Lockheed Martin to unleash the Pentagon's most powerful laser yet

Plus: OceanGate co-founder wants to send 1,000 people to Venus by 2050 [Blueprint]( Sponsored by ⬟ The Pentagon is getting a futuristic new weapon, [a 500 kilowatt “super laser”]( dubbed the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI) and it”s the most powerful directed energy weapon ever. The contract is part of the Pentagon's Laser Scaling Initiative, which will equip vehicles and bases with lightning-fast laser weapons previously only seen in sci-fi. With speed-of-light engagement, exceptional precision, and endless “ammunition”, these futuristic arms are set to transform 21st century combat. Read on to learn how such lasers could completely change the face of modern warfare. 🎨 But first, here’s [your video of the day]( on BMW's colorful new car. Good morning. I’m Tim, an Editor at IE. This is the Blueprint. What else is new today? VIDEO OF THE DAY [Is Nikola Tesla Overrated?]( Will BMW’s color-changing car increase criminal opportunities? With the i Vision Dee, a color-changing car, the possibilities are limitless, but so are the potential consequences. SUPPORT INTERESTING ENGINEERING Invest in science and engineering Insider access to exclusive content, featuring riveting stories that take you right to the heart of the action. Engage with our thriving online community, dive into captivating science discoveries, and stay informed with our enlightening weekly premium newsletters. With IE+, quality reporting is more than just news - and it is Ad-Free. [SUBSCRIBE]( Must Read 🎇 Lockheed Martin to beef up its already potent 300 kW HELSI laser for the Pentagon The US military is getting a historic laser power boost. Lockheed Martin just won a contract to deliver the most powerful laser ever. The new 500 kW system is a major upgrade for its directed energy weapons. The ultra-powered laser is part of a Department of Defense initiative to equip vehicles and bases with high-energy lasers for defense. These lightning-fast weapons can incinerate threats like missiles and drones with speed-of-light engagement. Lasers bring many advantages like deep magazines, low cost per shot, and high precision over traditional weapons. At production scale, laser weapons could transform 21st century combat capabilities across all military branches. [Read More]( HOT TOPICS - ⛪️ [British scientists are scouring cathedral roofs. What are they up to?]( for cosmic particles atop centuries-old buildings, of course. - 🇦🇶 [Antarctica loses Argentina-size sea ice. It should be back — why isn't it?]( This time every year Antarctica's sea ice builds back up. But this year scientists have observed something different. - 🏎 [World’s first Formula E racing car made completely out of e-waste]( Envision Racing's automobile is made of electronic devices donated by the UK tech company Music Magpie and schoolchildren. - 🦑 [James Cameron says deep-sea mining is safer than getting in an elevator]( His comments come a month after a submersible imploded killing all five passengers on board. - 🚀 [SpaceX tests Starship water deluge system for second time without permit]( SpaceX has officially completed its second successful test of Starship's water deluge system. However, this water might be considered industrial waste under environmental law. [Science]( 🌥 OceanGate co-founder wants to send 1,000 people to Venus by 2050 June’s deep-sea disaster, which killed five people aboard an OceanGate submersible, has not deterred the company’s co-founder, Guillermo Söhnlein, from pursuing a much bigger plan. He revealed that he wants to send 1,000 humans to live in Venus' atmosphere by 2050. "I think it is less aspirational than putting a million people on the Martian surface by 2050," Söhnlein added. [Read More]( A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR [Shift your PC to the cloud and liberate yourself from your desk!]( Flexibility, ease of access, reduced risk of data loss, cost saving, instant access security; that's just a long list of benefits you can achieve just by embracing the cloud technology! [Windows 365 For Dummies]( teaches you the ins and outs of this game-changing OS. You’ll learn how to make the most of Windows 365 with increased security. Oh, and did we mention you can do it from literally anywhere? Dummies will help you wrap your mind around cloud computing with Windows 365, so you can work with your files, no matter where you are. [Read More]( [Innovation News]( 🚀 China tests new hydrogen-oxygen rocket engine in preparation for Moon landings China has reportedly successfully conducted a test firing of its Long March-10 hydrogen-oxygen rocket. This is a critical milestone for the nation's plans to get astronauts to the Moon. [Read More]( [Innovation]( 👩‍🚀 ESA tests antimicrobial materials for spacesuit inner linings that do not require washing Keeping spacesuits clean for extended periods of time, especially the interiors, is a challenge. So, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been looking for suitable materials for future spacesuit linings to prevent microbial growth and make them more robust for outside lunar operations. [Read More]( job alert In this section you’ll find the latest jobs as featured on: [jobs.interestingengineering.com]( [Back End Linux Software Engineer]( [Fort Meade,US]( [Technical Sales and Field Service Engineer]( [Dallas,US]( [Senior Infrastructure Engineer (SD-Wan, Azure, GCP)]( [Phoenix,US]( [Big Data Engineer - AWS (Hybrid)]( [Reston,US]( [Senior Software Engineer - Autonomous Vehicles]( [Remote,UK]( [Sr. Azure DevOps Engineer]( [Chicago,US]( [Systems Engineer / Principal Systems Engineer (Secret Clearance) (AHT)]( [Manhattan Beach,US]( [GMD Weapons System (GWS) Software Systems Engineer]( [Huntsville,US]( [Senior Machine Learning Engineer (Modeling)]( [San Francisco,US]( [Senior Emulation Engineer]( [Santa Clara,US]( QUESTION OF THE DAY Will laser weapons ever completely replace shells, missiles, and bullets? [No, each has specific roles]( [No, lasers aren't up to it]( [Yes, lasers can do it all]( [Maybe in the far future]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS North Korea’s recent weapon developments are of concern to 81 percent of you, with only 3 percent dismissing the threat entirely. 44% Some may be real threats 37% They’re of great concern 16% Impossible to know 3% They’re of no concern “I’ve seen an awful lot of seafloor. And while there are some amazing creatures [...] What you mostly have is miles and miles and miles of nothing but clay [...] Mining highly sensitive and highly diverse habitats is a very, very different thing from mining in the abyssal seafloor.” James Cameron, director and deep sea explorer AMAZON AMAZERS [De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Coffee Maker]( [BISSELL CleanView Compact Vacuum Cleaner]( [FLEXIMOUNTS 4x6 Overhead Garage Storage]( [Shark HE402 Air Purifier 4]( AND ANOTHER THING - [Huge 'bubbletrons' post-Big Bang may have shaped early cosmos]( - [7,000 year-old DNA proves European Neolithics had only one partner at a time]( - [How high heat affects EVs and what you can do about it]( [premium] - [Two of humanity's most ancient materials unlock bulk energy storage solution]( - [Improved Formula E car sets indoor speed record inside a building in London]( - [310-million-year-old fossil of ancient spider species found in Germany]( - [SpaceX's Falcon 9 may have punched a hole in the ionosphere]( - [Scientists mapped out the beat of our heart, here's what they found]( - [First evidence of amphibians passing microbes to their offspring observed in worm-like animals]( - [Manganese ocean ‘potatos’ are highly radioactive]( [premium] Need help with advertising? 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