Rocket Report: Indian commercial rocket has launch date; Branson must face lawsuit

Enlarge / Gilmour Space released this still image from a qualification test of its Sirius rocket engine. (credit: Gilmour Space) Welcome to Edition 5.17 of the Rocket Report! The big question this week is the health of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket after riding out Hurricane Nicole. Following a preliminary analysis, the space agency says…

Australia tells Medibank hackers: ‘We know who you are’

The Australian Federal Police claims to have identified the cybercriminals behind the Medibank ransomware attack, which compromised the personal data of 9.7 million customers. AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said on Friday that the agency knows the identity of the individuals responsible for the attack on Australia’s largest private health insurer. He declined to name the…

SoftBank, NEC, Sony, Toyota + more team up for Rapidus, Japan’s bid for next-gen chip domination

As the tech war between the U.S. and China intensifies, Japan has spotted an opening to build a viable alternative for semiconductors — not least so that its own consumer electronics firms do not run out of memory chips. Now, eight major Japanese tech firms and car makers, including Kioxia, NEC, NTT, SoftBank, Sony and…

Why digital sourcing platform Fictiv stays in China when others are leaving

As many businesses shift supply chains out of China in response to the uncertainties of geopolitical tensions and Beijing’s “zero COVID” policy, Fictiv is solidifying its outpost in the country. San Francisco-based Fictiv runs a platform that aims to simplify the hardware sourcing process and connects hardware firms to suppliers around the world. When it comes…