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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced a cut in customs duty on minerals such as lithium, copper and cobalt, which are critical for nuclear energy, renewable and other sectors, to give a fillip to the energy transition. In her budget speech in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman recalled that in the interim budget she had announced a strategy to sustain high and more resource-efficient economic growth, along with energy security in terms of availability, accessibility and affordability. "We will bring out a policy document on appropriate energy transition pathways that balances the imperatives of employment, growth and environmental sustainability," she said. Noting that minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements are critical for sectors like nuclear energy, <keyword id="19895602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="renewable-energy" source="keywords">renewable energy</keyword>, space, defence, telecommunications, and high-tech electronics, she proposed to fully exempt customs duties on 25 critical minerals and reduce BCD (basic customs duty) on two of them. This will provide a major fillip to the processing and refining of such minerals and help secure their availability for these strategic and important sectors, she said. She stated that energy transition is critical in the fight against climate change. To support energy transition, she proposed to expand the list of exempted capital goods for use in the manufacture of solar cells and panels in the country. Further, she stated that in view of sufficient domestic manufacturing capacity of solar glass and tinned copper interconnect, I propose not to extend the exemption of customs duties provided to them. Noting that steel and copper are important raw materials and to reduce their cost of production, she proposed to remove the BCD on ferro nickel and blister copper. "I am also continuing with nil BCD on ferrous scrap and nickel cathode and concessional BCD of 2.5 per cent on copper scrap," she said. About the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which was rolled out earlier this year, he informed the House that in line with the announcement in the interim budget, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has been launched to install rooftop solar plants to enable 1 crore households obtain free electricity up to 300 units every month. The scheme has generated remarkable response with more than 1.28 crore registrations and 14 lakh applications, and we will further encourage it, he stated. She further stated that a policy for promoting pumped storage projects will be brought out for electricity storage and facilitating smooth integration of the growing share of renewable energy with its variable &amp; intermittent nature in the overall energy mix. She stated that nuclear energy is expected to form a very significant part of the energy mix for Viksit Bharat. Towards that pursuit, our government will partner with the private sector for setting up Bharat Small Reactors; research &amp; development of Bharat Small Modular Reactor and research &amp; development of newer technologies for nuclear energy, she informed the House. The R&amp;D funding announced in the interim budget will be made available for this sector, she added. The development of indigenous technology for Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) <keyword id="20421620" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="thermal-power" source="keywords">thermal power</keyword> plants with much higher efficiency has been completed, she informed the House. A joint venture between NTPC and BHEL will set up a full-scale 800 MW commercial plant using AUSC technology and the government will provide the required fiscal support, she added. Moving forward, the development of indigenous capacity for the production of high-grade steel and other advanced metallurgy materials for these plants will result in strong spin-off benefits for the economy, she pointed out. A roadmap for moving the 'hard to abate' industries from 'energy efficiency' targets to 'emission targets' will be formulated, she stated adding that appropriate regulations for the transition of these industries from the current 'Perform, Achieve and Trade' mode to 'Indian Carbon Market' mode will be put in place. She further stated that an investment-grade energy audit of traditional micro and small industries in 60 clusters, including brass and ceramic, will be facilitated. Financial support will be provided for shifting them to cleaner forms of energy and implementation of energy efficiency measures. The scheme will be replicated in another 100 clusters in the next phase, she stated. Gaurav Kedia, Chairman, Indian Biogas Association said that the <keyword id="19908389" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Budget" source="keywords">Union Budget</keyword> 2024 has unveiled a roadmap towards a sustainable and resilient India, with agriculture and energy security at its core. It is anticipated that these initiatives will catalyze the growth of the biogas industry, leading to increased rural employment, reduced carbon emissions, and improved soil health, he stated. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2024-25-changes-to-tax-slabs-increased-standard-deduction-and-other-changes-to-direct-taxation/articleshow/111951205.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2024-25-changes-to-tax-slabs-increased-standard-deduction-and-other-changes-to-direct-taxation/articleshow/111951205.cms" target="_blank">Budget 2024-25 – Changes to tax slabs, increased standard deduction and other changes to direct taxation</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/expectations-from-union-budget-2024-25-how-will-this-budget-impact-you/articleshow/111946291.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/expectations-from-union-budget-2024-25-how-will-this-budget-impact-you/articleshow/111946291.cms" target="_blank">Union Budget 2024-25: How will this budget impact you?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2024-record-allocation-of-rs-1-48-lakh-crore-for-education-employment-and-skilling/articleshow/111951228.cms">Budget 2024: Record allocation of Rs 1.48 lakh crore for education, employment and skilling!</a>

FM cuts customs duty on minerals critical for energy transition

<ul><li>ISRO will export technology from the US for mass production of <keyword id="6732656" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-solar-cells">space solar cells</keyword> to power Indian <keyword id="41530" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="satellites">satellites</keyword>. </li><li>Until now, <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> was procuring the solar cells from private American companies. </li><li>This will make India more independent and will also reduce the expenses incurred because of the expensive exports. </li></ul>ISRO has recently purchased technology for <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/soon-desi-solar-cells-to-power-satellites-in-space/articleshow/65096319.cms">space solar cells</a> from the US. Mass production of these solar cells is expected to start taking place in Bangalore soon and these cells will be used to power satellites in space and keep it functional. Unlike the conventional solar cells, these new ones are expected to be highly sophisticated and efficient. Before the country decided to buy this technology, India was procuring solar cells from private American companies at rather expensive rates. Furthermore, there were restrictions on buying them in bulk. Our satellite programmes were completely dependant on these cells and without the tech to make more indigenously, there was little else to do but to count wholly on the transaction. Producing a small remote-sensing satellite requires about 1,500 solar cells, while big satellites like <keyword id="483986" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GSAT">GSAT</keyword> or geosynchronous satellites, which are communication satellites, needs 10,000 to 15,000 cells. Each of these cells had to be imported and therefore the whole process cost a lot. However, the cost is expected to go down several times once mass production begins in India. <keyword id="6425802" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharat-electronics">Bharat Electronics</keyword> Limited has been given the contract to mass-produce solar cells at an ISRO facility in Bengaluru under the supervision of the organisation’s scientists. These satellites, once launched in space, open up their wings, that have the solar cells, to absorb sunlight and turn solar power to electricity. The satellite is kept up and functioning by these cells and will maintain power and working capacity unless the cells last. Once the cells die out, the satellite powers down, stops functioning and becomes space debri.

