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SpaceX Launches Billionaire to Conduct the First Private Spacewalk 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, carrying the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, carrying the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
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SpaceX Launches Billionaire to Conduct the First Private Spacewalk 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, carrying the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, carrying the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)

A daredevil billionaire rocketed back to space Tuesday, aiming to perform the first private spacewalk and venture farther than anyone since NASA's Apollo moonshots.

Unlike his previous chartered flight, tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman shared the cost with SpaceX this time around, which included developing and testing brand new spacesuits to see how they'll hold up in the harsh vacuum.

If all goes as planned, it will be the first time private citizens conduct a spacewalk, but they won’t venture away from the capsule. Considered one of the most riskiest parts of spaceflight, spacewalks have been the sole realm of professional astronauts since the former Soviet Union popped open the hatch in 1965, closely followed by the US. Today, they are routinely done at the International Space Station.

Isaacman, along with a pair of SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force Thunderbirds pilot, launched before dawn aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. The spacewalk is scheduled for late Wednesday or Thursday, midway through the five-day flight.

But first the passengers are shooting for way beyond the International Space Station — an altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers), which would surpass the Earth-lapping record set during NASA’s Project Gemini in 1966. Only the 24 Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon have ventured farther.

The plan is to spend 10 hours at that height — filled with extreme radiation and riddled with debris — before reducing the oval-shaped orbit by half. Even at this lower 435 miles (700 kilometers), the orbit would eclipse the space station and even the Hubble Space Telescope, the highest shuttle astronauts flew.

All four wore SpaceX’s spacewalking suits because the entire Dragon capsule will be depressurized for the two-hour spacewalk, exposing everyone to the dangerous environment.

Isaacman and SpaceX's Sarah Gillis will take turns briefly popping out of the hatch. They’ll test their white and black-trimmed custom suits by twisting their bodies. Both will always have a hand or foot touching the capsule or attached support structure that resembles the top of a pool ladder. There will be no dangling at the end of their 12-foot (3.6-meter) tethers and no jetpack showboating. Only NASA’s suits at the space station come equipped with jetpacks, for emergency use only.

Pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX’s Anna Menon will monitor the spacewalk from inside. Like SpaceX’s previous astronaut flights, this one will end with a splashdown off the Florida coast.

At a preflight news conference, Isaacman — CEO and founder of the credit card processing company Shift4 — refused to say how much he invested in the flight. “Not a chance,” he said.

SpaceX teamed up with Isaacman to pay for spacesuit development and associated costs, said William Gerstenmaier, a SpaceX vice president who once headed space mission operations for NASA.

“We’re really starting to push the frontiers with the private sector,” Gerstenmaier said.

It’s the first of three trips that Isaacman bought from Elon Musk 2 1/2 years ago, soon after returning from his first private SpaceX spaceflight in 2021. Isaacman bankrolled that tourist ride for an undisclosed sum, taking along contest winners and a childhood cancer survivor. The trip raised hundreds of millions for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Spacesuit development took longer than anticipated, delaying this first so-called Polaris Dawn flight until now. Training was extensive; Poteet said it rivaled anything he experienced during his Air Force flying career.

As SpaceX astronaut trainers, Gillis and Menon helped Isaacman and his previous team — as well as NASA’s professional crews — prepare for their rides.

“I wasn’t alive when humans walked on the moon. I’d certainly like my kids to see humans walking on the moon and Mars, and venturing out and exploring our solar system,” the 41-year-old Isaacman said before liftoff.

Poor weather caused a two-week delay. The crew needed favorable forecasts not only for launch, but for splashdown days later. With limited supplies and no ability to reach the space station, they had no choice but to wait for conditions to improve.

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Varieties

First Rain of Autumn Falls in Iran’s Capital, but the Drought-Ravaged Nation Needs Far More 

A general view shows the Iranian capital Tehran with the snow-covered Alborz mountain range in the background on December 9, 2025, after a year of drought and water shortage in Iran. (AFP)
A general view shows the Iranian capital Tehran with the snow-covered Alborz mountain range in the background on December 9, 2025, after a year of drought and water shortage in Iran. (AFP)
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First Rain of Autumn Falls in Iran’s Capital, but the Drought-Ravaged Nation Needs Far More 

A general view shows the Iranian capital Tehran with the snow-covered Alborz mountain range in the background on December 9, 2025, after a year of drought and water shortage in Iran. (AFP)
A general view shows the Iranian capital Tehran with the snow-covered Alborz mountain range in the background on December 9, 2025, after a year of drought and water shortage in Iran. (AFP)

Rain fell for the first time in months in Iran's capital Wednesday, providing a brief respite for the parched country as it suffers through the driest autumn in over a half century.

The drought gripping Iran has seen its president warn the country it may need to move its government out of Tehran by the end of December if there's not significant rainfall to recharge dams around the capital.

