Articles

BP seeks North Sea buyer after Burnham backs ‘pragmatic’ approach to extraction

2026-07-31T10:14:15Z

BP has started looking for buyers for its North Sea oil and gas business just one day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would take a “pragmatic” approach to fossil fuel extraction in the area. Outlining the reason for the decision, BP said it...(read more)

Ground lasers could wirelessly power drones in flight

2026-07-29T15:01:00Z

Drones could undertake drastically longer flights using a lightweight solar receiver that generates electricity by harnessing targeted laser energy from the ground. A team from the Civil Aviation University of China placed the device on the underside...(read more)

Data centres face hefty fees to secure connections to the UK electricity grid

2026-07-29T12:28:36Z

Data centres could be forced to pay millions of pounds to Ofgem in order to secure their spot in the queue of new connections to the energy grid. The past few years have seen the number of data centres explode due to the advent of AI technologies, wh...(read more)

Qantas completes 24-hour test flight for non-stop Australia services

2026-07-29T11:23:14Z

Qantas has landed one of the longest flights to date in a commercial aircraft, with a direct trip from Melbourne to Toulouse that took over 24 hours. The flight-test aircraft, which is a variant of an Airbus A350, underwent a series of tests in June ...(read more)

310MWh battery storage system to power West Midlands in 2028

2026-07-28T12:20:46Z

UK battery storage developer Pulse Clean Energy has accelerated development of its 310MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) near Lower Penn, on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. The Penn BESS, with its proposed 60 battery storage units and 30 power ...(read more)

Blue Origin aims to return to flight by end of 2026 after launchpad destruction

2026-07-28T12:20:31Z

Following a catastrophic rocket explosion that destroyed its launchpad in May, Blue Origin has said it will build a more advanced facility in its place that could support launches by the end of the year. On 28 May, a New Glenn rocket made by the Jeff...(read more)

E+T Podcast: Episode 24 | London’s Robotaxis are finally here, but why did the future take 10 years?

2026-07-28T12:20:03Z

In this episode of E+T Off the Page, hosts Tim Fry and Jack Loughran sit down with Professor Siddartha Khastgir, head of safe autonomy at WMG, University of Warwick, to explore the real-world arrival of robotaxis on the streets of London. The episode...(read more)

China eyes Europe’s floating wind boom but technology trust gap remains

2026-07-28T12:13:20Z

Floating wind could offer China a gateway into Europe’s fast-growing offshore wind market – but do developers want its technology? Encompassing around 66 by 59 metres with 30-50 metre drafts, floating wind installations tend to be mammoth. They enabl...(read more)

Has Europe’s golden age of space tech finally arrived?

2026-07-28T11:43:50Z

Global geopolitical turmoil is forcing Europe to boost spending on space technologies to reduce its reliance on the US. But catching up after decades of underinvestment won’t be easy. The European space industry could be about to enter a golden era. ...(read more)

Astronomers call for 100,000-satellite cap to protect the night sky

2026-07-28T11:39:01Z

Future proposals to launch over 1.7 million satellites into Earth’s orbit will have “devastating consequences” for astronomy, a study from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) claims. The number of active satellites orbiting Earth has exploded ove...(read more)

Rail line closed during Beeching cuts set to return after 60 years

2026-07-27T12:53:57Z

Work has started on restoring passenger rail services between Portishead and Bristol for the first time in 60 years. A £63m investment from the government will result in two brand-new stations and reconnect more than 50,000 people to the railway. The...(read more)

Gatwick deploys robots to park passengers’ cars

2026-07-27T11:14:04Z

Gatwick Airport has launched the UK’s first robotic airport parking service. The new system, delivered in partnership with Paris-based tech company Stanley Robotics, allows passengers to drive into a dedicated private drop-off cabin, step out of thei...(read more)

Rare 2024 Northern Lights event exposed UK infrastructure weaknesses

2026-07-24T09:30:52Z

Many parts of the UK had a rare opportunity to see the Northern Lights in May 2024, but the geomagnetic storm behind it laid bare a number of weaknesses in domestic infrastructure, the Royal Astronomical Society has said. Scientists from the Space En...(read more)

Nvidia chip to give rovers the power to explore the Moon more independently

2026-07-24T08:54:24Z

Lunar rovers will be equipped with Nvidia GPUs to help them quickly map the surface of the Moon and communicate with Earth. Robotics firm Lunar Outpost has been selected by Nasa to take part in its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, ...(read more)

BAE unveils UK's first homegrown autonomous fighter jet

2026-07-23T13:14:51Z

The first autonomous fighter jet built entirely in the UK has been unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow. Built by BAE Systems, the Brontanax CCA (collaborative combat aircraft) is designed to be operated by a Typhoon pilot or mission com...(read more)