ISRO exports tech from US to produce solar cells for satellites in space

Washington, An astronomer has spotted a <keyword id="10464386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="little-tiny-speck">little tiny speck</keyword> flying past the Sun which is a recently discovered <keyword id="10464385" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rare-comet">rare comet</keyword>, as the world witnessed the <keyword id="1450436" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="total-solar-eclipse">total solar eclipse</keyword> this month. This comet was first spotted in satellite data by Thai amateur astronomer Worachate Boonplod on the NASA-funded <keyword id="10464387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="sungrazer-project">Sungrazer Project</keyword>, as Chile and Argentina witnessed the total solar eclipse on December 14, reports NASA. Around the time the eclipse image was taken, the comet was travelling at roughly 7,24,205 kms per hour, about 4.3 million kms from the Sun's surface. The comet was around 50 feet in diameter -- about the length of a semi truck. It then disintegrated to dust particles due to intense solar radiation, a few hours before reaching its closest point to the Sun. Sungrazer is a citizen science project that invites anyone to search for and discover new comets in images from the joint <keyword id="59844" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="European-Space-Agency">European Space Agency</keyword> (ESA) and NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO. Boonplod discovered the comet a day before the eclipse. "He knew the eclipse was coming, and was eager to see whether his new comet discovery might appear in the Sun's outer atmosphere as a small speck in eclipse photographs," the US space agency said in a statement late on Saturday. The comet, named C/2020 X3 (SOHO) by the Minor Planet Center, is a "Kreutz" sungrazer. This family of comets originated from a large parent comet that broke up into smaller fragments well over a thousand years ago and continues to orbit around the Sun today. Kreutz sungrazing comets are most commonly found in SOHO images. To date, 4,108 comets have been discovered in SOHO images, with this comet being the 3,524th Kreutz sungrazer spotted, according to NASA. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/wistron-apple-iphone-manufacturer-could-face-these-penalties-if-found-guilty/articleshow/79790319.cms">If investigators find Wistron management guilty, here's what is at stake for the company</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/heres-what-analysts-say-if-you-should-subscribe-or-not-to-the-300-crore-ipo-of-antony-waste-handling-cell/articleshow/79790998.cms">Antony Waste Handling Cell ₹300-crore IPO will open on Monday— these are the risks and opportunities</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ikea-india-cfo-says-she-still-has-3500-crore-to-be-spent-in-india-the-pandemic-has-changed-targets-but-not-the-investment-plan/articleshow/79790938.cms">INTERVIEW: Ikea CFO says she still has ₹3,500 crore to be spent in India⁠— the pandemic has changed targets but not the investment plan</a>

Astronomer discovers rare comet near the sun during total solar eclipse

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new terminal at New York's JFK will be partly powered by a microgrid, batteries, and fuel cells.</li><li>AlphaStruxure, the project developer, said that would produce 38% less greenhouse-gas emissions. </li></ul>A massive transformation of New York City's largest airport is underway, and developers are touting its sustainability credentials. John F. Kennedy International Airport's $9.5 billion New Terminal One will be partly powered by a microgrid with 11.34 megawatts of electricity from rooftop solar, gas fuel cells, and battery storage. A system that captures waste heat from the fuel cells will chill and warm water.AlphaStruxure, a joint venture of the private equity firm Carlyle Group and France's Schneider Electric, announced Thursday that it would construct and operate the energy project after winning a contract from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, and <a href="https://www.anewjfk.com/projects/the-new-terminal-one/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the New Terminal One consortium</a>, a privately financed group of labor, operating, and financial partners."Solving our energy challenge really comes down to three things: electrifying, digitizing, and decarbonizing by getting more electricity from renewable sources. Microgrids are key to achieving all of this," Annette Clayton, the CEO of Schneider Electric North America, said during a press briefing.The rooftop solar array — made up of more than 13,000 panels — will be the largest in New York City and at any US airport terminal, AlphaStruxure said.<div type="image" title="Rendering of a microgrid equipment at JFK airport" height="2000" width="2666" msid="97358544" hostid="261"></div>The microgrid is expected to generate about what 3,570 average US homes would use in a year. Each "power island," with fuel cells and battery storage, will be digitized and automated. The islands can operate independently, though they'll be interconnected as one system. Three are set to be completed by 2026, with the final power island coming online by 2029, AlphaStruxure said.The microgrid will allow New Terminal One to operate independently of the city's power grid — maybe indefinitely — in case of an emergency like extreme weather, Juan Macias, the CEO of AlphaStruxure, said. The system will also produce 38% less greenhouse-gas emissions compared with sourcing all electricity from the grid, according to AlphaStruxure. Installing fuel cells, instead of diesel generators, is estimated to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, a toxic air pollutant, by 98%, Macias added. The fuel cells will use natural gas from the power grid but are designed to accommodate greener fuels as those are commercialized, such as hydrogen made from renewable energy. The terminal will feature large, naturally lit public spaces and amenities designed to enhance travelers' experiences, <a href="https://www.anewjfk.com/projects/the-new-terminal-one/#1597669533779-ff1ad7fc-2093" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the New Terminal One consortium</a>.Construction began in September. The first of 23 gates are expected to open in 2026, and the work is set to be completed by 2030.<div type="image" title="rendering of New Terminal One at JFK airport" height="1080" width="1440" msid="97358547" hostid="261"></div>

JFK airport's new terminal will be powered by a microgrid and the largest rooftop solar array in New York City

