Jan 24, 2018 - Science

Rocket Lab launches artificial "star" into space

U.S. aerospace manufacturer Rocket Lab launched four satellites into orbit on Monday, among them a geodesic sphere that the company claims will be the "brightest object in the night sky," according to Quartz.

Why it matters: The "Humanity Star," as its known, is made up of 65 reflective panels that will create a flashing effect in the sky as the object orbits Earth every 90 minutes. Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck views the project as more than just a publicity stunt, claiming in a statement that it symbolizes the need to "make big decisions in the context of humanity as a whole."

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Felix Salmon, author of Capital
7 mins ago - Economy & Business

How equity became more attractive than debt

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

The prime example of something highly improbable that became conventional wisdom: The idea that both interest rates and inflation will remain near zero for well over a decade.

Why it matters: As Axios' Dan Primack writes, private equity firms (the polite rebranding of "leveraged buyouts") have historically bought companies and loaded them up with debt.

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Felix Salmon, author of Capital
10 mins ago - World

When society faces the unprecedented

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Our febrile world is not normal.

The big picture: The precautions that we're taking against the spread of COVD-19; the way in which the president of the U.S. delights in violating political norms; the fires, hurricanes and other signs that catastrophic global warming has arrived; the virulent spread of the QAnon conspiracy theory — all of these things, and many more, represent a stunning break with the world as we knew it.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 34,026,003 — Total deaths: 1,015,107 — Total recoveries: 23,680,268 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 7,237,043 — Total deaths: 207,008 — Total recoveries: 2,840,688 — Total tests: 103,939,667 — Map.
  3. Health: New poll shows alarming coronavirus vaccine skepticism — New research centers will study "long-haul" COVID — Coronavirus infections rise in 25 states.
  4. Business: Remdesivir is good business for Gilead.
  5. Transportation: The politics of pandemic driving.
  6. 🎧Podcast: The looming second wave of airline layoffs.
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