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Hawaiian Airlines is rolling out complimentary Wi-Fi via SpaceX's Starlink on board commercial flights this week, the companies told CNBC, the first major U.S. airline to offer the satellite-based service. Hawaiian's plan for complimentary Wi-Fi comes as airlines ramp up their offerings for high-speed connectivity. "It really feels like an experience that should not be possible when you get on a commercial airline flight. Hawaiian signed an agreement with SpaceX in April 2022, looking to utilize the Starlink network – which consists of more than 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit and boasts more than 2.3 million customers worldwide. The airline didn't previously offer inflight Wi-Fi.

Persons: Peter Ingram, Chad Gibbs, Gibbs Organizations: CNBC, U.S, SpaceX, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Delta Air Lines, didn't Locations: U.S, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii

☆ Investing in Space: How bankers read a potential sale of rocket builder ULA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. It's been widely reported over the last year that ULA parent companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin are considering offloading the rocket business. That's despite the successful debut of ULA's Vulcan rocket in early January, which I assumed would galvanize a sale. In the meantime, I've been curious to understand how ULA's sale is likely to play out. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are, and have been, looking to sell the rocket business for some time.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, It's, Lockheed Martin, ULA, Tory Bruno, Jeff Bezos, hasn't, I've, it's Organizations: Boeing, Lockheed, Origin, Textron, SpaceX, U.S ., Glenn, Vulcan Locations: ULA

☆ Investing in Space: NASA panel warns astronaut moon plan may be too ambitious
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Moon's surface seen from the Orion spacecraft on flight day 20 of the Artemis I mission. CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. NASA's Artemis moon mission program regularly faces a wide swath of questions – from legislators, auditors, companies and even just the American public – about goals, timeline, cost and more. Call it an Artemis mission! If Orion flying uncrewed around the moon is an Artemis mission, then the first uncrewed HLS landing should be too, because it's arguably just as important to the goal of landing humans back on the moon.

Persons: Artemis, CNBC's Michael Sheetz, it's Organizations: Orion, Aerospace, NASA, Artemis Locations: –

☆ Starlab, meet Starship: Private space station buys SpaceX launch for later this decade
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An artist's rendering of the Starlab space station in low Earth orbit. Private station Starlab will fly on a Starship rocket later this decade to get to orbit, the companies' developing both spacecraft announced on Wednesday. Starlab represents one of the earliest commercial customers to order a Starship launch from SpaceX. The station is one of several currently in development by U.S. companies, as NASA prepares to retire the International Space Station in 2030. The space station's four-year development and construction timeline also gives SpaceX time to move forward with Starship, advancing from demonstration flights to launching customer spacecraft.

Persons: Starlab, Hilton – Organizations: Voyager Space, Airbus, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, NASA, Space Station, Voyager Locations: U.S

☆ A handful of space companies are running out of cash and time. Here are three at risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A flurry of about a dozen space companies went public over the last few years. SidusSidus Space is a little-known space company that went the traditional IPO route in late 2021 and began trading on the Nasdaq at a near $200 million valuation. But it had less than $2 million in cash at the end of September, trading at a near $9 million valuation according to FactSet. Elsewhere in spaceA fourth space company in a potentially precarious spot is satellite imagery company Satellogic . Overall, investment in the space sector bounced back in 2023, with companies bringing in $12.5 billion in investment last year.

Persons: Here's, Momentus, there's, Sidus, Satellogic, hasn't Organizations: Astra, Astra Astra, Nasdaq, CNBC, Terran

☆ Investing in Space: Sector led Lockheed and Northrop growth last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | 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. But, when Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman both reported 2023 results this week, it was a different story. For both companies, space was the top segment for sales growth in 2023 — by a wide margin. You'd think with such strong results, space would be a highlight of quarterly earnings calls. But for both Lockheed and Northrop, executives and analysts still only mentioned space in passing.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Northrop, Morgan Brennan, Jay Malave, It's, it's, We've Organizations: Lockheed, Northrop, Vulcan, Boeing Locations: ULA

People raise their hands after a successful moon landing by the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), in a public viewing event in Sagamihara, south of Tokyo, Japan January 20, 2024. Japan staked a claim among national space powers on Friday, as its SLIM spacecraft reached the lunar surface. The country's SLIM lander launched in September and touched down on the lunar surface around 10:20 a.m. Japan's SLIM, which stands for "Smart Lander for Investigating Moon," is a cargo research mission. It carries a variety of scientific payloads, including an analysis camera and a pair of lunar rovers.