<ul><li>India’s largest <keyword id="9586312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="clean-energy-firm">clean energy firm</keyword>, <keyword id="944686" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="renew-power">ReNew Power</keyword>, is set to manufacture solar cells with an initial capacity of 2000 MW. </li><li>The company will invest about ₹2000 crore to execute the plan and create 2,000 direct jobs in India, according to Suman Sinha, chairman and managing director, ReNew Power. </li><li>Previously, the clean energy firm announced its plan to double its portfolio of running plants and project to 10,000 MW in the next five years. </li></ul>India’s largest clean energy firm, ReNew Power, is set to manufacture solar cells with an initial capacity of 2000 MW. The company will invest about ₹2000 crore to execute the plan and create 2,000 direct jobs in India, according to Suman Sinha, chairman and managing director, ReNew Power. <div type="twitter" handle="sumant_sinha" handlename="Sumant Sinha" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1245629588048195585/4itv2ZeM_normal.jpg" favoritecount="889" retweetcount="175" status="As part of our effort to support the @PMOIndia's call for #AatmaNirbharBharat, we're proud to announce an investmen… https://t.co/kERi8OoGpx" createdat="1594885947000" id="1283670820242391040"></div> Previously, the clean energy firm announced its plan to double its portfolio of running plants and project to 10,000 MW in the next five years. The company currently has a capacity of 5,600 MW. According to an Economic Times report, the company would invest ₹40,000 crore to ₹50,000 crore to implement the growth plan. This comes after ReNew Power, earlier in November 2019, said that it aims to achieve “double-digit growth in power transmission.” Moreover, it was also hopeful of grabbing $20 billion in transmission projects this year. Thus, venturing into manufacturing solar cells would leave only the distribution part of the whole energy value chain for the company. Sinha believes that despite COVId-19, the government has been announcing new bids in the renewable energy sector. "This year despite the impact of Covid-19, the government has been actively bringing out new bids in the renewable energy space and companies have responded enthusiastically,"<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/renew-plans-to-double-power-generation-to-20000-mw-in-5-years/articleshow/76967152.cms"> Renew Power chairman and managing director Sumant Sinha told ET.</a> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jio-glass-akash-ambani-and-isha-ambani-announce-reliances-latest-product-which-offers-holographic-video-calls/articleshow/76977640.cms">Jio Glass – Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani announce Reliance’s latest product which offers holographic video call</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/wipro-share-price-16-increase-leads-to-surge-in-infosys-share-price-too/articleshow/76973619.cms">Wipro share price 16% increase leads to surge in Infosys share price too</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/moderna-covid19-vaccine-will-be-in-final-stages-of-human-trial-starting-july-27/articleshow/76972580.cms">Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine will be in final stages of human trial starting July 27</a>

ReNew Power will invest ₹2000 crore in manufacturing solar cells in India— promises 2,000 direct jobs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Electric vehicle startup Aptera released details about its first model. </li><li>It will have 400 miles of range and be able to travel 40 miles per day using built-in solar cells, the firm says. </li></ul>Lots more car buyers would consider an electric vehicle <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/charging-logistics-top-barrier-to-electric-car-adoption-survey-2022-7#:~:text=61%25%20of%20the%20survey%20respondents,survey%20was%20released%20on%20Thursday.">if only charging wasn't such a hassle</a>. <a href="https://aptera.us/">EV startup Aptera</a> may have an innovative solution — if it can raise enough funding to get production underway. The California-based company unveiled in January its Launch Edition solar vehicle, its first model that will hit customer driveways. <div type="image" title="Aptera Launch Edition vehicle." height="1325" width="2500" msid="97261076" hostid="261"></div>Aptera is taking a markedly different approach to EVs than fellow startups. While Rivian focuses on rugged utility and Lucid Motors prioritizes luxury and performance, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aptera-motors-electric-car-ev-startup-typ1-founder-ceo-stock-2021-5">Aptera's mission centers around efficiency</a>. The result is unlike anything else on the road: an ultra-aerodynamic, super-light, three-wheeler blanketed in solar panels that turn the sun's rays into driving energy.Aptera first <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aptera-opens-orders-no-charge-solar-powered-electric-vehicle-2020-12">unveiled the general concept and a preliminary design back in 2020</a>. On Friday, it revealed key details of its first production model during <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vZHsqCgsDg">a virtual event</a>. <div type="image" title="Aptera Launch Edition vehicle." height="1347" width="2500" msid="97261077" hostid="261"></div>All 5,000 or so Launch Edition Aptera vehicles will be identical in an effort to streamline production and reduce complexity as manufacturing gets up and running. The vehicle will target 400 miles of range and will have all-wheel drive provided by three motors integrated into the trike's wheels. It'll sprint to 60 mph in a brisk four seconds on its way to a 101-mph top speed, Aptera says.<div type="image" title="Aptera Launch Edition vehicle." height="1344" width="2500" msid="97261078" hostid="261"></div>The Launch Edition will come with 700 watts worth of solar panels on its hood, roof, and rear section, which Aptera says is enough to provide 40 miles of solar-powered driving per day in ideal conditions. Future models will offer the option for fewer panels.Owners can also charge by plugging in. Aptera Launch Edition vehicles will come with a Tesla-standard charging port but, curiously, no ability to plug into DC fast-charging stations. They'll be able to add up to 57 miles of range per hour when hooked up to a Level 2 charger (fast-chargers like Tesla Superchargers are Level 3), Aptera estimates. <div type="image" title="Aptera Launch Edition vehicle." height="1359" width="2500" msid="97261079" hostid="261"></div>Inside, the vehicle will have two seats, a semicircular yoke steering wheel, and a large touchscreen that houses most settings and features. The rear-view and side mirrors are digital. A big hatch reveals 32 cubic feet of cargo space, more than double a Honda Civic's trunk. <div type="image" title="Aptera Launch Edition vehicle." height="1340" width="2500" msid="97261155" hostid="261"></div>One detail that's still a mystery about the Launch Edition: price. Aptera said it won't know how much to charge until it's closer to production. Down the line, Aptera plans to release more models in more colors and configurations, including one with 1,000 miles of range. But first, it needs to start production. <div type="image" title="Aptera Launch Edition vehicle." height="1344" width="2500" msid="97261080" hostid="261"></div>Aptera's leadership said they need an additional $50 million in funding to kick off manufacturing, on top of the $85 million they've already raised. The company aims to begin production by the end of 2023, but as the tribulations of other EV startups have demonstrated, making new cars from scratch is no small feat.Aptera knows this all too well: It first made a go of things starting in the late 2000s before <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-aptera/california-electric-car-startup-aptera-shuts-down-idUSTRE7B201D20111203">hitting financial trouble and closing up shop in 2011</a>.

