Today’s science and technology landscape is defined less by breakthrough papers than by the machinery around discovery, risk and ambition. Billionaire Gina Rinehart’s reported US$1 billion bet on SpaceX underscores how private capital continues to shape the future of rockets, satellites and AI-linked infrastructure, while energy group ZTT is looking ahead to Intersolar Europe 2026 with a broad pitch built around solar, storage and hydrogen as the low-carbon sector searches for integrated solutions. Beyond industry, the day also carried a reminder of the human cost of high-stakes pursuits: extreme athlete Andy Lewis died in a BASE jumping accident near Moab, closing the career of a performer who made danger part of his craft. And though outside science proper, the death of veteran investigative broadcaster Roger Cook marks the loss of a figure whose relentless scrutiny helped shape public understanding of complex issues for decades.