“A drone was used to urgently deliver medication to tourists stranded on an island due to strong winds and high waves, successfully addressing an emergency situation.

According to the Jeju Island Fire and Safety Headquarters on the 14th, a report was received at around 12:07 a.m. the previous day (July 13) that a woman in her 60s, identified as Ms. A, was experiencing low energy levels on Gapado Island in Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo City.

Ms. A had entered Gapado Island five days prior and was stranded due to strong winds and high waves. Suffering from chronic conditions including diabetes, she showed symptoms of decreased energy after running out of medication. After receiving the report, fire authorities dispatched a specialized medical firefighting team to the scene and provided emergency treatment, but the situation required immediate medication. However, strong gusts of up to approximately 10 meters per second at the time prevented the deployment of a doctor helicopter or Coast Guard vessels.

In response, the fire authorities secured diabetes medication and, with cooperation from the Jeju Space Mobility Division, decided to use a drone for delivery.

The drone departed from the Seogwipo City Daejeong-eup Sangmori Drone Delivery Center at around 4:55 p.m. and successfully delivered the medication to Gapado Island in about 10 minutes.”

From The Chosun Daily.

“In a long-awaited step, the European Parliament yesterday passed a law that allows the expedited approval of many gene-edited crops without the rigorous review required for traditional transgenic varieties…

Scientists and seed companies hope the law will lead to faster adoption of crops with improved disease resistance, heat tolerance, and nutrition…

Under the rules, as finalized this week, approval will be faster for crops whose gene edit seems modest enough that it could have been made through conventional breeding—a simple base change in an existing gene, for example, rather than the addition a nonplant gene. Stricter oversight will remain for transgenic engineering or more substantial gene editing.”

From Science.

“The federal government has approved plans by a start-up company to test a satellite that would use a 60-foot mirror to reflect sunlight back to Earth after dark, as part of a project the company says would power solar farms, provide light for rescue workers and illuminate city streets.

In a license issued on Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission gave the green light for Reflect Orbital of Hawthorne, Calif., to launch its Eärendil-1 satellite into low Earth orbit. The company plans to deploy its test satellite this year but has said it eventually wants to send as many as 50,000 big mirrors into space.”

From New York Times.

“China has successfully landed a reusable rocket for the first time in a major breakthrough for the country's space programme, according to state media.

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said the Long March 10B rocket lifted off from Hainan in southern China at 12:15 local time (04:15GMT) on Friday.

Around six minutes after separating from the rocket's upper stage, its booster returned to Earth vertically and was recovered on a floating platform…

Unlike the Falcon 9, the Long March 10B does not autonomously land on a ground pad or drone ship. Instead 'landing hooks' on the rocket catch a net attached to a floating platform.”

From BBC.