The Yaogan-50 02 satellite was launched at 9:22 p.m. aboard a modified Long March-6 carrier rocket and has entered its planned orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.
The satellite will be mainly used for land survey, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and relief.
This launch marked the 633rd flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
Heavy elements like gold and platinum are not formed on Earth. They are created during powerful cosmic events such as exploding stars or collisions between neutron stars.
During these extreme moments, a process known as the Rapid neutron capture process occurs. In this process, atomic nuclei quickly absorb neutrons, becoming heavier and unstable before breaking into more stable elements.
To better understand this transformation, scientists carried out experiments at the CERN using its ISOLDE Facility. The team studied a rare atomic form called indium-134 and tracked how it decays into different tin isotopes.
Their research revealed three major discoveries. The most important was the first measurement of energy released when unstable nuclei emit two neutrons during decay. This rare reaction helps scientists understand how heavy elements form during violent stellar events.
The researchers also identified a long-predicted nuclear state in tin-133 that had remained hidden for two decades. This discovery shows that the atomic nucleus still “remembers” how it was formed, challenging earlier theories that suggested the process erased such information.
Finally, scientists observed behavior that does not match existing nuclear models, suggesting that current theories may need to be revised.
The findings provide new clues about how elements like gold are created in the universe and could help scientists improve models that explain the origins of matter in space.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, senior NASA official Lori Glaze said the agency is working toward the new launch date after the mission, originally planned for February, was postponed.
“We are on track for a launch as early as April 1, and we are working toward that date,” Glaze said, noting that although progress is encouraging, engineers still have work to complete. She described the mission as a crucial test flight that carries inherent risks.
The launch window is expected to open on April 1 at 6:24 p.m. GMT, with several additional opportunities available during the following days.
The mission will carry four astronauts: Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
According to NASA, the spacecraft will first orbit Earth before heading toward the Moon, completing a flyby without landing and then returning to Earth for an ocean splashdown. The distance from the lunar surface will vary depending on the launch date, ranging between roughly 4,000 and 6,000 miles.
While the earlier Artemis I mission passed much closer to the Moon, Artemis II will still take astronauts tens of thousands of miles closer than any humans have traveled since the era of the Apollo program.
NASA plans to follow the mission with Artemis III, which aims to support a future lunar landing as part of the broader Artemis program to return humans to the Moon.
The platform, unveiled by Minister of ICT and Innovation Paula Ingabire on the sidelines of the Inclusive FinTech Forum, serves as a central gateway for Rwanda’s innovation landscape, making it easier for founders, partners, and investors to discover opportunities, collaborate, and grow innovative ventures.
“The platform will provide innovators and partners with an environment to experiment, collaborate, and develop solutions that address real challenges across digital finance, public services, and cross-border trade,” Minister Ingabire stated.
Innovate Rwanda enables ecosystem support organisations, including hubs, accelerators, incubators, and capacity-building programs, to better coordinate their efforts in supporting startups. Through the platform, the organisations can publish their programs, track startup engagement, and connect with partners working in similar sectors. By offering a shared space for visibility and collaboration, the platform aims to reduce fragmentation and improve the effectiveness of support for founders.
For startups, Innovate Rwanda acts as a gateway to opportunities across Rwanda’s innovation ecosystem. Founders can create profiles to showcase their ventures, discover support programs, access funding and partnerships, and connect with ecosystem organisations that can help scale their ideas. The platform simplifies navigation of the innovation landscape, ensuring entrepreneurs find the right support at every stage of their journey.
The platform also enhances visibility for investors by providing a clear view of Rwanda’s startup pipeline. Investors can explore verified startup profiles, identify high-potential ventures, and engage with ecosystem organisations that facilitate deal flow and due diligence. This improved transparency helps investors discover opportunities and participate more effectively in the country’s growing startup scene.
Beyond connecting stakeholders, Innovate Rwanda strengthens coordination among ecosystem actors. By promoting programs, reaching the right founders, and aligning initiatives, the platform ensures that support, investment, and talent flow efficiently to innovators.
Ultimately, Innovate Rwanda positions Rwanda’s innovation ecosystem to be more connected, visible, and accessible both locally and globally, providing innovators with the resources and partnerships they need to grow and scale.
The satellite, which weighed approximately 600 kilograms, reentered Earth’s atmosphere on March 11, 2026, and burned up during reentry, with some debris potentially surviving and reaching the surface.
According to reports, the spacecraft’s descent occurred over the Pacific Ocean, just west of the Galapagos Islands. The exact time and location of impact were difficult to predict, as uncontrolled reentries are challenging to track with precision until they happen.
The Van Allen Probe A was part of a pair of satellites that studied the Earth’s radiation belts, which protect the planet from harmful solar and cosmic radiation. NASA had deactivated the spacecraft in 2019 after completing its mission.
Despite the satellite being inactive, solar activity in recent years caused increased atmospheric drag, pulling the spacecraft out of orbit and accelerating its reentry years earlier than originally predicted.
While NASA had expected the satellite to remain in orbit for nearly another decade, the increased drag from the Earth’s upper atmosphere forced an earlier descent.
Despite the early reentry, NASA determined the risk of the satellite causing harm to people on the ground was incredibly low, about 1 in 4,200. Most of the satellite burned up during reentry, and the majority of Earth’s surface is covered by water, further minimizing the risk of debris causing any damage.
Uncontrolled reentries like this are uncommon but are closely monitored by space agencies, including NASA and the U.S. Space Force, to ensure public safety.
NASA continues to assess the risks of space debris and its impact on both human life and technological infrastructure.
