Memorial Day weekend isn’t just for barbecues and beach trips — it’s also a chance to score some of the best tech deals you’ll find all season. And despite the fact the holiday isn’t until Monday, May 26th, multiple retailers are already offering steep discounts on some of our favorite gadgets, from big-ticket items to everyday essentials.RelatedBelow, we’ve rounded up a few highlights, from LG’s C4 OLED and the Sonos Move 2 to the Garmin Forerunner 265, all of which are down to their best price to date. We’ve also included practical (and affordable) finds like video doorbells and Bluetooth trackers, so you can keep your valuables safe while you’re off on summer adventures. Our miscellaneous section is full of surprises, from discounted laptops and tablets, to affordable trinkets that’ll make life a little better. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or hunting for a last-minute graduation gift, there’s a little something for everyone, so let’s dive in.In this articleSpeaker dealsSonos Move 2$336$44925% off$336With double the battery life of its predecessor and better-sounding stereo audio, the Sonos Move 2’s improvements don’t stop there. It supports line-in audio, can stream Bluetooth audio to other Sonos speakers, and more.The second-gen Sonos Roam is available for an all-time low of $134 ($45 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Sonos. Unlike its predecessor, the portable speaker is ready to use right out of the box and features a dedicated button for Bluetooth pairing. It isn’t as powerful as the Move 2 — and it doesn’t offer line-in support — but it still sounds great and integrates well with the rest of the Sonos ecosystem, which makes it relatively easy to switch music between the company’s speakers.Anker’s tiny Soundcore Select 4 Go is matching its all-time low of $19.99 at Amazon, down from $49.99. Along with IPX67 waterproofing, the Bluetooth speaker offers up to 20 hours of battery life and can be paired with a second Select 4 Go for stereo sound.Sony SRS-XB100$38$6037% off$38Sony’s adorable SRS-XB100 speaker offers USB-C charging, a built-in strap, and great sound for the price, rendering it a terrific travel speaker or home office companion. Read our review.The Beats Pill is on sale for around $99.95 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is $2 shy of its best price to date. The portable speaker offers noticeably improved sound over the previous model, along with support for lossless audio via USB-C. It also offers twice as much battery life, adds IP67 water and dust resistance, and includes native Find My support on both Android and iOS. Read our review.You can buy the JBL Clip 5 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for around $49.95 ($30 off), which nearly matches its best price to date. The Bluetooth speaker offers a built-in carabiner so you can easily attach it to, say, a backpack, along with IP67 water resistance. The Clip 5 also offers Auracast support, so you can pair it with compatible JBL speakers for a stereo sound.Bose SoundLink Max$299$39925% off$299Bose’s SoundLink Max improves on the smaller flex with true stereo sound — and very powerful sound at that. It’s got a removable handle for easy transport, and there’s an aux input for playing audio when you want to listen at a higher quality than what Bluetooth can deliver.$299 at Amazon$299 at Best BuyAirPods Max (USB-C)$480$54913% off$480The revised AirPods Max are much like the original model from 2020, but now with new color options and a USB-C port instead of Lightning.If Sony’s new $449 WH-1000XM6 headphones are out of your budget, Sony’s WH-1000XM5 are on sale starting at $298 (about $100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is one of their better prices to date. While they don’t fold down for easy storage, they still deliver top-tier noise cancellation, sound quality, and comfort. The new model does offer some improvements, but the upgrades aren’t significant, making the XM5 a good option at this price. Read our review.Right now, you can pick up Bose’s QuietComfort Headphones from Amazon, Best Buy, and Bose for $229 ($120 off), which is one of their best prices to date. They’re foldable and exceptionally comfortable — much like their predecessor, the Bose QC 45 — and they retain lengthy battery life. However, the newer headphones sport adjustable noise cancellation and custom modes, though they lack support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs and the immersive audio mode found on the QC Ultra Headphones.The Beats Studio Pro are available at Amazon in white starting at $169.99 ($170 off) or for $30 more at Best Buy and Target. The comfortable headphones offer improved noise cancellation and sound over their predecessor, with support for lossless playback over USB-C. They also work well with both iOS and Android devices, providing native support for each platform’s fast pairing and FindMy features. Read our review.Samsung Galaxy Buds FE$65$10035% off$65Samsung’s Galaxy Buds FE offer very good sound and noise cancellation for the money. They also feature a return of the wing tip design from the older Galaxy Buds Plus, the fit of which some may prefer. Read our review.Sony WH-CH520$38$6037% off$38The Sony WH-CH520 offer a lot for very little. The on-ear Bluetooth headphones provide 50 hours of battery life and support hands-free voice assistants, including Google Assistant and Siri. They also offer multipoint Bluetooth support and can tap into Google’s Find My Device network.Does a gaming headset count as headphones? SteelSeries’ Arctis Pro Nova Wireless for the PlayStation, Switch, mobile, and PC platforms is steeply discounted at Amazon, costing $226.71 (normally $349.99). We adore this model, having called it “close to the be-all, end-all gaming headset” in our 2022 review. Despite being a couple of years old, it’s still worth a buy, especially at this price.TV and streaming device dealsLG C4 OLED TV$797$150047% off$797The LG C4 is a 4K OLED TV that’s great for gaming, with a max 144Hz refresh rate and support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate tech. It has a brighter panel and overall better picture quality than its predecessor.The latest Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $39.99 ($20 off), which is $7 shy of its best price to date. The 4K streaming device is faster than the previous model, with double the storage and support for Wi-Fi 6E. When not in use, it can also act as an Echo Show display of sorts, so you can use it to see reminders, check the weather, and view other useful widgets. You can also have it display famous artwork or your own custom AI-generated images.You can also buy the latest Amazon Fire TV Cube at Amazon, Best Buy, and The Home Depot for $99.99 ($40 off), which is just $10 shy of its all-time low. The third-gen Cube functions as both a traditional Echo speaker and a Fire TV streaming device with support for Wi-Fi 6E, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR. The 4K device also integrates well with Amazon Alexa for extensive hands-free voice control.You can buy the standalone Amazon Fire TV Remote for $27.99 ($7 off) at Amazon, which is $3 shy of its all-time low. The remote offers a pair of programmable buttons and backlighting, along with a useful remote finder feature that lets you quickly find it using your voice or by pressing a button in the app.Hisense U65QF TV (2025)$530$80034% off$530The Hisense U65QF TV boasts a 144Hz QLED display with full-array local dimming. It also comes with Google’s TV software built in, along with Dolby Atmos support.Smart home dealsRing Battery Doorbell Plus$100$15033% off$100This wireless Ring doorbell has great video quality, head-to-toe view, and speedy response times for a battery doorbell. It works with Amazon Alexa and can send alerts for people and packages with a Ring Home subscription.The Blink Mini 2 has returned to its all-time low of $19.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. If you want to use the 1080p wired camera outside, you can also grab it with the weather-resistant power adapter for $29.98 ($20 off) at Amazon. The camera offers improved image and audio over the prior model, along with a wider 143-degree field of view and USB-C. It also retains useful features like two-way audio and motion alerts in an easy-to-mount design.Mill is selling its Mill Food Recycler for $874, down from $999. That’s not quite on par with its all-time low of $799, but it’s still a small way to save on the high-tech trash can, which can transform kitchen scraps into a compost-like material for your garden overnight. It helps keep your kitchen from smelling bad, cuts down on food waste, and reduces the trash you generate. Read our review.iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max and Autowash Dock$779$139944% off$779Through 5/24 at midnight, Verge readers can get a big discounts on this model by using the code VERGE620 at checkout. Read more about this model in our in-depth coverage.