Solar electric vehicle startup says its car will go 400 miles on a full battery and never needs to be charged

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11897862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword>'s companies appear to struggle with <keyword id="12273773" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="customer-service" source="Orion">customer service</keyword>.</li><li>Poor customer service could tarnish <keyword id="11900744" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tesla" source="Orion">Tesla</keyword> and <keyword id="11897866" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="starlink" source="Orion">Starlink</keyword>'s reputation and growth over time, experts say.</li></ul>For years, Elon Musk has poured resources into aggressive growth and dazzling new products from his slew of companies. The strategy seems to be paying off: Tesla is worth nearly $1 trillion, <keyword id="11908743" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="spacex" source="Orion">SpaceX</keyword> is leading the commercial space race, and Musk is by <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">far the richest person</a> on Earth.But as Musk's many ventures boom, complaints about poor customer service could threaten their rise. In interviews with Insider, customers of Tesla's car business, its solar division, and SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service say they're frustrated with the way they've been treated during the order process or after they've bought a product. Experts told Insider that these complaints, including opaque delivery timing, difficulty getting a customer service representative on the phone, and long wait times for crucial repairs could tarnish the companies' reputation with consumers.<h2>Tesla owners say they struggle with deliveries and repairs </h2>Tesla is selling more cars than ever — it sold <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-delivers-record-number-vehicles-4th-quarter-2022-1">nearly 1 million vehicles</a> in 2021, more than double the previous year — but it hasn't built out its network of service centers at the same pace, <a href="https://tesla-cdn.thron.com/static/WIIG2L_TSLA_Q4_2021_Update_O7MYNE.pdf?xseo=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22tsla-q4-and-fy-2021-update.pdf%22">according to regulatory filings</a>. That imbalance has left some owners dismayed by what they have described as long waits for repairs and shoddy customer service.Tesla owns and operates its service centers, rather than following the conventional franchised dealership model. Opening and running these locations is expensive, and Tesla hasn't grown its service infrastructure to keep pace with its ballooning fleet of vehicles, Sam Abuelsamid, principal e-mobility analyst at Guidehouse Insights, told Insider. Instead, it has focused on churning out as many cars as possible. "Clearly they made the decision to sacrifice making investments in the service operations and focus on maximizing revenue," Abuelsamid said. Tesla has <a href="https://www.tesla.com/findus/list/services/United+States">149 service centers</a> in the US, concentrated along the coasts. Fifteen states don't have a single service location. Ford, by comparison, has more than <a href="https://corporate.ford.com/social-impact/economic-impact.html">3,000 dealerships</a> that buyers can turn to for repairs and maintenance. Tesla has tried to make up the difference by building a fleet of over 1,280 mobile service vehicles globally, per its most recent quarterly update. The company can remotely diagnose issues and dispatch technicians to perform some repairs in an owner's driveway. To be sure, many owners are satisfied with the level of service they receive, according to interviews and social media posts.<div type="image" title="Tesla's Fremont, California factory in 2018." height="1666" width="2223" msid="89908123" hostid="261"></div>But Tesla's service experience has degraded in recent years as Tesla's vehicles age and even more hit the road, Abuelsamid said. That's a liability for Tesla as it moves beyond the early adopter crowd and toward more mainstream buyers, he said. Tesla owners regularly take to social media to gripe about <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffTutorials/status/1432380497313861632">long wait times</a> for service appointments, <a href="https://twitter.com/MiaJacNP/status/1464782531849592839">last-minute cancellations</a>, a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaLounge/comments/p3b1fe/tesla_service_loaner_car/">lack of loaner cars</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/18/months-long-delivery-delays-confound-would-be-tesla-owners.html">delivery delays</a>, and generally unpleasant customer service experiences. These aren't new problems. A <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/11/teslas-biggest-problem-is-customer-service-new-bernstein-survey.html">2019 Bernstein survey</a> of Tesla owners identified service and customer service as weak spots. A <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-tesla-model-3-survey/customer-service-battery.html?sref=LspfQlRv">Bloomberg survey</a> from the same year saw discontent with initial service appointments on the rise. Tesla did not return Insider's request for comment, but Musk has acknowledged the need to expand Tesla's service operations, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1052356093534302208">saying in 2018</a> that Tesla would work to cover all regions of North America "within 3 to 6 months." In August, he <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1432454342687219728">said</a> Tesla would expedite the rollout of new locations. <h2><keyword id="12938121" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tesla-energy" source="Orion">Tesla Energy</keyword> customers get 'ghosted'</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solarcity-tesla-energy-beleaguered-history-elon-musk-2021-7">Tesla's solar power division</a> also seems to have a big problem with customer service.In May last year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-solar-roof-panels-cost-energy-nightmare-customer-service-2021-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">14 home solar customers told Insider</a> they were "ghosted" by Tesla's representatives who didn't respond to repeated calls and emails. Some of those customers had signed up for Tesla's flagship<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-solar-roof-price-mistakes-calculating-cost-2021-4"> Solar Roof</a> product, which tiles a roof with photovoltaic tiles rather than bolting solar cells on top of an existing roof.Customers said they had<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-solar-roof-cost-lawsuit-second-suit-class-action-2021-5"> trouble reaching Tesla representatives to discuss unexpected increases </a>to their solar roof installation costs. Two former Tesla Energy employees told <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-solar-energy-elon-musk-complaints-social-media-panels-roof-2021-7">Insider</a> the company had staff dedicated to searching for customer complaints on social media. One of the former employees said that complaining on social media was sometimes a faster route for customers to get their case noticed by Tesla, compared to going through customer service.One Tesla Solar Roof customer told Insider they were advised by their Tesla project manager to post their complaints online."She told me to go online and complain ... on Twitter or Facebook, because she said the only thing this company listens to is social media sentiment," the customer said.<h2>SpaceX's Starlink keeps preorder customers guessing, some say </h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-service-elon-musk-all-you-need-know-2021-2">Starlink</a>, SpaceX's satellite internet, has boomed since its beta launch in October 2020. It had more than 145,000 users in 25 countries across the world in January, per<a href="https://www.spacex.com/launches/index.html"> SpaceX</a>, up from around<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-beta-signup-satellite-internet-how-many-users-2021-8"> 90,000 users in 12 countries</a> in 2021.Despite its rapid growth, the company's service team appears to be lacking, according to<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-customer-service-non-existent-satellite-internet-deposit-contact-2022-1"> preorder customers who spoke to Insider</a>.Insider previously reported some<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-customers-angry-service-contact-order-update-internet-2021-9"> Starlink customers had become frustrated</a> because there was no way of contacting customer service to check when they'd receive the internet kit months after paying a $100 deposit. Some said they<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-customer-service-cancel-deposit-wait-months-satellite-internet-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=T"> requested and received a refund</a> for the deposit due to the issue.<div type="image" title="SpaceX's launch of Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station" height="2400" width="3200" msid="89908125" hostid="261"></div>John Byrne, a telecommunications analyst at GlobalData, told Insider that in comparison to other internet providers, Starlink "appears to have placed the technology first and customer service second."Customer service is better for those who have received the kit and are actively using the network, he said.The only update waiting preorder customers received from Starlink was an emailed apology in November for<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-delays-customer-internet-orders-apologizes-silicon-shortages-dishes-2021-11"> silicon shortages</a> slowing down the company's production rate and delaying orders.Starlink sent one email update to customers on the preorder wait list in November 2021, months after many had paid their deposits. The update apologized for silicon shortages that it said was slowing down production and delaying orders. Although these customers don't need the same level of customer service as the active users, "it's not good form to take a deposit and then leave someone in limbo for that long if they eventually want to attract a broader base of customers," Byrne said.<h2>Musk's charisma can only get his companies so far</h2>Tesla is currently in a "honeymoon period" thanks to its strong branding — but that will fade as the company grows, Iliya Rybchin, partner at the management consulting firm Elixrr which has previously worked with Tesla, told Insider "Customers are willing to overlook some issues because they expect some challenges with an innovative, ground-breaking startup run by a quirky iconoclast," said Rybchin. "However, over the long-term, these issues compound and unless there is a noticeable change, they will have enormous implications on Tesla's growth aspirations."Musk's public profile is a double-edged sword, Rybchin added."Getting bad service from an old telco is kinda expected and nobody notices those complaints, but get bad service from an Elon Musk company and people are quick to post about it all over Twitter," he said.Do you have a story to share about Tesla or SpaceX? Contact Insider reporters Tim Levin (<a href="mailto:tlevin@insider.com">tlevin@insider.com</a>), Isobel Hamilton (<a href="mailto:ihamilton@insider.com">ihamilton@insider.com</a>), or Kate Duffy (<a href="mailto:kduffy@insider.com">kduffy@insider.com</a>)