Persons: SLIM, Smart Lander Organizations: Smart, SLIM, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Engineers, Japan Locations: Sagamihara, Tokyo, Japan, Russia, Soviet Union, U.S, China, India

☆ Investing in Space: Pentagon's satellite constellation awards near $10 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Now we're pushing $10 billion in awards, to build more than 400 satellites, with seven companies in the mix. York Space has been tapped to make more satellites than anyone but Northrop Grumman, to the tune of $1.3 billion. – The Wall Street Journal / Deere Hyperspectral satellite imagery company Pixxel opens Bengaluru facility, a 30,000-square-foot facility in India for satellite manufacturing. – KeyBancBoldly goingKurt Vogel named as NASA associate administrator for the agency's space technology directorate, effective immediately, previously having been the director of space architectures at the agency. – NASAfor the agency's space technology directorate, effective immediately, previously having been the director of space architectures at the agency.

Persons: Yasin Ozturk, CNBC's Michael Sheetz, – Northrop, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, you've, Momentus, John Plumb, –, Artemis, – SpacePolicyOnline, Tom Mueller's, Redwire, KeyBanc, Kurt Vogel, Chiara Pedersoli, Marco Fuchs, – OHB, – OHB Frank Di Pentino Organizations: SpaceX, . Space Force, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Space Force, Space Development Agency, – Northrop Grumman, Lockheed, York, Space, Lab, Sierra Space, CNBC, CNBC NASA, Boeing, NASA, NASA ESA, Science, Technology, Industry, ISS, – NASA SpaceX, Deere, Street, Deere Deere, KKR Locations: Cape, Florida, United States, U.S, Brazil, Bengaluru, India

☆ Space investment rebounded in 2023 with heavy sector M&A, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investment in the space sector bounced back last year, rebounding closer to the record high of 2021, according to a report Tuesday by New York-based Space Capital. The firm's fourth-quarter report found that space infrastructure companies brought in $2.6 billion of private investment during the period. Top raises during the fourth quarter included funds announced by space companies Firefly Aerospace, Ursa Major, D-Orbit, Stoke Space and True Anomaly. The quarterly Space Capital report divides investment in the industry into three technology categories: infrastructure, distribution and application. Space infrastructure companies have been resilient through the recent downturn.

Persons: Chad Anderson, Anderson Organizations: Infrastructure, Space Capital, Firefly Aerospace, Ursa, Space, CNBC Locations: New York

☆ Pentagon awards $2.5 billion in satellite contracts to L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and Sierra Space
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Pentagon on Tuesday announced about $2.5 billion in contracts will go to L3Harris , Lockheed Martin , and Sierra Space to build satellites for an expanding military system. These satellites will be for the "Tranche 2 Tracking Layer" of the satellite constellation, related to missile defense. Under the awards, each company will build 18 satellites — 16 for missile warnings and tracking, and two with missile defense infrared sensors. The fixed-price contracts are worth $919 million for L3Harris, $890 million for Lockheed Martin, and $740 million for Sierra Space, respectively. PWSA is a constellation designed to have hundreds of satellites in orbit, for greater resiliency and redundancy than previous U.S. military satellites.

Persons: Lockheed Martin's, Lockheed Martin, Derek Tournear Organizations: Lockheed, Pentagon, Sierra Space, Development Agency Locations: L3Harris, U.S

☆ Space company Momentus, once valued at more than $1 billion, is running dangerously low on money
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Space company Momentus warned shareholders in a securities filing on Friday that the company is running out of money and does not have a financial lifeline. Momentus, once valued at more than $1 billion before going public via a special purpose acquisition company in 2021, abandoned plans for its next mission, which was to fly satellite customers in March. Momentus already laid off about 20% of its workforce at the end of December to reduce costs. Shares of Momentus fell more than 30% during trading on Friday, with its market value sliding to nearly $5 million. Momentus was among a dozen or so space companies that debuted during the SPAC frenzy.

