SpaceX has shared some breathtaking footage captured from a Crew Dragon spacecraft during the recent Polaris Dawn mission.

The video (below) was recorded by an external camera from an altitude of about 450 miles (730 kilometers) during the spacecraft’s 75 orbits of Earth across the historic five-day mission.

“Looks like CGI, but these are all real video highlights from the Polaris Program space mission,” SpaceX chief Elon Musk said in a post on social media.

Views from Dragon in flight 🐉🌎

During its five day mission, Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew completed 75 orbits around Earth pic.twitter.com/NzIFElzXAm

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 27, 2024

Advertisement

The footage is dramatically different to that beamed back from the International Space Station (ISS) as the station’s orbit is much closer to Earth at around 250 miles. The Crew Dragon’s higher orbit therefore gives us a much wider perspective, with the Earth’s curvature much more prominent.

The same camera was used to record the first-ever commercial spacewalk, which was performed by Polaris Dawn crew member Jared Isaacman, the man who funded all-civilian mission. Following Isaacman, fellow crewmember Sarah Gillis became the first woman to perform a commercial spacewalk. The event also marked the first time for someone to emerge from the Crew Dragon spacecraft in the vacuum of space. The main goal of the spacewalk was to test a new spacesuit that offers greater mobility and comfort than the current design used for such endeavors. It’s expected that a version of the suit will be used for future missions to the moon and possibly beyond.

Traveling alongside Isaacman and Gillis were Scott Poteet and Anna Menon. While Isaacman had been to orbit before — as part of the privately funded Inspiration4 mission in 2021 — his three fellow crewmembers were on their first trip to space.

During the flight, the four non-professional astronauts traveled further from Earth — 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) — than anyone has traveled since the Apollo missions five decades ago. The crew also tested out a laser-based communications system, and carried out science experiments that included health and human performance research for NASA’s Human Research Program.

The Crew Dragon and its occupants returned safely to Earth on September 15, with the journey home captured in a stunning photo taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the ISS.

Google launched the Pixel Buds Pro 2 in August as its latest flagship TWS earbuds. The Pixel Buds series not only offers good audio quality but also a plethora of useful and convenient smart features. However, these features were not available to Mac or Windows device users. Now, Google is solving the problem by adding Windows and macOS support for the Pixel Buds web app.

The Pixel Buds web app is not exactly new, as Chromebook users have been able to use it for a while now. It allows them to enjoy most of the features of the Pixel Buds devices on their laptops too, while Windows and macOS users had to settle for just being able to pair their earbuds.

The Google Pixel Buds web app gets support for Windows and macOS devices

Now, Google has updated the “Update your Pixel Buds Firmware” support page. “The Pixel Buds web companion app is available on Chrome OS, MacOS and Windows,” reads the new version. The web app is the same on all supported platforms, so all features are available, including checking battery levels and accessing expanded controls.

Regarding expanded controls, there are numerous options available. This web app lets you do everything the smartphone app does. You’ll be able to enable/disable ANC, tweak the equalizer, or manage multipoint connectivity. You can also enable/disable the conversation detection feature, in-ear detection, and even tweak the volume balance. Of course, the web app will also let you update your earbuds’ firmware, even without a linked phone nearby.

In terms of features, the older-generation Pixel Buds will become smarter in the near future thanks to the integration with Gemini. However, there is still no exact date for the rollout of Gemini on previous Google earbuds. Also, Gemini Live integration will still be exclusive to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, at least for now.

In What We’re Listening To, Engadget writers and editors discuss some of the recent music releases we’ve had on repeat. This installment has everything from jazz standards to The Jesus Lizard.

Lady Gaga – Harlequin

I wasn’t even a minute into Harlequin before I had the realization, Oh, I am going to become so annoying in my love for this. Unfortunately for everyone in my life (and doubly so because I’m singing along), I’ve had it blasting all weekend since the surprise drop on Friday. Gaga is a powerhouse, and as much as I adore her take on pop, I’m always blown away when I hear her do jazz. And Harlequin is brimming with it.

Harlequin is a companion album to a soon-to-be-released movie (Joker: Folie à Deux) and almost entirely comprises cover songs — a combination that might typically put me off. But Gaga’s breezy versions of classics like “World on a String” and “Smile” are almost chilling. Her energy in tracks like “Gonna Build a Mountain” is through the roof. I could have done without “Oh, When the Saints,” but I’m really just nit-picking now. There are only two original songs on the album and they are completely different beasts, each impactful in its own way. “Happy Mistake” is a clear standout, and I’ll be softly weeping to that one for years to come.

Babe Haven – Nuisance

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve been really into punk band Babe Haven’s most recent album, Nuisance, lately. It’s 25-ish minutes of queer femme rage and I can’t get enough of it. Check it out on Bandcamp.

— Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor

The Jesus Lizard – Rack

Even laudatory reviews of comeback albums lean on expectations tempered with preemptive apology or pity praise. A comparison to headier days of musical urgency is inevitable; it stings for the same reasons as hearing “you look great for your age.” I wish there were some way to take stock of Rack without that baggage, because The Jesus Lizard doesn’t merely sound better than a band which took three decades off has any right to, it simply does not sound as though time has passed at all.

