Last month, Musk publicized plans to form the America Party to serve voters disillusioned with the two-party system. According to The Wall Street Journal, he has since redirected his efforts toward nurturing his connection with Vice President JD Vance, a prominent figure in the MAGA movement. Musk's recent communications with Vance reflect his concern that a new party could jeopardize this relationship, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Discussions among Musk's confidants suggest he may channel his substantial wealth into backing Vance for a 2028 presidential run, The Wall Street Journal reveals. After spending nearly $300 million to support President Donald Trump and GOP candidates in 2024, Musk remains open to the party idea but has taken no concrete steps to advance it. The Wall Street Journal confirmed that a scheduled meeting with third-party campaign specialists was canceled, with Musk's team emphasizing his focus on corporate responsibilities.

In July, Trump derided Musk's party plans, while Musk insisted it would promote voter "freedom." Vance, speaking to the Gateway Pundit, remarked, "So my hope is that by the time of the midterms, he's kind of come back into the fold," signaling his desire for Musk's alignment with conservatives. The Wall Street Journal notes that Musk and Trump have recently ceased public hostilities, with Trump expressing support for Musk's businesses on Truth Social.

A new executive order easing rocket launch regulations could bolster SpaceX, suggesting a thaw in Musk-Trump relations. Despite interest from Andrew Yang and Mark Cuban, The Wall Street Journal reports that Musk has not pursued discussions with them or his political advisers about the party. Steven Nekhaila, Libertarian National Committee chair, told The Wall Street Journal, "It's almost an eerie silence," highlighting the absence of action toward establishing the America Party.

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Weighing 4.5 tons and with an 18-meter wingspan, Dror-1 separated from its launcher approximately 40 minutes after liftoff and began independently orbiting in space. The satellite is expected to reach its final geostationary orbit, 36,000 kilometers above the equator, within about two weeks following a series of in-space maneuvers.

Dror-1 was developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries to ensure the country's industrial and technological independence in this strategically vital sector. Its geostationary position will allow for continuous and flexible communication coverage for various government systems.

Following the launch, IAI stated, "As Israel's national space house, Israel Aerospace Industries has led the nation's space program since the 1980s, when the first observation satellite, Ofek-1, was launched. Since then, IAI has developed, produced, and launched additional communications and observation satellites for national, civilian, and scientific missions both in Israel and abroad."

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The artificial intelligence company issued a sharp rebuke on social media platform X, stating that the tokens do not represent genuine equity in OpenAI. "These 'OpenAI tokens' are not OpenAI equity," the company declared, CNBC reported. "We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it."

OpenAI emphasized that any legitimate transfer of company equity requires explicit approval from the organization, which was never granted for this tokenized offering, according to CNBC. The company cautioned users to "please be careful" regarding the unauthorized tokens.

Robinhood had announced the tokenized equity launch from Cannes, France, as part of a comprehensive product demonstration that included tokenized equities, staking services, and new blockchain infrastructure capabilities, CNBC reported. The announcement triggered a significant surge in Robinhood's stock price, pushing shares above $100 to reach a new all-time high.

A Robinhood spokesperson defended the offering to CNBC, explaining that the tokens provide retail investors with indirect exposure to private markets through the company's ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle. "These tokens give retail investors indirect exposure to private markets, opening up access, and are enabled by Robinhood's ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle," the spokesperson stated.

The trading platform had offered 5 euros worth of OpenAI and SpaceX tokens to qualifying EU users who registered to trade stock tokens by July 7, CNBC reported. The assets are distributed under the European Union's more permissive investor regulations through Robinhood's cryptocurrency platform.

Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood's senior vice president and general manager of crypto, emphasized the democratization aspect of the initiative to CNBC. "This is about expanding access," Kerbrat explained. "The goal with tokenization is to let anyone participate in this economy."

The dispute illustrates the complex relationship between cryptocurrency platforms attempting to democratize financial product access and the companies whose names and equity are being represented through blockchain technology, according to CNBC. The situation also highlights regulatory challenges facing tokenized equity offerings.