Elon Musk puts aggressive growth ahead of customer service. It may come back to bite him.

Tech is changing our life – from the way mundane tasks are carried out to something as exotic and complex as the Internet of Things or harnessing the power of the Moon. Some of these things are still in the <keyword id="1964076" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Concept-stage">concept stage</keyword>, some are about to take shape while others are ready to enter the <keyword id="163663" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="mass-market">mass market</keyword>. Keeping that in mind, we bring you five innovative utility concepts that will make life super cool. Check them out. 
 
Cool eyewear that keeps your <keyword id="18311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cell-Phone">cell phone</keyword> running With these glasses on, you can always stay cool as your cell phone will never run out of juice. That is what <keyword id="170" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Designer">designer</keyword> <keyword id="1941146" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sayalee-Kaluskar">Sayalee Kaluskar</keyword> (from India), along with <keyword id="1941145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ramiro-Ramirez">Ramiro Ramirez</keyword>, has devised and a test version for the <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> is already out. In this special edition of <keyword id="1964119" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ray-Ban-Wayfarer-sunglasses">Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses</keyword>, now called <keyword id="1964110" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shama-Shades">Shama-Shades</keyword>, the arms carry <keyword id="6356941" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="solar-panels">solar panels</keyword> that are wired to a battery hidden within the plastic. The cells charge the battery whenever a user is out in the sun. The rest is simple. As soon as your mobile needs some charge, pop off the arms and there you find a microUSB or <keyword id="1964112" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lightning-charger">Lightning charger</keyword> that can be plugged into your iPhone. So get it charging and chill – here is a wearable gadget that works wonders and looks super fashionable. 
 
Image: Digitaltrends.com 
 
 
 
Drones on a power-trapping mission Who says drones are for war alone? Or Amazon’s package delivery? UK-based New Wave Energy wants to fit them up with solar panels and small <keyword id="487521" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="wind-turbines">wind turbines</keyword> – so that they can collect solar and <keyword id="83273" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wind-energy">wind energy</keyword> right from the sky. Then the power could be beamed down as <keyword id="108804" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="microwave">microwave</keyword> and collected by ground-based antennas. These antennas will then turn the electromagnetic radiation into usable DC power and feed it into the grid. Each 20x20 metre craft (self-powered by on-board energy) will contain four small <keyword id="1609647" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Propellers">propellers</keyword>, a flat surface covered with solar panels and a few wind turbines. They will be flying at around 50,000 ft – above the existing air traffic. The company plans to raise about $500,000 on Kickstarter to fund the <keyword id="584695" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="prototype">prototype</keyword> and if that is successful, the first <keyword id="1964107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flying-power-plant">flying power plant</keyword> could be up in six months. 
 
Image: New Wave Energy 
 
 
 
‘Reinvented’ smart wheel with loads of spark Here’s one hybrid bike (we mean bicycle) that may tempt you to power-ride, instead of driving. Its USP is the <keyword id="1964095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Copenhagen-Wheel">Copenhagen Wheel</keyword>, a 12 pound rear wheel with a small motor assembly mounted in the centre. It gathers energy when a biker brakes or descends, and finally has enough juice to provide a battery-powered ride uphill or along the plains. The ‘wheel’ was first developed by a small group of students at <keyword id="54274" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="MIT">MIT</keyword>’s <keyword id="1964063" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SENSEable-City-Laboratory">SENSEable City Laboratory</keyword>. It is now up for pre-order and <keyword id="1964101" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Superpedestrian">Superpedestrian</keyword>, a venture-backed company operating out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has the exclusive licence to the Copenhagen Wheel. This company has been founded by MIT SENSEable’s associate director <keyword id="1964066" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Assaf-Biderman">Assaf Biderman</keyword> who is a part of the original Copenhagen Wheel crew. Initially, the firm will be selling the wheel at $699 for a single-gear configuration, but soon one can get fully fitted-out bikes and multigear set-ups. 
 
Image: Digitaltrends.com 
 
 
 
Flying ‘<keyword id="47972" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Economy-class">economy class</keyword>’ can be a pleasure with <keyword id="1889163" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="morph">Morph</keyword> Lack of funds need not cramp your style anymore – if <keyword id="1964080" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="British-design-firm">British design firm</keyword> <keyword id="1293083" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Seymourpowell">Seymourpowell</keyword> has its way with airlines’ seats. The new concept called Morph is all about custom-sizing your seat. Unlike traditional seats, Morph features a bench-like piece of furniture, covered with <keyword id="1964087" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Stretchy-fabric">stretchy fabric</keyword> over a <keyword id="1964089" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Foam-base">foam base</keyword>. This fabric is stretched over the entire width of three seats, around the frame and over the formers. The fabric is then clamped down by the armrests and the upper dividers to form three individual hammock seats. But the seat space can be adjusted the way you want it as the seat dividers can be moved and clamped down in a different position. What’s more, there are <keyword id="1964094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mechanical-seat-formers">mechanical seat formers</keyword> underneath for adjusting recline and other ergonomic requirements. That’s what we call flying customer size and hope it will be adopted soon. 
 