$779 at WellbotsThe Meross Outdoor Smart Plug is on sale for $20.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, which is just a few cents shy of its lowest price to date. The IP44-rated waterproof plug features a pair of independently controlled AC outlets and support for Apple Home, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings, allowing you to schedule and control your outdoor gadgets with just your voice.SwitchBot Smart Switch Button Pusher$21$3030% off$21If you’ve ever wished you had a robot that could push a button for you, that’s precisely what the SwitchBot Bot does. It’s simple, smart, and works on anything with a button. Stick it on the device you want to turn on or off, and you’re set.$21 at Amazon (with on-page coupon) $24 at SwitchBot (with code LMTM20)You can currently buy Coway’s Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty from Amazon and Coway for $169.99, down from $229.99, which is one of the better prices we’ve seen in recent months. The small HEPA air purifier features a four-stage filtration system that’s ideal for smaller rooms, and it automatically powers down after 30 minutes once it detects the air is clean.The weatherproof Blink Outdoor 4 is 50 percent off at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, where you can pick it up for $49.99 for a limited time. The 1080p security camera includes upgrades like person detection, improved image quality, and a wider field of view than prior models, all while retaining support for motion detection, night vision, and two-way audio. It can also last up to two years on a pair of AA batteries.Amazon is selling a single Eero Pro 7, which can cover up to 2,000 square feet, for $549.99 ($150 off); you can also grab a pair for $799.99 ($150 off) or three units for $949.99 ($150 off). The dual-band mesh router supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard, offering speeds up to 3.9Gbps. Each unit also includes two 5Gbps ethernet ports and can function as a smart home hub with Matter support, a Zigbee radio, and a Thread border router.Blink Video Doorbell with Sync Module 2$35$7050% off$35Blink’s Video Doorbell is the best if you’re looking a budget-friendly buzzer that offers motion-activated recording and alerts, night vision, two-way audio, and up to two years of battery life.The Shark AI Ultra is on sale at Amazon for $349.99 ($249.99), which is about $55 shy of its all-time low. The robot vacuum navigates your home using lidar and uses Matrix Clean navigation to clean in a grid pattern for a more thorough and precise clean. It also comes with a self-cleaning brush roll, which is useful for cleaning up pet hair, along with a bagless, self-emptying base that can hold up to 60 days’ worth of debris.The second-gen Ring Indoor Cam is available at Amazon and Best Buy for $34.99 ($25 off), which is $5 shy of its best price to date. The wired camera features a physical privacy cover that lets you block the camera and microphone, while its redesigned mount lets you easily adjust the camera’s angle. It also retains a number of features from its predecessor, including 1080p resolution, color night vision, and two-way audio.Smartwatch and wearable dealsGarmin Forerunner 265 (42mm)$350$45022% off$350Garmin’s midrange Forerunner watch adds a new OLED display, a week’s worth of battery life, and dual-frequency GPS for better accuracy. Read our review.Garmin’s 41mm Venu 3S is on sale at an all-time low of $349.99 ($100 off) at Amazon and REI. The Venu 3S is our favorite Garmin smartwatch, one that combines contactless payments and other smart features with a broad swath of health tools, including period tracking, abnormal heart rate alerts, and fall detection. It features a microphone and speaker for taking calls, too, though you’ll need your phone to take advantage of said feature since the 3S lacks built-in cellular connectivity. Read our review.The 49mm Apple Watch Ultra 2 is on sale for $739 ($60 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is one of the better prices we’ve seen this year. The rugged wearable offers the brightest display of any Apple wearable, along with the longest battery life. It also packs Apple’s S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chips, allowing you to take advantage of Apple’s handy double tap feature. Read our review.Google Pixel Watch 2 (41mm, Wi-Fi)$150$25040% off$150The Pixel Watch 2 lasts a reliable 24 hours on a single charge with the always-on display enabled. It offers the same Qualcomm processor as the newer Pixel Watch 3, along with a multipath health sensor, Wear OS 5 compatibility, and a host of welcome safety features. Read our review.Best Buy is selling the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 in the 40mm / Wi-Fi configuration starting at $219.99 ($80 off) with an extra Samsung band. The latest Samsung wearable is faster than its predecessor and can track your location even more accurately courtesy of its new dual-frequency GPS. It also sports a host of new features, like FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection and irregular heart rate notifications. Read our review.Garmin Fenix 8$800$100020% off$800The Garmin Fenix 8 adds smart features like the ability to take calls on the wrist, and an on-board voice assistant.Outdoor and travel dealsGarmin inReach Mini 2$300$40025% off$300Garmin’s palm-size inReach Mini 2 satellite communicator provides off-the-grid contact with subscription plans starting at $14.95 a month.The LifeStraw Peak Series Straw — which can filter bacteria, parasites, and microplastics from water — is on sale at Amazon and REI starting at $17.58 ($7 off), one of its best prices to date. You can use the handy outdoor gadget to drink directly from streams or rivers, yet the convenient design also allows you to attach it to bottles or connect it to gravity hose systems. The Peak Series model also features a more durable design and faster flow rate than earlier models, which is a boon for anyone in the backcountry.You can buy the Epicka Universal Travel Adapter starting at $19.54 at Amazon. The all-in-one adapter sports a single USB-C port and four USB-A ports, so you can power up a wide range of gadgets in more than 200 countries, including the UK, Japan, Australia, Italy, and more.Best Buy is selling the Starlink Mini for $499.99 ($200 off). The DC-powered Mini comes with a built-in Wi-Fi 5 router that’s integrated directly into the portable satellite dish. It delivers speeds over 100Mbps and takes just minutes to set up, offering quick and easy internet access while on the go (with a qualifying internet plan starting at $50 a month). Read our review.Tile Mate$20$2520% off$20The latest Tile Mate helps you keep track of your personal belongings from up to 350 feet away, which is 100 feet wider than its predecessor’s range. It’s also platform-agnostic, and can send SOS alerts if you pay for the $14.99 monthly Life360 Gold subscription.You can buy the AeroPress Original for around $31.95 ($8 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Target right now. The 3-in-1 coffee maker is one of our favorite coffee gadgets, as it easily brews 10 ounces of regular coffee or multiple espresso-style shots in about a minute. It’s also easy to clean and comes with accessories like a scoop, stirrer, and paper macro filters, so brewing up a cup of coffee on the go is even easier.The Thermacell E90 Mosquito Repeller is available for $42.49 (about $7 off) at Amazon. The rechargeable device repels bugs within a 20-foot radius for up to nine hours at a time using its built-in battery. It also comes with a nine-hour cartridge, though 40-hour refills are also available.BioLite FirePit Plus$300$40025% off$300BioLite’s portable FirePit Plus cuts back on unwanted smoke, functions either as a charcoal or wood-fueled grill, and fans the flames via a large battery pack and built-in fan.Other miscellaneous dealsDell’s 16 Plus Windows laptop that released earlier this year is seeing steep discounts when you buy directly through Dell itself. We’re particularly impressed with the discount on the model that has a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution screen (instead of FHD+ in the base configuration), 16GB of RAM, Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V processor, and 1TB of NVMe storage for $799.99 (normally $1,149.99).2024 iPad Mini$399$49920% off$399The seventh-gen iPad Mini comes with Apple’s A17 Pro chip and support for Apple Intelligence. It’s also compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and offers faster Wi-Fi and USB-C speeds. Read our review.Amazon’s