Technology

SpaceX confirmed on August 27, 2026, that Ship 40, the upper stage from Starship Flight 13, had been loaded onto a semi-submersible vessel for a several-month return journey to Starbase following its softest splashdown to date. Engineers spent several days inspecting the vehicle near Christmas Island, collecting heatshield samples and reentry data that SpaceX says will inform improvements to future Starship vehicles. Whether Ship 40 is flight-reusable has not been confirmed, and the precise transport route and arrival date remain undisclosed.

On August 28, 2026, Eli Lilly announced FDA approval of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk, making it the first dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist to carry this indication. The approval rests on the SURPASS-CVOT trial of 13,299 patients, which showed tirzepatide was non-inferior to dulaglutide but did not demonstrate superiority, with event rates of 12.2% versus 13.1% and a hazard ratio of 0.92. Notably, the FDA label and approval letter retrieved from agency records do not yet reflect this cardiovascular indication, leaving the specific label wording and supplemental approval date unverified in official documentation.

Bluecore Energy has delivered an electric test reactor and barge to a leased berth at Pier D in Long Beach, supported by a nonbinding five-year exploratory cooperation agreement between the Port and MARAD. The company has not yet filed an NRC application, has no confirmed customers or power-purchase agreements, and has raised approximately $10 million in pre-seed funding. Whether California's nuclear construction moratorium applies to a floating reactor installation remains an unresolved legal question.

PSE&G launched its GridSmart Battery Pilot on August 26, 2026, offering New Jersey residential customers up to $5,000 in instant rebates and up to $25,000 in interest-free financing for qualifying home battery systems, in exchange for allowing the utility to dispatch those batteries during up to 100 grid peak events per year. Compatible systems are limited to Tesla Powerwall 3 and Enphase units with at least 8.5 kW of capacity, and only new installations qualify. The statewide NJBPU Virtual Power Plant docket that would govern the program remains under review, and PSE&G has not disclosed a participant cap, total MW target, or planned pilot end date.

Deployable Energy has been selected for a planned 1-MWe full-power test at Idaho National Laboratory and a maritime evaluation with Hornbeck Offshore, but neither demonstration has a public schedule or has taken place. The company's only completed milestone to date is zero-power criticality, not electricity-generating operation, and NRC records show preapplication activity rather than a licensing decision. No project-specific federal funding instrument was identified in public records, placing both initiatives firmly in early planning stages.

NuScale Power deployed nuclear-specific AI tools on August 25, 2026, asserting an initial proof of concept could cut information-search time by up to 80%, but the company disclosed no baseline, sample size, test period, or independent evaluator to support that figure. The tools cover engineering and licensing document retrieval and predate no NRC submission changes, design-certification amendments, or altered customer schedules. Readers will learn what the deployment actually covers, what evidence is missing, and why the claim cannot yet be treated as a verified engineering result.