Space and Astronomy

• Elon Musk Merges SpaceX With His A.I. Start-Up xAI - The deal further intermingles Mr. Musk’s companies and creates the most valuable private company on earth.
• Artemis II Moon Mission: NASA Completes Giant Rocket’s Slow Ride to Launchpad - The Space Launch System and Orion capsule were transported to the launchpad before an astronaut mission that could launch as soon as Feb. 6.
• How Activists in Iran Are Using Starlink to Stay Online - Activists spent years preparing for a communications blackout in Iran, smuggling in Starlink satellite internet systems and making digital shutdowns harder for the authorities to enforce.
• NASA Astronauts Return to Earth After Medical Evacuation From International Space Station - The members of Crew-11 — two American, one Russian and one Japanese — splashed down after one became ill, prompting an early return.
• Starlink Users in Iran Get Free Internet Access, Nonprofits Say - Under a near-total communications blackout, users of Elon Musk’s satellite service have gotten online without paying, organizations that work on tech issues said.
• Research Library at NASA’s Goddard Space and Flight Center to Close Friday - Holdings from the library at the Goddard Space Flight Center, which includes unique documents from the early 20th century to the Soviet space race, will be warehoused or thrown out.
• NASA Webb Telescope Discovers Lemon-Shaped Planet, the ‘Stretchiest’ Ever Seen - An unusual object orbiting a rapidly spinning star might be a new phenomenon in the universe.
• Elon Musk’s SpaceX Valued at $800 Billion, as It Prepares to Go Public - A sale of insider shares at $421 a share would make Mr. Musk’s rocket company the most valuable private company in the world, as it readies for a possible initial public offering next year.