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A pioneering European Space Agency satellite called Salsa, has made a fiery descent into the Earth’s atmosphere after spending over two decades studying space weather.
It’s the first-ever successful ‘targeted’ re-entry’, proving that such manoeuvers can help prevent space probes from contributing to junk in orbit around Earth.
The satellites launched in 2000 and were initially planned only for a two-year mission, but the “impressive and world-changing science” they helped conduct made ESA keep the cluster going.
Using data obtained from Salsa, scientists hope to be able to predict even better the time and location of satellite reentries in the future.
Dr Oleg Ishkov, Director at Rockit Technology, a clean technology company based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, reveals their plans to help seal 100,000 methane-leaking wells in the next decade.
Rockit, aims to use a chemical injection method to transform the methane emitting rocks into a solid, permanent seal of insoluble minerals.
The team predicts the technique will lock in toxic greenhouse gases deep underground for thousands of years.
A new global report suggests Elon Musk is on track to become the first trillionaire by 2027.
Reportedly, the 53-year-old is currently the richest person in the world with a net worth of $251billion.
However, according to the 2024 Trillion Dollar Club report by Informa Connect Academy, his wealth has been growing at an average rate of 110% a year.
And the rest
Apple is set to unveil new iPhone 16 with AI tools including picture generation, but will all of its features be available in Europe?
Google's lucrative ad tech business goes on trial, and a Canadian man makes a surprising discovery using Google Maps to plan a camping trip.
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Here’s a fully automated transcript of this episode:
Hi, I'm Rochelle Travers, and this is The Standard's Tech and Science Daily podcast.
Coming up, could Elon Musk soon become the world's first trillionaire?
Now let's get into it.
If you're new here, make sure to hit follow.
A pioneering European Space Agency satellite called Salsa has made a fiery descent into the Earth's atmosphere after spending over two decades studying space weather.
It's the first ever successful targeted re-entry, proving that such manoeuvres can help prevent space probes from contributing to junk in orbit around Earth.
The satellites launched in 2000 and were initially planned only for a two-year mission, but the impressive and world-changing science they helped conduct made ESA keep the cluster going.
Here's a clip from ESA explaining more.
But why does clusters re-entry matter so much?
For us, it's a chance to study re-entries under controlled conditions, something that has rarely been done before.
Clusters re-entry is also special because it consists of four identical satellites.
Therefore, we have four opportunities to collect valuable data by safely re-entering the same satellite under slightly different circumstances.
Using data obtained from SALSA, scientists hope to be able to predict even better the time and location of satellite re-entries in the future.
Now, researchers have revealed plans to help seal 100,000 methane-leaking wells in the next decade, with the hope that it could prevent millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas.
It has almost 80 times more warming potential than carbon dioxide over the short 20 years period.
But not only this, methane converts in the atmosphere into CO2 and water vapor as well.
Both of them are also greenhouse gasses.
That's Dr. Oleg Ishkov, Director of Rockit Technology, a clean technology company based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
There is like millions of wells drilled on the planet, and more will be drilled.
So, the problem is that there are thousands and tens of thousands of those wells, they leak various harmful substances into the air and sea.
This is because the major challenge is to ensure that wells are sealed, never leak, and well integrity already costs industry billions of dollars.
Rockit aims to use a chemical injection method to transform the methane-emitting rocks into a solid permanent seal of insoluble minerals.
So out of wells penetrating the earth, many of them due to issues with the well integrity, there is a methane gas, it just kind of escapes through the cracked cement and the plugs.
So, what we offer, we offer a chemical technology that can address this challenge.
It's calculated that cutting methane emissions by 45% by 2030 could help meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
We pump a solution that looks like basically it's like water, but we call it a rock glue, and it has an ability to seal the smallest, tiniest cracks and the porous around the wellbore, and basically by sealing this, will stop those fugitive emissions of methane into the atmosphere.
The team predicts the techniques will lock in toxic greenhouse gases deep underground for thousands of years.
As it stands, the current solution that uses cement to isolate wells, they are insufficient, and this results in the millions of tons of CO2 equivalent as fugitive emissions.
And methane is the gas, which is the kind of low-hanging fruit, so we can remediate those leaks, and remediating those leaks is not an option, it's obligation.
The project is still in its early stages, but they hope if the trials are successful, then we could see the chemical technology rolled out in a few years' time.
A new global report suggests Elon Musk is on track to become the first trillionaire by 2027.
Reportedly, the 53-year-old is currently the richest person in the world with a net worth of $251 billion.
However, according to the 2024 Trillion Dollar Club Report by Informa Connect Academy, his wealth has been growing at an average rate of 110% a year.
It means that as long as his wealth continues to grow at the same rate, then he could reach trillionaire status within the next three years.
All right for some, I guess.
Coming up, the Canadian camper who got more than he bargained for using Google Maps.
To stay up to date with all the latest tech and science news, just hit follow during the break.
Welcome back.
The new iPhone 16 is expected to be unveiled later today, Monday the 9th of September, with its new Apple Intelligence tools that include image generation and transcription.
But it currently remains unclear how much of the new technology will be available in Europe.
There's been an ongoing regulatory standoff between Apple and the EU's new competition rules under the Digital Markets Act, which require rival products and services to more seamlessly function with Apple products.
Apple has previously confirmed a delay of some new AI-powered features because of concerns around interoperability requirements.
The features were first previewed during Apple's developer conference in June, and are expected to begin rolling out for the first time gradually as part of the iPhone 16 launch.
The US government is taking Google to call over its ad tech business, which last year brought in over $200 billion.
A trial beginning today will hear the Department of Justice's case that the search engine's parent company, Alphabet, illegally operates a monopoly in the market.
Google has denied this claim, and in a previous statement said, No one is forced to use our advertising technologies.
They choose to use them because they're effective.
It's the second major antitrust case the tech giant has faced in the US.
Back in August, a judge ruled its dominance of search was illegal, but the penalties Google and Alphabet will face as a result of that decision are so far unclear.
And finally, a Canadian got more than he bargained for whilst using Google Maps to plan a camping trip.
He came across what could be a massive crater from an ancient meteor.
The man found the suspicious pit whilst researching Quebec's Côte Nord region, and the mysterious hole measured around 15 kilometres in diameter.
He then got in touch with geophysicist Pierre Rochette, who suggested that the site could be a potential meteorite impact crater.
Rochette is now part of a team of scientists who are investigating the site, having already received samples from the area.
You're up to date.
Come back at 4pm for The Standard podcast for all the latest news and analysis.
Tech and Science Daily will be back tomorrow at 1pm.
See you then.