latest Fire Max 11 tablet is on sale for $174.99 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The slate is the most powerful and capable in Amazon’s current lineup of budget-friendly Fire tablets. It sports a bright 11-inch display and support for optional accessories like a keyboard and stylus, though it’s still better suited for entertainment than real work. Read our review.You can buy an Anker 341 USB-C Hub for $25 ($14 off) at Amazon, which is just $2 shy of its best price to date (Anker is also matching the price when you use promo code WS7DV2R8BLKO). The 7-in-1 hub packs a variety of ports into a compact, travel-friendly design, including two USB-A 3.0 ports, a USB-C data port, a USB-C power port with up to 100W passthrough charging, and both SD and microSD card slots.Belkin’s older MagSafe 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand is down to $73.99 ($17 off) at Amazon, which is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen. It delivers up to 15W of power to MagSafe-compatible iPhones, with a pad that can also charge a pair of AirPods or a second Qi-enabled device, all while propping up your phone at a convenient viewing angle.Glocusent book light$20$229% off$20Glocuscent’s book light hangs around your neck to illuminate whatever you’re reading, while offering adjustable brightness and warmth settings.$20 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)You can pick up PowerA’s Enhanced Wireless Controller starting at $35.62 ($25 off) at Amazon, which is $3 shy of its best price to date. A number of designs are on sale, too, ranging from an Animal Crossing-inspired option to Mario-themed ones. Overall, the colorful gamepad is a good budget model for the Nintendo Switch, complete with support for Bluetooth, remappable buttons, and motion controls.Anker’s 610 Magnetic Phone Grip is on sale for $12.79 (about $3 off) at Amazon. The sturdy donut-shaped ring attaches securely to MagSafe-compatible iPhones while also doubling as a kickstand.Hoto 3.6V Screwdriver Tool Set$70$11036% off$70Hoto’s tool set is an exercise in practical minimalism. The handy starter kit includes a variety of starter tools aimed at small- to medium-sized jobs, including pliers, a claw hammer, a self-locking tape measure, and — of course — Hoto’s classic LED-lit electric screwdriver.$70 at Amazon$80 at HotoIf the mere prospect of summer already has you sweating, Jisulife’s adorable handheld fan is on sale at Amazon in an assortment of colors starting at $14.39 (about $4 off), matching its all-time low. Jisulife’s bag-friendly option is a pretty no-frills affair, though it does pack a built-in stand and can charge via USB-C; it also doubles as a 4,800mAh battery pack, as if its base functionality and the adorable bear ears weren’t enough.The Slice Auto-Retractable Box Cutter is on sale for $14.60 (about $5 off) at Amazon, which is its best price so far this year. The ceramic blade automatically retracts, making it a safe tool for opening packages around the house or office.Update, May 23rd: Checked prices and added the iRobot Combo 10 Max, the Dell 16 Plus laptop, the Bose SoundLink Max, and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.See More:

1047 Games’ sequel to Splitgate 2 is now playable on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, albeit in open beta form. A new gameplay trailer is available to showcase what players can expect. Check it out below. The free-to-play shooter is developed on Unreal Engine 5 and features three factions – Aero, Meridian, and Sabrask – each with unique abilities. Aeros is for speedier players focused on kills, while Meridian is defense-minded with healing grenades and dome shields. Sabrask can deploy Smart Walls and toss frag grenades to take points. Of course, you can still create entry and exit ports on different surfaces to take opponents by surprise or escape danger. Splitgate 2’s open beta launches with nine maps, three modes, “The Lab” for creating custom maps, a new Power Weapon, and the beta battle pass. The game launches in full this Summer, with a new update that adds new modes and a “massive surprise.” Check out the roadmap here for more details.

Observation Rocket Report: SpaceX’s expansion at Vandenberg; India’s PSLV fails in flight China's diversity in rockets was evident this week, with four types of launchers in action. Stephen Clark – May 23, 2025 7:00 am | 7 Dawn Aerospace's Mk-II Aurora airplane in flight over New Zealand last year. Credit: Dawn Aerospace Dawn Aerospace's Mk-II Aurora airplane in flight over New Zealand last year. Credit: Dawn Aerospace Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Welcome to Edition 7.45 of the Rocket Report! Let's talk about spaceplanes. Since the Space Shuttle, spaceplanes have, at best, been a niche part of the space transportation business. The US Air Force's uncrewed X-37B and a similar vehicle operated by China's military are the only spaceplanes to reach orbit since the last shuttle flight in 2011, and both require a lift from a conventional rocket. Virgin Galactic's suborbital space tourism platform is also a spaceplane of sorts. A generation or two ago, one of the chief arguments in favor of spaceplanes was that they were easier to recover and reuse. Today, SpaceX routinely reuses capsules and rockets that look much more like conventional space vehicles than the winged designs of yesteryear. Spaceplanes are undeniably alluring in appearance, but they have the drawback of carrying extra weight (wings) into space that won't be used until the final minutes of a mission. So, do they have a future? As always, we welcome reader submissions. If you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar. One of China's commercial rockets returns to flight. The Kinetica-1 rocket launched Wednesday for the first time since a failure doomed its previous attempt to reach orbit in December, according to the vehicle's developer and operator, CAS Space. The Kinetica-1 is one of several small Chinese solid-fueled launch vehicles managed by a commercial company, although with strict government oversight and support. CAS Space, a spinoff of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said its Kinetica-1 rocket deployed multiple payloads with "excellent orbit insertion accuracy." This was the seventh flight of a Kinetica-1 rocket since its debut in 2022. Back in action ... "Kinetica-1 is back!" CAS Space posted on X. "Mission Y7 has just successfully sent six satellites into designated orbits, making a total of 63 satellites or 6 tons of payloads since its debut. Lots of missions are planned for the coming months. 2025 is going to be awesome." The Kinetica-1 is designed to place up to 2 metric tons of payload into low-Earth orbit. A larger liquid-fueled rocket, Kinetica-2, is scheduled to debut later this year. The Ars Technica Rocket Report The easiest way to keep up with Eric Berger's and Stephen Clark's reporting on all things space is to sign up for our newsletter. We'll collect their stories and deliver them straight to your inbox. Sign Me Up! French government backs a spaceplane startup. French spaceplane startup AndroMach announced May 15 that it received a contract from CNES, the French space agency, to begin testing an early prototype of its Banger v1 rocket engine, European Spaceflight reports. Founded in 2023, AndroMach is developing a pair of spaceplanes that will be used to perform suborbital and orbital missions to space. A suborbital spaceplane will utilize turbojet engines for horizontal takeoff and landing, and a pressure-fed biopropane/liquid oxygen rocket engine to reach space. Test flights of this smaller vehicle will begin in early 2027. A risky proposition ... A larger ÉTOILE "orbital shuttle" is designed to be launched by various small launch vehicles and will be capable of carrying payloads of up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds). According to the company, initial test flights of ÉTOILE are expected to begin at the beginning of the next decade. It's unclear how much CNES is committing to AndroMach through this contract, but the company says the funding will support testing of an early demonstrator for its propane-fueled engine, with a focus on evaluating its thermodynamic performance. It's good to see European governments supporting developments in commercial space, but the path to a small commercial orbital spaceplane is rife with risk. (submitted by EllPeaTea) Dawn Aerospace is taking orders. Another spaceplane company in a more advanced stage of development says it is now taking customer orders for flights to the edge of space. New Zealand-based Dawn Aerospace said it is beginning to take orders for its remotely piloted, rocket-powered suborbital spaceplane, known as Aurora, with first deliveries expected in 