US users remain unable to access these tokenized offerings due to domestic regulatory restrictions, CNBC reported. The limitation reflects the ongoing regulatory uncertainty surrounding cryptocurrency-based financial products in the United States.

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This clash, which became personal on X, disrupted a once-close alliance that positioned Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative focused on reducing federal spending in Trump's second term.

The tech entrepreneur acknowledged on his X social media network that his previous commentary had crossed boundaries. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk stated on the platform.

The conflict had escalated to such an extent that by Saturday, Musk had apparently removed several of his controversial social media posts that had intensified tensions with the administration. Among the deleted content was a post in which he had allegedly referenced Trump's connection to documents related to deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, an accusation the White House had rejected.

The high-profile disagreement played out across both X and Truth Social, the respective social media platforms controlled by Musk and Trump. During the height of the dispute, the president had signaled that he was going to reconsider ending government contracts and financial support provided to Musk's various business enterprises, most notably by potentially stifling crucial regulatory approvals for Tesla's electric vehicle, whose rise in the US is dependent only being allowed to have driverless cars on the interstate freeways.

Market analysts had been closely monitoring the situation due to concerns about how continued friction might affect the substantial government relationships maintained by both Tesla and SpaceX – companies where Elon is a senior executives

The special agency called Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk ran until earlier this month, was a key component of Trump's plans for reducing federal spending and bureaucracy.

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Two NASA astronauts whose planned eight-day mission unexpectedly stretched into more than nine months finally returned to Earth on Tuesday, ABC News reported. The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida at 5:57 p.m. EDT.

The capsule carried NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Butch Wilmore – who had been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024 – along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Williams and Wilmore had originally launched to the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule for what was supposed to be approximately a one-week mission. However, technical issues with the Starliner prevented their planned return, extending their stay to more than nine months.

The Dragon capsule began its journey home early Tuesday, undocking autonomously from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. ET before beginning its 17-hour return journey to Earth. As the spacecraft separated from the space station, the departing crew exchanged farewell messages with those remaining aboard.

"On behalf of Crew-9, I'd like to say it was a privilege to call station home. To live and work and be a part of a mission and a team that spans the globe working together in cooperation for the benefit of humanity," Dragon commander Nick Hague told the ISS crew during the departure.

The Dragon spacecraft performed a series of carefully orchestrated maneuvers after leaving the station, positioning itself for the descent to Earth. The vehicle executed a deorbit burn using its Draco thrusters to place it on the correct trajectory for re-entry and landing at the designated splashdown site off Florida's coast.

During re-entry, the capsule encountered temperatures reaching 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit while the spacecraft's heat shield protected the astronauts inside. The extreme atmospheric drag helped slow the vehicle's descent in preparation for parachute deployment. The spacecraft deployed two drogue parachutes at approximately 18,000 feet while traveling at nearly 350 miles per hour. These initial chutes slowed the Dragon significantly before the four main parachutes deployed at about 6,000 feet, further reducing the spacecraft's velocity to a safe 15 miles per hour for splashdown.

After retrieval from the water and placement aboard the recovery vessel, the astronauts were finally able to breathe fresh air for the first time in over nine months. The successful recovery marks the end of an unexpectedly extended mission that demonstrated both the challenges of spaceflight and the flexibility of NASA's commercial crew program.

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), praised the successful mission during an exclusive interview on Fox News' "Hannity" on Tuesday. "Thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, the astronauts are now safely home. And so congratulations to the SpaceX NASA teams on excellent work," Musk said. He also offered a "huge note of appreciation" to President Donald Trump "for prioritizing and expediting the return.

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SpaceX has successfully landed its Starship rocket booster in Texas following a bold test flight, marking a significant step towards the company's goal of developing a fully reusable rocket system for lunar missions, reports Daily Mail.

The 400-foot reusable rocket blasted off at sunrise from a launch site near the Mexico border before landing on a pad equipped with mechanical arms, dubbed "chopsticks" by the company. The flight path took the rocket over the Gulf of Mexico, following the same route as four previous Starship tests that ended in destruction.

