STM Daily News
The Impact of SpaceX’s Possible Relocation on Los Angeles County
SpaceX, the renowned aerospace company headquartered in Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, is reportedly planning to relocate to Texas. The sudden announcement by Elon Musk on July 16 has left many in the local community wondering about the implications of this move. While SpaceX’s departure could provide opportunities for other aerospace startups in the region, it also raises significant questions about the future of Hawthorne and the broader Los Angeles County economy.
The Immediate Impact if SpaceX Relocates
SpaceX’s potential move has caused an immediate stir among local aerospace startups. Companies like Astroforge Inc., based in nearby Seal Beach, are already trying to attract the company’s employees who might be unsettled by the relocation news. These companies are offering enticing perks and inclusive office cultures, aiming to lure talent looking for stability and a supportive work environment. Similarly, the CEO of the French aerospace company Latitude has openly invited SpaceX employees to join their team near Paris, promising comprehensive relocation support.
Musk’s Motivation
Elon Musk cited California’s new law related to transgender children in public schools as the “final straw” for SpaceX’s relocation. The law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, prohibits schools from requiring staff to notify parents of a child’s gender identification change. Musk, who has adopted increasingly conservative rhetoric, expressed his frustration with this policy, prompting the decision to move SpaceX’s headquarters to Texas.
Uncertain Details and Local Reactions
Despite the announcement, details about the move remain sparse. There is no clarity on whether the entire Hawthorne campus, which includes significant production facilities, will be relocated. Hawthorne officials have expressed concern about the potential economic impact but remain committed to supporting the local economy and fostering growth. SpaceX currently employs nearly 7,000 people in Hawthorne, making it a crucial part of the city’s employment landscape.
The Economic Impact
The departure of SpaceX could have significant economic repercussions for Hawthorne. The city has historically relied on SpaceX as a major employer and economic driver. Previous agreements with the city, such as capping annual business license fees and reducing building and planning fees, have incentivized SpaceX to stay. If the company fully relocates, it could leave a substantial void in Hawthorne’s economy, similar to the impact of Boeing’s departure from Long Beach in 2015.
A Mixed History of Corporate Departures
The history of major corporations leaving California for Texas offers mixed insights. When Toyota moved its headquarters from Torrance to Texas in 2017, the long-term economic impact on the South Bay region was minimal. However, the specific reliance of Hawthorne on SpaceX makes the potential impact of this move more significant. The comparison with Long Beach’s recovery post-Boeing highlights the potential challenges Hawthorne might face if SpaceX departs entirely.
Future Prospects for Hawthorne
Despite the uncertainties, Hawthorne officials remain optimistic. The city is determined to attract new businesses and support existing ones, fostering an environment of innovation and opportunity. The resilience of Hawthorne’s economy and its ability to adapt to this potential change will be critical in the coming years.
The potential relocation of SpaceX to Texas signifies more than just a shift in headquarters; it represents a major change for Hawthorne and Los Angeles County’s aerospace industry. While opportunities for other startups may arise, the long-term economic and employment impacts remain uncertain. As Hawthorne braces for this potential transition, the city’s ability to adapt and attract new businesses will be crucial in determining its future prosperity.
Read the story on the topic posted on SiliconValley.com https://www.siliconvalley.com/2024/07/18/what-does-spacexs-move-to-texas-really-mean-for-the-south-bay/
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SUVs and EVs Take Center Stage at the 2026 New York International Auto Show
(Feature Impact) The 2026 New York International Auto Show is shining a spotlight on the latest in automotive innovation, from advanced technology to the growing shift toward electric vehicles. One automaker, Kia, is using the show to highlight two versatile SUVs designed to offer more space, capability and flexibility for modern drivers.
Watch this video to learn more
The all-new 2027 Kia Seltos has grown in size, offering a roomier interior with additional legroom, headroom and cargo space. It also adds a hybrid powertrain, making it the only vehicle in its class with three powertrain options. The SUV comes packed with advanced safety features, a more capable all-wheel-drive system and premium interior touches, including dual 12.3-inch display screens and an available panoramic sunroof.
