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☆ NASA's $93 billion moon-landing program looks really bad right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The first human moon landing in more than 50 years also got bumped, from 2025 to September 2026. CHANDAN KHANNA/Getty ImagesLaunched on Monday as part of NASA's commercial lunar program, Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lander was supposed to serve as a scout for the astronauts. Related storiesNASA is relying heavily on private companies for its Artemis moon-landing program for astronauts, named after the mythological twin sister of Apollo. SpaceX's Starship mega rocket will be needed to get the first Artemis moonwalkers from lunar orbit down to the surface and back up. In a test flight of its new moon rocket in 2022, the space agency sent an empty Orion capsule into lunar orbit and returned it to Earth.

Persons: —, Bill Nelson, Peregrine Lunar Lander, CHANDAN KHANNA, Astrobotic, Peregrine, Artemis, Timothy Clary, Elon Musk's, Amit Kshatriya Organizations: NASA, Service, Artemis, United Launch Alliance, Houston, Getty, SpaceX Locations: Pittsburgh, Texas, of Mexico, AFP

The US's first lunar lander in decades has met its doom. After launching on Monday, Peregrine Mission One started leaking fuel, Astrobotic said. Peregrine Mission One, a lunar lander built by Astrobotic, started leaking fuel hours after it launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Monday. The helium may have put the oxidizer tank under too much pressure, causing it to rupture and create the fuel leak, Astrobotic added. Peregrine Mission One is a nearly 2,900-pound uncrewed lander that carries 20 payloads from seven countries and 16 companies.

Persons: Peregrine, Astrobotic, — Organizations: Peregrine Mission, Service, Grumman, DHL MoonBox, DHL, Peregrine, United Launch Alliance Vulcan Locations: Cape Canaveral, Florida, Hungary, Seychelles

☆ The first US moon lander in more than 50 years launched with human remains on board, paving the way for space burials
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewA US spacecraft carrying human remains launched on Monday in a bid to become the first private mission to land on the moon. "Unfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant," the company that built the lunar lander, Astrobotic, said in an update Monday afternoon. AstroboticSeveral capsules on board the lander are part of a memorial service offered by private companies Celestis and Elysium Space. The screenwriter was also part of the first human "space burial" in 1992 when his ashes were put aboard NASA's spacecraft Columbia. Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One is the first of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)-backed missions to launch.

Persons: —, Peregrine, John Thornton, Celestis, Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett, George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, John F, Kennedy, — Arthur C Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, Gene Roddenberry's, Thornton, Mr, Peregrine isn't, Astrobotic, landers, Artemis Organizations: Service, Business, Astrobiotic, United Launch Alliance, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Peregrine, NASA, United Launch Alliance Vulcan, New York Times, Navajo Nation, The New York Times, Houston, Payload Locations: Cape, Florida, Navajo, Stickiness, Russia, India, China

☆ Meta and IBM launch alliance advocating 'open science' approach to AI, putting them at odds with rivals like Google and OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Meta and IBM have launched an alliance that's calling for an "open science" approach to AI development. Facebook parent Meta and IBM on Tuesday launched a new group called the AI Alliance that's advocating for an "open science" approach to AI development that puts them at odds with rivals Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. AdvertisementPart of the confusion around open-source AI is that despite its name, OpenAI — the company behind ChatGPT and the image-generator DALL-E — builds AI systems that are decidedly closed. An increasingly public debate has emerged over the benefits or dangers of adopting an open-source approach to AI development. Biden's order described open models with the technical name of "dual-use foundation models with widely available weights" and said they needed further study.

