Darp

DARPA is developing a robotic spacecraft designed to service and repair satellites in geosynchronous orbit, some 36,000 kilometres above Earth. The program, detailed by IEEE Spectrum, would allow malfunctioning or aging satellites to be fixed or refueled in place rather than decommissioned. Interest centers on how the robot would operate at such distances and what it means for the future of satellite maintenance and space security.

Microsoft has offered its Majorana-based quantum chips to DARPA for independent evaluation, a move that would subject the company's contested topological qubit claims to outside scrutiny. The announcement drew attention in semiconductor and quantum computing circles, where experts have debated whether Microsoft's Majorana approach represents a genuine breakthrough or an unproven path. Independent testing by the US defense agency could lend credibility to, or undermine, the technology.