SOURCE: AP

SpaceX pulled off the boldest test flight yet of its enormous Starship rocket on Sunday, catching the returning booster back at the launch pad with mechanical arms. A jubilant Elon Musk called it “science fiction without the fiction part.”

Towering almost 400 feet (121 meters), the empty Starship blasted off at sunrise from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border. It arced over the Gulf of Mexico like the four Starships before it that ended up being destroyed, either soon after liftoff or while ditching into the sea. The previous one in June had been the most successful until Sunday’s demo, completing its flight without exploding.

SOURCE: PTI

Former president Donald Trump on Sunday thanked the US Secret Service and other law enforcement officials following an assassination attempt while he was golfing on one of his golf courses in Florida’s West Palm Beach.

The former president remained unharmed in what the FBI said was “an attempted assassination while playing golf two months after another attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally.

SOURCE: Northrop Grumman

 In a recent demonstration, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) incorporated its digital ecosystem and advanced production capabilities to build wings for the Model 437 technology demonstrator flown by company subsidiary Scaled Composites. Development began in the fully connected digital ecosystem with Northrop Grumman, the customer and supplier users collaborating to develop, analyze, build and test the wings ahead of the Model 437’s first flight, which occurred on August 29.

The Digital Pathfinder project demonstrated how the company’s fully digital engineering ecosystem reduces engineering rework, accelerates schedule and reduces costs, offering advantages to customers on future aircraft programs. By utilizing real-world experiences gained on programs, including the B-21 Raider, the company continues to evolve its collaborative digital ecosystem, which connects the company, customers and supplier partners through the design, development and test phases on a variety of current and future programs.

SOURCE: AP

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats.

The endorsement, announced Friday in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple, comes as Harris builds momentum as their party’s likely nominee after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and endorse his second-in-command against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.

SOURCE: AFP

Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of the US presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new nominee, in a political earthquake that upends an already extraordinary 2024 race for the White House.

Biden, 81, said he was acting in the “best interest of my party and the country” by bowing to weeks of pressure after a disastrous June debate against Donald Trump stoked worries about his age and mental fitness.