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☆ 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.

☆ Elon Musk holds the keys to the moon because SpaceX's Starship megarocket launch is crucial to NASA's return
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The rocket, which NASA has tagged for upcoming missions, is crucial to NASA's return to the moon. The highly anticipated Starship launch will determine whether NASA's Artemis moon program is on track for success. NASA's SLS relies on Starship for the moon landingA Starship prototype being launched. NASA's SLS rocket, by contrast, has a high price tag for the taxpayer: The project has cost $50 billion in development since the program's inception in 2006. All of this makes NASA's SLS a poor competitor to SpaceX's shiny new rocket.

☆ Lunar startup ispace's shares untraded in Tokyo debut amid glut of buy orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Hakuto-R Mission 1 from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Dec. 11, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shares of lunar transportation start-up ispace went untraded in their market debut in Tokyo early on Wednesday, as bids overwhelmed offers. Shares of ispace were bid at 436 yen as of the morning break on the Tokyo exchange's growth market, 72% above their IPO price of 254 yen. The stock has an upper price limit of 585 yen, according to the exchange. In December, its Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar lander was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket that took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying two robotic rovers.

☆ Investing in Space: Deloitte formalizes its space consulting business, with an eye on growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. The space industry keeps growing, and global consulting groups aren't ones to be left behind. This week saw Big 4 firm Deloitte formalize its space consulting services, even as other consulting giants like McKinsey, BCG and Bain compete for pieces of the space pie. Loubert breaks the space consulting opportunity into two areas: Space as a mission or business, and space as a growth opportunity. For more on consulting and space, I'll be sitting down on April 18 with McKinsey Senior Partner Ryan Brukardt at Space Symposium in Colorado.

☆ Extra Space to buy Life Storage for $12.7 bln in self-storage mega deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Pratyush Thakur | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 3 (Reuters) - Real estate investment trust Extra Space Storage (EXR.N) said on Monday it will acquire Life Storage (LSI.N) for $12.7 billion in a deal that will result in the combined company becoming the largest U.S. self-storage space operator by store count. Life Storage, which operates more than 1,150 storage facilities in 37 states and the District of Columbia, in February turned down a $11 billion all-stock takeover bid from Public Storage (PSA.N). Life Storage shares were up 3.5%, while Extra Space shares were down 5.1%. On deal close, Extra Space and Life Storage shareholders are expected to own about 65% and 35% of the combined company. The board of Extra Space will be expanded from 10 directors to 12 and consist of three directors from Life Storage.

☆ Relativity's debut rocket launch proves durability, fails in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - Relativity Space's 3D-printed rocket lifted off for the first time on Wednesday, passing a key milestone to demonstrate the vehicle's in-flight strength before its second stage failed upon reaching space, a company live stream showed. The California-based company's 110-foot tall Terran 1 rocket, which is 85% made of 3D-printed parts, lifted off on its debut flight around 11:25 p.m. EDT (0325 GMT on Thursday) from a launchpad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. Upon reaching space, the rocket's second stage engine appeared to briefly ignite but failed to achieve thrust, ultimately failing to reach orbit. "While we didn't make it all the way today, we gathered enough data to show that flying 3D-printed rockets is possible," Relativity Test Program Manager Arwa Tizani Kelly said on the company's live video stream. Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Relativity Space's 3D-printed rocket delivers stunning night launch but fails to reach orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Startup Relativity Space sent what it’s calling the “world’s first 3D-printed rocket” toward space on Wednesday, vaulting it into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Relativity Space's Terran 1 rocket is seen during its third launch attempt of a mission called "GLHF" (Good Luck, Have Fun), from Launch Complex 16 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 22, 2023. The company said computers automatically aborted the launch attempt because of a detected software issue. Still, the Terran 1 rocket that failed its first launch attempt on Wednesday may not end up being the company’s showcase product. But those deals are “overwhelmingly for our larger reusable rocket Terran R,” Ellis noted.

☆ Google Workspace, its office software suite, hits 9 million paying organizations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, now has over 9 million paying organizations. Workspace announced Tuesday that it will start rolling out more generative AI features. Now, it's also rolling out new AI features across the Workspace suite. Workspace's biggest competitor is Microsoft Office, whose Office 365 product has 345 million paid commercial seats as of last year and has a stronghold among large enterprise customers. Workspace's latest push into generative AI, as well as its cloud-first products, could help give it an edge.

☆ Google got a pandemic boost for its Workspace software but blew it, insiders say. Now it plans to attack Microsoft with a new push in AI.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian spent much of his time at a partner meeting talking about Workspace, tweeted Tony Safoian, CEO of Google Cloud partner SADA Systems. "Around the globe, more than nine million paying organizations, and more than three billion users rely on Google Workspace for communication and collaboration. Other major customers like Deutsche Bank use Google Cloud for cloud infrastructure, but Microsoft Office for collaboration software. Forty-four percent of software procurers whose organization plans to or currently uses Microsoft's collaboration software also use Google Workspace, according to the 2022 Forrester study. While Google Cloud is still unprofitable, it has decreased losses to $480 million, down from $890 million last year.