Persons: —, they're, That's, Darío Gil, Alliance —, Gil, OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, there's, David Evan Harris, Harris, Oppenheimer, Camille Carlton, Yann LeCun, LeCun, fearmongering, Chris Padilla, Joe Biden's, Gina Raimondo Organizations: Meta, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Service, Tech, Alliance, Dell, Sony, AMD, Intel, Associated Press, Stanford University, University of California, for Humane Technology, Frontier Model, Windows, Commerce, European Locations: Berkeley

☆ Amazon launches partnership with rival SpaceX to send competing satellites into orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon struck a deal with SpaceX to use Falcon 9 rockets to launch Amazon's low orbit satellites. The financial terms of the deal between the satellite internet competitors were not disclosed. AdvertisementAmazon and SpaceX, competitors in the satellite internet space, have inked a deal to launch satellites supporting Amazon's Project Kuiper. In response to the news breaking on X, formerly Twitter, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said: "SpaceX launches competitor satellite systems without favor to its own satellites. Starlink began launching satellites in 2019 and has over 4,000 satellites in orbit, with plans to eventually build a constellation of about 42,000.

Persons: —, SpaceX's, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, SpaceX's Starlink, Amazon, Starlink Organizations: SpaceX, Service, SpaceX's, United Launch Alliance, Twitter, Business

☆ Amazon taps SpaceX for satellite launch even though Jeff Bezos has his own rocket company
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Amazon just inked a deal with chief competitor and Elon Musk-helmed SpaceX to launch internet-beaming satellites — a move that comes even as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos pursues his own space dreams with his own rocket company, Blue Origin, and as SpaceX builds its own internet constellation. Some Amazon satellites will still ride on a large rocket made by Blue Origin, dubbed the New Glenn. Amazon is working to build a constellation of thousands of internet satellites, called Project Kuiper, that is planned to beam connectivity across the planet. The Jeff Bezos-founded company made headlines in April 2022 when it signed a contract worth billions of dollars to launch Kuiper satellites on 77 rockets built by Blue Origin — another Bezos-founded venture — as well as ULA and European launch provider Arianespace. In an interview last month, Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, told CNN the prototypes were wholly successful.

Persons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Musk, Glenn, it’s, SpaceX’s, Lockheed Martin, “, ”, Amazon, Rajeev Badyal, Kuiper, ” Badyal, Badyal Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Amazon, SpaceX Falcon, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, —, Cleveland Bakers, Teamsters, Fund Locations: ULA, European

And the White House and Pentagon both know that. Mr. Musk, rather than apologize, has threatened lawsuits. But SpaceX is privately held, entirely controlled by Mr. Musk. (Tesla, his electric vehicle company, is publicly held.) And so far, while the White House has been outspoken, the Pentagon has been silent.

Persons: Musk, Lockheed Martin —, Tesla, ” Walter Isaacson, Musk’s, ”, Lockheed Martin Organizations: House, Pentagon, Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed, IBM, Apple, Warner Bros, Twitter, SpaceX, Mr, White, U.S, United Launch Alliance Locations: United States

☆ Amazon's prototype Kuiper satellites operating successfully
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) said on Thursday its two prototype satellites for its planned Kuiper internet network have been operating successfully in orbit, with the project on track to start launching operational satellites by mid-2024. The Kuiper internet network is set to compete against billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink, the world's largest satellite operator, to offer broadband internet service globally to consumers, companies and governments. Amazon said it used the prototype satellites for brief two-way video calls, streaming a high-definition movie on Prime Video and ordering items off Amazon's website. Badyal declined to say how many satellites Amazon would launch per rocket. The Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance is set to loft the first several batches of Kuiper satellites aboard its Atlas 5 and the company's upcoming Vulcan rocket.

Persons: Joe Skipper, Elon Musk's Starlink, Rajeev Badyal, Badyal, Jeff Bezos, Joey Roulette, Zaheer Kachwala, Tasim Zahid, Will Dunham Organizations: United, Alliance, Cape Canaveral Space Force, REUTERS, United Launch Alliance, U.S . Federal Communications Commission, Reuters, Vodafone, Verizon, Amazon, Boeing, Lockheed, Vulcan, SpaceX, Thomson Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, Florida, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Sierra Space lays off hundreds in push toward first Dream Chaser spaceplane launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former Sierra Space employees told CNBC that the layoffs included a significant number of contractors, with the cuts including hundreds of personnel in total. Sierra Space this week shipped the first Dream Chaser, named Tenacity, for pre-launch testing at NASA's Armstrong facility in Ohio. The first Dream Chaser launch was previously scheduled for late last year, but delays in the development of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket pushed back that timeline. Dream Chaser is planned to launch on ULA's second Vulcan mission, with the first Vulcan launch targeting December. Dream Chaser has won NASA contracts to fly seven cargo missions to and from the International Space Station.

