Even as it braces for another potentially devastating storm, Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory whose economic data isn't fully measured by the Commerce Department.
Why it matters: It remains impossible to quantify how much the island's economic growth was stunted by Hurricane Maria's epic destruction 2 years ago — and it won't be easy to gauge any comparable impact from Hurricane Dorian.
President Trump tweeted on Tuesday night — for the thirdtime — that Jonathan Swan's reporting on him asking if officials could explore using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from hitting the U.S. was ridiculous.
Why it matters: We stand solidly behind our reporting. Before publishing, we gave the White House full visibility on the key details of our story, and more than nine hours to deny or push back against our reporting.
President Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico to enable federal assistance, with Tropical Storm Dorian fast approaching and the U.S. territory on hurricane watch — as forecasters warn it could take a direct hit Wednesday.
Why it matters: Puerto Rico is struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. It declared bankruptcy in 2017 amid "the biggest government financial collapse in United States history." Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced has already signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency on the island, per Bloomberg's Michael Deibert.
SpaceX's Starhopper just made its highest leap yet, flying 150 meters into the air above the company's test facility in South Texas before coming in for a smooth landing.
Why it matters: Founder ElonMusk hopes that one day SpaceX will help bring about a future where people are living in a city on Mars, and Starhopper — a prototype of the company's Starship vehicle — is one of the first small steps toward that goal.
The robots responsible for exploring Mars from the surface and orbit are about to go on holiday.
The big picture: Every 2 years, Mars and Earth reach a point in their orbits known as solar conjunction, when the 2 planets are on opposite sides of the Sun, making communications more difficult.
Satellite internet startup Astranis is planning to launch its first commercial satellite to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2020, the company announced Monday.
How it works: The satellite is designed to improve broadband internet service in Alaska starting in March 2021.
Remaking Earth on another planet is likely not possible, and experts say the current talk about it perpetuates a problematic idea that we could one day leave Earth's problems behind.
Driving the news: SpaceX founder Elon Musk yet again waded into the world of terraforming — transforming a planet to make it like our Earth. He declared on Twitter that a series of nuclear explosions above Mars could create "artificial suns" to warm the world and make it habitable.