☆ Airbus' defence arm says Berlin delaying exports worth billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Airbus A400M military transport aircraft of the German Air Force is pictured in the air during the ILA Berlin Air Show 2022, in Berlin, Germany June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschMUNICH, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Slow German government export approvals are holding up Airbus Defence & Space (AIR.PA) defence exports worth several billions of euros, the company's chief executive said on Sunday, urging Berlin to speed up the process. Unfortunately we are having difficulties to get the German export licences on time," Michael Schoellhorn told Reuters in an interview at the Munich Security Conference. "Our problem is that we haven't received any contracts yet from the Zeitenwende and important exports are not being approved. Asked whether in future space developments Europe will have to fall back on Elon Musk's SpaceX company following Airbus Defence & Space's loss of two satellites on a Vega C rocket, Schoellhorn said any such solution would be temporary.

BENGALURU, Feb 13 (Reuters) - India wants to more than triple annual defence exports to $5 billion by 2024/25 from $1.5 billion currently as it looks to ramp up domestic manufacturing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday while inaugurating the Aero India show. "Today, India is not just a market for defence companies, it is also a potential defence partner," Modi said in his speech at the show. "I call on India's private sector to invest more and more in the country's defence sector." India, for decades one of the world's biggest importers of defence equipment, now exports to 75 countries, he added. India's airlines are also expanding, with Tata Group's Air India expected to announce a potentially record deal to buy nearly 500 jets from Airbus and Boeing, worth more than $100 billion at list prices.

☆ Super Bowl ads lean on stars, humor to grab attention
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Musician Ozzy Osbourne takes part in a Super Bowl ad for Workday, in this undated handout photo provided by Workday. Big-name celebrities are not uncommon in Super Bowl ads. A 30-second Super Bowl spot this year sold for a little over $7 million, according to a person familiar with the ad sales. “Advertisers want people talking about their brand, and not just during the 30 to 60 seconds of (Super Bowl) air time,” Rucker said. Some stars will poke fun at themselves or their careers in Super Bowl ads.

☆ Inside the 'Wormhole,' Relativity Space's monster factory 3D-printing reusable rockets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The exterior of "The Wormhole" factory. The inside of "The Wormhole" factory in Long Beach, California. A closeup look at one of the company's "Reaper" printers at work. The scale of one of the Stargate "Reaper" printers. A pair of the company's "Reaper" 3D-printers.

☆ Taking a secret 'hush trip' could help with burnout — but might land your company a surprise tax bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More remote workers are traveling without their employer's permission, also known as "hush trips." "Anybody loves the opportunity to be productive in paradise rather than in their home office," Pokora told Insider. "I think as long as remote work stays an option and working from home in general we're going to see more of this." Hush trips are the most recent addition to the growing lexicon at the intersection of work and travel, joining longtime favorites "bleisure," "workation" and "digital nomad." On the employer's side, hush trips can cause tax and legal headaches if they go on for too long, Courtney Leyes, a partner at the law firm Fisher Phillips, told Insider.

☆ GE forecasts weak 2023 profit on troubles at renewable business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The General Electric Co. logo is seen on the company's corporate headquarters building in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. July 23, 2019General Electric forecast a lower-than-expected 2023 adjusted profit on Tuesday, as the industrial major struggles persistent problems at its money-losing renewable energy business. Shares of GE fell about 1% before the opening bell after the company forecast an operating loss between $600 million and $200 million for its energy business GE Vernova in 2023. The renewable energy unit has been delivering poor results due to policy uncertainty following the expiry of renewable electricity production tax credits in 2021, which has hit customer demand. Parts shortages have also hobbled overall production and inflationary pressures have driven up costs, hitting margins and forcing GE to raise prices. GE Aerospace's operating profit is expected to come in between $5.3 billion and $5.7 billion for 2023.

☆ GE's 2023 profit forecast weighed down by renewable business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - General Electric Co (GE.N) forecast a lower-than-expected 2023 adjusted profit on Tuesday, as the industrial major struggles with persistent problems at its money-losing renewable energy business. Shares in GE were down 2% at $78.29 in premarket trade after the company forecast an operating loss between $200 million and $600 million for its energy business GE Vernova in 2023. The company's renewable energy business has been facing challenges due to inflation and supply chain pressures. GE Aerospace's operating profit is expected to come in between $5.3 billion and $5.7 billion for 2023. GE's adjusted profit for the fourth quarter was $1.24 per share, beating analysts' average estimate of $1.13 per share.

☆ Investors will stop rewarding digital health startups masquerading as tech companies in 2023, VC Aike Ho predicts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many digital-health startups enjoy tech valuations without differentiated technology. As record investment has flowed into care startups, many of them have enjoyed valuations that mirror those of tech companies. In 2023, thanks in part to the struggling economy, Ho predicts that digital-health investing will stop rewarding this approach and favor startups with true technology differentiation. Ho said it's the right time for real technology startups to take off in healthcare. She's looking for founding teams with three distinct superpowers: understanding the healthcare landscape, understanding the technology behind products, and understanding that technology's clinical application.

