NASA confirmed Thursday that SpaceX will launch the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, targeting late 2028. The announcement closes a protracted chapter for a mission that has been delayed, restructured, and nearly cancelled over the course of roughly two decades. The rover traces its origins to ESA's Aurora program, conceived in the early 2000s following NASA's first Mars rover landing in 1997. The original plan called for a 2009 launch aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. That timeline collapsed, and the mission was repeatedly rescheduled. Russia's invasion of Ukraine ultimately severed the launch arrangement entirely, forcing ESA to find a new ride and a new partner. NASA's role in selecting SpaceX reflects the agency's position as mission co-facilitator following the collapse of the Russian partnership. The Falcon Heavy, SpaceX's most capable operational rocket, provides the lift margin needed for an interplanetary payload of Rosalind Franklin's class. The rover is designed to search for signs of past or present extraterrestrial life, giving it scientific priority beyond most planetary missions. Watch for ESA and NASA to confirm a formal launch window and mission architecture as 2028 approaches.
Apple has raised MacBook and iPad prices in India by 20% to 42%, citing a sharp surge in memory chip costs driven by AI data centre demand. Micron, the leading memory supplier, reported 86% gross margins, confirming that supply pressures have fundamentally shifted component pricing across the consumer electronics
India's central government will take a 1-2% stake in AI unicorn Sarvam once its $300 million funding round closes, converting compute subsidies provided under the IndiaAI Mission into equity. The move sets a precedent for how the government accounts for public support given to homegrown AI startups.
Apple announced iOS 27 at WWDC 2026, featuring a redesigned Siri as a standalone app with chat history, apps launching up to 30 percent faster, and a refined Liquid Glass interface. A developer preview is live now, with public release expected around September 2026.
Apple's WWDC 2026 keynote unveiled a fully redesigned Siri and confirmed iOS 27 alongside updates for iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS, and macOS. The Siri overhaul is the most strategically significant move, targeting a competitive gap with Google and Microsoft in AI assistants.