Persons: Eren, Sierra, Jeff Babione, Gupta Organizations: CNBC, Sierra Space, NASA's Armstrong, Sierra, Sierra Nevada Corp, Fatih, Sierra Space's, Space, NASA Space Shuttle, United, Vulcan, NASA, International Space Locations: The Colorado, Sierra, Ohio

☆ Investing in Space: The military doled out $6 billion for rocket launches — and it's not done yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. The orders are in and we now finally know how the Space Force's most recent block buy of rocket launches shook out: In the end, the military dished out over $5.6 billion in contracts to SpaceX and ULA for 48 launches. The folks over at Space Force's Space Systems Command shared with me the full breakdown of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract awards. In total, Space Force assigned United Launch Alliance (ULA) with 26 missions worth $3.1 billion, while SpaceX got 22 missions worth $2.5 billion. One important thing to keep in mind: This discussion is entirely about ordering launches, not actually launching the rockets themselves.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, SSC's, Doug Pentecost, ramped, Pentecost, it's, I've, we've Organizations: SpaceX, Space Force, Systems Command, National Security, United Launch, DOD, Space, SSC Locations: ULA, U.S

☆ Space Force awards $2.5 billion in rocket contracts to SpaceX and ULA for 21 launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches on its mission with a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Nov. 1, 2022. The U.S. Space Force assigned 21 rocket launches to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, worth about $2.5 billion in total, the military branch told CNBC. Space Force expanded the NSSL Phase 2 program significantly since naming SpaceX and ULA as its two launch providers in 2020. Space Force had previously announced that of mission assignments, 60% would go to ULA and 40% to SpaceX. The final Phase 2 assignments come as Space Force prepares to ramp up the NSSL program even further with Phase 3.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, Doug Pentecost, ULA, Elon, Pentecost, SpaceX's, ULA's Vulcan Organizations: SpaceX, Heavy, U.S . Space Force, Space Systems Command, Boeing, Lockheed, Falcon, Force's, Systems Command, Tuesday, United Launch Alliance, CNBC, USSF, Space Force, CNBC PRO Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, ULA, U.S

☆ United Launch Alliance CEO talks using Vulcan Rocket to fulfill Amazon contract
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUnited Launch Alliance CEO talks using Vulcan Rocket to fulfill Amazon contractTory Bruno, United Launch Alliance CEO, speaks with CNBC on the latest development in its contract with Amazon.

Persons: Tory Bruno Organizations: United, United Launch Alliance, CNBC, Amazon

☆ ULA targets Christmas Eve for inaugural Vulcan rocket launch, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Simona Riccardi | In Sriccardi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

United Launch Alliance plans to launch the inaugural flight of its Vulcan rocket on Christmas Eve, CEO Tory Bruno told CNBC's Morgan Brennan on Tuesday. The Vulcan rocket for the Cert-1 mission stands at SLC-41 during testing in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 12, 2023. ULA's path to the first Vulcan launch faced several delays earlier this year, including the explosion of an engine during testing by its supplier Blue Origin, previously reported by CNBC. Following the incident, Bruno told CNBC in a "Manifest Space" podcast interview that the company still planned to fly its heavy-lift rocket by late 2023. The company added a massive contract to launch Amazon's Kuiper satellites to its previously government-heavy backlog for Vulcan.