Image: Seymourpowell.com 
 
 
 
Here’s a <keyword id="1964067" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Window-cling">window cling</keyword> that cuts out noise If a noisy neighbour or a noisy neighbourhood is driving you nuts, there is <keyword id="763013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sono">Sono</keyword>, a window cling (in fact, it will attach itself to any <keyword id="1964068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Glass-surface">glass surface</keyword>) that can cut out all irritating sounds in the same way active noise cancellation is done by some hi-end headphones. But it happens to be more sophisticated and enables you to ‘block’ noise selectively. That means you can still listen to songbirds or the wind rushing through the trees, but not the cars honking on the street or the bagpipe practice going on next door. Well, Sono can discern between a wide range of frequencies and has the ability to neutralise these selectively – so this sound magic is totally possible. Developed by <keyword id="225352" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="industrial-designer">industrial designer</keyword> <keyword id="1964064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rudolf-Stefanich">Rudolf Stefanich</keyword>, the interface looks and acts like a dial. As of now, Sono is just a <keyword id="1964075" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Working-prototype">working prototype</keyword>, but once it enters the market, we all can enjoy the glorious gift of silence even in the heart of busiest cities. 
 
Image: Jamesdysonaward.org

Five Awesome Utility Concepts That Can Change Your
Life

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-from-nasa-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-flights-2021-6">NASA</a> is still trying to diagnose a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-trying-to-fix-hubble-space-telescope-computer-issue-2021-6">computer glitch</a> on its prized <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jupiter-images-great-red-spot-red-spot-jr-2021-5">Hubble Space Telescope</a>.</li><li>After three failed attempts to fix <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hubble-space-telescope-reveals-fading-nebula-in-deep-space-2020-12">Hubble</a>, <keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nasa">NASA</keyword> has narrowed it down to a computer-processing issue.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-hubble-space-telescope-captures-ancient-supernova-blast-2020-9">Hubble</a> may have to switch to backup computer hardware that hasn't been powered up since 2009.</li></ul>NASA still hasn't figured out what <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-trying-to-fix-hubble-space-telescope-computer-issue-2021-6">forced its Hubble Space Telescope offline</a> more than a week ago.The telescope's payload computer suddenly stopped working on June 13, sending NASA engineers scrambling to figure out the problem. That computer, built in the 1980s, is like Hubble's brain - it controls and monitors all the <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> instruments on the spacecraft. So the telescope has gone into a hibernation-like "safe mode" while NASA troubleshoots.The agency has made three attempts to get Hubble's computer working again - in vain. If NASA can't fix the issue, the telescope should be able to switch to hardware on its backup payload computer, but that hasn't powered up since astronauts installed it in 2009. It would take NASA several days to bring the telescope back to its full science operations following such a switch.Hubble, which launched into <keyword id="6375157" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Orbit">orbit</keyword> around Earth in 1990, is the world's most powerful <keyword id="41531" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="space">space</keyword> telescope. It has imaged the births and deaths of stars, discovered new moons around Pluto, and tracked two interstellar objects as they zipped through our solar system. Hubble's observations have allowed astronomers to calculate the age and expansion of the <keyword id="6471260" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="universe">universe</keyword>, and to peer at galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang.<div type="image" title="hubble ultra deep field faint galaxies" height="2033" width="2226" msid="83796761" hostid="261"></div>But Hubble is getting old. None of its parts have been upgraded or replaced since the last astronaut mission to service the telescope in 2009.In March, a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-s-hubble-space-telescope-set-to-resume-science-operations">software error</a> also sent the telescope into safe mode. But in that case, NASA fixed the problem within a week. Now, with this mysterious new glitch, NASA has been struggling to get the Earth-orbiting observatory back online for 10 days.But Paul Hertz, NASA's director of astrophysics, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/23/1009567351/hubble-trouble-nasa-cant-figure-out-whats-causing-computer-issues-on-the-telesco">NPR</a> that the timing can mostly be chalked up to "the inefficiency of trying to fix something which is orbiting 400 miles over your head instead of in your laboratory.""If this computer were in the lab, we'd be hooking up monitors and testing the inputs and outputs all over the place, and would be really quick to diagnose it," he said.A NASA spokesperson told Insider that "there are many redundancies available to the team that have not yet been tried, and it is extremely likely that one of these will work.""Hubble is one of NASA's most important astrophysics missions. It's been operating for over 31 years, and NASA is hopeful it will last for many more years," the spokesperson said. "From a perspective of the value of Hubble to the scientific community, it is still the most powerful telescope available so age is not a decision-making factor."<h2>A computer error led NASA down the wrong path last week</h2>NASA tried, and failed, to restart the malfunctioning payload computer on June 14, the day after Hubble went offline. Initial data pointed to a computer-memory module that was degrading as the potential cause of the problem. So the Hubble team tried switching to one of three backup modules aboard the telescope. But the command to start the new module didn't work.On Thursday, the Hubble team tried again to bring both the current module and the backup online. Both attempts failed.<div type="image" title="two astronauts in spacesuits work on the hubble space telescope in space above earth" height="1993" width="2000" msid="83796762" hostid="261"></div>Since then, further testing has revealed that the memory issues were a symptom of the real problem - which NASA still hasn't identified.Now the Hubble team thinks that the issue is related to the computer's central processing module. NASA said in a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/operations-underway-to-restore-payload-computer-on-nasas-hubble-space-telescope">blog update</a> on Tuesday that the most likely culprit is either the module itself or some interface hardware that helps the module communicate with other parts of the telescope."The team is currently designing tests that will be run in the next few days to attempt to further isolate the problem and identify a potential solution," the NASA blog said. If that doesn't work, the Hubble team is prepared to switch to the backup computer, which was also designed in the 1980s and has been sitting dormant in orbit for 12 years."They're very primitive <keyword id="6387283" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="computers">computers</keyword> compared to what's in your cell phone," Hertz told NPR. "The problem is we can't touch it or see it."

