Just weeks after floods that killed 200, Japan is facing another threatening natural phenomenon: a heat wave reaching record temperatures nationwide, already reportedly killing at least 70 people.
The big picture: Because of the lack of an El Niño event in the Pacific (which boosts temperatures), 2018 wasn't expected to be a record-shattering hot year, but it's shaping up to be a top five warmest year on record globally. The 106 °F reading, which topped the previous all-time high of 105.8°F in 2013, occurred in Kumagaya, a town 40 miles north of Tokyo.
SpaceX will launch its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket on Sunday, which is the only model the company will be using for rocket launches moving forward, reports Loren Grush of The Verge.
The big picture: "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claims that the Block 5s won’t need any major refurbishment for the first 10 flights or so, and could potentially fly up to 100 times before being retired," Grush writes. The company plans on being able to turn around Block 5 rockets in just 24 hours after a flight.