Persons: ULA, Lockheed Martin —, Bruno, Tory Bruno, CNBC's Morgan Brennan, Vulcan's, ramping, — CNBC's Morgan Brennan, Michael Sheetz Organizations: Boeing, Lockheed, CNBC Technology, Summit, United Launch Alliance, Vulcan, Cert, SLC, CNBC Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida

☆ Amazon launches its first internet satellites as Jeff Bezos looks to rival SpaceX's Starlink
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The first two satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper internet service were launched on Friday. AdvertisementAdvertisementAmazon launched its first two satellites into orbit on Friday in a challenge to Elon Musk's Starlink internet service. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe launch was delayed from late 2022 after changes were made to the rocket-delivery system used to launch the satellites. United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the first two demonstration satellites for Amazon's space internet network. Thank you to all of our customers around the world 🛰️🌎❤️ → https://t.co/D6L8BSisQq pic.twitter.com/jVfWTEfHkz — Starlink (@Starlink) September 23, 2023Satellite internet networks bring faster connectivity to rural communities, bridging the digital gap.

Persons: Elon Musk's Starlink, —, Elon Musk's, Rajeev Badyal, Elon Organizations: Service, Atlas, United Launch, Kuiper, United Launch Alliance, V, Anadolu Agency, SpaceX

☆ Amazon launches first test satellites for Kuiper internet network
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket emblazoned with the Amazon logo lifted off from Cape Canaveral shortly after 2 p.m. Eastern time (1800 GMT), carrying the two Kuiper test satellites, a long-awaited mission Amazon initially had intended to launch using different rockets. In the days leading up to the launch, Amazon divulged few specifics about the two satellites, which were built at its satellite plant in Redmond, Washington. Amazon has vowed to invest $10 billion into its Kuiper project, which was announced in 2019, the year SpaceX began deploying its first operational Starlink spacecraft. The market for broadband internet service from low-Earth orbiting satellites is viewed as being worth up to tens of billions of dollars in the next decade. Like SpaceX, Amazon aims to target individual consumers and enterprise customers with Kuiper, pulling from its devices playbook to build consumer terminals at a company cost of $400 each - though it has not yet announced prices.

Persons: SpaceX's Starlink, Elon, Canada's, Jeff Bezos, Joey Roulette, Chris Reese, Will Dunham 私たち Organizations: United, Alliance, Cape Canaveral Space Force, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, Amazon Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, 読む WASHINGTON, Florida, Cape Canaveral, Redmond , Washington

☆ Amazon launches first internet satellites in bid to compete with SpaceX
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Already, SpaceX has more than 4,500 active Starlink satellites in orbit and offers commercial and residential service to most of the Americas, Europe and Australia. The Atlas V rocket carrying Amazon's prototype satellites for Project Kuiper lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. SpaceX has had the clear advantage of using its own Falcon 9 rockets to launch batches of Starlink satellites to orbit. For now, Kuiper satellites are launching on rockets built by United Launch Alliance, a close partner of Blue Origin. In addition to ULA and Blue Origin, Amazon has a Project Kuiper launch contract with European launch provider Arianespace.

Persons: “ We’ve, ”, Rajeev Badyal, Starlink, Kuiper, Elon Musk, “ I’m, Gregory Falco, Brecke Boyd, SpaceX’s, hasn’t, Jeff Bezos Organizations: CNN, Amazon, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Kuiper’s, United, Alliance, Atlas V, Cape Canaveral Space Force, United Nations, Cornell University, Federal Communications Commission, National Science Foundation, Wall Street, European Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, Americas, Europe, Australia, Florida, Russia, Ukraine, Starlink, ULA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Amazon launched the first test satellites for its planned internet service on Friday as a rival to SpaceX’s broadband network. United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket blasted off with the pair of test satellites, kicking off a program that aims to improve global internet coverage with an eventual 3,236 satellites around Earth. SpaceX flew its first test Starlink satellites in 2018 and the first operational satellites in 2019. Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesEurope’s Eutelsat OneWeb also is launching internet satellites, with around 600 in orbit. Amazon originally agreed to put the satellites on the debut launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Jeff Bezos, OneWeb, Arianespace Organizations: Amazon, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Origin, SpaceX, Federal Communications Commission, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, Florida, California, ULA

☆ Amazon launches first internet satellite prototypes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Even ULA's details about the launch are limited, with the info provided comparable to when the rocket company flies classified spy satellites for the U.S. government. watch nowLast year, Amazon announced the biggest corporate rocket deal in the industry's history to launch Kuiper satellites, signing launch contracts with ULA, Arianespace, and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. As part of that deal, Amazon expects to pay about $7.4 billion for Kuiper launches over the next five years. Amazon is playing catch up to SpaceX, which has grown its Starlink satellite internet service to more than 2 million customers. This year Amazon revealed a trio of satellite antennas that it plans to sell to Kuiper customers.