To fix the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA may have to rely on a computer that hasn't turned on since 2009

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword> expects <keyword id="107096" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tesla">Tesla</keyword> to lead the <keyword id="45681" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Solar">solar</keyword> market after a 'better' integration of two key teams.</li><li>The company was heavily focused on building and producing Model 3 cars but can now turn more attention to solar, Musk said.</li></ul>Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, believes that the electric automaker will soon be the market leader in solar.During the company's fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Musk said there were a few years where the company, including the team that works on solar, was devoted to building and producing Tesla's Model 3, the company's first mass-market vehicle. "Now we got a little more bandwidth, we're putting a lot of attention on solar, and it's growing rapidly," he said. "So I think it will not be long before Tesla is, by far, the market leader in solar." Read More: <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-elon-musk-q4-earnings-miss-forecasts-2021-1-1030014506">Tesla stock slumps 8% after 4th-quarter earnings fall short of forecasts</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-solarcity-deal-closes-2016-11">Tesla purchased SolarCity</a>, a rooftop solar company company, in 2016. Once the leader in the industry, its installations have dropped in recent years. To regain its footing, Tesla needs to better integrate between Tesla Powerwall, a battery that stores solar energy for use, and Tesla Solar, according to Musk. Tesla Solar includes Tesla Solargalass Roof which is a solar energy system made up of tempered glass tiles containing solar cells.Musk said that he is confident that the company could integrate Powerwall and Tesla Solar before the end of the year. "We're focused on reducing the amount of time and the complexity of the install, and we're making great progress in that regard, and I think we'll have something that's really dialed in this year," Musk said.Tesla has a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysts-tesla-solar-business-unlikely-to-reach-its-former-glory-2020-2">number of competitors in the space</a>. Earlier this year, the leading rooftop-solar company Sunrun <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sunrun-cfo-3-key-reasons-behind-vivint-solar-acquisition-2020-7">said it would buy</a> the second-largest installer, Vivint Solar. The combined company would control at least 15% of the market. Meantime, Eos Energy Enterprises is <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/tesla-has-a-new-public-competitor-in-power-storage-51605650018">competing</a> with the electric automaker in the battery-based electricity storage business as it enables users to store power produced by renewable energy, according to Barrons. Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-cybertruck-elon-musk-engineering-finished-deliveries-maybe-this-year-2021-1">Elon Musk says Tesla's Cybertruck engineering is done and deliveries may start this year 'if we get lucky'</a>Tesla also needs to achieve an industry-leading cost structure as part of its solar strategy, allowing the company to have an "industry-leading pricing," according to Tesla's CFO Zachary J. Kirkhorn. Kirkhorn added that the company now has a well-positioned cost structure.Tesla's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-q4-earnings-2020-profit-elon-musk-stock-price-2021-1">fourth-quarter earnings fell short</a> of Wall Street's expectations, as the electric automaker continued to grow its sales and turn a profit despite the coronavirus pandemic.The company posted revenue of $10.744 billion, compared to an expected $10.33 billion, and $0.80 (adjusted) per share, compared to an expected $1.01 per share."Despite unforeseen global challenges, we outpaced many trends seen elsewhere in the industry as we significantly increased volumes, profitability and cash generation," the company <a href="https://tesla-cdn.thron.com/static/78Z2ZX_2020_Q4_Quarterly_Update_Deck_SMXBZX.pdf?xseo=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22TSLA-Q4-2020-Update.pdf%22f%22">said in a press release. </a>The electric automaker is expected to start delivering its electric semi-truck in 2021 and a "plaid" version of its Model X. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-volvo-ev-polestar-take-on-tesla-north-america-2021-1?r=tl-sub">A boss at Volvo's Polestar EV firm explains how the brand plans to rival Tesla's dominance in 3 key ways</a>