ROME/PARIS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Italy's Vega rockets have been grounded and an investigation is under way after the latest model failed on its second mission, destroying two Earth-imaging satellites and further complicating Europe's access to space on top of the war in Ukraine. A spokesperson for Arianespace said both the Vega C and its Vega predecessor had been grounded pending the findings of an investigative commission co-chaired by technical officials from the European Space Agency and Arianespace itself. Italy's Vega C rocket is due to play an increasingly crucial role in Europe's access to space after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine forced Arianespace to stop using Russian Soyuz vehicles. But Arianespace has been forced to scrap plans to announce a Vega C launch schedule for 2023 in coming weeks. Analysts said only a few operational alternatives to Vega C exist, such as potential rideshares aboard U.S.-based SpaceX's bigger Falcon 9 or Firefly Aerospace's new Alpha launcher, which can loft roughly half the payload weight of Vega C.Other options, though somewhat larger than Vega C, include rockets from Japan and India.

☆ FTX t-shirts and swag were stashed away in trash bags during Miami's Art Basel, and some crypto diehards took them home as souvenirs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Solana Embassy, once backed by Sam Bankman-Fried, gave away free FTX t-shirts at Art Basel. Among the stash were close to 1,000 FTX Miami t-shirts, FTX bean bags, a framed Miami Heat jersey that featured an FTX logo, and a signed poster of chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen who took part in an FTX-sponsored tournament. Solana tweeted about its events in Miami and said it had "about 1,000 FTX Miami shirts to get rid of." The t-shirts were originally only supposed to be free for those who opened FTX accounts at the Solana Embassy. The Solana Embassy previously housed an FTX Lounge, and the exchange was its biggest financial sponsor, according to Norby.

☆ Big Tech CEOs are asking employees to step up — or step aside
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Across the industry, tech CEOs are asking their employees to step up — or step aside. It's not just Elon Musk: Major tech CEOs are asking employees to step up or risk getting fired. After taking over at Twitter, Musk notoriously asked staffers to work "long hours at high intensity" or quit. But other tech CEOs from firms like Meta and Amazon have also been turning up the heat on employees. Here's what more tech CEOs are expecting.

☆ Buzzy startups failed to fix mental-health care. Now their mistakes are fueling the space's next generation.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In the past two years, highly funded startups have tried to disrupt mental-health care. The startups said they wanted to help solve the industry's biggest problems: Mental-health care is too expensive, and there isn't enough of it to go around. Talkspace's priority is now its division that sells mental-health care to employers, which pay recurring fees for employee access. Startups tackling more serious mental-health conditions are working with health plansThere's also a rising crop of mental-health companies tackling the costliest mental-health conditions, something the direct-to-consumer firms tend to shy away from. About half of Bicycle's patients pay with their insurance, a number he's looking to increase.

☆ The death of Twitter won't be the dramatic explosion you might expect
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Matt Weinberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

So I'm confident saying Twitter won't wink out of existence, here one day and gone the next. That said, I'm also confident that Twitter won't be the same after Musk's gambit. Here's how I think will happen:Power users start to abandon ship. The combination of app unreliability and the increasingly-notable absence of power users and influencers will lead to average Twitter users spending less time on the site. If and when users stop refreshing Twitter because it's no longer reliable, they'll start spending more time on other platforms.

☆ A day in the life of a 20-year-old Gen Z venture capitalist in London's bustling startup scene
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But he said older VCs he's interacted with mostly tend to disagree and stick to emails when interacting with founders. Nathwani strayed into venture capital after finishing his A-Levels, as it looked like a good way to marry his interests in social impact and investing. He spoke with a few investors and a founder as part of his job as a summer associate at Social Impact Capital. He spent most of the morning working on an impact report for Social Impact Capital. 2:30 p.m.Nathwani used some time after lunch to do more work for Social Impact Capital and wade through his 30,000 unread emails.

☆ Raytheon sees castings shortages spilling into next year amid aftermarket demand
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Abhijith Ganapavaram | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Supply shortages have crippled aerospace's ability to meet a snapback in demand for travel. The supply of castings has been singled out as problematic by aerospace executives as manufacturing them is a labor-intensive process and it takes time to train new hires. Shortages are now prompting Raytheon to choose between making new engines and servicing old ones. TRAVEL DEMAND A 'WATCH ITEM'Raytheon, whose Pratt & Whitney engines power all of Airbus' A220 jets and about half of the A320neo aircraft, said it had not seen any signs of travel demand, which has turbocharged the industry's recovery, subsiding. However, he added travel demand remains a "watch item", amid recessionary fears.

☆ It looks like Elon Musk started using a new program that blocks jet tracking after the man who follows his plane wouldn't take his Twitter account down
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Grace Kay | Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The program allows aircraft owners to apply for a temporary aircraft registration number that is not currently attached to any other plane — meaning that celebrities like Musk can essentially fly anonymously. The PIA program allows aircraft owners to switch out their registration number every 60 days. The incognito registration number also doesn't prevent Sweeney from tracking the private jet via ADS-B Exchange, a public flight-tracking database. Elon Musk's private jet flight with PIA flag, tracked by Jack Sweeney. Jack Sweeney via ADS-B ExchangeMusk is also on the FAA's free "Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed" program, or LADD list.

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