2027, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports. "This marks a historic milestone: the first time a space-capable vehicle—designed to fly beyond the Kármán line (100 kilometers or 328,000 feet)—has been offered for direct sale to customers," Dawn Aerospace said in a statement. While it hasn't yet reached space, Dawn's Aurora spaceplane flew to supersonic speed for the first time last year and climbed to an altitude of 82,500 feet (25.1 kilometers), setting a record for the fastest climb from a runway to 20 kilometers. Further along ... Aurora is small in stature, measuring just 15.7 feet (4.8 meters) long. It's designed to loft a payload of up to 22 pounds (10 kilograms) above the Kármán line for up to three minutes of microgravity, before returning to a runway landing. Eventually, Dawn wants to reduce the turnaround time between Aurora flights to less than four hours. "Aurora is set to become the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a conventional runway, blending the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability and operational simplicity of traditional aviation," Dawn said. The company's business model is akin to commercial airlines, where operators can purchase an aircraft directly from a manufacturer and manage their own operations. (submitted by EllPeaTea) India's workhorse rocket falls short of orbit. In a rare setback, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) launch vehicle PSLV-C61 malfunctioned and failed to place a surveillance satellite into the intended orbit last weekend, the Times of India reported. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off from a launch pad on the southeastern coast of India early Sunday, local time, with a radar reconnaissance satellite named EOS-09, or RISAT-1B. The satellite was likely intended to gather intelligence for the Indian military. "The country's military space capabilities, already hindered by developmental challenges, have suffered another setback with the loss of a potential strategic asset," the Times of India wrote. What happened? ... V. Narayanan, ISRO's chairman, later said that the rocket’s performance was normal until the third stage. The PSLV's third stage, powered by a solid rocket motor, suffered a "fall in chamber pressure" and the mission could not be accomplished, Narayanan said. Investigators are probing the root cause of the failure. Telemetry data indicated the rocket deviated from its planned flight path around six minutes after launch, when it was traveling more than 12,600 mph (5.66 kilometers per second), well short of the speed it needed to reach orbital velocity. The rocket and its payload fell into the Indian Ocean south of the launch site. This was the first PSLV launch failure in eight years, ending a streak of 21 consecutive successful flights. (submitted by EllPeaTea) SES makes a booking with Impulse Space. SES, owner of the world's largest fleet of geostationary satellites, plans to use Impulse Space’s Helios kick stage to take advantage of lower-cost, low-Earth-orbit (LEO) launch vehicles and get its satellites quickly into higher orbits, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports. SES hopes the combination will break a traditional launch conundrum for operators of medium-Earth-orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO). These operators often must make a trade-off between a lower-cost launch that puts them farther from their satellite's final orbit, or a more expensive launch that can expedite their satellite's entry into service. A matter of hours ... On Thursday, SES and Impulse Space announced a multi-launch agreement to use the methane-fueled Helios kick stage. "The first mission, currently planned for 2027, will feature a dedicated deployment from a medium-lift launcher in LEO, followed by Helios transferring the 4-ton-class payload directly to GEO within eight hours of launch," Impulse said in a statement. Typically, this transit to GEO takes several weeks to several months, depending on the satellite's propulsion system. "Today, we’re not only partnering with Impulse to bring our satellites faster to orbit, but this will also allow us to extend their lifetime and accelerate service delivery to our customers," said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. "We're proud to become Helios' first dedicated commercial mission." Unpacking China's spaceflight patches. There's a fascinating set of new patches Chinese officials released for a series of launches with top-secret satellites over the last two months, Ars reports. These four patches depict Buddhist gods with a sense of artistry and sharp colors that stand apart from China's previous spaceflight emblems, and perhaps—or perhaps not—they can tell us something about the nature of the missions they represent. The missions launched so-called TJS satellites toward geostationary orbit, where they most likely will perform missions in surveillance, signals intelligence, or missile warning.  Making connections ... It's not difficult to start making connections between the Four Heavenly Gods and the missions that China's TJS satellites likely carry out in space. A protector with an umbrella? An all-seeing entity? This sounds like a possible link to spy craft or missile warning, but there's a chance Chinese officials approved the patches to misdirect outside observers, or there's no connection at all. China aims for an asteroid. China is set to launch its second Tianwen deep space exploration mission late May, targeting both a near-Earth asteroid and a main belt comet, Space News reports. The robotic Tianwen-2 spacecraft is being integrated with a Long March 3B rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China, the country's top state-owned aerospace contractor said. Airspace closure notices indicate a four-hour-long launch window opening at noon EDT (16:00–20:00 UTC) on May 28. Backup launch windows are scheduled for May 29 and 30. New frontiers ... Tianwen-2's first goal is to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid designated 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, or 2016 HO3, and return them to Earth in late 2027 with a reentry module. The Tianwen-2 mothership will then set a course toward a comet for a secondary mission. This will be China's first sample return mission from beyond the Moon. The asteroid selected as the target for Tianwen-2 is believed by scientists to be less than 100 meters, or 330 feet, in diameter, and may be made of material thrown off the Moon some time in its ancient past. Results from Tianwen-2 may confirm that hypothesis. (submitted by EllPeaTea) Upgraded methalox rocket flies from Jiuquan. Another one of China's privately funded launch companies achieved a milestone this week. Landspace launched an upgraded version of its Zhuque-2E rocket Saturday from the Jiuquan launch base in northwestern China, Space News reports. The rocket delivered six satellites to orbit for a range of remote sensing, Earth observation, and technology demonstration missions. The Zhuque-2E is an improved version of the Zhuque-2, which became the first liquid methane-fueled rocket in the world to reach orbit in 2023. Larger envelope ... This was the second flight of the Zhuque-2E rocket design, but the first to utilize a wider payload fairing to provide more volume for satellites on their ride into space. The Zhuque-2E is a stepping stone toward a much larger rocket Landspace is developing called the Zhuque-3, a stainless steel launcher with a reusable first stage booster that, at least outwardly, bears some similarities to SpaceX's Falcon 9. (submitted by EllPeaTea) FAA clears SpaceX for Starship Flight 9. The Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light Thursday for SpaceX to launch the next test flight of its Starship mega-rocket as soon as next week, following two consecutive failures earlier this year, Ars reports. The failures set back SpaceX's Starship program by several months. The company aims to get the rocket's development back on track with the upcoming launch, Starship's ninth full-scale test flight since its debut in April 2023. Starship is central to SpaceX's long-held ambition to send humans to Mars and is the vehicle NASA has selected to land astronauts on the Moon under the umbrella of the government's Artemis program. Targeting Tuesday, for now ... In a statement Thursday, the FAA said SpaceX is authorized to launch the next Starship test flight, known as Flight 9, after finding the company "meets all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements." SpaceX has not confirmed a target launch date for the next launch of Starship, but warning notices for pilots and mariners to steer clear of hazard areas in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the flight might happen