Elon Musk expects Tesla to lead the solar market soon

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22357">NASA/ESA/STScI</a>An illustration of the space object 'Oumuamua (formally known as 1I/2017 U1) flying through the solar system in late 2017.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A mysterious object called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/oumuamua" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'Oumuamua</a>, the first interstellar visitor ever detected, flew through the solar system in 2017.</li><li>Most astronomers think it's a comet, though 'Oumuamua's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oumuamua-interstellar-space-rock-alien-spaceship-evidence-2019-1">identity may never be fully settled</a>.</li><li>However, interstellar objects might visibly pass by once every 5 years. By the mid-2020s, powerful new telescopes may catch up to 10 per year.</li><li>Scientists are developing space missions to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rocket</a> toward newfound interstellar objects and explore them with small robotic probes.</li><li>Laser-propelled spacecraft like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/starshot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starshot</a> might one day be a fast and inexpensive way to check out weird space objects.</li></ul>Without any warning, a mysterious object flew past Earth in October 2017 at a distance of about 15 million miles.By the time astronomers discovered the cigar-shaped object, it was already careening out of the solar system at 110,000 mph - about 75 times faster than bullet shot from a gun.Astronomers initially called it "1I/2017 U1" - with the "I" standing for interstellar, since the object's trajectory strongly suggested it came <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oumuamua-comet-asteroid-object-origin-dwarf-stars-2018-9">from another star system</a>. It represented the first interstellar object ever detected, so they eventually decided on the Hawaiian name 'Oumuamua, meaning: "a messenger from afar, arriving first."Several telescopes on the ground and one in space took limited observations of 'Oumuamua as it flew away. But the skyscraper-size object was too small, too fast, and detected too late to study in full. And now it's too far and too dim to observe with our current technologies."This one's gone forever," <a href="http://www.physics.nau.edu/~trilling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Trilling</a>, an astronomer at Northern Arizona University who led Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the object, previously told Business Insider. "We have all the data we're ever going to have about 'Oumuamua."Scientists may never settle on the true identity of 'Oumuamua. But the latest and best guess about the object's identity is that it was an elongated, roughly 820-foot-long comet, according to <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.04723" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a forthcoming study</a> in Astrophysical Journal Letters (and almost certainly not <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oumuamua-object-radio-telescope-listens-signals-2017-12">an alien spacecraft</a>).Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oumuamua-interstellar-space-rock-alien-spaceship-evidence-2019-1">A bizarre interstellar object called 'Oumuamua continues to perplex astronomers a year after it vanished. Here's why a few scientists still wonder if it was alien.</a>The astronomers who discovered and scrutinized 'Oumuamua have not called it a day, though: They are already preparing for the next visit by an interstellar object.In November 2017, Trilling and others published <a href="https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aa9989" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a study</a> suggesting that current telescopes may see one such a cosmic interloper every five years. By the mid-2020s - after powerful new telescopes come online and begin <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neocam-mission-not-fully-funded-nasa-2017-1">hunting for dangerous asteroids</a> - we may spot one 'Oumuamua per year. Higher estimates suggest we could even expect up to 10 interstellar object detections per year, according to Harvard astronomer <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~loeb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Avi Loeb</a>."With this one, we were taken fairly by surprise," <a href="https://www.eso.org/~ohainaut/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Olivier Hainaut</a>, an astronomer with the European Southern Observatory who's worked on several studies of the object, previously told Business Insider. "With the next one, we are ready."Hainaut was referring to observatories, but he and others are also scheming something out-of-this-world.Hainaut says at least two teams - one based in the US and another in Europe - are developing conceptual space missions to ride out and meet a future interstellar object. He added that the proposals would be "realistically affordable," or on the order of $500 million (the price range dictated <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-new-asteroid-missions-2017-1">by NASA's Discovery program</a>)."We had a workshop on this in October, and at the beginning of the workshop we said, 'This is impossible.' But after one week of hard work, we realized it's not impossible anymore, it's just difficult," Hainaut said. "Impossible? That's a problem. Difficult? As a first approximation, that just means expensive."<h2>How scientists plan to intercept an interstellar interloper</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/46259778995/">SpaceX</a>A Falcon 9 rocket built by SpaceX blasts several spacecraft into orbit on February 21, 2019.</div></div></div>The biggest problem with trying to explore an interstellar object up-close is uncertainty about where it'd come from, when it will appear, and how close to Earth it might get.That's because the only data point we have is 'Oumuamua itself.To get around this, Hainaut said one option is to have a rocket on stand-by, and launch a relatively small spacecraft (to maximize range and flexibility) once the next interstellar object appears."You'd have to have the spacecraft ready in the hanger and hope you have a pretty big rocket," he said.But scrambling to launch a behemoth rocket - such as SpaceX's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/falcon-heavy-spacex-epic-rocket-launch-in-person-2018-2">Falcon Heavy</a>, ULA's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-cost-industry-pricing-vs-ula-2018-2">Delta IV</a>, Blue Origin's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-origin-new-glenn-rockets-2016-9">New Glenn</a>, or just maybe NASA's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-sls-replacement-spacex-bfr-blue-origin-new-glenn-2018-11">Space Launch System</a> - may not be practical or affordable."The other alternative is to park the spacecraft and the upper stage of the rocket in space," Hainaut said. "You just leave it there, and when the object is discovered, you launch it."The closest parking spot would be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earth-moon-distance-edge-of-outer-space-2018-5">low-Earth orbit</a>, though one of several LaGrange points - neutral points of gravity in space between Earth and its moon (pictured below)- would give scientists maximum flexibility in reaching a target.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov/media/990529/index.html">NASA/WMAP</a>An illustration of Lagrange or libration points.</div></div></div>Parking any current upper-stage rocket in space for months or years may be too risky, though, because the vacuum of space is an incessant torture of scorching heat, freezing cold, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-missile-shoots-down-satellite-space-debris-junk-risk-2019-3">space debris</a>, and blasts of solar <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mars-radiation-levels-spacex-nasa-exposure-2018-4">radiation</a>. This increases the chances an upper stage's electronics and fuel systems may stop working.However, NASA has given ULA and Blue Origin some funding to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-tipping-point-private-space-exploration-funding-2018-8">develop advanced upper stages</a> guaranteed to last for years in space. SpaceX is also working on a durable interplanetary vehicle called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/starship">Starship</a> that could survive in deep-space for a long time.<h2>Could we ever catch up to 'Oumuamua in deep space?</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/3">Breakthrough Foundation</a>An illustration of a Breakthrough Starshot "nanocraft" being propelled into seep space with a powerful laser beam.</div></div></div>Those are just the possibilities with current and imminent aerospace technologies, though.A couple of decades from now, a project called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starshot-proxima-centauri-habitable-planet-2016-8">Breakthrough Starshot</a> might provide a faster, cheaper, and wilder option.The idea is to propel <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/breakthrough-starshot-sprite-spacecraft-launch-2017-7">tiny spacecraft</a> to another star system <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/breakthrough-starshot-laser-beam-power-2018-12">with ultra-powerful lasers</a>, perhaps at around 20% <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-fast-speed-light-travels-earth-moon-mars-nasa-2019-1">the speed of light</a>. Starshot, which was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starshot-alpha-centauri-robots-stephen-hawking-yuri-milner-2016-4">announced in April 2016</a>, was dreamed up by Loeb at Harvard, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-hawking-death-best-quotes-2018-3">Stephen Hawking</a>, and other researchers. The project is backed by a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starshot-proxima-centauri-habitable-planet-2016-8">Russian-American billionaire</a>.As a test run someday, such robots could be sent to catch up to and study 'Oumuamua in deep space."If we had the Starshot infrastructure, it would have been trivial to chase down 'Oumuamua," Loeb told Business Insider in an email. "Even with a speed of merely a tenth of a percent of the speed of light (namely a factor of 200 smaller than the ultimate goal of Starshot) it would be possible to catch up with Oumuamua in a matter of months by sending a cell phone camera that weighs a gram."Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-fast-speed-light-travels-earth-moon-mars-nasa-2019-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The speed of light is torturously slow, and these 3 simple animations by a scientist at NASA prove it</a>That's not to say it would be easy. By the time a Starshot nanocraft could actually launch, 'Oumuamua would be much dimmer - which means the probe would have to get pretty close to take a photo. When traveling at incredibly high speed, that's a difficult maneuver to get right."In my view, it makes much more sense to wait for the next interstellar object to be discovered," Loeb said. "If we catch it on its way to us, we could even contemplate a space mission that will fly by it or even land on it."Hainaut's conceptual proposals rely on more traditional chemical rockets, but he said he'd welcome an innovative solution like Starshot."The Breakthrough Starshot is extremely interesting. The problem is that the laser technology that is required is far from being ready," Hainaut said. "I hope it will be one day." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/astronomers-discover-first-interstellar-object-asteroid-oumuamua-2017-11">Astronomers have discovered a bizarre-looking object that came from outside our solar system</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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