Persons: Momentus Organizations: Nasdaq, SEC, CNBC PRO

☆ SpaceX and T-Mobile send first texts via Starlink satellites
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX founder Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert on stage during a T-Mobile and SpaceX joint event in Boca Chica Beach, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2022. SpaceX successfully sent text messages via Starlink satellites using T-Mobile's network, it announced Wednesday, as Elon Musk's company aims to bring its direct-to-device cell service to market in the coming year. The recent test comes as major players pursue the market to connect unmodified phones directly to satellites, a nascent subsector of the space economy. SpaceX last week launched the first six Starlink satellites equipped with direct-to-device, or D2D, capabilities, after receiving authorization from the Federal Communications Commission last month to test the technology. The company said it performed the texting demonstration on Monday — in which SpaceX "sent and received our first text messages to and from unmodified cell phones on the ground to our new satellites in space" — and declared the test "validates" that "the system works."

Persons: Elon Musk, Mike Sievert, Elon Organizations: SpaceX, Mobile, Boca, Federal Communications Commission Locations: Boca Chica Beach , Texas

☆ U.S. lunar company's inaugural mission falls short of moon landing after spacecraft malfunction
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander is seen during preparations for launch near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic's inaugural lunar mission suffered a malfunction shortly after launch, and the company is calling off the landing attempt. It would have been the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. The company suspects the malfunction was a failure within the spacecraft's propulsion system, causing a leak that is quickly draining the vehicle of fuel. However, after activating its propulsion system, Peregrine suffered an issue and began tumbling.

Persons: Astrobotic, Peregrine Organizations: NASA's Kennedy Space Center, NASA Locations: NASA's, Florida . Pittsburgh, U.S, Cape Canaveral , Florida

☆ NASA delays crewed Artemis moon missions into 2025 as companies navigate challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NASA is pushing back the schedule for upcoming missions of its flagship Artemis lunar program by about a year as the agency's contractors work to finish technology needed to return U.S. astronauts to the moon's surface. Artemis 2 — with a four-person crew, which NASA announced last spring — was previously planned to launch in November, while Artemis 3 had been targeting December 2025. The pair of missions are set to follow the uncrewed Artemis I mission that flew in 2022. The Artemis program represents a series of missions with escalating goals, aiming to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era. Nelson's comments confirm reporting by CNN and Reuters that NASA would be pushing out the schedule for the program.

Persons: Artemis, Reid Wiseman Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Bill Nelson, —, Lockheed Martin, Elon, Jeff Bezos Organizations: NASA, Artemis, CNN, Reuters, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed, SpaceX, Collins Aerospace, SpaceX's Locations: U.S

☆ SpaceX plans key NASA demonstration for next Starship launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX could attempt a key demonstration for NASA during the third test flight of its towering Starship rocket, according to the federal agency. The propellant transfer demonstration would require that the rocket reach orbit as one of the demo's goals. "NASA and SpaceX are reviewing options for the demonstration to take place during an integrated flight test of Starship and the Super Heavy rocket. However, no final decisions on timing have been made," NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell said in a statement to CNBC. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said shortly after November's flight test that hardware for a third Starship launch "should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks."

Persons: SpaceX's, Jimi Russell, Elon Musk Organizations: Boca Chica, SpaceX, NASA, Super, CNBC, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Brownsville , Texas, U.S

☆ Amazon buys SpaceX rocket launches for Kuiper satellite internet project
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Amazon bought three rocket launches from SpaceX for its Project Kuiper internet satellites, the tech giant announced on Friday. The move is a surprise from Amazon, given the company's Kuiper system aims to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink in the satellite broadband market. SpaceX, the most active rocket operator in the world, has been adamant that it will continue launching Starlink competitors on its rockets. The company previously launched a number of other companies' broadband satellites to orbit and signed deals for future launches as well. In Friday's announcement, Amazon said it signed with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 launches in mid-2025.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Jeff Bezos, Musk, Bezos Organizations: Amazon, SpaceX, Elon, Elon Musk's Starlink

☆ Investing in Space: Understanding Starship's second test flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket is launched from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight, near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. November 18, 2023. CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. In one sense, we're now two weeks (and a holiday breather) on from SpaceX's most recent test flight of a Starship prototype. The extremely public display, as well as SpaceX's polarizing owner, is a double-edged sword for understanding Starship test flights. Few call the Starship launches what they are: research.

