Science & Technology — September 16, 2026

SpaceX targets first Starship orbital flight. The company will attempt to put Starship into orbit for the first time Sept. 22, a flight that would also deploy the first V3 Starlink satellites.

The launch date announcement came after SpaceX declared the vehicle ready for its orbital debut, according to Ars Technica. Reaching orbit would mark a milestone the program has not yet achieved, and the mission is designed to double as an operational one, carrying the newest generation of the company's internet satellites on their inaugural deployment.

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Measles kills unvaccinated Pennsylvania teen. An 18-year-old died of a known neurological complication of measles, the state's fourth measles-associated death as its outbreak nears 700 cases.

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China resists Silicon Valley's AI slowdown push. OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX leaders want a coordinated AI safety slowdown. Beijing is skeptical of any deal that would lock in U.S. companies' lead.

According to Wired, Beijing's resistance complicates hopes of establishing global guardrails on artificial intelligence development. The skepticism centers on a core objection: Chinese officials view a coordinated pause as a mechanism that would effectively freeze the competitive landscape in favor of American firms, making any international agreement on safety measures harder to reach even as prominent U.S. industry figures advocate for one.

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U.S. confirms weapons in orbit for first time. The Air Force secretary publicly acknowledged the U.S. has deployed weapons into Earth orbit; the Space Force framed the move as deterrence against Russia and China.

The acknowledgment breaks decades of official silence on the question of weapons in space, according to NPR. It follows earlier U.S. warnings that Russia might be moving to weaponize a domain that has long been reserved by treaty for peaceful use, a concern that now sits alongside Washington's own confirmed deployment and its stated rationale of deterring rivals.

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