Rack broods with baffling inconspicuousness amid their oeuvre. Sure, “What If?” doesn’t reach the slash and sprawl of earlier meanderings like “Rodeo in Joliet,” but “Lord Godiva” glides on the most Duane Denison of Duane Denison riffs, lightning and crude oil. The manic physicality of David Yow’s voice is unaltered — neither more harried after 60+ years of swinging at ghosts, nor attenuated by the effort.

So many bands seemingly frozen in amber reemerge denuded, as though covering themselves. They’d be frantically recapturing their glory days, if they had the energy to do anything frantic anymore. Rack, through sheer ferocity, is instead a band continuing to do exactly what it always has, just as well as it always has, and sounding really fucking cool doing it.

— Avery Ellis, Deputy Editor, Reports

Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet

There’s a part of me that hates keeping up with pop music, and that’s the part of me that cringes when I realize the last few albums I’ve listened to have been the ones by pop princesses Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and more. That’s also the part of me that resisted listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album for months (and probably the part of me that refused to watch the incredible Schitt’s Creek until this year).

I say all that only to explain why I’m so late to appreciate the goodness that is Short n’ Sweet. And the non-self-judgy part of me has unabashedly loved Carpenter’s new music and been asking all my friends if they’ve listened to her songs. When I talked to my various friend groups about her, what became clear is how there’s something for everyone, regardless of the variety in our tastes.

I’m a fan of R&B, hip hop and basically anything I can dance or sing to. The tracks “bet u wanna,” “Taste” and “Feather” have become highly repeated items on my playlist and yes, I did go back into her older discography for some of those titles. However, my current absolute favorite is “Espresso.” It’s got a catchy hook, clever lyrics and a groovy beat that delicately straddles the line between upbeat and lowkey. I love the wordplay and how, when woven with the rhythm and melody, it initially sounded to me like Carpenter was singing in a different language. And as someone who works in tech and is occasionally a gamer, I especially adored the use of the words “up down left right,” “switch” and Nintendo. Truly, rhyming “espresso” with “Nintendo” wasn’t something I would have expected to work, but work it did.

But back to the point I was making earlier: Even if that sort of chill dance club vibe isn’t your thing, there’s plenty in Short n’ Sweet that might appeal to you. I wasn’t as huge a fan of “Please please please,” for example, but I know friends who love it. And while “Bed Chem” and “Good Graces” aren’t hitting my feels the same way “Espresso” is, those two are among her highest played songs on Spotify. I’m also starting to warm up to “Juno.”

All that is to say, we all have different tastes. Maybe you’re more of a Chappell Roan fan. I like some of her latest tracks too, just not as much as I’ve enjoyed Carpenter’s. I also really enjoy the brilliance that is “Die With a Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, which is something I’ll be adding to my karaoke duet repertoire, but am already playing less frequently nowadays. If you have a preference for music from the likes of Ariana Grande, NewJeans and Doja Cat, you’ll probably have a good time with Sabrina Carpenter. And since I’m so late to the party, you probably have already.

— Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor, Reviews

A SpaceX capsule sent to bring back two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) has docked.

The Dragon capsule, which has two empty seats for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, docked at 17:30 eastern time (22:30 BST).

The pair arrived at the station on Boeing’s new Starliner capsule for an eight-day mission in June, but were forced to remain there because of a fault discovered during the flight.

They are now expected to return to Earth in February.

The Dragon capsule lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Saturday carrying Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.

Hague, who has done a previous stint on the ISS, and Gorbunov will join the space station’s crew before taking Wilmore and Williams back to Earth.

The launch had been scheduled for Thursday but was delayed because of Hurricane Helene, which has caused huge destruction across the south-eastern US, including Florida, in recent days.

The docking occurred as the space station flew 265 miles (426km) above Botswana in southern Africa.

Footage from inside the ISS showed Hague and Gorbunov smiling and posing for photos with the rest of the crew after their arrival.

The original Starliner flight, which launched on 5 June, was that capsule’s first test flight with astronauts on board and Boeing’s first attempt to take astronauts to the ISS.

During the flight it experienced a number of problems, including leaks of helium – which is used in its propulsion system – and issues with several of its thrusters.

Engineers at Boeing and Nasa spent months investigating, but in late August Nasa decided that it would not be safe to try to bring Wilmore and Williams home aboard the Starliner.

The capsule had already been delayed for several years because of setbacks during its development, as well as issues discovered during uncrewed test flights in 2019 and 2022.

Nasa retired its space shuttle fleet in 2011, leaving the agency reliant on Russia’s Soyuz craft to get to and from the ISS.

Having two American companies to perform the missions has been a key goal for some time, and in 2014 Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts worth $4.2bn (£3.2bn) and $2.6bn (£2bn) respectively.

In 2020, SpaceX – founded by billionaire Elon Musk – became the first private company to take astronauts to the ISS.