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Kat de Naoum, Megan Conniff
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Welcome to Thomas Top Five, where we highlight our most popular recent stories.
NASA has announced that its weather monitoring satellite, the Aqua, will go dark in 2026. The satellite has run out of fuel and is currently free-drifting in space. As part of NASA’s Earth, air, and water monitoring program, the Aqua is one of three satellites transmitting important high-quality data relating to weather and water cycles. We recently explored what will happen when this hardworking satellite shuts down and what the loss of its valuable data could mean for national security.
In automotive news, Tesla recently announced its fifth Cybertruck recall of 2024, with over 27,000 pickup trucks being returned. This time, the culprit was a faulty rearview camera. Read our article on the recall to find out how Tesla plans to deal with this new safety concern.
In other news, HD Hyundai is adding some new off-highway machines to its portfolio, one of which is a 35.5-ton excavator with a compact-radius design that the company says will be able to operate in tight spaces, despite its larger size. You can watch our recent video to learn all about these new machines.
In industry, giant power and handtool manufacturer Milwaukee Tool opened a new 500,000-square-foot factory in Grenada, Mississippi. The $60 million plant is the company’s largest factory in the U.S. and boasts advanced manufacturing technology and capabilities. Read our recent article for full details.
Finally, we have great news for anyone with tense shoulders and sore backs. Soon, you’ll be able to sit back, relax, and let a fully automated massage robot knead your knots away. These robots, designed by Aescape, make a 3D map of the body with sensors and provide a customized plan for each patient. Appointments will be much easier to get and cost a fraction of the price of a regular massage. Watch our video to find out how these massage bots work and when we can expect to start using their services.
For more industrial news and trends, head to thomasnet.com/insights.
I’m Megan Conniff, and this is Thomas Top Five.