as soon as the evening of Tuesday, May 27. The rocket will lift off from Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's privately owned spaceport near the US-Mexico border. The FAA's approval comes with some stipulations, including that the launch must occur during "non-peak" times for air traffic and a larger closure of airspace downrange from Starbase. Space Force is fed up with Vulcan delays. In recent written testimony to a US House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees the military, the senior official responsible for purchasing launches for national security missions blistered one of the country's two primary rocket providers, Ars reports. The remarks from Major General Stephen G. Purdy, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, concerned United Launch Alliance and its long-delayed development of the large Vulcan rocket. "The ULA Vulcan program has performed unsatisfactorily this past year," Purdy said in written testimony during a May 14 hearing before the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. This portion of his testimony did not come up during the hearing, and it has not been reported publicly to date. Repairing trust ... "Major issues with the Vulcan have overshadowed its successful certification resulting in delays to the launch of four national security missions," Purdy wrote. "Despite the retirement of highly successful Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, the transition to Vulcan has been slow and continues to impact the completion of Space Force mission objectives." It has widely been known in the space community that military officials, who supported Vulcan with development contracts for the rocket and its engines that exceeded $1 billion, have been unhappy with the pace of the rocket's development. It was originally due to launch in 2020. At the end of his written testimony, Purdy emphasized that he expected ULA to do better. As part of his job as the Service Acquisition Executive for Space (SAE), Purdy noted that he has been tasked to transform space acquisition and to become more innovative. "For these programs, the prime contractors must re-establish baselines, establish a culture of accountability, and repair trust deficit to prove to the SAE that they are adopting the acquisition principles necessary to deliver capabilities at speed, on cost and on schedule." SpaceX's growth on the West Coast. SpaceX is moving ahead with expansion plans at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, that will double its West Coast launch cadence and enable Falcon Heavy rockets to fly from California, Spaceflight Now reports. Last week, the Department of the Air Force issued its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which considers proposed modifications from SpaceX to Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg. These modifications will include changes to support launches of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, the construction of two new landing pads for Falcon boosters adjacent to SLC-6, the demolition of unneeded structures at SLC-6, and increasing SpaceX’s permitted launch cadence from Vandenberg from 50 launches to 100. Doubling the fun ... The transformation of SLC-6 would include quite a bit of overhaul. Its most recent tenant, United Launch Alliance, previously used it for Delta IV rockets from 2006 through its final launch in September 2022. The following year, the Space Force handed over the launch pad to SpaceX, which lacked a pad at Vandenberg capable of supporting Falcon Heavy missions. The estimated launch cadence between SpaceX’s existing Falcon 9 pad at Vandenberg, known as SLC-4E, and SLC-6 would be a 70-11 split for Falcon 9 rockets in 2026, with one Falcon Heavy at SLC-6, for a total of 82 launches. That would increase to a 70-25 Falcon 9 split in 2027 and 2028, with an estimated five Falcon Heavy launches in each of those years. (submitted by EllPeaTea) Next three launches May 23: Falcon 9 | Starlink 11-16 | Vandenberg Space Force Base, California | 20:36 UTC May 24: Falcon 9 | Starlink 12-22 | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida | 17:19 UTC May 27: Falcon 9 | Starlink 17-1 | Vandenberg Space Force Base, California | 16:14 UTC Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 7 Comments

Saucycarpdog Member Oct 25, 2017 20,317 On Steam the game is reaching CCU numbers it hasn't gotten in years. Console is harder to see but the game is #22 on Xbox Most Played charts right behind Overwatch 2. It's usually out of the top 50. Crazy to see. I'm guessing it's the Andor effect?  giancarlo123x One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 28,002 The game still fucks. The game was in such a great spot with the anniversary update then they pulled the plug on content.   AgentOtaku Member Oct 27, 2017 4,586 Saucycarpdog said: On Steam the game is reaching CCU numbers it hasn't gotten in years. Console is harder to see but the game is #22 on Xbox Most Played charts right behind Overwatch 2. It's usually out of the top 50. Crazy to see. I'm guessing it's the Andor effect? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yeah, noticed it creeping up the last few weeks. Insane and probably the Andor effect.  ASleepingMonkey The Fallen Oct 26, 2017 4,579 Iowa This game is very, very popular among gen Z in particular. It is hard for me to scroll Instagram or TikTok without seeing a post about it. Younger people adore this game, particularly those who love the prequels.  Hella Member Oct 27, 2017 24,492 Guess it's time to reinstall Battlefront 2. Game is super fun Thank you for the PSA, OP.  HockeyBird Member Oct 27, 2017 13,798 You have friends everywhere when you play Battlefront II.   Neverx Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer Member Sep 17, 2020 3,854 Florida It's a perfect storm of the yearly May 4th resurgence, Revenge of the Sith rerelease and Andor S2. Been playing a bit recently and the game is still great, such a shame they pulled the plug. Really excited for Zero Company and Jedi 3 but we really need a new Battlefront.   Fuchsia Member Oct 28, 2017 7,249 It's honestly a fantastic game after all the work that was put into it post launch. It's still a blast to fire up today. Really sad that they basically killed support right when it was starting to become an all timer.  Nocturnowl Member Oct 25, 2017 28,294 It's all fun and games until the god players who have been playing eternally earn a hero like Yoda early on and the rest of the game becomes a slasher sim where your lil trooper or droid lives in constant terror of the unstoppable turbo speed lightsaber spam racing towards you Neat to see it have a resurgence though, not big on star wars these days but I did have a lot of fun playing this messy arse game with friends  JakeNoseIt Catch My Drift Verified Oct 27, 2017 4,751 Woah I don't watch Andor but I randomly redownloaded the game like a week ago and have been having fun poking around   Zebesian-X Member Dec 3, 2018 25,362 great game kneecapped by its monetization strategy. Sad that they abandoned it right as it was hitting its stride. Glad to see people playing! Shame we never got a third one   Prison_mike Banned Oct 26, 2017 1,676 Hell yeah I bet Fortnight is a reason too. I need to renew my online for this, dammit  DrScruffleton Member Oct 26, 2017 14,887 game was killed way too soon. Imagine all the crazy promotional stuff we couldve gotten over the years with show tie ins and stuff.   dodo Member Oct 27, 2017 4,293 I'm part of the wave!   Creed Bratton Member Aug 29, 2019 782 I jumped back in after playing the new Star Wars Fortnite content. It made me want a true SW experience.   Gleethor Member Oct 25, 2017 4,215 Dot Matrix with stereo sound Coulda had so much new content had they stuck with it. Or at least a third game to break the curse.   AgentOtaku Member Oct 27, 2017 4,586 ASleepingMonkey said: This game is very, very popular among gen Z in particular. It is hard for me to scroll Instagram or TikTok without seeing a post about it. Younger people adore this game, particularly those who love the prequels. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Haha, makes sense. Both my sons adored it. We really should have gotten another one :/  Parker Member Feb 5, 2018 698 Also, the people who got it for free on EGS   Lord Vatek Avenger Jan 18, 2018 24,748 Fortnite, May 4th, and Andor all likely play a part. I haven't checked, but I'd wager that Star Wars The Old Republic is seeing a similar bump.  dodo Member Oct 27, 2017 4,293 I'm still not a big fan of the card loadout system and I wish the vehicles were handled differently, but when it's hitting it has that DICE magic. Great visuals, amazing sound, loving attention to detail.   Corv Member Aug 5, 2022 645 Prison_mike said: Hell yeah I bet Fortnight is a reason too. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yeah the current Fortnite season made me want to boot it up   Forerunner Resetufologist The Fallen Oct 30, 2017 18,835 Dice dropping support of this right when all the new SW content was being released was weird, they could have added so much to it.   Strikerrr Member Oct 25, 2017 2,858 I've seen a big push from Arc Raiders fans who are suffering from tech test withdrawl. Even though they're very different games, there's some aspects about the movement and shooting which feel somewhat similar considering that a lot of the staff at DICE went to Embark after BF1/V. IIRC some devs who were at Motive during Battlefront 2's development commented that the initial Arc Raiders reveal when it was still a PvE game looked similar to some gameplay concepts that were originally pitched from Battlefront 2. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuftkDxjGT4 I could see this as built from a discarded Battlefront coop mode where you take down AT-ATs  OhhEldenRing Member Aug 14, 2024 2,860 The Jade Raymond effect. It's been in the news that was her last big release.   Santos Member Oct 25, 2017 1,376 Have they addressed hacking on PC? Tried play again on PC a couple of years ago and there were tons of hackers everywhere to the point they were removing map objectives lol.   Jona Basta Member May 13, 2025 27 Santos said: Have they addressed hacking on PC? Tried play again on PC a couple of years ago and there were tons of hackers everywhere to the point they were removing map objectives lol. Click to expand... Click to shrink... There's a New Project Called Kyber that fixes that + introduces a lot of new things, but they keep pushing back the release date on that while pushing their Patreon so I'm not feeling to hot on it personally.   Fuchsia Member Oct 28, 2017 7,249 Now, more than ever, I feel a new Battlefront would be so incredible. The issue is how do you feasibly make a game that would have enough content from each era of Star Wars to do it all justice? It would take so much manpower and time.   OP OP Saucycarpdog Member Oct 25, 2017 20,317 Also, if any of y'all have Insurgency Sandstorm on PC, you can try the new Star Wars Sagas mod. View: https://youtu.be/1qfHDopTd3k?si=W_vKAw-W4NWNK2ic   Cheesy Member Oct 30, 2017 2,564 Saucycarpdog said: Also, if any of y'all have Insurgency Sandstorm on PC, you can try the new Star Wars Sagas mod. View: https://youtu.be/1qfHDopTd3k?si=W_vKAw-W4NWNK2ic Click to expand... Click to shrink... Oh damn I didn't know that game got any mods that weren't just a bunch of really tacticool guns. I'll have to take a look.  Jona Basta Member May 13, 2025 27 Saucycarpdog said: Also, if any of y'all have Insurgency Sandstorm on PC, you can try the new Star Wars Sagas mod. View: https://youtu.be/1qfHDopTd3k?si=W_vKAw-W4NWNK2ic Click to expand... Click to shrink... there's also the fantastic Squad Mod Galactic Contention: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgrE5Bhvxs  Prasino95 Member Feb 18, 2025 6 Such a shame they messed up the remaster of the original so bad, bet that would have got a surge too.   Mocha Joe Member Jun 2, 2021 13,433 I should reinstall. I never gave it an honest try after strongly disliking the first one. Spent $40 on basically a tech demo and I was a fucking idiot and bought the season pass. I never have bought a season pass since then   danhz Member Apr 20, 2018 3,539 Hopefully i can play sone games tomorrow, Game was fire 🔥🔥   luca Member Oct 25, 2017 19,417 Never mind. It's the fps Battlefront game. I loved the single player campaign.   tjh282 Member May 29, 2019 1,097 My youngest brother and his friends have this in their MP rotation and they're not even huge SW fans. Marketing campaign killed this on arrival, but I loved both of the new BFs   Dance Inferno Member Oct 29, 2017 2,739 Saucycarpdog said: Also, if any of y'all have Insurgency Sandstorm on PC, you can try the new Star Wars Sagas mod. View: https://youtu.be/1qfHDopTd3k?si=W_vKAw-W4NWNK2ic Click to expand... Click to shrink... Woah WTF how have I never heard of this? This looks dope, downloading this ASAP.  Richietto One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 26,052 North Carolina There's also a huge mod called Kyler that'll really bring life to the game.   Man Called Aerodynamics Member Oct 29, 2017 8,327 I'm not a fan of BF2 in particular (that campaign sucked) but it's always nice to see older games get rediscovered or retain popularity.   Papercuts Prophet of Truth Member Oct 25, 2017 12,726 Feel like this happened a few years back too, I remember actually picking it back up and having a surprisingly good time.   panic Member Oct 26, 2024 83 Last time I tried to play this my team was being completely obliterated on spawn by players using starfighters.   thediamondage Member Oct 25, 2017 13,613 i am jonesing hard for Star Wars after Andor so no surprise, rewatching movies now but i'll probably play Star Wars Outlaws next although Battlefront 2 isn't a bad idea, I loved that game in the first year. Its dumb as hell but it can be super fun too if you are just in it for vibes. Publishers should be discounting star wars games heavy right now, its an automatic impulse buy i think  ASleepingMonkey The Fallen Oct 26, 2017 4,579 Iowa AgentOtaku said: Haha, makes sense. Both my sons adored it. We really should have gotten another one :/ Click to expand... Click to shrink... I would like to see DICE give it another go after Battlefield 6. I assume no matter what, they're going to want to shake it up a bit after close to another decade of nothing but Battlefield and so long as Battlefield 6 is good, it can probably sustain itself for a while. Going back to Battlefront would be great. I just want a better campaign this time, taking some cues from Andor and placing you in the shoes of just an ordinary person in this galactic war would be a great starting point.  BrickArts295 GOTY Tracking Thread Master Member Oct 26, 2017 15,642 It's 100% Andor + Fortnite Star Wars Event /recent rerelease of Episode III. I caught the fever and even went back to get the platinum for Jedi Survivor cause I just wanted to play anything Star Wars. It's crazy how cursed Battlefront 3 is. Seems like both times we could have had the ultimate Star Wars game which would built up from their last 2 iterations. EA seems to be fine with working on Star Wars despite their latest stance on license titles, maybe DICE will be given one more go at it.  Javier23 Member Oct 28, 2017 3,230 I for one have been thinking about giving this a try because of Fortnite's current SW season.   wellpapp Member Aug 21, 2018 531 Gothenburg Wasnt the servers 100% broken by all the cheaters?   The Quentulated Mox Corrupted by Vengeance Member Jun 10, 2022 6,566 On the one hand, I love andor in large part because of how much it does different from the rest of the franchise and I think blending it in with all the rest of the stuff risks diluting it On the other hand, imagine a Ferrix map in battlefront. Imagine a Narkina 5 map. Imagine blasting a truck full of troopers on Mina-Rau from your tie avenger. Imagine switching Cassian's gun into sniper configuration. Imagine spinning your Fondor haulcraft a billion times and shredding everything around you. Need  BubbaKrumpz The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 3,849 Yay Area Papercuts said: Feel like this happened a few years back too, I remember actually picking it back up and having a surprisingly good time. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yeah, I went in with some of my buds and it was a great time. I've enjoyed the game since release though. I hav a friend who only plays battlefront 2 and most recently fortnite  Excelsior Member Oct 28, 2017 1,058 wellpapp said: Wasnt the servers 100% broken by all the cheaters? Click to expand... Click to shrink... This is what I heard too, is it playable?  Chromie Member Dec 4, 2017 5,742 AgentOtaku said: Yeah, noticed it creeping up the last few weeks. Insane and probably the Andor effect. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I will always love Star Wars but man, Andor has made Star Wars chatter online so positive that I jumped back into BF2.   Doctor Shatner The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 252 Lol I literally reinstalled this because of Andor (have had zero content creators mention it outside of watching old Giant Bomb E3 videos). So at least for me it was that! Funny to see such a weird hivemind esque effect going on there. Game is still fun but I have to pretend I'm a literal stormtrooper with my skill level. The number of crazyhigh ranks who fly around as vader/yoda, etc after a couple minutes into the match and insta gib me would drive me mad if I played seriously. 