The automaker is also showcasing the all-electric EV3, a compact SUV designed to make electric vehicle ownership more practical. With an estimated range of up to 320 miles, fast-charging capability and optional all-wheel drive, it balances performance, technology and everyday usability. Its intuitive features and flexible design make transitioning to electric simpler for a wider range of drivers.
Both models represent Kia’s commitment to providing options that blend capability, innovation and style. To learn more, visit Kia.com.
SOURCE:
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Space and Tech
Jupiter’s moons hide giant subsurface oceans − Europa Clipper is one of 2 missions on their way to see if these moons could support life
NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s JUICE missions aim to explore Jupiter’s icy moons, focusing on the potential habitability of their underground oceans, particularly Europa’s, by gathering vital scientific data.
Last Updated on April 11, 2026 by Daily News Staff
On Oct. 14, 2024, NASA launched a robotic spacecraft named Europa Clipper to Jupiter’s moons. Clipper will reach the ice-covered Jovian moon Europa in 2030 and spend several years collecting and sending valuable data on the moon’s potential habitability back to Earth.
Clipper isn’t the only mission highlighting researchers’ interest in Jupiter and its moons.
On April 13, 2023, the European Space Agency launched a rocket carrying a spacecraft destined for Jupiter. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – or JUICE – will spend at least three years on Jupiter’s moons after it arrives in 2031.
I’m a planetary scientist who studies the structure and evolution of solid planets and moons in the solar system.
There are many reasons my colleagues and I are looking forward to getting the data that Europa Clipper and JUICE will hopefully be sending back to Earth in the 2030s. But perhaps the most exciting information will have to do with water. Three of Jupiter’s moons – Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are home to large, underground oceans of liquid water that could support life.
Meet Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
Jupiter has dozens of moons. Four of them in particular are of interest to planetary scientists.
Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are, like Earth’s Moon, relatively large, spherical complex worlds. Two previous NASA missions have sent spacecraft to orbit the Jupiter system and collected data on these moons. The Galileo mission orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 and led to geological discoveries on all four large moons. The Juno mission is still orbiting Jupiter today and has provided scientists with an unprecedented view into Jupiter’s composition, structure and space environment.
These missions and other observations revealed that Io, the closest of the four to its host planet, is abuzz with geological activity, including lava lakes, volcanic eruptions and tectonically formed mountains. But it is not home to large amounts of water.
Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, in contrast, have icy landscapes. Europa’s surface is a frozen wonderland with a young but complex history, possibly including icy analogs of plate tectonics and volcanoes. Ganymede, the largest moon in the entire solar system, is bigger than Mercury and has its own magnetic field generated internally from a liquid metal core. Callisto appears somewhat inert compared to the others, but serves as a valuable time capsule of an ancient past that is no longer accessible on the youthful surfaces of Europa and Io.
Most exciting of all: Europa, Ganymede and Callisto all almost certainly possess underground oceans of liquid water.
Ocean worlds
Europa, Ganymede and Callisto have chilly surfaces that are hundreds of degrees below zero. At these temperatures, ice behaves like solid rock.
But just like Earth, the deeper underground you go on these moons, the hotter it gets. Go down far enough and you eventually reach the temperature where ice melts into water. Exactly how far down this transition occurs on each of the moons is a subject of debate that scientists hope to resolve with JUICE and Europa Clipper. While the exact depths are still uncertain, scientists are confident that these oceans exist.
The best evidence of these oceans comes from Jupiter’s magnetic field. Saltwater is electrically conductive. So as these moons travel through Jupiter’s magnetic field, they generate a secondary, smaller magnetic field that signals to researchers the presence of an underground ocean. Using this technique, planetary scientists have been able to show that the three moons contain underground oceans. And these oceans are not small – Europa’s ocean alone might have more than double the water of all of Earth’s oceans combined.
An obvious and tantalizing next question is whether these oceans can support extraterrestrial life. Liquid water is an important piece of what makes for a habitable world, but far from the only requirement for life. Life also needs energy and certain chemical compounds in addition to water to flourish. Because these oceans are hidden beneath miles of solid ice, sunlight and photosynthesis are out. But it’s possible other sources could provide the needed ingredients.
