September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Coca-Cola names Rob Gehring to run North America
Coca-Cola named Rob Gehring president of its North America operating unit, effective 1 December. Gehring ran Monster Beverage's Americas business and was previously chief executive of Swire Coca-Cola USA. John Murphy, who held the North America role on an interim basis, remains president and chief financial officer. Coca-Cola shares are up more than 25 percent this year.
Crew-13 clears review, but its October launch is still a target
NASA, SpaceX and international partners agreed on September 25 to continue preparations for the four-person Crew-13 flight after a readiness review in Florida. The decision clears this stage of preparation; it is neither a launch nor the final countdown decision. The crew is due at Kennedy Space Center next, with liftoff still targeted no earlier than October 1.
Crusoe cancels Boom’s launch order for data-center turbines
Crusoe and Boom Supersonic have ended a partnership for 29 natural-gas turbines intended for AI data centers. The roughly $1.25 billion order was Boom’s launch customer agreement for Superpower, with deliveries once expected to begin in 2027. Crusoe has not ruled out other turbine suppliers. Boom still has delivery targets for other sites but has not named those customers.
DaVoice sues Perplexity over wake-word technology
DaVoice filed a federal lawsuit against Perplexity in California on 24 September, alleging the AI search company took trade secrets from work the two companies did together on wake-word technology. The complaint is heavily redacted, leaving the alleged use of specific code unclear. Perplexity called the lawsuit baseless and said its agreement protects its right to build competing technology. A wake word activates an assistant when a device hears a chosen phrase.
Donor CAR-T cells face two barriers to expansion in lymphoma patients
A study of donor-derived CAR-T treatment for large B-cell lymphoma separates two reasons the cells may fail to expand after infusion: the recipient's immune system can reject them, and the infused cells differ in their capacity to multiply. The findings point to questions for patient screening and cell-product design, while the small main cohort does not establish a new treatment strategy.
Enceladus ice grains separate ocean salts from organic material
A new analysis of Cassini observations, laboratory experiments and modelling suggests that ocean spray from Enceladus freezes slowly and breaks apart as it travels through the moon's ice fissures. Salts and organic material can then end up concentrated in different tiny ice grains. Future probes may need to inspect many individual grains, but a promising grain could give a clearer chemical signal.
ESA advances three missions toward Earth Explorer 12
The European Space Agency advanced ECO, Keystone and CryoRad to the next preparatory phase for Earth Explorer 12. A fourth concept, Hydroterra+, did not advance after July’s review. One of the three is to be selected for implementation, with launch expected around 2036. The concepts target Earth’s energy imbalance, atomic oxygen high in the atmosphere and temperatures within polar ice.
Fedorov turns to private firms for a robot army
Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called on private firms and engineers in Lviv to join an “Army of Robots” initiative. The plan seeks to shift dangerous frontline tasks away from soldiers through investment and trials with the military. His high estimate for drone use is his own claim; the venture’s budget, partners and rules for robots making attack decisions have not been disclosed.
High diesel prices threaten to keep feeding euro-area inflation
Boris Vujcic, the European Central Bank's vice president, said at a meeting in Cleveland that diesel is likely to stay expensive for a long time and to feed into inflation, because it enters the cost of many products. He pointed to shrinking global refining capacity, strikes on Russian refineries, disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and Chinese refiners putting home demand first.
India orders 112 coal plants to maximise output despite thin fuel stocks
India ordered 112 industrial coal plants with at least 50 megawatts of capacity to operate at maximum available output from 1 October to 31 December. The government expects electricity demand to rise and wants surplus power sold through exchanges. Yet nearly 40 per cent of coal-fired plants have critically low fuel stocks, leaving the order dependent on how much coal reaches the sites.