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☆ 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

☆ Taste testing the space food of the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The competition led the Astra Gastronomy team at Nonfiction, a design and innovation firm based in San Francisco, to develop the Space Culinary Lab. Bringing that level of agency to astronauts is where designers like us start.”The Space Culinary Lab made it through the first phase of the Deep Space Food Challenge in October 2021. This rendering shows what the Space Culinary Lab might look like inside a spacecraft. Time for a taste testThe futuristic space food prepared using the culinary lab was available for a taste test at Nonfiction during CNN’s visit in March, including space coffee and algae mixed with different flavors. The fruit powders masked the algae flavor and made it taste more like a slightly sweet treat without added sugars.

Persons: San Francisco CNN —, ”, Phnam Bagley, “, Bagley, munch, sizzle, bok, Mona Lisa ”, CNN’s, Mark Alexander, Mardis Bagley, Nadia Kutyreva, Fifile Nguyen, ” Bagley Organizations: San Francisco CNN, NASA, Canadian Space Agency, Astra Locations: San Francisco, Mars

☆ New Story Collections on Life’s Absurdities and Pains
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Jen Vafidis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gender, relationships, family and the meaning of pop culture. But does “Almost Famous” have a scene when the sky opens to reveal giant chopsticks hovering over salmon roe as big as skyscrapers? A minor description from Theodore McCombs’s inquisitive fantasia URANIANS (Astra House, 210 pp., $25), his debut collection, illuminated the whole book for me. The main character in “Laguna Heights,” frustrated by memory gaps caused by his top-shelf neurotechnology, is called the “sort of man pleased to remember that old movies are still in the world.” He’s not pleased; he’s the kind of person who would be pleased. This detached phrasing, however tossed-off, tore me out of the moment, and confronted me with an iffy behavioral theory: Identity predetermines emotions and actions, and emotions and actions reinforce identity, in one smooth loop.

Persons: I’ve, Reiko, bender, you’ve, Theodore McCombs’s, fantasia, ”, He’s Organizations: Astra House Locations: Laguna Heights

☆ Debt ceiling deal would push student loan borrowers into repayment by fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesDeal ends the payment pause, likely for goodThe pause on federal student loan payments is one of the few remaining Covid-related relief measures still in effect. The policy has suspended the accrual of interest on federal student debt and allowed borrowers to forgo making their payments without facing any penalties. watch nowThe White House was aiming to restart student loan payments within months anyway, Kantrowitz said, and so "the legislation does not represent a change in that regard." The Biden administration has warned that resuming student loan payments without being able to carry out its debt forgiveness plan could trigger a historic spike in defaults and delinquencies. Student loan forgiveness, other relief, not in agreement

☆ The Capitalist Generation’s Space Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Mark Gimein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Worden’s foes think nothing of siccing federal investigators on him and his team in an intramural death match. To put it succinctly, in Vance’s telling, NASA and its usual-suspect corporate partners were basically devoted to doing very little — or ideally, nothing — at maximum expense. So Worden’s team went in the opposite direction: The simpler and cheaper the better. Will Marshall, a physics prodigy and space expert, became the informal leader of a group of Ames recruits living in a Silicon Valley group house, known as the Rainbow Mansion. The housemates started working on the smallest satellites they could come up with — shoebox-size contraptions they would eventually call Doves.

☆ Etihad Airways signs deal to allow bookings using AI within chat app BOTIM
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, May 2 (Reuters) - Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi's state carrier, on Tuesday signed an agreement with technology firm Astra Tech that allows customers to make flight bookings using artificial intelligence within chat app BOTIM, Astra Tech said. Astra Tech has said its GPT is the first that works in the Arabic language. "Through the BOTIM GPT module developed by Astra Tech, flights and other travel-related services are integrated into the Botim app, offering a convenient and innovative way for customers to book Etihad flights," Astra Tech said. Astra Tech bought BOTIM last year for an undisclosed sum from about 12 investors, Astra Tech founder and BOTIM CEO Abdallah Abu Sheikh told Reuters last month. BOTIM is one of the top three digital remittance providers in the UAE, one of the other services the app provides, Sheikh said.