BREAKING: SpaceX Spacecraft successfully returns to ground after being caught by clamps that they are calling "chopsticks" https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3

Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/s6AZDcxRex

— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 13, 2024

 The achievement represents a major milestone for SpaceX, as it aims to create a rocket system capable of carrying crew and cargo to the moon. "Even in this day and age, what we just saw is magic," said SpaceX's Dan Huot from near the launch site after the booster touched down. "I am shaking right now." The company's founder, Elon Musk, expressed his excitement on social media platform X, stating, "The tower has caught the rocket!!"

SpaceX brought the first-stage booster back to land at the pad from which it had soared seven minutes earlier. The launch tower's massive metal arms successfully caught the descending 232-foot booster. The flight director made the decision to attempt the landing in real-time, with both the booster and launch tower required to be in good, stable condition. SpaceX had previously stated that if conditions were not ideal, the booster would end up in the Gulf of Mexico like its predecessors.

Kate Tice, speaking from SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, declared, "Folks, this is a day for the engineering history books."

The spacecraft atop the booster continued its journey around the world once separated, targeting a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The entire flight was expected to last just over an hour.

This latest test flight incorporated improvements based on lessons learned from previous attempts. The June flight fell short at the end after pieces came off, prompting SpaceX to upgrade the software and rework the heat shield, enhancing the thermal tiles.

SpaceX's achievement marks another milestone in the company's quest to make space travel more accessible and cost-effective through reusable rocket technology. As the space industry continues to evolve, such advancements may pave the way for more frequent and ambitious missions beyond Earth's orbit.

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Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made history Thursday by becoming the first civilian to conduct a private spacewalk, venturing outside SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule after traveling farther from Earth than any human in over 50 years.

A little preview of what to expect during our spacewalk from Dragon. Hopefully, we'll make it look as good as this @SpaceX rendering. https://t.co/fFKp4zZuVk

— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) August 22, 2024

The spacewalk, which began shortly before 7 a.m., marked a significant milestone in private space exploration. Isaacman, the 41-year-old founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4, emerged from the capsule on a tether, facing the vast expanse of space with Earth gleaming below.

"Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world," Isaacman remarked upon exiting the spacecraft, as reported by The New York Post.

The daring feat came after Isaacman and his three crewmembers reached an altitude of nearly 870 miles above Earth's surface, surpassing the Earth-orbiting record set during NASA's Project Gemini in 1966. Only the Apollo mission astronauts who traveled to the moon have ventured further into space.

Isaacman's spacewalk lasted approximately 15 minutes before SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis replaced him. The other two crewmembers, engineer Anna Menon and former Air Force Thunderbirds pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet were also slated to participate in the extravehicular activity.

The entire spacewalk procedure, including preparation and completion, was expected to take about two hours. SpaceX streamed the event live on its website, allowing viewers worldwide to witness this historic moment in commercial spaceflight.

The mission, dubbed Polaris Dawn, is part of a series of three trips Isaacman purchased from SpaceX in 2022. While the cost of these expeditions has not been publicly disclosed, they represent a significant step forward in private space exploration.

Isaacman and his crew launched from Florida on Tuesday for their five-day journey. They wore newly designed SpaceX suits that Isaacman helped develop, which were crucial for protection against the vacuum of space during the spacewalk.

The spacewalk's success was not guaranteed, as SpaceX unexpectedly delayed its start by a few hours. However, the company assured via social media that "all systems are looking good" before proceeding with the mission.

This groundbreaking achievement builds upon Isaacman's previous space endeavor in 2021, when he became the first space tourist to orbit Earth without a professional astronaut onboard.

As private citizens continue to push the boundaries of space exploration, Isaacman's successful spacewalk opens new possibilities for civilian involvement in extraterrestrial activities. It also highlights the growing role of commercial enterprises in advancing space technology and exploration.

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NASA has announced that two astronauts currently on an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will return to Earth in February on a SpaceX Crew Dragon flight, rather than on the Boeing Starliner capsule that brought them to orbit.

The decision comes after an agency-level review on Saturday, which included NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The change in plans is due to ongoing technical issues with the Boeing Starliner, including small leaks and thruster failures.

"NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with [SpaceX's] Crew-9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed," Nelson stated during a press conference. He emphasized that Boeing has worked closely with NASA to provide necessary data for this decision, adding, "We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS."

Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore have been on the ISS since June 6, initially as part of a crucial test flight for the Starliner before it could receive NASA approval for routine flights. However, their planned eight-day mission extended into months due to technical issues, including reaction control thrusters that failed during Starliner's first docking attempt.

Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's commercial crew program, explained the rationale behind bringing Starliner back uncrewed: "The bottom line relative to bringing Starliner back is … there was just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters."

While awaiting their return, Williams and Wilmore will continue to contribute to science and maintenance tasks on the ISS. Dana Weigel, manager of NASA's ISS program, noted, "They've already done about 100 hours of work on 42 different experiments, and they've helped us with some of the critical station maintenance that we've had on board."

NASA officials stressed that the decision to switch to SpaceX for the astronauts' return is not a matter of trust with Boeing. Jim Free, NASA associate administrator, stated, "I don't think it's a trust issue at all. I don't think we're rebuilding trust. I think we're looking at the data, and we view the data and the uncertainty that's there differently than Boeing does."

The SpaceX Crew-9 mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than September 24. NASA and SpaceX are currently working on several preparatory tasks, including seat reconfiguration on the Crew-9 Dragon and adjusting the manifest to accommodate additional cargo and personal effects for Wilmore and Williams.

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NASA has awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to develop a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle to guide the aging International Space Station (ISS) back through Earth's atmosphere for a safe and controlled reentry into the Pacific Ocean by 2030.

The ISS, a symbol of international cooperation in space, has been continuously occupied for over 23 years and is a flying laboratory around the size of a football field. Currently, only the ISS and China's Tiangong Space Station are operating in low Earth orbit.

NASA plans to use the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, developed by SpaceX, to guide the ISS to a safe location for controlled descent in about six years, ensuring it avoids populated areas when crashing the 430,000 kg station.

NASA will take ownership and operate the deorbit spacecraft developed by SpaceX for the crucial mission of deorbiting the ISS.

Parts of the ISS may survive reentry, and NASA plans to send them toward Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean, away from land.

A family in Florida sued NASA for $80,000 in damages after a piece of space junk, believed to be discarded batteries from the ISS, crashed into their house in Naples, tearing through two storeys on March 8. NASA confirmed the object was part of discarded cargo expected to burn up upon re-entry and has been given six months to respond to the lawsuit.

The U.S., Japan, Canada, and nations contributing to the ESA have committed to operating the ISS through 2030, with Russia's commitment until at least 2028. NASA finds defects and failing parts in the aging ISS, with maintenance costs already at $4 billion per year, and does not plan to reuse or preserve the entire station.

NASA plans to build a permanent base on the moon for long-duration missions. It is also supporting the development of commercial space stations to maintain a U.S. presence in low Earth orbit, with four U.S. companies intending to launch their own space labs, and the European Space Agency and others to help build Starlab.

Sources: Axios, Mashable, The Sun, Business Today, India Today, iTech Post, Digital Trends.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Elon Musk blasted Apple's partnership with OpenAI and threatened to ban Apple devices at his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, if the partnership proceeds.

He criticized Apple's plan to integrate OpenAI's ChatGPT into its operating system, claiming it is a security violation and could pose a security risk to users. Visitors to his firms will need to check their Apple devices at the door to be stored in a Faraday cage, Musk said.

Apple announced a partnership with OpenAI and plans to integrate OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot into Siri and other AI features.

Musk owns a rival AI company, xAI, and is involved in a legal battle with OpenAI, accusing the company of prioritizing profits over its original mission to benefit humanity.

His reaction to the OpenAI-Apple partnership may stem from his own AI plans for his platforms, including Grok and xAI.

Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and has criticized the company and its CEO for deviating from their original mission, leading him to sue OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman and to found xAI, a competitor to OpenAI.

Sources: Washington Times, Time, CBS News, The Independent, Forbes, CNN, Bloomberg, Fox News, HuffPost, PC Mag, El País, ReadWrite, CNET, Reuters, CNBC, Mashable, Venture Beat, The Verge, Deutsche Welle, New York Post, Cult of Mac, South China Morning Post, and 9to5Mac.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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