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#Space

VideoVideo: CBS News on YouTube

Science · Video

SpaceX’s Starship reaches orbit for first time, deploys 26 Starlink satellites

The world's biggest rocket finally made it to orbit on its 14th test flight, a milestone for NASA's Moon plans and for Starlink, now one of Nigeria's largest internet providers.

Updated 18:03 WAT, 1 Oct 2026: This story has been corrected to include SpaceX's explanation that it cut the flight short as a precaution after an engine problem during ascent, and that all 26 Starlink satellites have made contact. SpaceX Starship, the largest rocket ever built, reached orbit for the first time on Monday, releasing 26 Starlink internet satellites before…

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  1. Day length drifts by a few milliseconds over decades, scientists say
  2. Gravity between the inner core and the mantle is the main driver, the study finds
  3. Electromagnetic and topographic forces push the other way, like a tug-of-war
Gist Reel

Science · 2 min read

Earth’s core is quietly changing the length of your day, study finds

A new Nature study says a gravitational tug-of-war between Earth's inner core and mantle drives tiny, decades-long shifts in the length of a day.

A day lasts 24 hours, right? Almost. Earth's spin is not perfectly steady, and a new study helps explain why. Scientists have long known that the length of a day drifts by a few milliseconds over decades. Geophysicists track this by measuring Earth's position against distant objects in space. The changes are far too small for you to notice, but…

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