Meteorologists have described this fall as the driest in over 50 years across the country — from even before its 1979 revolution — further straining a system that expends vast amounts of water inefficiently on agriculture.

The water crisis has even become a political issue in the country, particularly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly offered his country's help to Iran, a nation he launched a 12-day war against in June. Water shortages also have sparked localized protests in the past, something Iran has been trying to avoid as its economy struggles under the weight of international sanctions over its nuclear program.

"The water crisis in Iran has, in recent years, escalated from a recurring drought issue into a profound political and security problem that has the regime leadership concerned," the New York-based Soufan Center said.

Drying reservoirs, light snowpack

The drought has been a long subject of conversation across Tehran and wider Iran, from government officials openly discussing it with visiting journalists to people purchasing water tanks for their homes. In the capital, government-sponsored billboards call on the public not to use garden hoses outside to avoid waste. Water service reportedly goes out for hours in some neighborhoods of Tehran, home to 10 million people.

Snowpack on the surrounding Alborz Mountains remains low as well, particularly after a summer that saw temperatures rise near 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country, forcing government buildings to shut down.

Ahad Vazifeh, an official in the government's Iran Meteorological Organization office, called the drought "unprecedented" in an interview with the Fararu news outlet last week. Precipitation now stands at about 5% of what's considered a normal autumn, he added.

"Even if rain in the winter and spring will be normal, we will have 20% shortage," Vazifeh warned.

Social media videos show people standing in some reservoirs, the water lines clearly visible. Satellite pictures analyzed by The Associated Press also show reservoirs noticeably depleted. That includes the Latyan Dam — one of five key reservoirs — which is now under 10% full as Tehran has entered its sixth consecutive year of drought.

The state-owned Tehran Times newspaper, often following the theocracy's line, was blunt about the scale of the challenge.

"Iran is facing an unprecedented water crisis that threatens not only its agricultural sector but also regional stability and global food markets," the newspaper said in a story this past weekend. The faithful have also offered prayers for rain at the country's mosques.

Climate change challenge

Iran, straddling the Middle East and Asia, long has been arid due to its geography. Its Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges cause a so-called "rain shadow" across much of the nation, blocking moisture coming from the Caspian Sea and the Arabian Gulf.

But the drain on the country's water supplies has been self-inflicted. Agriculture uses an estimated 90% of the country's water supplies. That hasn't been stopped even through these recent drought years. That's in part due to policies stemming from Iran's 1979 revolution and then-Supreme Leader Khomeini, who pledged water would be free for all.

The intervening years of the Iran-Iraq war saw the country push for self-sufficiency above all else, irrigating arid lands to grow water-intensive crops like wheat and rice, and over-drilling wells.

Experts have described Iran as facing "water bankruptcy" over its decisions. In the past, Iranian officials have blamed their neighbors in part for their water shortage, with hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at one point falsely suggesting that "the enemy destroys the clouds that are headed towards our country and this is a war Iran will win."

But that's changed with the severity of the crisis leading to current President Masoud Pezeshkian warning the capital may need to be moved. However, such a decision would cost billions of dollars the country likely doesn't have as it struggles through a major economic crisis.

Meanwhile, climate change likely has accelerated the droughts plaguing Iraq, which has seen the driest year on record since 1933, as well as Syria and Iran, said World Weather Attribution, a group of international scientists who study global warming’s role in extreme weather.

With the climate warmed by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) due to fossil fuel burning, the severity of drought seen in Iran over the last year can be expected to return every 10 years, the group said. If the temperature hadn't risen by that much, it could be expected between every 50 to 100 years, it added.

"The current acute crisis is part of a longer term water crisis in Iran and the wider region that results from a range of issues including, frequent droughts with increasing evaporation rates, water-intensive agriculture and unsustainable groundwater extraction," World Weather Attribution said in a recent report.

"These combined pressures contribute to chronic water stress in major urban centers including Tehran, reportedly at risk of severe water shortages and emergency rationing, while also straining agricultural productivity and heightening competition over scarce resources."

Varieties

UK Stadiums Swap Beef Burgers for Wild Venison to Cut Carbon Emissions 

A lone Arsenal fan sits in the stands ahead of the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brentford at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 3, 2025. (AFP)
A lone Arsenal fan sits in the stands ahead of the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brentford at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 3, 2025. (AFP)
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UK Stadiums Swap Beef Burgers for Wild Venison to Cut Carbon Emissions 

A lone Arsenal fan sits in the stands ahead of the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brentford at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 3, 2025. (AFP)
A lone Arsenal fan sits in the stands ahead of the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brentford at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 3, 2025. (AFP)

The humble beef burger is disappearing from menus at stadiums across Britain, as venues such as Brentford’s Gtech Stadium switch to wild venison in a bid to slash carbon emissions.

Hospitality partner Levy UK says the move, now rolling out to more than 20 venues in the UK and Ireland, could cut emissions by 85% and save up to 1,182 tons of CO₂e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) annually.

