THE BRIEF

DEV.

SpaceX Starship Orbital Test Mission

SpaceX's Starship completed its first orbital flight before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

THE BRIEF

DEVELOPING TIMELINE

First Report Sep 29: SpaceX's Starship rocket achieves orbit for the first time in Monday test flight

Sep 30: 14th Starship flight reached orbit, splashed down

WHAT'S REPORTED

▸The mission was the 14th flight of Starship. — NPR Science, BBC Science
▸The spacecraft ended with a fiery splashdown. — NPR Science, BBC Science
▸The mission was supposed to last 10 hours but ended after 90 minutes. — BBC Science
▸Starship is key to NASA's plans to land humans on the moon. — NPR Science

Keep reading

Representatives Frost and Lee introduced the SLOTHS Act to ban wild sloth imports to the United States.

WHAT'S REPORTED

▸The bill is known as the SLOTHS Act, standing for Stopping Legalized Organized Trafficking and Harm. — Inside Climate News

The Trump administration promised new methane regulations for the oil and gas sector after a decade of efforts.

WHAT'S REPORTED

▸Methane emissions in the Permian Basin originate from oil wells, pressure valves on pipelines, gas processing plants, and routine system maintenance. — Inside Climate News

Texas regulators processed data center permits despite Governor Abbott's ordered pause on such projects.

WHAT'S REPORTED

▸FracTracker analysis of public records released Monday revealed the permitting continued after Abbott's pause order. — Inside Climate News

A study found deep-sea species populations including octopus, krill, squid and shrimp declined after the 2011 Deepwater Horizon spill.

WHAT'S REPORTED

▸The research was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. — Inside Climate News