Tech highlights October 24, 2026: Japan launches MMX, new AI chips

1. JAXA LAUNCHES MMX TOWARD MARS MOON PHOBOS. On 20/10/2026, JAXA launched the Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft aboard H3 flight No. 10 from Tanegashima Space Center; the spacecraft separated after about 71 minutes 13 seconds and entered the planned orbit. It is scheduled to reach the vicinity of Mars around August 2027, observe for three years, and return samples from Phobos to Earth in fiscal 2031.

2. WORLD-RECORD ATTOSECOND HARD X-RAY PULSE. Researchers at the University of Tokyo, DESY and collaborators used the European XFEL to generate hard X-ray flashes with peak intensity exceeding 10^20 W/cm2, pulse duration around 300 attoseconds, and focal spot 180×330 nm; the result was published in Optica and breaks the world record for attosecond hard X-ray pulse intensity.

3. TOPOLOGICAL EDGE CURRENT SHOWN TO SURVIVE DEEP ETCHING. A team led by Professor Wang Jian of Peking University, with Nanjing University, used magnetic topological material MnBi2Te4 with thickness of 7.0–8.6 nm to reach a Chern insulator state at about -271.15°C. Even after etching deep trenches 10–450 nm across the device, the chiral edge current kept flowing one-way with almost no energy loss, providing direct experimental evidence for topological protection. The paper appeared in Physical Review Letters on 5/10/2026.

4. MOONSHOT AI RELEASES KIMI K3.1 PRO. The company announced an open-weight model with 3 trillion parameters and a 1-million-token context window; it ranked 4th on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index with 55 points, behind Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Muse Wonder Full. It scored 65.7% on Terminal-Bench 4.0, above GPT-6 Astra at 58.2%. Full weights are expected before 4/11/2026.

5. QUANTUM STATE PREDICTED OVER 20 YEARS AGO CONFIRMED. Ivan Jakovac and Mihael Grbić of the University of Zagreb led an international team that for the first time experimentally confirmed unusual quantum phases predicted more than 20 years ago: the organic insulator compound BoNO at extremely low temperatures and strong magnetic fields behaves as a one-dimensional conductor and forms a magnetic Bose-Einstein condensate. The findings were published in Physical Review Letters, opening potential for organic magnetic materials in quantum computing.

6. WORLD'S SMALLEST SINGLE-MOLECULE MOTOR. An international team from the University of Copenhagen, University of Augsburg and Weizmann Institute built a helical helicene molecule attached to a gold surface via a sulfur atom. When electric current passes through, the molecule rotates like a turbine only a few nanometers in size, opening a path to electrically driven molecular machines.

7. TIME CRYSTALLIZATION OF WAVES REPORTED. The 22/10/2026 issue of Nature published research on mechanical metamaterials showing wave coarsening and time crystallization, a distinctive form of space-time order.

8. CHINA DEBUTS ROBOT SCIENTIST 2.2 SYSTEM. In Hefei, the University of Science and Technology of China announced a system integrating 110 research robots, 196 AI chemistry stations, 508 robot command sets, 3,200 chemical experiment samples and 310 scientific AI models; it has been applied in biopharmaceuticals, green agriculture, new energy and space exploration.

9. US AIR FORCE TESTS ROCKET CARGO WITH STARFALL. AFRL tested Rocket Cargo point-to-point on a commercial flight from Cape Canaveral on 20/10: the SpaceX Starfall reentry capsule carried flexible cargo pods and measured temperature, vibration and shock during launch and reentry; the program aims to transport tens of tons to any point on Earth within tactical timelines.

10. NVIDIA DEBUTS DSX POD AI FACTORY DESIGN. At GTC Berlin, NVIDIA introduced DSX POD, a complete AI factory reference design for the Vera Rubin platform, integrated in modular containers and deployable for token generation in about 14 days compared with 60 days for standard DSX architecture. The system reduces cooling water to nearly zero and cuts up to 30% energy for equivalent AI output.

11. FIBER OPTIC ELECTRONICS INTEGRATION PROPOSED. A team from the Institute of Metal Research (CAS) and Northeastern University used D-shape optical fiber as a multifunctional platform, integrating carbon-nanotube thin-film transistors, logic circuits, quantum dot/carbon-nanotube phototransistors, optically controlled logic on fiber, and wireless power transfer over 60 cm. Results were published in National Science Review.

12. PLASMA BALL LIKE BALL LIGHTNING CREATED. Physicist Chuliang Zhou and colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences used ultrafast laser pulses and a sharp tungsten needle to create a glowing plasma ball that maintained its structure during expansion, helping explain the centuries-old mystery of ball lightning.

13. NVIDIA LAUNCHES RTX SPARK AI CHIP FOR PCS. The RTX Spark AI chip enables AI applications, photo editing, video production and gaming on-device without an Internet connection. The Surface Ultra with RTX Spark costs 2,599 USD and began shipping from 16/10.

14. FORUM LISTS 10 TECHNOLOGY PROSPECTS FOR 2026. In Chongqing, the 2026 World Science and Technology Development Forum listed ten directions: autonomous research agents for original scientific discovery; strong AI safety and value alignment; two-way brain-computer interfaces and closed-loop neuromodulation; programmable gene editing for precise in-body therapy; controlled atomic-scale manufacturing; scaled fabrication of quantum materials and devices; realizing controlled fusion reactors; deep energy exploration and cross-seasonal energy storage; deep-sea ecosystem exploration and exploitation of unknown biological resources; and in-space resource utilization and on-orbit manufacturing.

*Information compiled for reference, reflecting multiple sources at the time of posting.*