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Eventually, NASA wants to send humans to Mars. But before the space agency can send astronauts on the 140 million-mile trek to the red planet, they must conduct some serious testing.

AI is still in its infancy, but workers shouldn't wait to get familiar with the technology.

A joint effort that included the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.K. National Crime Agency's (NCA) Cyber Division, the FBI, and other international law enforcement partners announced today that they have disrupted one of the most active ransomware groups in the world, LockBit. The task force seized several websites used by the outfit to connect to the organization's infrastructure. Auth...

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I interview young people about their journeys in the manufacturing industry. For this episode, I welcome Bryce Walters, a 26-year-old manufacturing robotics engineer for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire control.

Eight months is a long time to be stuck in orbit but Varda Space Industries’ flying pharmaceutical factory has finally been given clearance to come home. In September 2023, the U.S. Air Force denied Varda’s request for permission to land a capsule at a Utah training facility. According to TechCrunch , the Air Force said it couldn’t grant the request due to the “overall safety, risk and impact anal...

A 32-year-old Canadian national pleaded guilty yesterday for her role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to ship components for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), guided missile systems and other weapons to sanctioned entities in Russia. Shipping the parts is a violation of export control and sanctions laws, and the components were actually found in Russian weapons platforms and intelligence equipment...

You know, sometimes these things just don't work out. The Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program was meant to create the U.S. Army's new weaponized scout helicopter. The Army had even held a design competition to find the replacement for the Vietnam-era OH-58 chopper once it was retired. In the interim, Apache attack helicopters and Shadow drones were filling in. 

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Intel plans to delay the opening of a chip plant that’s been described as “the first of its kind.” Originally set to be online by late 2025, the $20 billion Ohio project was set to bring 3,000 jobs to the region but now won’t hit its target for several reasons. The Wall Street Journal says the factory is being postponed because of “market challenges” – a n...

Ford’s best-selling electric vehicle so far is the full-size F-150 Lightning. But the company just revealed secret plans for developing smaller, less expensive EVs. During the automaker’s fourth-quarter earnings call this week, CEO Jim Farley said his company “made a bet in silence two years ago.” “We developed a super-talented skunkworks team to create a low-cost EV platform. It was a small group...

It has been over a month since one of Boeing's 737 Max 9 aircraft, operated by Alaska Airlines, suffered a structural blowout mid-flight. Between aircraft groundings, inspections and increased FAA scrutiny, Boeing is still trying to recover from the incident. Now, the aircraft manufacturer is facing another challenge from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)...

Boeing’s reputation has taken a beating over the past few months as design and manufacturing issues have increasingly caused serious problems for the company’s jet liners. Now the head of a major international airline has warned that Boeing doesn’t have much runway left. Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, told the Financial Times that Boeing is in the “last chance saloon.” His comments...

While it appeared as though EV battery technology was anointed the clear successor to industrial combustion engines, we have seen a resurgence of hydrogen fuel projects, particularly in the automotive industry. The chief concern over EV batteries is infrastructure and the necessary improvements needed to make the transition work—and yet the tech seems lightyears ahead of hydrogen. 

With the end of 2023 came the demise of Hyperloop One and, for some, the end of the futuristic tech's potential to disrupt commercial high-speed travel. However, many players remain in the game, including Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT).

Kubota North America is facing a $2 million civil penalty after misrepresenting the origins of some of its replacement parts for tractors and other agricultural equipment, per a Department of Justice court order . The civil penalty follows a complaint by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which alleged that, since at least 2021, Kubota falsely labeled thousands of wholly imported replacement part...

A California firm will soon begin staffing BMW factories with talent, but the kind that comes encased in metal and operates with a computer chip.  The difference between traditional automation and what tech company Figure provides is that its robotics embody a 5 foot 6 inch, 130-pound humanoid form, fully powered by electricity.

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I interview young people about their journeys in the manufacturing industry. For this episode, I welcome Ava Raugust, a 17-year-old bilingual agriscientist and engineer. Raugust is currently a high school senior in California, where she is the president and co-founder of her high school’s robotics team. Raugust’s experience and...

Elon Musk’s brain implant company is facing scrutiny from, of all federal agencies, the Department of Transportation. Reuters revealed in an exclusive report that Neuralink – a medtech firm that hopes to one day offer implantable devices that help humans dealing with paralysis or other debilitating conditions – will be fined by the U.S. DOT after recent inspections raised some concerns.

When a franchise like the Detroit Lions, that’s been an NFL punching bag for decades, finally finds itself back on the brink of a Super Bowl, fans are going to watch the game no matter what. But General Motors is cool with it. The automaker is delaying a shift at one of its factories in Michigan so employees can watch the Lions play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. According to the...

The Department of Justice announced that a regulatory affairs specialist for a medical device manufacturer was sentenced to prison for his role in distributing devices that lacked FDA clearance. The actions led to the illegal sale of two medical devices in the U.S., amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.  The sentence follows last year’s guilty plea by the individual, Peter Stoll III, to one f...

The Apple Car has been a mirage on the automotive industry horizon for about 10 years. Rumors have swirled ever since the consumer electronic giant's Project Titan leaked, leading aspiring designers and creative types around the world to speculate as to just what Apple had cooking under the hood. My personal favorite thus far came from Vanarama, a car leasing operation in the U.K. that used e...

Sierra Space is building a modular space station and the full-scale version of it just passed a significant testing milestone. But it didn’t blow up in the process so the company, just like anyone else who likes explosions, went back and retested to make sure the habitat blew up real good this time. The LIFE Habitat, which stands for Large Integrated Flexible Environment, is constructed from woven...

While battery-powered cars are seen as good for the environment, they still face issues over range anxiety and the emissions-heavy process inherent in mining lithium. So, the Electric Vehicle Team at MIT turned to hydrogen-powered vehicles as a cleaner alternative, one in which vehicles could be refilled like gas-powered cars. The Electric Vehicle Team is building a hydrogen-powered electric motor...

The shine on the new UAW contracts with the Detroit 3 has barely worn off before conflict arises once more. Fresh off the hugs and handshakes, the Detroit Free Press is calling attention to some harsh words issued this week from UAW president Shawn Fain – and they’re directed at Stellantis.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Georgia-based poultry processor after the facility’s poor safety standards led to a second worker death in two years.

Last week Tesla appeared to bow to pressure from a trend that’s been rippling through the auto industry. Recent wins by the United Autoworkers Union have sent wages up for plant workers within the Detroit 3, a boost that encouraged several competitors to follow suit including Toyota, Volkwagen and Hyundai.