🚀 Starship accused of mercury contamination in Texas waters, US Navy's nuclear-powered fast attack submarine launched, world’s ‘most powerful’ wind turbine to soon power 30,000 homes

Elon Musk’s SpaceX seems to have landed in trouble again. This time, it is being accused of polluting Texas’ local water sources with mercury.

SpaceX Starship launches at the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, have been blamed for causing water pollution. This allegation comes from an exclusive report by CNBC on August 12.

On August 13, SpaceX issued a long statement on X, stating: “CNBC’s story on Starship’s launch operations in South Texas is factually inaccurate.” For more on this development, check out today’s Must-Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Quality Engineer
> MIT Field Engineer

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MUST-READ

🚀 Starship accused of mercury contamination in Texas waters, SpaceX denies

Musk commented on SpaceX’s post: “CNBC sucks.”

If SpaceX is found guilty of violating the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water Act, it may face limits on future launches. The CNBC report cites undisclosed documents shared between Texas regulators and the EPA to support its claims.

The Starbase launch facility has been repeatedly accused of violating environmental regulations. Residents and environmental groups allege damage to wildlife habitats, water contamination, and excessive noise pollution.

🛳️ USS Idaho: Futuristic nuclear-powered fast attack Navy submarine launched

The future USS Idaho (SSN 799) has been successfully launched into the Thames River from the shipyard of General Dynamics Electric Boat, one of the U.S. Navy’s latest attack submarines.

The launch, also known as “float off,” marks a construction milestone in the life of a ship when it moves from the shipbuilder’s facilities and into the water for the first time to begin final outfitting, testing, and crew certification.

“Today’s launch is a testament to the strong collaboration the Navy has with its shipbuilding partners,” said Capt Mike Hollenbach, Virginia Class Submarine program manager.

⚡️ Dual-headed demon: World’s ‘most powerful’ wind turbine sails to power 30,000 homes 

A Chinese firm has initiated the journey to install the world’s largest single-capacity floating wind turbine platform.

The new design by MingYang Smart Energy, called Ocean X, has been launched from the port city of Guangzhou in southern China to its final destination the Qingzhou IV Offshore Wind Farm in Yangjiang, Guangdong.

According to the firm, the journey spanning 191 nautical miles is expected to be completed in 72 hours.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> Fossil evidence has led to the identification of a new prehistoric mammal with similarities to modern walruses. (More)

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> The Dutch Black Hole Consortium has launched an eight-language version of the BlackHoleFinder app that citizens all over the world can use to help identify newly formed black holes. (More)

ENERGY

> An 8.6 MWh battery pack installed at the Johan Crujiff Arena, the home stadium for the Ajax football club in the Netherlands, was instrumental in powering an entire soccer match with sustainable energy last week. (More)

> Two United States companies have entered into a strategic collaboration to develop a small nuclear battery – named Nickel 63 – to narrow the gap with China. (More)

> Researchers from Chinese and US universities have concluded that solar-covered highways could meet more than 60% of the world’s annual energy needs. (More)

INNOVATION

> A groundbreaking study from Rice University engineers presents a potential game-changer in the quest for sustainable ammonia production and water purification. (More)

> Scientists at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have developed a new lightweight metamaterial that mimics the functionality of push puppets. This material could benefit soft robotics, reconfigurable structures, and space engineering. (More)

> A research team has developed full-color fiber light-emitting diodes utilizing perovskite quantum wires (PeQWs), paving the way for innovative wearable lighting and display devices. (More)

VIDEO

> Residents in Erin Prairie, Wisconsin witnessed the Northern Lights dancing above their town at the same time as the Perseid meteor shower. This timelapse video shows the geomagnetic storm in its full splendor. (More)

> Three-time Paralympian Brian Seaman has been using wearable technology to improve his wheelchair racing ahead of the Paris Games. The high-tech sleeve, made by a startup called Nextiles, uses biometric threads to collect data from the elbow and shares this to a smartphone app. (More)

IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

In yesterday’s quiz, we asked, What is the unknown value?

The answer is: 0.25

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