Watch the historic moon mission countdown: After years of postponements and close to $100 billion in spending, NASA is finally starting the clock on its first attempt to send astronauts around the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
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The 10-day Artemis 2 mission is set to begin today with the liftoff of the Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at 3:24 p.m. PT, and will be streamed live. Read more.
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Success will depend in part on hardware built in the Seattle area.
Robinhood filed a preemptive federal lawsuit to block Washington state from enforcing gambling laws against its prediction markets business, days after the state's attorney general sued rival platform Kalshi over the same issue. Read more.
Nonprofits enter the AI era: While big tech grabs the headlines, 1,500 nonprofit leaders recently met in Bellevue, Wash., for a Microsoft summit exploring how AI can help them save lives and protect the environment. From translating donor letters to managing global logistics, the technology is delivering results — though cost and complexity remain significant hurdles. Read more from our “Agents of Transformation” series.
Sustainable Innovation of the Year: The finalists for this 2026 GeekWire Award are taking on energy, fashion and farming and include Helion, IUNU, OCOChem, Ravel, and TerraPower. Read more and cast your vote in all categories ahead of our May 7 event in Seattle.
Apple's iPad revenge: Apple turns 50 today, and David Pogue's new book "Apple: The First 50 Years" is packed with stories about the rivalry and partnership between Microsoft and the Mac/iPhone maker. One stands out, involving a birthday party, a Microsoft engineer who wouldn't stop talking about stylus tablets, and a very indignant Steve Jobs. Read more.
Latest layoff news:
On a related note, this just in: Washington’s unemployment rate increased to 5.0% in January, the highest since 2021, the Employment Security Department reports.
Hot Links:
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Microsoft, Chevron and the investment fund Engine No. 1 are in exclusive talks regarding a deal in Texas to power a data center with a massive new gas plant. (Bloomberg)
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A newly envisioned Cascadia GovTech Hub will support AI demonstration projects to improve government services, bolster trust in AI and promote economic growth. (Cascadia Innovation Corridor)
- SpaceX has quietly filed for what could become the biggest IPO in history, targeting a valuation above $1.75 trillion and beating AI rivals to market. (CNBC)
Thanks for subscribing, and have a great day. — GeekWire editor Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com; reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com; and reporter Lisa Stiffler, lisa@geekwire.com. 
