hernandez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The inmates had initially been moved to other areas of...

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India’s lunar rover keeps walking on the...
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s lunar rover continued its walk on the moon Friday after the historic touch-down of India’s spacecraft near the moon’s south pole earlier this week, the country’s space agency said. The rover’s data collection and experiments could help determine if there is oxygen and hydrogen on the moon. The Chandrayan-3 Rover is expected to conduct experiments over 14 days, including an analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organization...

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Messi converts PK, assists on 2 goals,...
CINCINNATI (AP) — Lionel Messi had two assists and converted a penalty kick as Inter Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit and beat MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 in penalties in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday night. Cincinnati jumped to a 2-0 lead before Messi set up a pair of goals by Leonardo Campana, tying the game at 2. Miami moved ahead when Josef Martínez scored three minutes into the first extra period, but Cincinnati tied the game at...

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Sparks beat the short-handed Mercury 91-62 for...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Azura Stevens had 20 points and nine rebounds, Karlie Samuelson scored a career-high 15 points and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the short-handed Phoenix Mercury 91-62 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory. Jordin Canada and Zia Cooke each added 11 points for Los Angeles (14-18), which shot a season-high 54% from the field. Phoenix (9-24), which has lost four straight games, was without stars Brittney Griner (health and safety protocol) and Diana Taurasi...

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India lands a spacecraft near the moon’s...
NEW DELHI (AP) — India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole on Wednesday — a historic voyage to uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water, and a technological triumph for the world’s most populous nation. A lander with a rover inside touched down on the lunar surface at 6:04 p.m. local time, sparking celebrations around India, including in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, where space scientists...

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Thousands of discouraged migrants are stranded in...
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — After three months of crossing the desert and then watching other migrants die at sea in his failed attempt to reach Europe, Sahr John Yambasu gave up on getting across the Mediterranean and decided to go back home. The 29-year-old from Sierra Leone reached Niger in June on his return journey, but United Nations officials said he had to wait for packed migrant centers to empty before he could be repatriated. Then mutinous soldiers toppled...

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North Korea may try to launch a...
TOKYO (AP) — North Korea told Japan on Tuesday it plans to launch a satellite in the coming days, possibly a second try to put a military spy satellite into orbit three months after its first effort failed, Japanese officials said. In late May, a North Korean rocket carrying a spy satellite plunged into the sea soon after liftoff, posing a setback to leader Kim Jong Un’s push to establish a space-based surveillance system to better monitor the U.S....

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A tanker believed to hold sanctioned Iran...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An American-owned oil tanker long suspected of carrying sanctioned Iranian crude oil offloaded its cargo near Texas on Sunday, tracking data showed, even as Tehran has threatened to target shipping in the Persian Gulf over it. Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan began the hourslong ship-to-ship transfer of its oil to another tanker, the MR Euphrates, near Galveston, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Houston....

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Hurricane Hilary threatens ‘catastrophic and life-threatening’ flooding...
This Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, 1:10 p.m. EDT satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Hilary, right, off Mexico’s Pacific coast. It grew rapidly to Category 4 strength and could reach Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years, causing “significant and rare impacts” including extensive flooding. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said a tropical storm watch has been issued for Southern California, the first time it has ever done that....

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Kate Markgraf steps down as US Soccer’s...
Former defender Kate Markgraf has stepped down after four years as general manager of the U.S. women’s national soccer team. Markgraf will continue in a transition role through the end of the month, U.S. Soccer announced Friday. “I am proud of the foundation we have built, and even more proud of the character and commitment demonstrated by our players as they represent the United States on and off the field,” Markgraf said in a statement. “I look forward to...

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Powerful Hurricane Hilary heads for Mexico’s Baja....
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Hilary churned off Mexico’s Pacific coast Friday as a powerful Category 4 storm threatening to unleash torrential rains on the mudslide-prone border city of Tijuana before heading into Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years. Forecasters warned the storm could cause extreme flooding, mudslides and even tornadoes across the region. Hilary grew rapidly in strength early Friday before losing some steam, with its maximum sustained winds at 130...

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WeWork, maneuvering to maintain NYSE listing, moves...
WeWork is moving forward with a 1-for-40 reverse stock split in a bid to maintain its listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The NYSE issued a notice to the workspace-sharing company in the spring after shares closed below an average of $1 over a 30-day trading span. The value of company shares have plunged since their flashy debut in 2021 and tumbled 21% at the opening bell Friday, to 12 cents apiece. Earlier this month WeWork warned there...

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WeWork’s future: What to know after the...
NEW YORK (AP) — WeWork has sounded the alarm on its ability to stay in business, prompting speculation around the future of the troubled workspace-sharing company. Last week, WeWork warned there was “substantial doubt” about the New York-based company’s “ability to continue as a going concern” — which is accounting-speak for having the resources needed to operate and stay in business. WeWork pointed to increased member churn, financial losses and the company’s need for cash, among other factors, over...

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