Day: January 19, 2021

With latest Starlink launch, SpaceX to set record for rapid reuse

Patrick January 19, 2021
Enlarge / Falcon 9, booster 1051, breaking through the sound barrier on December 13, 2020. It’s back for an eighth launch a little more than a month later.

SpaceX is continuing to make strides as it pushes the boundaries of reusing the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket.

On Wednesday morning, the company plans to launch its next batch of 60 Starlink satellites, reusing booster No. 1051. This will in fact be the eighth flight of this Falcon 9 rocket first stage—setting a new record for the number of uses of any single rocket core. SpaceX anticipates reaching the

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Samsung’s new 870 Evo SSD brings faster speeds, lower prices

Patrick January 19, 2021

Samsung’s 860 SSD has been one of the standards for PC parts since it was released in 2018. Now, the company is announcing its successor, the 870 Evo, its latest SATA SSD designed for consumer use that brings faster speeds and lower prices.

The new drive is apparently so fast that it can actually reach the maximum possible speed for sequential read and write on a SATA drive, with 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write speeds. The new model also represents a nice improvement compared to the 860 Evo, with Samsung promising roughly 38 percent better random read speeds and a

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Beats Solo Pro review: The Beats to beat

Patrick January 19, 2021

Update: January 18, 2021: This review was updated to address the Apple AirPods Max.

The Beats Solo Pro mean business. These are the company’s debut noise-cancelling on-ear headphones, but you’d never guess that from their great ANC performance and tasteful design. Let’s dig in and see if the on-ear head pain is worth these otherwise great on-ear headphones.

Beats Solo Pro Fashion-forward noise cancelling headphones that work well with iPhones.

The Beats Solo Pro headphones are compatible with iOS and Android, but they feature the Apple H1 Headphone Chip and Class 1 Bluetooth for extended range and fewer dropouts.

What

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Virgin Orbit just earned the orbit part of its name

Patrick January 19, 2021
Enlarge / LauncherOne heads to orbit after dropping from its carrier aircraft on Sunday.

Virgin Orbit

On Sunday afternoon, Virgin Orbit joined the rare club of companies that have privately developed a rocket and successfully launched it into orbit. Moreover, with its LauncherOne rocket dropped from a 747 aircraft, the California-based company has become the first to reach orbit with an air-launched, liquid-fueled rocket.

“This magnificent flight is the culmination of many years of hard work and will also unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit,” said Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the company.

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