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☆ Investing in Space: Firefly's successful launch represents a key moment for company's future
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The view from the upper stage of Firefly's Alpha rocket after deploying the Victus Nox satellite in orbit on Sept. 14, 2023. CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. But a few space insiders knew what was up: Firefly's Alpha rocket, carrying the Space Force's ambitious Victus Nox mission with a satellite built by Millennium. The trio of space organizations was targeting a seemingly absurd 24-hour launch timeline per the Space Force's rapid response goals. First, this was the third Alpha rocket that Firefly's launched.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Firefly's, Bill Weber, Vandenberg, Weber, –, MLV, we'll Organizations: Alpha, CNBC's, Millennium, Safari, Space, Firefly, Northrop Grumman, Northrop Locations: Texas

The Austin-based rocket builder and in-space services company is close to announcing the closure of an oversubscribed capital raise, its CEO Bill Weber told CNBC's Manifest Space. Firefly can currently launch its medium-launch rocket, Alpha, every two months. "Alpha has a demand signature for the next three to four years, which is more than good enough for what we want to do with it," Weber told CNBC. Weber told CNBC the company is also in talks with the intelligence community about classified payloads. The macro environment, which has largely stunned public space companies, will help to decide timing.

Persons: Firefly's, Bill Weber, CNBC's, Weber, Morgan Brennan, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Organizations: Firefly's Alpha, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Alpha, Firefly Aerospace, CNBC, Spaceflight Inc, Virgin Orbit, U.S . Space Force, Systems, NASA, Lockheed, Antares Locations: Austin, Austin , Texas, North Carolina, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Rocket maker Firefly buys on-orbit servicing company Spaceflight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 8 (Reuters) - Rocket maker Firefly Aerospace, founded by a former SpaceX engineer, said on Thursday it has acquired launch services company Spaceflight Inc in a push to boost its on-orbit servicing capabilities. Firefly is a space transportation company that helps customers such as NASA and General Atomics with launch, lunar and in-space services, while Spaceflight offers servicing for satellites and other spacecraft while in orbit. Demand has also shifted from launching a few satellites on small rockets to launching swarms of satellites at once using bigger rockets such as the ones made by SpaceX. Texas-based Firefly is trying to mass-produce its medium-sized rocket, while developing a larger launcher under a new partnership with Northrop Grumman (NOC.N). Firefly is among a handful of U.S. space companies vying to launch small satellites into space.

Persons: Atomics, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: Firefly Aerospace, SpaceX, Spaceflight Inc, NASA, Spaceflight, Virgin Orbit, SpaceX ., Northrop Grumman, Industrial Partners, Thomson Locations: U.S, SpaceX . Texas, Bellevue , Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Investing in Space: Here are the rockets chasing to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

SpaceXCNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. Overview: Chasing the FalconNo rocket has been better-described as a "workhorse" than SpaceX's Falcon 9. Aside from Blue Origin's New Glenn, the early theme is rockets that are close to the capability of Falcon 9 and less expensive. – CNBC, which the lawsuit says were used for NASA projects including the International Space Station and the Space Launch Systems rocket. – Firefly Aerospace: The rocket builder says the deal will bolster its launch, spacecraft, and lunar lander businesses.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Phil Smith, SpaceX's, Glenn, Smith, –, Smith doesn't, CNBC ULA, Tory Bruno, Jeff Bezos, ULA, – Read, Shepard, Bob Smith, Jim Free, Artemis, HawkEye, – Hydrosat, Leonardo DiCaprio, – Momentus, Westinghouse EchoStar's Hughes, – EchoStar, Iris Lan, Sumara Thompson, King, Lan, – NASA Celeste Ford, Ford, – SpiderOak Melissa Quinn, Quinn Organizations: SpaceX CNBC's, SpaceX, Falcon, Boeing, NASA, CNBC, CNBC Department of Defense, Ukraine, Starlink, Pentagon, –, Space Station, Systems, CNBC SpaceX, Cargo, International Space, FAA, Intelsat, Japan Airlines, Embraer, – Intelsat, Rocket, ONE, Washington, Spaceflight, Aerospace, Aerospace Spacecraft, York, MaC Venture Capital, Broom Ventures, Veto, TechCrunch Viasat, Air Force, Viasat, Westinghouse, U.S . Department of Justice, – NASA, Ford, Stellar Solutions Locations: Florida, China, Russia, Colorado, Ukrainian, Bellevue , Washington, Cortado, Cornwall

☆ AI is getting out of control and it's creating a generational divide
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Spriha Srivastava | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There's a sense of déjà vu, similar to the digital revolution, and it's led to a generational divide. Tech leaders are also worried. While in many instances these digital innovations brought people closer, helped families bond, and gave people a tool to voice their feelings and opinions, for many others, it created a divide between generations — a digital divide. The letter read: "We call on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4. This can result in a digital divide, where some people have limited access to technology or lack the necessary digital skills to effectively engage with AI systems and other emerging technologies.

Persons: It's, it's, Bard, —, haven't, Mona Lisa, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, Sam Altman, OpenAI, Bill Gates, aren't, Spriha Srivastava Organizations: Tech, Facebook, Twitter, Adobe, Life Institute, Elon, Apple

☆ Rocket builder Firefly takes on high-speed Space Force mission for crucial next launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Alpha rocket for the Space Force's Victus Nox mission stands on the launchpad at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The mission for the military's Los Angeles-based Space Safari team calls for flying a Millennium Space Systems-built satellite on Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket — on remarkably short notice. The Alpha rocket for the Space Force's Victus Nox mission stands on the launchpad at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Space Force selected Firefly and Millennium for the Victus Nox contract in October, setting off a chain of events starting with the build phase. Firefly's opportunitywatch nowFirefly originally planned to fly a NASA mission on its third Alpha rocket launch, after the company reached space with its second launch in October.

☆ Analysis: Rocket startups face adapt-or-die moment amid investment drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Venture investment in space startups has dropped 50% year-over-year in 2022 to $21.9 billion, according to VC firm Space Capital. Astra Space (ASTR.O), which ditched its small Rocket 3.3 for a planned, larger Rocket 4 in the next few years, has struggled to bring its stock price above $1, facing delisting threats from Nasdaq. Despite the startups' struggles, launch demand has soared after sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine cut off access to Russian rockets. Recent failures with Europe's Arianespace's Vega-C rocket have added to demand in the U.S., outstripping the number of available rockets. Private plans to deploy mega-constellations, vast swarms of satellites in low-Earth orbit, have also given launch startups hope for future demand.

The space company was valued at more than $1 billion when private equity firm AE Industrial Partners became its controlling shareholder in March. A FireFly spokesperson declined to comment when asked about the fundraising, as did a spokesperson for AE Industrial Partners. It is among a handful of U.S. space companies vying to launch small satellites into space. SpaceX's bigger Falcon 9 rocket costs $62 million and Rocket Lab's smaller Electron rocket costs $7 million. Venture capital investments in space companies fell 44% from a year earlier, according to a quarterly report from VC firm Space Capital.

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