Using 3D facial analysis, researchers are able to detect three major causes of road accidents simultaneously: blood alcohol concentration, fatigue, and expressions such as anger, said a statement from Australia’s Edith Cowan University (ECU) on Wednesday.
The system, developed by ECU researchers, uses a single deep learning model to identify blood alcohol concentration with nearly 90 percent accuracy and drowsiness with 95 percent accuracy, the statement said.
The technology can also determine the level of intoxication, classifying alcohol impairment into three categories — sober, moderate and severe, it said.
Lead researcher, ECU PhD candidate Abdullah Tariq, said the system automatically captures diverse facial dynamics, including eye blinking, subtle facial movements, and progressive facial feature changes that are critical for distinguishing between different states.
Unlike breathalysers, the method allows continuous, real-time monitoring without driver cooperation, the researchers said.
A companion study demonstrated that combining infrared and color video improves detection in low-light conditions, they said, adding the research could lead to an innovative, non-invasive way to help combat drink driving.
The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that the crater formed about 43 to 46 million years ago when a space object struck the seabed, triggering a massive tsunami. The research was led by Uisdean Nicholson of Heriot-Watt University, with support from the Natural Environment Research Council.
Located about 700 meters beneath the seabed and roughly 80 miles off the coast of Yorkshire, the three-kilometer-wide crater was first identified in 2002. Its circular shape and surrounding ring of faults led some scientists to suspect an asteroid impact, but others argued it might have been caused by underground salt movement or volcanic activity.
Using new seismic imaging, geological samples and computer simulations, the research team found clear evidence supporting the impact theory. Rock samples taken from an oil well revealed “shocked” quartz and feldspar crystals, microscopic minerals that form only under the extreme pressure generated by asteroid collisions.
According to Nicholson, a roughly 160-meter-wide asteroid struck the seabed at a shallow angle from the west. The impact created a towering column of rock and water that quickly collapsed, producing a tsunami estimated to have exceeded 100 meters in height.
Scientists say the finding confirms Silverpit as one of the relatively few known impact craters on Earth. Fewer than 200 have been identified on land and only about 33 beneath the oceans, making the site a rare and well-preserved example of how asteroid impacts shape the planet’s surface.
The designation, historically applied only to foreign adversaries, bars defence contractors from using Anthropic’s AI in Pentagon-related work and could cost the company billions in projected 2026 revenue.
The lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and argue that the Pentagon’s blacklisting is unlawful and violates Anthropic’s free speech and due process rights.
The company is seeking to have the designation overturned and to block federal agencies from enforcing the restrictions.
Anthropic executives warned the consequences could extend beyond defence contracts. Chief Financial Officer Krishna Rao said the government’s actions could reduce 2026 revenue by “multiple billions of dollars” and cause damage that would be “almost impossible to reverse.”
Head of Public Sector Thiyagu Ramasamy added that the blacklist is already harming commercial relationships and could wipe out projected public sector revenue exceeding $500 million.
Chief Commercial Officer Paul Smith noted that a partner shifted from Claude to a rival AI model for a Food and Drug Administration project, eliminating an expected $100 million revenue pipeline, while negotiations with financial institutions totaling around $180 million were disrupted.
The dispute stems from Anthropic’s refusal to grant unrestricted government access to Claude, citing ethical limits on autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth criticised these restrictions, prompting President Donald Trump to order federal agencies to cease using Claude, while allowing the Pentagon six months to comply due to Claude’s integration into classified systems.
Anthropic maintains it remains committed to national security work. “Seeking judicial review does not change our longstanding commitment to harnessing AI to protect our national security, but this is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers, and our partners,” a company spokesperson said.
A group of 37 engineers from Google and OpenAI filed an amicus brief supporting Anthropic, warning that the government’s actions could stifle innovation and debate over AI’s risks and applications.
The lawsuits mark the first time an American AI company has faced a formal supply-chain risk designation, setting a potential precedent for the tech industry’s relationship with the U.S. government.
In the experiment, mice were shown 10‑second video clips that included scenes of activities like horse riding and wrestling. While the mice watched, scientists used infrared lasers to record electrical signals from the animals’ visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes sight.
Using this data, they trained an artificial intelligence (AI) program to predict how neurons responded to what the mice saw. Then, the AI was used to generate images that matched the mice’s brain activity. The result was a series of grainy reconstructed video clips that give a glimpse of what the animals were seeing.
Although the recreated clips are still blurry compared with normal video, this research marks a major step toward understanding how brains interpret visual information. Scientists say that as technology improves, this technique might one day reveal even more detailed visual experiences and help answer questions about how animals think and dream.
However, lead researchers also warn that if similar techniques are used on humans in the future, it could raise privacy concerns especially if it becomes possible to reconstruct imagined thoughts, not just what someone sees.
Organised in partnership with the Kigali International Financial Centre, the National Bank of Rwanda, and the Global Finance & Technology Network, the Forum has become a leading global platform for advancing inclusive financial innovation in emerging markets.
This year’s theme, “Shaping the Future of Inclusive Finance: Innovation. Impact. Connection.”, will guide discussions on Africa’s digital currency corridors, AI-powered financial inclusion, open finance ecosystems, and climate-focused fintech solutions.
At a time when nearly 300 million adults across Africa remain unbanked, IFF 2026 represents a critical opportunity to showcase Rwanda’s leadership in digital finance and financial sector innovation.
Kigali’s growing prominence in the global financial landscape, now ranked third in Africa on the Global Financial Centres Index (2025), reflects the country’s commitment to progressive regulation and cross-border collaboration.
The Forum will feature high-level participation from central bank governors, global investors, fintech founders, and policymakers. Attendees can expect exclusive announcements, partnership signings, and initiatives aimed at mobilising capital for inclusive finance projects across the continent.