☆ Russian commanders now punish misbehaving troops by sticking them in dirt holes covered with metal grilles called 'zindans:' UK intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The holes in the ground are covered by metal grilles, and are makeshift dungeons called "zindans." Independent Russian media also reported recent cases of Russian troops being held in"zindans." The intelligence update comes several weeks after the independent Russian media outlet Vertska also reported that Russian troops were beaten and placed in "zindans." He pleaded for help from the Russian defense ministry, accusing his commanding officer of being "corrupt." The Russian defense ministry's press service did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ In These Stories, Society Lets Individuals Down Again and Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Gwen E. Kirby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The lens of the story moves from his point of view to that of the missing girl, who is found after three days of sheltering inside a hollow tree to hide her first period from the prettier, wealthier girls. To the outside world, she is missing; she sees it as protecting herself. Reich’s stories have a density to them: long paragraphs weighted with rich description, bricks placed carefully to build constructions capable of supporting the weight of history. Alejandro Varela’s THE PEOPLE WHO REPORT MORE STRESS: Stories (244 pp., Astra House, $26) is a master class in analyzing the unspoken. In “She and Her Kid and Me and Mine,” a gay, half-Salvadoran, half-Colombian father chats with a straight white mother while their young children have a play date.

☆ 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.

☆ Wagner is 'desperate for manpower' and trying to poach regular Russian soldiers while feuding with their commanders, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group is trying to recruit from Russia's military, the Institute for the Study of War said. It's "increasingly desperate for manpower" after heavy losses in Ukraine, the think tank said. The group has feuded with the military, but now seems desperate for its troops, per the ISW. The Wagner group, which has thousands of mercenaries and recruited prisoners fighting in Ukraine, has, in recent months, been leading Russia's assault on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The Institute for the Study of War noted that Wagner and regular Russian military forces have recently started working more closely together in their bid to take Bakhmut.

☆ Virgin Orbit was a promising company that could never find a working business model
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Magdalena Petrova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Virgin Orbit started as a program of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic in 2012, before being spun off into a separate company five years later. But Virgin Orbit was dogged by delays. "Virgin Orbit did not have an anchor customer." In late March, Virgin Orbit said it was laying off the majority of its workforce and ceasing operations "for the foreseeable future" after failing to secure a funding lifeline. Watch the video to find out more about what led to Virgin Orbit's collapse.

☆ Dozens of Russian draftees were locked in a factory and forced to sign contracts with the Wagner Group at gunpoint, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dozens of Russian draftees were tricked into signing contracts with Wagner, Astra reported. Soldiers told their families they were "sold" though it is unclear whether a transaction was made. The group then forced soldiers to sign contracts with them, according to the outlet. Fifty-seven out of 170 draftees agreed to sign contracts with the paramilitary group, while the rest refused to sign and were transported elsewhere in Ukraine's Luhansk region, Astra reported. Despite some internal conflict, the Wagner Group has been working closely with Russia since the start of its invasion of Ukraine last year.

☆ Virgin Orbit COO calls out company leadership for failures in goodbye memo. Read the full email
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Gingiss' email appears to call out Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart, although not by name, and offers an apology to employees that they "have not heard from the person who should be saying it." With Virgin Orbit now under bankruptcy protection, departing Chief Operating Officer Tony Gingiss had some choice words for the company's leadership, as well as a lengthy and detailed apology to its employees. Dear Virgin Orbit and Virgin Orbit National Systems current and former employees,Like many of you, today is my last day at Virgin Orbit. Thank you for everything you gave to me personally and to the dream of Virgin Orbit. Go boldly onto your next adventure and bring that special you that you brought to Virgin Orbit.