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have developed MiniFix, a fully 3D printed syringe-based biological fixation system engineered for spaceflight. Successfully deployed in five MAPHEUS sounding rocket missions, MiniFix represents a breakthrough in experimental payload design, combining rapid prototyping, modularity, and robust performance in microgravity environments, combining rapid prototyping with modular, lightweight, and reliable performance under the extreme conditions of microgravity research. A 3D printing milestone for space life science Unlike conventional biological fixation systems, MiniFix is entirely produced via Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Key components, including the syringe holders, baseplate, and housing, were fabricated using desktop 3D printers, notably a Prusa MK3+, with 0.4 mm nozzles and a 0.3 mm layer height. This approach enabled fast, low-cost iteration and customization of parts to suit different missions and experimental needs. The system has undergone structural revisions using three different filaments; PLA (Polylactic Acid), used in initial missions (MAPHEUS-09 and -12), PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol), chosen for enhanced mechanical durability (MAPHEUS-14), and GreenTEC Pro, a compostable bioplastic with high thermal resistance, used in MAPHEUS-15. This made MiniFix the first biologically compostable experiment structure to fly aboard a rocket. Sectional, translucent view through the MiniFix fixation system. Image via Sebastian Feles / DLR. Modular design for rapid adaptation MiniFix features a dual-syringe configuration, where a fixative and a biological sample are housed in vertically stacked syringes. Syringe actuation is handled by NEMA11 stepper motors coupled with linear actuators, allowing precise fluid dispensing. The hardware is modular and sterilizable, enabling pre-assembled syringe units to be installed under sterile conditions. Its all-3D printed chassis ensures that custom features, like integrated lighting for plant experiments, can be introduced quickly without redesigning the core system. This makes MiniFix suitable for various biological models, from unicellular organisms to organoids. Variants of the SBBFS Configuration. Image via Sebastian Feles / DLR. Built-in thermal regulation via waste heat A standout innovation is MiniFix’s passive thermal management system, which uses the heat generated by its stepper motors to maintain stable internal temperatures. With no need for separate heating elements, this system simplifies design, reduces power draw, and lowers overall payload mass, critical factors for sounding rocket missions with strict weight and energy budgets. Test data from MAPHEUS-15 showed that MiniFix maintained an internal temperature of 21.98 °C ±0.12 °C, consuming just 4.6 Wh during operation, even under ambient conditions as low as 4 °C. Space-tested reliability The reliability of this 3D printed structure was put to the test across multiple missions. MiniFix successfully endured extreme conditions, including launch vibrations exceeding 20 g and temperature swings from hypergravity to microgravity and re-entry. Across four missions, its components have shown no degradation or material failure, with post-flight inspections confirming the integrity of all printed parts and mechanical systems. Future applications Beyond fixation, MiniFix could evolve into a general-purpose liquid handling system for space. Its syringe mechanism is already capable of performing programmable mixing and the platform could be adapted for reagent delivery, drug testing, or even microfluidics in space-based manufacturing. Additionally, it exemplifies how additive manufacturing can accelerate experimental development cycles while maintaining reliability in harsh environments. Its open-source microcontroller and modular design ethos further position it as a template for future experimental hardware in life sciences and beyond.3D printing gains traction in space hardware development Additive manufacturing is rapidly transforming the development of spaceflight hardware, from on‑orbit part fabrication to ground-based launch systems. Just this year, ESA’s Metal3D printer aboard the ISS produced the first metal 3D‑printed part in microgravity, now safely back on Earth for analysis. Meanwhile, Nikon and JAXA are collaborating to refine large-scale metal 3D printing for space components, advancing materials and process control to shorten lead times and reduce launch costs. Within this context, DLR’s MiniFix system exemplifies a new wave of highly adaptable, mission‑specific payloads, completely fabricated using desktop FDM printers and bioplastics, optimized for the rigors of sounding rocket flight and microgravity research. The full research paper, titled “Pioneering the Future of Experimental Space Hardware,” is available in Microgravity Science and Technology via Springer Nature. Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us onLinkedIn and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry YouTube channel to access more exclusive content. At 3DPI, our mission is to deliver high-quality journalism, technical insight, and industry intelligence to professionals across the AM ecosystem.Help us shape the future of 3D printing industry news with our2025 reader survey. Featured image shows sectional, translucent view through the MiniFix fixation system. Image via Sebastian Feles / DLR.

Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Decent sound Good fit even during sports Long battery life Cons Microphone sounds a little dark LDAC unavailable with Apple devices Our Verdict The AeroClip impresses with its very balanced and good sound tuning for headphones that rest on the ear. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed130 Euro The AeroClip from Soundcore look like two cherries on a small branch, but the two small housings contain high-quality technology. Among other things, some 12-millimeter drivers support high-resolution audio via LDAC, but only AAC via Bluetooth 5.4 when connected to Apple devices. Thanks to the open-ring design, people who wear glasses have no problems wearing open-ear headphone like the AeroClips. The right/left detection is better recognzable than with some other small headphones thanks to a colored circle. However, there is room for improvement here too, for example red for right and blue for left. The AeroClip is controlled via touch operation with the wide bracket that connects the two ends. As the bracket is easy to reach, the operation is very safe. Soundcore has also thought things through here: there is no command for single tapping, only for double and triple tapping, so operating errors are minimized. Commands such as playback control, volume, and Siri can be assigned via the app. In addition to the control settings, you can also deactivate the dual connection to another audio device or select the sound effects. Two microphones with AI support aim to ensure better sound when making calls. The battery promises a maximum of eight hours of music enjoyment, and the charging box can be used to charge the AeroClip three times before it needs to be returned to the charger. A ten-minute quick charge provides 30 minutes of playing time. A USB-C port is available for charging the charging case, not inductive charging. The IPX4 splash water protection is ideal for sports or use on the beach. Sound check with different music genres and films The sound of voices, such as in films or tutorials, is very convincing, with good sharpness and excellent intelligibility. This also applies to music, which sounds surprisingly lively for Bluetooth headphones. Take our first track, “Getting Away With It” by Electronic, for example. Even though the bass isn’t very deep, it’s fun to listen to. The positive results continue when we switch to the rocking pop music of Depeche Mode. The song “Going Backwards” also convinces with its bass at the beginning. However, you can’t really relax while listening to it; the AeroClip struggles with the mix and it sounds a little strained. The AeroClip on the studio album Memento Mori manages this much better. Soundcore has found an excellent balance between lively highs and decent bass. Should you buy the Soundcore AeroClips? The AeroClip impresses with its very balanced and good sound tuning for headphones that rest on the ear.

