The Latest from Aria Alamalhodaei
Following successful mission, Virgin Galactic targeting June for first commercial spaceflight
Following a successful flight to the edge of space on Thursday, space tourism company Virgin Galactic says it is ready to enter commercial service in June. Virgin Galactic’s aircraft, VMS Eve, depar
Thermal imaging startup Satellite Vu closes $15.8 million ahead of first launch
British startup Satellite Vu has raised £12.7 million ($15.8 million) to develop what it calls “the world’s thermometer”: a satellite constellation capable of monitoring thermal emissions aroun
Astranis’ novel approach to internet satellites is starting to pay off
Astranis, a satellite internet startup based in San Francisco, said Wednesday that its first spacecraft completed a milestone test and will start bringing broadband access to rural Alaskans as soon as
Gitai wants to build a robotic labor force for the moon and Mars
There is a groundswell of commercial space initiatives focused on the moon, with established companies and newer upstarts all seeking to transform that cold, grey rock into a thriving hub for scientif
Virgin Orbit’s launch business sold for parts to Vast, Stratolaunch, and Rocket Lab
Virgin Orbit, once valued at $3.7 billion, has been chopped up for parts. The company has concluded the auction for some of its assets, which were put up for sale as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Max Q: Double the fun
In this issue: Blue Origin lands major NASA contract; news from SpaceX; and more!
SkyFi lets you order up fresh satellite imagery in real time with a click
Commercial Earth-observation companies collect an unprecedented volume of images and data every single day, but purchasing even a single satellite image can be cumbersome and time-intensive. SkyFi, a
Stoke Space has received repeated investments from the venture arm for the U.S. intelligence community
Stoke Space has received multiple investments from In-Q-Tel, the strategic investor for the U.S. intelligence and defense community, TechCrunch has learned. Stoke Space and In-Q-Tel have not publicly
NASA picks Blue Origin-led team to build second human landing system on the moon, joining SpaceX
NASA has chosen a Blue Origin-led team to develop a second lunar landing system for the Artemis program, as the agency looks to provide competition with SpaceX and support long-term exploration of the
Stratolaunch submits $17M bid for some of Virgin Orbit’s assets
Virgin Orbit may have found a buyer for some of its assets in hypersonic flight company Stratolaunch, according to new court filings. Stratolaunch submitted a $17 million bid for some assets, includin
Varda Space raising new tranche of funding at $500M post-money valuation
Varda Space Industries, the in-space manufacturing startup that wants to revolutionize the production of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and more, is in the process of raising $25 million in new capit
Max Q: Space is vast
In this issue: Virgin Galactic aims for a triumphant return; Vast aims to launch space station in 2025; news from SpaceX, and more.
Ahead of next Starship launch, SpaceX hires key NASA human spaceflight head
SpaceX has hired NASA’s former head of human spaceflight Kathy Lueders as the company continues to develop its Starship launch system to return humans to the moon and beyond. The news was first
UK’s Space Forge debuts new reentry tech for in-space manufacturing satellites
Welsh in-space manufacturing startup Space Forge has developed a satellite reentry system to enable rapid recovery and reuse of its in-space manufacturing spacecraft. The new system, which includes a
Intuitive Machines prepares for first lunar mission, faces challenge to NASA contract win
Intuitive Machines is preparing for its first lunar mission to the moon’s south pole in the third quarter of this year, while also facing a protest to a major NASA contract win, executives told inve
Axiom Space gears up for second private human spaceflight mission to ISS
Axiom Space’s second private crewed mission to the International Space Station is now scheduled to launch in just ten days, with the four-person crew preparing to conduct more than 20 scientific exp
Jed McCaleb’s private space station venture Vast might be more than just science fiction
Some of the biggest names in the space industry are billionaires: Elon Musk. Jeff Bezos. Richard Branson. The newest person to join this small cadre, at least by personal net worth, is Jed McCaleb. Hi
Max Q: A lawsuit? Over Starship? I’m shocked
In this issue: Environmentalists sue over Starship; Nuview's plan to make a 3D map of the world; News from Maxar, and more
Terraform Industries wants to solve climate change by making more hydrocarbons
Casey Handmer is not intimidated by very large quantities. Billions of acres. Thousands of gigawatts of solar power. A billion metric tons of carbon. His startup, Terraform Industries, aims to operate
Virgin Galactic aims for triumphant return with crewed flight at the end of May
Virgin Galactic will return to the skies later this month, in a crewed mission that the company hopes will bring to an end the nearly two-year gap since its first and only crewed flight in July 2021.