"Beef has the highest impact in terms of carbon emissions in all of our ingredients that we offer," James Beale, the Head of Sustainability and Community at Brentford, told Reuters.

"We wanted to replace that with wild venison that has 85% less carbon emissions per kilogram than our beef burgers. So, it has a massive impact."

The initiative will supply wild venison portions, served in eco-friendly packaging with condiments made from surplus vegetables, in place of what would have been 54 tons of beef burgers.

The venison burger debuted at Brentford's stadium, while close to 5,500 wild venison burgers were sold at Twickenham in just one month, said sports and entertainment caterer Levy, including at the women’s Rugby World Cup final in September.

"Our fans really like it," Beale said. "It's more popular than the beef burger from last year."

Independent studies vary on the size of the carbon gap between beef and wild venison, however, depending on how emissions are counted.

Levy says Britain’s estimated two million wild deer, which have no natural predators, are helping drive a sustainability push as their meat enters stadium menus.

Using wild venison reduces reliance on artificial inputs, curbs water contamination and supports biodiversity, while offering a lower-carbon alternative to beef, the company said.

Levy added that their nationwide rollout also includes The Oval cricket ground in London, the National Theatre, The O2 and the National Exhibition Centre.

Varieties

Questions over Machado's Whereabouts as Nobel Event Postponed

It remains unclear whether Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado will be able to attend the ceremony in person. Odd ANDERSEN / AFP
It remains unclear whether Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado will be able to attend the ceremony in person. Odd ANDERSEN / AFP
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Questions over Machado's Whereabouts as Nobel Event Postponed

It remains unclear whether Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado will be able to attend the ceremony in person. Odd ANDERSEN / AFP
It remains unclear whether Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado will be able to attend the ceremony in person. Odd ANDERSEN / AFP

Nobel officials delayed a press conference with Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado in Oslo Tuesday, but said they remained confident Venezuela's elusive opposition leader would collect her award in person.

It was not known whether Machado, who has been in hiding since August 2024, was in the city. The Venezuelan government has said it would declare her a "fugitive" if she attends, putting her at risk of arrest if she tries to re-enter the country, AFP reported.

Her family is already in the Norwegian capital and said they hoped she would attend.

The press conference, traditionally held by the prizewinner on the eve of the December 10 award ceremony in Oslo, was expected to be the 58-year-old's first public appearance in 11 months.

In a message to the media early Tuesday, the institute said the press conference was "postponed", without giving a reason for the delay.

"Everything suggests that we will manage to organize a press conference today," Nobel Institute spokesman Erik Aasheim told AFP.

It remained however unclear whether Machado had arrived in Oslo and would be able to accept her award in person on Wednesday.

The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jorgen Watnes Frydnes, told AFP early Tuesday that her presence was "more or less" confirmed.

Machado has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of stealing the July 2024 election she was banned from standing in, a claim backed by much of the international community.

She has lived in hiding in Venezuela since August 2024.

She last appeared in public at a demonstration in Caracas on January 9, protesting against Maduro's inauguration for his third term.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Machado on October 10 for her efforts to bring democracy to Venezuela, challenging the iron-fisted rule of Maduro, who has been president since 2013.

'Fugitive'

Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said last month the opposition leader would be considered a "fugitive" if she travelled to Norway to accept the prize.

"By being outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal investigations, she is considered a fugitive," Saab told AFP, adding she is accused of "acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, terrorism."

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Monday he did not know if she would travel to Oslo.

The Nobel prize ceremony will take place on Wednesday at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) at Oslo's City Hall.

Several members of Machado's family, including her mother, three sisters and daughter, were already in Oslo for the event.

"I would never have imagined it. I had heard and read that she had been nominated" for the award, her mother Corina Parisca de Machado told AFP on Monday, recalling the day her daughter won.

"I thought: 'Caramba! (Wow!) What a wonderful day that would be'," the 84-year-old added.

Several Latin American leaders, including Argentine President Javier Milei -- like Machado, an ally of US President Donald Trump -- were also expected to attend the ceremony.

Seen in Oslo on Monday was Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino, who said he came to "congratulate the hero of democracy and the struggling Venezuelan people" and voiced hope for a "return to democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible".

A large police presence has meanwhile stood guard since Monday outside the Grand Hotel in central Oslo, which traditionally hosts the Nobel Peace Prize laureates, AFP journalists said.

While Machado has been hailed by many for her efforts to bring democracy to Venezuela, she has also been criticized by others for aligning herself with Trump, to whom she has dedicated her Nobel Prize.

The Oslo ceremony coincides with a large US military build-up in the Caribbean in recent weeks and deadly strikes on what Washington says are drug smuggling boats.

Maduro insists that the real goal of the US operations -- which Machado has said are justified -- is to topple the government and seize Venezuela's oil reserves.

If Machado does come to Norway to accept her prize, the question then arises of how she would re-enter Venezuela.