SpaceX launched the SES O3b mPOWER mission at 2112 UTC on July 22, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying the ninth and tenth satellites of the O3b mPOWER constellation into medium Earth orbit (MEO).

The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster B1090-6 landed back to Earth on the droneship "Just Read the Instructions" approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, as planned.

The launch was originally scheduled for Monday, July 21, but was scrubbed 11 seconds before liftoff due to unspecified reasons.

The two O3b mPOWER satellites, built by Boeing, are part of Luxembourg-based SES’s global broadband system designed to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to remote and mobile markets, competing with SpaceX Starlink which deploys satellites to low Earth orbit(LEO) instead.

SES plans to continue expanding the O3b mPOWER constellation through 2026 to meet rising global demand for reliable, high-throughput connectivity. The company's mPOWER constellation consists of eight satellites in medium-Earth orbit, all of which have been launched by SpaceX. The network is already operational, but will eventually feature 13 spacecraft.

Tuesday's mission marked SpaceX's 89th Falcon 9 launch of the year and the sixth flight for this particular first-stage booster, which had previously launched NASA’s Crew-10, the Bandwagon 3 rideshare, and two Starlink missions.

Tesla has unveiled a unique 24-hour Tesla Diner & Drive-In on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, blending retro-futurism with modern EV infrastructure. The venue, designed by Stantec with input from restaurateur Bill Chait and chef Eric Greenspan, features a chrome-and-neon aesthetic, offering classic Americana fare like burgers, fries, and “Pie Shakes” alongside up to 80 V4 Supercharger stalls.

Launched at 4:20 p.m. on a Monday, the opening drew long lines of Teslas and influencer buzz, with mixed reviews, showcasing Tesla's ambition to redefine idle time as a branded microexperience.

With roller-skating carhops, robot popcorn servers, and drive-in movie clips beamed into cars via Bluetooth, the diner is as much a brand spectacle as it is a dining spot, complete with Tesla merch and Instagram-worthy photo ops.

Conceived by Elon Musk in 2018, the diner transforms the utilitarian act of charging an EV into an immersive experience, aiming to capture customer attention and revenue during downtime. Customers can order via the Tesla app, triggered by a geofence 15 minutes away, with food served in futuristic packaging like Cybertruck-shaped burger boxes.

The diner doubles as a high-concept experiment to extend Tesla’s ecosystem beyond cars, integrating dining, entertainment, and merchandising into its Supercharger network, with Musk himself praising the “coolest” LA spot on X.

Musk has hinted at expanding the concept to other cities and Supercharger sites, like SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas, envisioning a global network of “good food, good vibes & entertainment.”

The diner’s a proof of concept for Tesla’s broader vision: a vertically integrated empire where cars, energy, software, robots, and even hamburgers coexist, turning a simple question like “fries with that?” into a glimpse of a new business model.

xAI has launched AI companions for its SuperGrok subscribers, featuring characters like Ani, a goth anime girl, and Bad Rudy, a red panda, sparking concerns about users preferring AI interactions over real-life relationships. The feature, available to those paying $30 monthly, includes NSFW content options and has drawn criticism for potentially encouraging unhealthy emotional dependencies.

Ani can engage in flirty and, in some cases, NSFW interactions; while Rudy, a red panda with a family-friendly version available by default, offers wholesome conversations but also has a "Bad Rudi" mode delivering insults and vulgar language.

xAI CEO Elon Musk has also mentioned that a male companion is in development and will be released in the next few months. Valentine is inspired by characters like Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey.

Critics argue that young users already obsessed with 'gooning' (slang for sexually suggestive) content from OnlyFans creators and AI 'brainrot,' do not need more of what they call readily available 'AI hookers.' However tech observers note that Ani and Rudy are available only to paying adult subscribers.