Persons: Paul Hennessey, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk Organizations: Alliance, V, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Anadolu Agency, Getty, United, U.S ., Amazon, Kuiper, SpaceX, Elon, Seattle – Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, United States, Florida, ULA, Seattle, Washington, Redmond, Kirkland, San Diego, Austin , Texas , New York City

☆ Photos show the 3.86 billion-mile journey of NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample mission from start to finish
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

NASA's OSIRIS-REx has been traveling for seven years to get an asteroid sample to Earth. Check out its 3.86 billion-mile journey from launch to asteroid sample landing in the photos below. NASA/Keegan BarberAfter collecting the largest asteroid sample ever brought to Earth, OSIRIS began its long journey home. AdvertisementAdvertisementSample retrievalRecovery team members gather around a capsule containing Bennu asteroid samples as part of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Analyzing the sampleLockheed Martin recovery specialists Levi Hanish and Michael Kaye take the lid off NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample.

Persons: REx, —, what's, OSIRIS, imager, Bennu, NASA's, Dante Lauretta, Keegan Barber, Rick Bowmer, NASA’s, Molly Wasser, Martin, Levi Hanish, Michael Kaye, Robert Markowiz, Noah Petro, What's, It's Organizations: Service, REx, NASA, United Launch Alliance, Atlas, Goddard, University of Arizona, Survey, NASA's Goddard Space, Earth, Department of Defense's Utah, AP, US Air Force, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Space Center, JPL, Caltech Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, Salt Lake City, Houston, Houston , Texas

☆ Bezos's Blue Origin names former Amazon executive as CEO -internal email
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 25 (Reuters) - The chief executive officer of Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin, Bob Smith, will step down at the end of the year to be replaced by former Amazon executive Dave Limp, who ran products such as Kindle, according to emails seen by Reuters. Limp, a former senior vice president at Amazon who led the company's consumer devices unit, will become Blue Origin's CEO on Dec. 4, an email from Bezos, Blue Origin's founder, said. "Jeff and I have been discussing my plan for months," Smith told employees in an email sent Monday. He added he would remain with the company until Jan. 2 "to ensure a smooth transition with the new CEO." Limp, a more than 13-year veteran of Amazon, had overseen some of Amazon's well-known consumer devices, such as Echo products.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Blue, Bob Smith, Bezos, Joe Skipper, Jeff Bezos's, Dave Limp, Jeff, Smith, Limp, Elon, New Glenn, Joey Roulette, Pooja Desai, Sonali Paul Organizations: Billionaire, Blue Origin's, REUTERS, Amazon, Reuters, Blue, SpaceX's, NASA, Honeywell Aerospace, SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed, United Launch Alliance, Thomson Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S, New

☆ Blue Origin: Longtime Amazon executive to take over Jeff Bezos’ rocket company
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jeff Bezos’ space tourism and rocket company is replacing its chief executive officer with a longtime Amazon executive. The current Blue Origin CEO, Bob Smith — a former Honeywell executive who took over the role in 2017 — will step down and make way for Dave Limp, the senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon, a spokesperson for Blue Origin said in a statement Monday. In the statement, Blue Origin said that Limp is “a proven innovator with a customer-first mindset. Blue Origin has several other high-profile projects in the works. Blue Origin struggled to deliver the BE-4 engines, encountering months of delays.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bob Smith —, Dave Limp, Limp, Smith, ” Limp’s, Shepard, New Shepard, Glenn, Lockheed Martin, ULA, Artemis — Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Honeywell, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Vulcan, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed, Boeing, Blue, NASA, Origin

Limp joins Blue Origin at a key phase of the company's multiple space projects. Earlier this year Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build a lunar lander for the agency's astronauts. However, Blue Origin has since hired aggressively. Read Bezos' message to Blue Origin employees on Monday:I'm excited to share that Dave Limp will join Blue starting December 4th as CEO, replacing Bob, who has elected to step aside on January 2. JeffRead Smith's message to Blue Origin employees:Team Blue, It's been about six years since I joined Blue Origin.

