Technology

European manufacturers and defence groups in mid-July formed a coalition to develop an interceptor system to destroy missiles in space. Thales, MBDA Deutschland, Airbus, Safran and startup Destinus said they would establish what they called the Bliksem EXO Consortium to protect the continent in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reports Reuters. Long-range missiles spend some of the flight outside of the atmosphere, and the group said it planned to carry out a test of the “exoatmospheric kill vehicle” in space next year. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) were developed in the late 1950s, and the fact that they travel through space was one reason that led to the signing of the Outer Space Treaty in 1967. The treaty, among other things, says the Moon should be used for peaceful purposes, and bans the use of nuclear weapons in space. The US detonated a 1.4 megaton warhead on July 9 1962 in what it called the Starfish Prime test, 400km above the Pacific Ocean. The bomb caused a massive electromagnetic pulse, knocking out streetlights and a microwave link in Hawaii. Until now, there has been no way to check if satellites have a nuclear payload. MIT Professor Areg Danagoulian proposes a satellite-based sensor that could detect neutrons generated by high energy protons colliding with radioactive material. In his paper published in Nature, Danagoulian describes his idea for a satellite-based sensor system that could closely orbit a suspect satellite and detect neutrons generated by high-energy protons colliding with radioactive material. Danagoulian says the sensor system, the size of a large encyclopaedia, could detect a weapon if it orbited within 4km of the satellite for around a week.

Twenty-six Meta employees are suing the company over claims that it used AI software tools to select certain people for a mass layoff programme. The lawsuit, filed in Oakland, California, in mid-July, alleged the company used AI tools that targeted people with disabilities, or those who took medical leave. The plaintiffs allege that Meta drew up the termination list with AI “to score, rank and select” employees for inclusion. They also allege the company used keystroke- and activity-monitoring software in its decisions. The fact that the people on the list may not have been at work meant they scored lower on the company’s metrics. A Meta spokesperson said their claims lacked merit and that the layoff decisions had been taken by management.