☆ Space companies Spire and Momentus get stock exchange delisting warnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spire Global at the New York Stock Exchange, August 17, 2021. A pair of space companies received delisting warnings on Friday, according to securities filings, as both ventures' stock prices stood below $1 a share. Small satellite builder and data specialist Spire Global received a notice from the New York Stock Exchange, while spacecraft delivery company Momentus received a notice from the Nasdaq. Momentus' stock closed at 63 cents a share, slipping below $1 a share on Feb. 7. The warnings come as fellow space company Astra seeks an extension from the Nasdaq to regain compliance after it received a delisting warning last year.

☆ Virgin Orbit raising $200 million from investor Matthew Brown, closing deal as soon as Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Virgin Orbit is in final talks to raise funds from Texas-based investor Matthew Brown, two people familiar with the deal told CNBC, amounting to an injection of $200 million. The deal comes as Virgin Orbit scrambles to rebuild its cash coffers and avoid a potential bankruptcy filing, CNBC earlier reported. Virgin Orbit did not respond to CNBC's request for comment. Shares of Virgin Orbit surged 50% in early trading Wednesday from the stock's previous close of 44 cents a share. Virgin Orbit has been looking for new funds for several months, with majority owner Richard Branson unwilling to fund the company further.

☆ Investing in Space: Don't panic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. Virgin Orbit's headquarters and factory are near multiple rocket and space companies, with several growing fast nearby in "Space Beach" (an industry nickname for Long Beach, California). The fight for talent remains very competitive, which should give Virgin Orbit folks reassurance in the face of an uncertain future. Granted, the SVB situation is putting other banks under pressure and could spur caution around startup fundraising. And don't forget, multiple space companies, large and small, are backed by a lone wealthy individual with huge equity ownership.

☆ Astra outlines its plan to avoid Nasdaq delisting, including possible reverse stock split
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Spacecraft engine manufacturer and small rocket builder Astra on Thursday outlined a plan to avoid having its stock delisted from the Nasdaq. In its plan, Astra also noted the possibility of conducting a reverse stock split to get back into compliance with Nasdaq's listing standards. A reverse split does not affect the fundamentals of a company, as it is not dilutive to the stock and does not change the company's valuation, but it would lift the stock price by combining shares. Functionally, a reverse split, often done as a 1-for-10, would mean a $3 stock, for example, would become $30 a share. "Astra continues to actively monitor our listing status and intends to preserve our Nasdaq listing," Martinez wrote.

☆ How GSK plans to replenish its depleted medicine cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

GSK has since suffered a series of clinical trial setbacks in its cancer drugs portfolio, most recently last year involving ovarian cancer drug Zejula and blood cancer drug Blenrep. BLOCKBUSTER POTENTIALAnalysts say that despite a string of strong quarterly earnings, lingering concerns over the company's drug pipeline reflect in GSK's share price. The investor said he does not see enough GSK drugs, either on the market or in development, with potential to be a so-called "blockbusters" with annual sales exceeding $1 billion. But Wood said the overhauled R&D department has put GSK in a strong position to meet growth targets. U.S. regulatory approval on GSK's vaccine, and a rival vaccine developed by Pfizer, is expected in May.

☆ Astra investigating 'potential illegal short selling' as delisting deadline looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Astra CEO Chris Kemp speaks inside the company's headquarters during the company's "Spacetech Day" on May 12, 2022. Spacecraft engine manufacturer and small rocket builder Astra announced on Friday that the company is investigating "potential illegal short selling" among shareholders of its common stock. "Astra remains committed to protecting our investors and maximizing stockholder value," Chairman and CEO Chris Kemp said in a statement. The announcement comes as Astra faces a delisting deadline issued by the Nasdaq last year. If that happens, Astra is able to appeal the delisting before a Nasdaq hearings panel.