Persons: Limp, Shepard, Smith, Panos Panay, Bezos, Alexa, Limp's, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Blue, Bob Smith, Origin's, Glenn, –, Read, Dave Limp, Bob, I'd, we've, We've, I've, Dave, Jeff Read, It's, Jeff, I'm, Ferociter, Dave Limp's Organizations: Amazon, Alexa, CNBC, NASA, Blue Origin, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Billionaire, Blue Origin's, Origin, Honeywell, Shepard, Pentagon, U.S . Space Force, Elon, SpaceX, Blue, Amazon Devices, Services, Apple Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S, Alabama, Florida, California , Arizona, Colorado, Kent

☆ Sierra Space raising nearly $300 million from Japanese consortium at $5 billion valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sierra Space, the subsidiary of private aerospace contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation, is finalizing a raise of nearly $300 million, CNBC has learned. Sierra Space expects to announce the raise as soon as this week, those people said. Two years ago, Sierra Space raised $1.4 billion at a $4.5 billion valuation from investors including General Atlantic, BlackRock, AE Industrial Partners, Coatue and Moore Strategic Ventures. The fresh funds come as Sierra Space focuses on getting its Dream Chaser spaceplane flying. Sierra Space is also one of several companies working on a private space station.

Persons: MUFG Organizations: Space, Sierra Nevada Corporation, CNBC, Sierra, Tokio Marine, Citigroup, General Atlantic, Partners, Coatue, Moore Strategic Ventures, NASA Space Shuttle, United, Vulcan Locations: Tokio, BlackRock

☆ Capsule with NASA's first asteroid sample heads for Utah touchdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The robotic spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to release the gumdrop-shaped capsule, transporting about a cup of gravelly asteroid material, at 6:42 a.m. EDT (1042 GMT) for a final descent to Earth, climaxing a seven-year voyage. The spacecraft departed Bennu in May 2021 for a 1.2-billion-mile (1.9-billion-km) cruise back to Earth, including two orbits around the sun. The Bennu sample is estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the 5 grams of material carried back from Ryugu in 2020 or the tiny specimen delivered from asteroid Itokawa in 2010. Scientists hope the integrity of the capsule and inner cannister bearing the asteroid material will be maintained through re-entry and landing, keeping the sample pristine and free of any terrestrial contamination. The main portion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, meanwhile, is expected to sail on to explore yet another near-Earth asteroid, named Apophis.

Persons: Joel Kowsky, REx, climaxing, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: United Launch Alliance, V, Cape Canaveral Air Force, NASA, Handout, Reuters, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, Utah, Salt Lake City, military's, Ryugu, Houston, Los Angeles

☆ NASA's first asteroid sample on track for Sunday parachute landing in Utah
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreLOS ANGELES, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A NASA space capsule carrying a sample of rocky material plucked from the surface of an asteroid three years ago hurtled toward Earth this weekend headed for a fiery plunge through the atmosphere and a parachute landing in the Utah desert on Sunday. OSIRIS-REx collected its specimen from Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid discovered in 1999 and classified as a "near-Earth object" because it passes relatively close to our planet every six years. The Bennu sample is estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the amount of material carried back from asteroid Ryugu in 2020 and asteroid Itokawa in 2010. The main portion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, meanwhile, is expected to sail on to explore yet another near-Earth asteroid. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: REx, Sandra Freund, Lockheed Martin, Dante Lauretta, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: United Launch Alliance, V, Cape Canaveral Air Force, NASA, Lockheed, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, ANGELES, Utah, military's, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Houston, Los Angeles

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