The Download: making drugs in orbit and NASA’s nuclear-powered spacecraft
The Download: making drugs in orbit and NASA’s nuclear-powered spacecraft Plus: Sam Altman claims Elon Musk tried to seize control of OpenAI. This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. A plan to make drugs in orbit is going commercial A startup called Varda Space Industries is betting that the future of pharmaceuticals lies in orbit. The company has signed a deal with United Therapeutics to test whether drugs crystallize differently in microgravity, potentially creating improved versions with new properties. The idea sounds futuristic, but falling launch costs and reusable rockets are making space-based manufacturing seem increasingly plausible. Varda says the partnership could mark an important step toward building products in orbit for use back on Earth. Discover how space could become the next frontier for drug development. —Antonio Regalado MIT Technology Review Narrated: NASA is building the first nuclear reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft. How will it work? Just before Artemis II began its historic slingshot around the moon, NASA revealed an even grander space travel plan. By the end of 2028, the agency aims to fly a nuclear reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft to Mars. A successful mission would herald a new era in spaceflight—and might just give the US the edge in the race against China. But the project remains shrouded in mystery. MIT Technology Review picked the brains of nuclear power and propulsion experts to find out how the nuclear-powered spacecraft might work. —Robin George Andrews This is our latest story to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Sam Altman claims Elon Musk tried to seize control of OpenAI Altman said Musk initially wanted 90% of the equity. (AFP) + And that control should go to his children when he dies. (BBC) + Altman also accused Musk of twice trying to end its non-profit status. (NPR) + Musk’s motivations for the suit are under scrutiny. (MIT Technology Review) 2 Google and SpaceX are in talks to launch data centers into orbit SpaceX could join Suncatcher, Google’s orbital data center project. (WSJ $) + The project’s first launch is slated for early 2027. (Guardian) + Anthropic and SpaceX have also discussed orbital data centers. (Wired $) + But there are a few hurdles to overcome. (MIT Technology Review) 3 Jensen Huang has joined Donald Trump’s high-stakes mission to China Nvidia is lobbying to sell its AI chips in the country. (Bloomberg $) + Elon Musk and Tim Cook are also on the trip. (CNBC) + But a tech rivalry and distrust have sapped hopes for big deals. (Reuters $) 4 ICE agents have a list of 20 million people on their iPhones, thanks to…