On Europa, for example, the liquid water ocean overlays a rocky interior. That rocky seafloor could provide energy and chemicals through underwater volcanoes that could make Europa’s ocean habitable. But it is also possible that Europa’s ocean is a sterile, inhospitable place – scientists need more data to answer these questions.
Upcoming missions from ESA and NASA
Europa Clipper and JUICE are set up to give scientists game-changing information about the potential habitability of Jupiter’s moons. While both missions will gather data on multiple moons, JUICE will spend time orbiting and focusing on Ganymede, and Europa Clipper will make dozens of close flybys of Europa.
Both of the spacecraft will carry a suite of scientific instruments built specifically to investigate the oceans. Onboard radar will allow Europa Clipper and JUICE to probe into the moons’ outer layers of solid ice. Radar could reveal any small pockets of liquid water in the ice, or, in the case of Europa, which has a thinner outer ice layer than Ganymede and Callisto, hopefully detect the larger ocean.
Magnetometers will also be on both missions. These tools will give scientists the opportunity to study the secondary magnetic fields produced by the interaction of conductive oceans with Jupiter’s field in great detail and will hopefully give researchers clues to salinity and volumes of the oceans.
Scientists will also observe small variations in the moons’ gravitational pulls by tracking subtle movements in both spacecrafts’ orbits, which could help determine if Europa’s seafloor has volcanoes that provide the needed energy and chemistry for the ocean to support life.
Finally, both craft will carry a host of cameras and light sensors that will provide unprecedented images of the geology and composition of the moons’ icy surfaces.
Maybe one day, a spacecraft will be able to drill through the miles of solid ice on Europa, Ganymede or Callisto and explore oceans directly. Until then, observations from spacecraft like Europa Clipper and JUICE are scientists’ best bet for learning about these ocean worlds.
When Galileo discovered these moons in 1609, they were the first objects known to directly orbit another planet. Their discovery was the final nail in the coffin of the theory that Earth – and humanity – resides at the center of the universe. Maybe these worlds have another humbling surprise in store.
This article, originally published April 10, 2023, has been updated with details about the Europa Clipper launch.
Mike Sori, Assistant Professor of Planetary Science, Purdue University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Last Updated on April 11, 2026 by Daily News Staff
April 10, 2026 — NASA’s Artemis II crew has safely returned to Earth, marking the successful completion of the first crewed mission to the Moon’s vicinity in more than 50 years.
Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
The Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 5:07 p.m. PDT, carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen back home after a nearly 10-day journey through deep space.
🚀 A Mission for the Record Books
During the mission, the crew traveled a total of 694,481 miles, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth—farther than any humans have ever gone, surpassing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970.
Launched on April 1 aboard NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Artemis II tested critical systems needed for future missions, including life support, navigation, and deep space communication.
🌕 Science, Exploration, and Stunning Views
While orbiting the Moon, the astronauts captured more than 7,000 images, including views of the lunar far side, a rare solar eclipse, and detailed observations of craters, lava flows, and surface features.
The mission also included scientific experiments to better understand how the human body responds to deep space conditions, helping prepare for longer missions to the Moon and Mars.
🛰️ Safe Return and Recovery
Following splashdown, recovery teams quickly reached the spacecraft and transported the crew by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for initial medical evaluations. The astronauts are expected to return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for further assessments.
🌍 What Comes Next
With Artemis II complete, NASA is now turning its focus to Artemis III, the next mission aimed at landing astronauts on the Moon and establishing a long-term human presence.
The success of Artemis II marks a major step forward in humanity’s return to deep space—and the beginning of a new era of exploration.
For more information on NASA’s Artemis program, visit the official NASA website.
🔗 Source & Further Reading
- NASA Blog: Artemis II Flight Day 10 – Re-entry Live Updates
- NASA Artemis II Mission Overview
- NASA Artemis Program – Return to the Moon
- Orion Spacecraft Details and Technology
- NASA Image and Video Library (Artemis II Photos & Media)
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