Elon tried to buy rocket from Putin? Musk's dad drops 2nd bombshell on Trump
Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, recounted how Elon was rejected when he tried to buy a rocket in Russia, with Russian officials dismissing his request as a joke. This incident, which occurred before Musk founded SpaceX, ultimately motivated him to start building rockets himself, leading to the creation of SpaceX's own launch vehicles
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
House passes $9.4B federal budget cuts targeting PBS, NPR, and foreign aid
(Bloomberg) -- The US House approved $9.4 billion in Elon Musk's DOGE federal spending cuts, with Republican moderates swallowing their concerns about cutting previously approved spending for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The White House's spending cancellation package passed the House on a 214 to 212 vote. It faces a more uncertain future in the Senate where moderates have voiced opposition to some of the cuts and could strip them out of the package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate may amend the package before it votes on it in July. The bill would codify DOGE's unilateral cuts to the US Agency for International Development and the US Institute of Peace. USAID cuts have been criticized for endangering lives in developing countries that rely on help from the US. The measure also approves cuts of more than $1 billion for the entity that funds the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio. The cuts were designed by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency but opponents say only Congress can take away funding that it approved. The White House promised to send many more cut requests if this bill passed. 'It's very important for it to pass and if it does, it will be worth the effort and we'll send up additional packages,' White House Budget Director Russ Vought told House members last week. Skeptics of the House tax bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years, have cited making DOGE cuts permanent as key to their support. 'In DOGE we trust,' said Representative Tom McClintock of California. Cuts to rural PBS stations as well as to a successful foreign aid program to combat AIDS started by former President George W. Bush gave some Republican moderates pause but they dropped their opposition under pressure from GOP leaders. 'They're not touching the medical side of it, the medicine side, so I feel better than what I was hearing last week, that it was going to be a total cut,' Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said of the anti-AIDS program known as PEPFAR. In the Senate, moderates Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine have said they would seek to strip out the anti-AIDS funding cuts. The bill would eliminate advanced funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR, entities which have long been targeted by conservatives for alleged liberal bias. President Donald Trump has derided the outlets as a drain on taxpayer money that he says provide unfavorable coverage to him. The public media outlets receive a small portion of their funding from federal sources in addition to dollars from sponsors and individual donors. The networks have said that smaller stations could close as a result of the cut. The proposal was submitted by the Trump administration under a fast-track procedure that cannot be filibustered by minority Democrats in the Senate. If the Senate doesn't act within 45 days, the funds would be distributed. Critics of Musk's DOGE effort say that its unilateral cuts and mass firings are illegal under the 1974 Impoundments Control Act and the only way to legally rescind funding is to go through Congress. Vought has said that without Congress's approval, the administration has the right to simply refuse to spend the money, an assertion that would certainly be challenged in court. --With assistance from Gregory Korte. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Axiom-4 launch: Space station leak concerns can further delay lift-off of mission carrying Indian Gaganyatri
The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, which is expected to carry four astronauts to the International Space Station, has already faced postponement four times. Now, a new concern has emerged for India's Shubhanshu Shukla, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Poland's Sławosz Uznański and Hungary's Tibor Kapu. Shukla will be only the second Indian astronaut in space, after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission. The launch of Axiom-4 has been postponed indefinitely owing to concerns of a leak reported from the International Space Station. Owing to the issue, NASA said Thursday that it would monitor the cabin pressure on the Russian side of the ISS before the mission is launched. However, NASA assured that the seven astronauts already in the ISS were safe, adding that operations on the space station can not be affected following the leak. The cabin pressure leak on the Zvezda service module is being handled by the country's space agency. However, recent repairs to resolve the issue led to 'a new pressure signature', according to NASA. However, no other details on the issue have been provided yet. However, the delay of Axiom-4 opens up time for NASA and the Russian Space Agency to carry out evaluations and see whether there is a need for more repairs. The three Russian astronauts who are currently on the space station had already inspected the walls of the service module, sealing a few areas and finding out the current leak rate. The mission was postponed for the fourth time on Wednesday evening. It will carry a four-member crew on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. This includes Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, who is the mission pilot, Peggy Whitson, the mission commander, and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański and Tibor Kapu. The launch was initially scheduled for May 29. Speaking on the delay, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman V Narayanan said that a leakage had been detected in the propulsion bay.
NDTV
6 hours ago
- NDTV
Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom Mission Postponed Due To Glitch At Space Station
New Delhi: A glitch on the International Space Station, where astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission would spend 14 days, has postponed the lift-off to space. Earlier, four postponements on the Axiom 4 mission were reported due to weather and technical problems on the Falcon 9 rocket. The glitch at the International Space Station, where NASA says "A pressure signature" on the Russian module has been noticed, is the next cause of the delay. What NASA Said "NASA and Axiom Space are postponing the launch of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station. As part of an ongoing investigation, NASA is working with Roscosmos to understand a new pressure signature, after the recent post-repair effort in the aft most segment of the International Space Station's Zvezda service module," NASA said in a statement. "Cosmonauts aboard the space station recently performed inspections of the pressurized module's interior surfaces, sealed some additional areas of interest, and measured the current leak rate. Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure. The postponement of Axiom Mission 4 provides additional time for NASA and Roscosmos to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary. NASA defers to Roscosmos to answer specific questions about the Zvezda module," they said. "A new launch date for the fourth private astronaut mission will be provided once available." "Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary." "The crew will lift off aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida," NASA said. Yesterday, the mission was deferred for the fourth time, due to a technical glitch in its Falcon 9 rocket that is being used for the launch. Fuel Leak Issue And ISRO It is unclear whether SpaceX resolved the fuel leak issue on the rocket or is still working to repair it. A leak of liquid oxygen (LoX) was detected, and SpaceX was working to fix it. ISRO had objected to the 'band-aid' like solution being offered by SpaceX. Indian space agency played a big role in making sure the launch is postponed till the oxygen leak is fixed on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to ISRO's full satisfaction. ISRO chairman Dr V Narayanan told NDTV, "He was happy with the decision to postpone flight on June 11, 2025, as human crew were involved and safety was paramount." The ISS has a contingent of seven global crew members onboard, with a Japanese astronaut as the commander of the station. The ISS is a football field-sized orbiting laboratory inhabited by humans continuously for the last 25 years. Axiom-4 Mission The Axiom-4 mission is a commercial space flight being spearheaded by a Houston-based private company, Axiom Space. India has purchased a seat on the Axiom-4 mission at the cost Rs 550 crores and so, India has a full stake in ensuring the safety of its own astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the other crew members from US, Hungary, and Poland he is piloting on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). There are many opportunities till June 30 this year, when the Axiom-4 mission can still lift off, and further, there could be opportunities in the middle of July. Subsequently, the traffic to the International Space Station would be high.
