The Download: making drugs in orbit and NASA’s nuclear-powered spacecraft

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. A startup called Varda Space Industries is betting that the future of pharmaceuticals lies in orbit. The company has signed a deal with United Therapeutics to test whether drugs crystallize differently in microgravity, potentially creating improved versions with new properties. The idea sounds futuristic, but falling launch costs and reusable rockets are making space-based manufacturing seem increasingly plausible. Varda says the partnership could mark an important step toward building products in orbit for use back on Earth. Discover how space could become the next frontier for drug development. Just before Artemis II began its historic slingshot around the moon, NASA revealed an even grander space travel plan. By the end of 2028, the agency aims to fly a nuclear reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft to Mars.A successful mission would herald a new era in spaceflight—and might just give the US the edge in the race against China. But the project remains shrouded in mystery.MIT Technology Review picked the brains of nuclear power and propulsion experts to find out how the nuclear-powered spacecraft might work. I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Sam Altman claims Elon Musk tried to seize control of OpenAIAltman said Musk initially wanted 90% of the equity. (AFP)+ And that control should go to his children when he dies. (BBC)+ Altman also accused Musk of twice trying to end its non-profit status. (NPR)+ Musk’s motivations for the suit are under scrutiny. (MIT Technology Review) 2 Google and SpaceX are in talks to launch data centers into orbitSpaceX could join Suncatcher, Google’s orbital data center project. (WSJ $)+ The project’s first launch is slated for early 2027. (Guardian)+ Anthropic and SpaceX have also discussed orbital data centers. (Wired $)+ But there are a few hurdles to overcome. (MIT Technology Review) 3 Jensen Huang has joined Donald Trump’s high-stakes mission to ChinaNvidia is lobbying to sell its AI chips in the country. (Bloomberg $)+ Elon Musk and Tim Cook are also on the trip. (CNBC)+ But a tech rivalry and distrust have sapped hopes for big deals. (Reuters $) 4 ICE agents have a list of 20 million people on their iPhones, thanks to PalantirAn ICE official said Palantir is speeding up raids and arrests. (404 Media)+ ICE has also used facial recognition and Paragon spyware. (TechCrunch) 5 Defense tech firm Anduril just doubled its valuation to over $60 billionIn a $5 billion funding round led by Thrive Capital and a16z. (FT $)Anduril, which makes AI-backed weapons, may go public next year. (NYT $) 6 Meta employees are protesting computer-tracking at workFlyers posted at offices are urging staff to oppose the program. (Reuters $)+ Meta plans to track workers' clicks and keystrokes to train AI. (CNBC) 7 OpenAI is facing another wrongful death lawsuit over ChatGPT medical adviceThe chatbot’s tips allegedly led to a teenager’s overdose. (Ars Technica)8 The Canvas learning platform has paid hackers to delete stolen student dataIt caved to ransomware demands after the biggest-ever edtech breach. (BBC) 9 Scientific researchers are thinking twice about using AIDue to price hikes, usage limitations, and unreliable outputs. (Nature) 10 The latest AI compute solution? Putting data centers in your homeHardware hosts get subsidized electricity and internet. (Ars Technica) —Sam Altman claims that Elon Musk tried to destroy rather than protect OpenAI’s non-profit operations, the Guardian reports. Chatbot fails are now a familiar meme. Meta’s short-lived scientific chatbot generated wiki articles about the history of bears in space. Lawyers have submitted court documents filled with legal citations fabricated by ChatGPT. Air Canada was ordered to honor a refund policy invented by its customer service chatbot. This tendency to make things up—known as hallucination—is one of the biggest obstacles holding chatbots back from more widespread adoption. Here’s why they do it—and why we still can’t fix it. This story is part of MIT Technology Review Explains, our series untangling the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more from the series here. A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)+ A historian has unearthed the etymology of every single dinosaur name.+ Humus on the moon is getting closer to reality after scientists grew chickpeas in lunar soil.+ Witness the patience of a master paper artist in this gallery of intricate, handmade sculptures.+ Want to tell the time alphabetically? Me neither, but this cursed clock is an intriguing reason to try. Plus: China has blocked Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus. Plus: An unauthorized group has reportedly accessed Anthropic’s Mythos. Plus: DeepSeek has unveiled its long-awaited new AI model. Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more. We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. 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