☆ Investing in Space: Launch jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) 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. Even today's private U.S. launch leaders, SpaceX and Rocket Lab , had their share of failures when first gunning for orbit. "In a launch vehicle, you have lots of different complex systems … and traditionally, we've been talking about expendable launch vehicles. "We're finally transitioning to a reusable launch vehicle mentality, and I think you're going to see more and more of that kind of testing," Nield said. But even with one-off rockets, Nield remains "very bullish" on the launch market.

That number includes both rocket launches and capsule reentries, and has been steadily climbing. A Falcon Heavy rocket launches the USSF-67 mission on January 15, 2023 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Air space is going to be a critical, critical issue," Isom said, calling on new industries to contribute to the cost of air traffic control. A graph of FAA-licensed or permitted commercial space launches (excludes launches licensed by other U.S. government agencies, such as NASA or the Department of Defense). Together they create a moving target for space launches and the commercial airlines eyeing the same air space.

☆ What happens if the Supreme Court strikes down student loan forgiveness? Here are 3 predictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Despite student loan borrowers being offered forbearances during previous natural disasters, Kvaal wrote, default rates still skyrocketed when payments resumed. ″[T]he one-time student loan debt relief program was intended to avoid" skyrocketing default rates, Kvaal added. "These student loan borrowers had the reasonable expectation and belief that they would not have to make additional payments on their federal student loans," Kvaal said. That law allows the Education Department to make modifications to federal student loan programs during national emergencies. 'A disastrous blow to Black Americans'The country's $1.7 trillion student loan crisis has hit Black Americans especially hard.

☆ Stellantis, Vulcan Energy to develop renewable energy assets in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Automaker Stellantis (STLA.MI) has teamed up with lithium group Vulcan Energy Resources (VUL.AX) to develop geothermal energy projects in Germany to help decarbonise production of electric vehicles at Rüsselsheim, the two companies said on Tuesday. Stellantis' Rüsselsheim facility is where the world's third largest carmaker by sales produces its DS 4 and Opel Astra models. War in Ukraine has tightened Europe's energy supply, causing uncertainty for manufacturers already suffering from strained supply chains for raw materials and components such as semiconductors. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the partnership with Vulcan reinforced the group's commitment to greater use of cleanenergy. The carmaker, formed two years ago through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, already has a deal with Vulcan for lithium supply from the miner's project in the Upper Rhine Valley in Germany.

☆ Rocket builder ABL's inaugural launch fails shortly after liftoff, damages launch pad
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The company's RS1 rocket lifts off on its inaugural launch attempt from Kodiak, Alaska on Jan. 10, 2023. The first mission by ABL Space got off the ground on Tuesday, but the company's RS1 rocket suffered an issue early in the flight that caused it to fail shortly after lifting off. ABL President Dan Piemont told CNBC that the RS1 rocket stayed within the predefined "acceptable flight corridor" during the short launch, but after the rocket's engines shut down the vehicle "impacted directly on the launch pad," causing damage. ABL's RS1 rocket stands about 90 feet tall, and is designed to launch as much as 1,350 kilograms (or nearly 1.5 tons) of payload to low Earth orbit — at a cost of $12 million per launch. That puts RS1 in the middle of the commercial launch market, between Rocket Lab's smaller Electron and SpaceX's heavy class Falcon 9.

☆ Rocket start-up fails attempt to launch satellites off Alaska’s coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A rocket operated by a California-based start-up failed near the coast of Alaska Tuesday, marking yet another mishap for companies hoping to offer their services to launch scores of small satellites into orbit. The privately held ABL Space Systems attempted to launch its RS1 rocket at 1:27 p.m. local time (5:27 p.m. “Thanks to all for the support.”The mission was aiming to carry two small satellites to orbit for OmniTeq, which recently spun off its space division. Those companies may soon be joined by yet another start-up, Relativity, which currently has its first rocket poised at a launch site in Florida. The failed ABL launch Monday comes after the first few attempts to get its RS1 rocket off the ground in December came up short.

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