@sundogplanets It's healthy and good to swear about such anti-nature hubris!
I hope that they only burn money. And I wonder why we don't have protection laws for #nature and #orbit, which are internationally binding.
The impact on #biodiversity will be immense.

If the #cost of launching and operating a #SpaceStation drops sufficiently, it will become feasible to conduct a number of industrial processes in #orbit. We are not talking about specific experiments here, but of #serial production processes conducted at scale. Some specialized industrial processes can be done more efficiently in space , because of the absence of #gravity, particularly some #biotech applications with tangible applications on Earth https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/how-starlab-space-looks-to-switzerland-for-the-next-generation-of-space-stations

To get enough fuel into #orbit for a #Mars mission would require at least 10 launches of the #SLS rocket, or about $20 billion . Just for the fuel. To use traditional propulsion, one needs to push the boundaries of #reuse and heavy lift rockets to extreme limits—which is precisely what #SpaceX is trying to do with its fully reusable launch system https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/report-nasas-only-realistic-path-for-humans-on-mars-is-nuclear-propulsion

There are only 2 "#spaceport" so far in #OpenStreetMap which pretended to be one unless they never launched something to #space (for a considerable amount of time) : #SpaceportAmerica and #CornRanch (#BlueOrigin's #NewShepard launch site) https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/keys/aeroway%3Asuborbital#values. #SpaceportCornwall has never been one (other than for propaganda) https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1105816254

There's a considerable amount of #launchpad (#balloon , #research #rockets...) https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/search?q=launchpad#values

#Space is a far more logical, sensible place to do #fusion, because that’s where it wants to happen anyway. In 2027, we’re going to send a small part of #Sunbird in #orbit. The first #functional Sunbird will be ready four to five years later. Sunbird could deliver #cargo to #Mars in under six months https://edition.cnn.com/science/nuclear-powered-rocket-pulsar-space-spc/index.html

“The euphemism among #BlueOrigin alumni is that Blue Origin’s track record speaks for itself”. The company has reached #orbit only once, compared with #SpaceX achieving the feat more than 450 times https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/03/jeff-bezos-brings-amazon-work-culture-to-blue-origin

Their termination, the sources said, threatens to undermine efforts to complete what is essentially an air traffic coordination system for #space, currently operating in a trial phase as growing global demand for crucial #satellite services sharply increases the number of #spacecraft in Earth's #orbit.

#Competition accelerates #innovation : "What if we actually build a #SpaceStation, launch it in #orbit, have a crew of four go to it, spend two weeks at least in the space station, and come back home safely…before the U.S. #government makes their decision?” (in 2026) https://youtu.be/us_V_e0-NVs?feature=shared&t=205

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/02/vast-interview-2025

The #3Dprinted prototype was able to generate thrust more #efficiently than larger, more expensive #chemical rockets and outperformed existing droplet #electrospray engines. It can be produced rapidly and for a fraction of the #cost of traditional thrusters and even be fully made in #orbit https://news.mit.edu/2025/mit-engineers-develop-fully-3d-printed-electrospray-engine-0212

At least seven new private #rockets, all featuring vertical recovery and #reusability , are aiming to reach #orbit in 2025 https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3290445/spacex-and-7-dwarves-chinese-space-firms-line-enter-reusable-rocket-race

FOSS NEWS

Foss FEST 2025 takes place in 21-22 February, on multiple locations worldwide, for university student, who can compete on building solutions for given projects, and have Masterclasses in different topics:
https://os-sci.com/event/foss-fest-2025-international-hackathon-14/register

GIMP 3.0 RC2 released with bug fixes, new public filter API, initial AppImage version, improved Darktable integration:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/12/gimp-3-0-rc2-released-with-bug-fixes-new-public-filter-api-initial-appimage-and-more/

LineageOS 22.1 released with Android 15 base, support for more than 100 devices, latest version of SeedVault and Etar, WebView upgraded to 131.0.6778.200, enhanced extract utilities, support for virtIO targets (QEMU, crosvm, UTM), new music player and PDF reader:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/1/lineageos-22-1-based-on-android-15-is-now-available-for-more-than-100-devices/

New terminal emulator Ghostty saw first public release, aiming to be fast, feature-rich and platform-native while still being cross-platform:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/ghostty-terminal-linux-open-source-release

Mozilla releases Orbit, a new AI assistant extension for Firefox:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/orbit-by-mozilla-ai-assistant-firefox-extension
(Thanks nope, I won't install it)

IVPN acquires Safing, creators of Portmaster and SPN:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/12/ivpn-acquires-safing-marking-the-beginning-of-a-new-era/
(At least they aren't purchased by a shady ad company, it's the good type of acquisition like Proton - SimpleLogin, Proton - Standard Notes or Tor - Tails)

Kdenlive to get Auto Masking feature for easier background removal, already available in alpha builds:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/kdenlive-automatic-object-masking-feature

Fish Shell 4.0 released, written is Rust instead of C++:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/1/fish-shell-4-0-drops-c--for-rust-to-simplify-development-and-enhance-performance/

(Linux news in original post)