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NASA has announced Space Act agreements with seven private space companies in the hopes of spurring tech developments the government may invest in down the line, from space stations to human transport and robotics. While no money is changing hands, these partnerships are official collaborations, with NASA providing expertise and resources to aid and guide […]
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After years of tests, space tourism line Virgin Galactic is finally beginning commercial spaceflight services at the end of the month, the company announced today. After these initial flights, they will move to monthly ones and start working through the ticket-holder backlog. Galactic 01 will, barring any delay, launch some time between June 27-30. This […]
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Space is a tough place for electronic circuits since radiation causes short circuits that result in mission failure, said Hwai Lin Khor, vice president of Zero-Error Systems. Many companies currently build satellite electronics systems with commercial-off-the-shelves (COTS) semiconductor devices to meet the lower cost requirement. But, according to Khor, the COTS chip devices can’t meet the radiation […]
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In this issue: Firefly’s making moves with summer launches and a new acquisition; Layoffs at Ursa Major; News from NASA and more.
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Firefly Aerospace has acquired launch and in-space transportation service provider Spaceflight Inc., in a bid to expand its on-orbit capabilities for customers. Firefly did not disclose the terms of the deal but a company spokesperson confirmed that the transaction has closed. The spokesperson added that the entire Spaceflight team, including CEO Tiphane Louradour, will be […]
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At least five people have been laid off from rocket engine startup Ursa Major, with one person citing budgetary constraints as the reason for being let go, according to posts on LinkedIn. Ursa Major did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s inquiry into the layoffs, or the number of people affected. According to LinkedIn, 292 people […]
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Hundreds of small aerospace businesses will receive grant funding from NASA to accelerate their technologies, as part of a wider government program to seed cutting-edge American enterprises. A total of 249 small businesses and 39 research institutions received Phase I grants under the space agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer […]
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Nuview, a startup that wants to map the entire landmass of Earth on an annual basis using space-based light detection and ranging (lidar) technology, has raised $15 million so far, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. That capital includes a $3 million seed round and an in-progress Series A, of which $12 million has closed so far, […]
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Firefly Aerospace is now targeting August to launch a batch of CubeSats for NASA, rather than July, in what is shaping up to be a busy summer for the small launch company. Firefly disclosed the new launch window in recent filing with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The company did not provide more details as […]
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In this issue: Pixxel’s new investor; Mission delays for Boeing, Rocket Lab; News from SpaceX and more
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