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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of 56 Starlink internet satellites launches from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Internet ‘warriors’ provide Starlink access in South Africa

Icasa rules have prevented Elon Musk’s company from officially launching in the country, but thousands are still using the service illegally

Elon Musk. (File photo)

Tech billionaires who bit the dust – but still have a fortune

The fortunes of Silicon Valley billionaires took a beating in 2022 as the share prices of the world’s tech giants plummeted

The propulsion system was launched into space aboard a rocket from the firm SpaceX at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

South African space company Hypernova takes on the universe

Hypernova launched its ‘special’ technology aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket this week

WeWork debacle exposes why investing in a charismatic founder can be dangerous

Were investors like SoftBank and JPMorgan duped by the hype of a charismatic founder, as happened with Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos?

A letter signed by Elon Musk and hundreds of experts calling for a pause in the development of artificial intelligence is a “hot mess” of “AI hype” that even misrepresents an academic paper, critics say. (Reuters/Mike Blake)

Plutocrats in high orbit: Whether Musk or Bezos win the space race, we all lose

A new space race is being led by two notoriously greedy, egomaniacal billionaires. They’d do better to focus their attention and resources on Earth

In 2020, another mission will see NASA send a rover to Mars that aims to determine the habitability of the Martian environment, search for signs of ancient life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers.

NASA wants people on Mars within 25 years

With today’s rocket technology, it would take an astronaut up to nine months to reach Mars

(Graphic by John McCann)

Eish, robot: The road to mecha

Lately our worst AI dreams have entered a realm much closer to home

On the far side of the path that Mars traces around the sun, but before the orbit of the gas giant Jupiter, we find our next goose: the asteroid belt. (German Aerospace Centre)

Space beanstalk set to doom Earth

A cheap elevator into orbit could be a stairway to heaven — but it’s probably a highway to hell

Tesla has continued to express support for Elon Musk, saying the company and its directors “are fully confident in Elon, his integrity, and his leadership.” (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

Musk escapes the worst, but Tesla still faces a bumpy road

Tesla has promised to revolutionise the automobile, but the electric car maker keeps hitting roadblocks created by its founder

More than 600?000 children with disabilities in South Africa have never been to school (John McCann)

Elon Musk to resign as chair of Tesla board but remain CEO

​Elon Musk has reached a deal over fraud charges that will see him step down as Tesla’s chairman of the board and pay a $20-million fine

(John McCann/M&G)

Betting on Elon’s a risky business

The erratic capitalist may joke about taking a chill pill but investors are viewing his antics with alarm

More than 600?000 children with disabilities in South Africa have never been to school (John McCann)

Tesla shares tumble after Musk comments on personal toll

In late morning trade, Tesla shares skidded 7.8% to $309.36 following the release of the wide-ranging interview in The New York Times

The Russian Soyuz-V carrier rocket carrying the Photon-M biological satellite blasts off from Baikonur comodrome in Kazakhstan

SpaceX launches secretive Zuma mission

The launch was supposed to take place in November but was postponed so the California-based company could take a closer look at potential problems

Elon Musk (Getty Images)

‘Elon Musk’ might only be 95% accurate, but it’s enough to inspire

Machanick reviews the merits of journalist Ashlee Vance’s biography of Elon Musk.

Elon Musk remains the poster boy for innovative South Africans

Heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s off to Mars we go

Even if we develop the technology to build pressurised hamster balls, it needs to be recreated on Mars.

Elon Musk. (File photo)

Outlaws in space: Are Mars colonies illegal?

The only known planet inhabited exclusively by robots, Mars may become the only other planet in our solar system colonised by humans.

Dragon is the first privately owned spacecraft to reach the International Space Station.

SpaceX Dragon completes test flight with splashdown

The unmanned Dragon has splashed down near California, completing a pioneering mission for commercial firms seeking a major role in space travel.

Dragon is the first privately owned spacecraft to reach the International Space Station.

SpaceX Dragon heading back to Earth

Space Exploration Technologies’ Dragon spaceship has begun its journey back to Earth nearly a week after docking at the International Space Station.

In this frame grab from a NASA video, the SpaceX Dragon capsule is seen docked to the International Space Station. NASA, AFP

The Dragon has landed – capsule docks at space station

The world’s first commercially owned unmanned cargo capsule has successfully docked at the International Space Station.

The Dragon has landed – capsule docks at space station

The Dragon has landed – capsule docks at space station

The world’s first commercially owned unmanned cargo capsule has successfully docked at the International Space Station.