Gigabyte’s Aero line of laptops is intended for media pros, those who need production power in a relatively portable package. Or at least they were intended for that. The new Aero X16 model that debuted at Computex 2025 hopes to thread the needle between creators and gamers, both of whom need extra oomph in their laptops. This new design goes with a popular AMD CPU plus Nvidia GPU combo, topping out with a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and a GeForce RTX 5070 with 85 watts of TGP, and it can be disabled with a MUX switch if you need more battery life than sheer pixel-pushing power. All of that hardware is shoved into a 16-inch chassis that’s under 17mm thick and 4.2 pounds light, an impressively sleek design. There’s a plethora of ports, though only one is USB-C (4.0). You get three USB-A ports, full-sized HDMI and Thunderbolt, and an old-fashioned barrel charger if you need to recharge faster than USB allows. The juicy bits for me are under the hood, where you have two M.2 slots for storage, two user-accessible SO-DIMMs for RAM, and a 76.1-watt-hour battery. But it’s not all good news. PCWorld’s Adam saw it in person and wasn’t impressed with the 2560×1600 IPS screen with 165Hz of refresh. That’s pretty good in gamer terms, but creators might not be satisfied. Adam says that even with a Pantone verification and 100 percent of SRGB coverage, it’s lacking full Adobe RGB color space. It’s an upgrade option Adam would like to see in the future. Gigabyte is also refreshing its A16 and A16 Pro gaming laptops. The A16 is making do with older CPUs from AMD and Intel and an RTX 5070 card with a max TGP of 80 watts. Step up to the Pro version and you get access to a newer Intel Core 7 250H and an RTX 5080 screaming at 115 watts. The Aero X16 is launching in June or July while the A16 should arrive in October. The beefier A16 Pro will be here in August. We have no idea what they’ll cost… which might as well be the official slogan of Computex 2025. For more on the latest laptops, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube. Check out our weekly podcast The Full Nerd while you’re at it.

Golf balls are tiny aerodynamic masterpieces. They’re loaded with fancy engineering and material science to help keep your drives out of the woods. However, even all the research and development in the world can’t prevent some of us from losing a couple of balls every round. That gets expensive. Right now, Amazon has Vice Pro Plus Golf Balls for less than $28 per dozen (depending on the color), which is down from their regular $40 price tag. This is the lowest price we have seen this year by far, and that leaves extra space in your golf budget for a custom putter, a high-end launch monitor … or maybe just a hot dog and a soda at the turn. Or, even if you don’t know anything about golf, they make a great Father’s Day or graduation gift. Vice Pro Plus Golf Balls Neon Red — $28 (was $40) You can choose from a variety of colors, including easy-to-find yellow-orange, lime, gold, or neon red (shown). Vice This is not a value ball. It’s a four-piece design with a high-speed core meant to maximize energy transfer and speed off the club face. The mantle layers under the cover encourage extra spin for better ball flight and feel around the green. The outer layer is scuff-resistant, so you can play more holes on a single ball before you need to swap it out for a new one. This is one of the best-reviewed balls on Amazon and even has the green badge to indicate that most people who purchase these balls end up keeping them instead of returning them. That’s a feat since anyone who has ever played a round of golf has thought about blaming poor performance on the balls or the clubs. The neon red colorway linked above is the cheapest option during this sale at $27.89 per dozen. More Vice Pro Plus Golf Ball colors on sale at Amazon Black $28.47 (was $40) Yellow/Orange $28.47 (was $40) Navy/Orange Drip $35 (was $40) Lime/Black Drip $32.42 (was $40) Neon Lime $29 (with coupon, was $40)

Although volcanic eruptions are mostly known for their devastating impacts on land, they also influence the atmosphere in surprising ways. Particles that are catapulted into the sky by eruptions can alter the composition of clouds, cooling the surface below. Volcanic ash, as new research suggests, plays an unexpected role in cloud formation by manipulating ice crystals.A new study published in Science Advances found that volcanic ash enables ice to take shape in clouds, a process that hasn’t been studied extensively before. The environmental effects — how volcanic ash contributes to radiation on Earth — are still up for debate, but a better understanding of cloud formation could inform geoengineering efforts that aspire to slow global warming. How Clouds and Volcanoes Impact Radiation Clouds have a complex relationship with radiation. This is seen with their influence on Earth’s radiation budget, the balance between incoming shortwave radiation from the Sun and outgoing longwave radiation from Earth. Depending on the thickness and elevation of a cloud, it can either have an absorbing or reflecting effect. Lower, thicker clouds reflect more radiation coming from the Sun and cool the Earth’s surface. Higher, thinner clouds reflect less incoming solar radiation and even tend to absorb outgoing infrared radiation constantly emitted by Earth itself. Cirrus clouds — wispy, icy clouds that sit high in the atmosphere — generally have a net warming effect on Earth. Volcanoes also affect Earth’s radiation budget through the particles they eject. Scientists have mostly focused on sulfate aerosols, which form after sulfur dioxide is released into the atmosphere by an eruption. Although sulfate aerosols can deplete the ozone layer and produce acid rain, they also help cool Earth by reflecting solar radiation. The Impact of Volcanic Ash Volcanic ash hasn’t garnered as much attention as sulfate aerosols, but the new study proves that it also needs to be considered in climate discussions. In the study, researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) gathered information on ice crystals in clouds by examining radar and lidar data from NASA’s Cloudsat and CALIPSO missions. The team found that ash-rich volcanic eruptions caused clouds to host fewer, but larger ice crystals. “At the beginning of the study, we did expect clouds affected by volcanic eruptions to look different from natural clouds, but not in the way we ultimately found,” said Lin Lin, a scientist at LLNL, in a statement. “We anticipated that volcanic aerosols would lead to an increase in the number of ice crystals in clouds. But to our surprise, the data showed the opposite.”Dealing with Cirrus CloudsThe team initially thought that an eruption would cause homogenous nucleation, in which ice forms spontaneously without the need for a surface. They instead found that ash-heavy eruptions prompt an opposite reaction called heterogenous nucleation, in which ice needs an “impurity” like volcanic ash to form. After an eruption, water droplets stick to ash particles before they can get cold enough to freeze. By producing fewer and larger ice crystals, clouds that undergo heterogenous nucleation end up reflecting less solar radiation, but they also allow more radiation from Earth to escape into space. The team also determined that ash-rich eruptions led to a higher frequency of cirrus clouds. The researchers say volcanic ash needs to be implemented in more climate models to understand exactly how all of these factors influence Earth’s surface temperature. Further studies on volcanic ash could also guide plans for cirrus cloud thinning, a proposed idea for mitigating global warming. This process would involve spraying aerosols into the atmosphere to thin or eliminate cirrus clouds, allowing more longwave radiation to leave Earth. Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Science Advances. Ice nucleation by volcanic ash greatly alters cirrus cloud propertiesJack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.