Persons: SpaceX's, CNBC's Michael Sheetz Organizations: Boca Chica, CNBC's, SpaceX Locations: Brownsville , Texas, U.S, South Texas, Hawaii

☆ Bank of America says this stock is the 'strongest pure-play space name' with the potential to double
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Rocket Lab shares have the potential to take off, according to Bank of America. Analyst Ronald Epstein reiterated his buy rating on the space stock while shaving his price target down by $2 to $10. Epstein's new price target implies the stock could soar 134.2% from Monday's close. After investigating the September mid-flight failure of its Electron rocket, Rocket Lab is aiming to get its launch business back on track by the end of the year. The analyst's price target cut followed a reassessment of the discount rate following the Electron launch snafu.

Persons: Ronald Epstein, Epstein, Bank of America's Epstein, Epstein doesn't, CNBC's Michael Bloom, Michael Sheetz Organizations: Bank of America, Bank of, MDA Locations: Monday's

☆ SpaceX attempts second Starship rocket launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX is set to make a second attempt at launching its Starship rocket to space on Saturday, with the company looking to push development of the mammoth vehicle past new milestones. ET, in which to launch Starship from its Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX first launched a full Starship rocket system in April. The Federal Aviation Administration cleared SpaceX for a second launch attempt earlier this week. The launch attempt comes on the heels of renewed backlash against SpaceX CEO Elon Musk over comments made online.

Persons: SpaceX's, Elon Musk, Musk Organizations: Boca Chica, SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Brownsville , Texas, U.S, Boca Chica , Texas, Kauai

☆ Amazon says its first Project Kuiper internet satellites were fully successful in testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A little over a month after launch, Amazon on Thursday announced its pair of prototype internet satellites were fully successfully in operations and testing. "We were able to validate everything and get all the data that we need," Project Kuiper Vice President of Technology Rajeev Badyal told CNBC. Project Kuiper is Amazon's plan to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit to provide high-speed internet access anywhere in the world. With the prototypes' testing in space now complete, Badyal said Amazon plans to begin building the first production Kuiper satellites in December and launch the first satellites for its network in the "latter part of the first half" of 2024. Badyal emphasized that Amazon wasn't sure what performance to expect from the prototype satellites, since "you don't know how well it's going to work in space."

Persons: Technology Rajeev Badyal, Badyal Organizations: Kuiper, Technology, CNBC, Amazon Locations: Florida

☆ 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: Deutsche Bank draws investors, companies for NYC for summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Yesterday Deutsche Bank held a Space Summit conference here in New York City. Investors want to invest in space, but investors understand that this is a long investment cycle," Lohiya said. In general, the space sector is "much more rationalized" than bubble times of two or three years ago, Lohiya noted. Lohiya said the space sector is different than other fast-growing American industries, such as electric vehicles, clean energy or fintech. There's no doubt of a liquidity crunch that reaches beyond the space sector.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, I've, Lohiya, There's Organizations: Deutsche Bank, CNBC, Rocket Lab, Deutsche, Investment Banking, Space Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Elon Musk says SpaceX should receive clearance to attempt second Starship launch this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX is pushing hard to launch the second spaceflight of its Starship rocket this week. CEO Elon Musk claimed the company will receive its federal launch license in the coming days, the final hurdle before a second attempt. The company has been waiting for the completion of a federal environmental review led by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Musk did not specify who informed him of the impending regulatory approval, and SpaceX did not respond to CNBC's request for clarification. SpaceX needs a launch license from the FAA in order to make its second attempt at flying Starship to space.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk Organizations: Super, SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, FAA Locations: Texas, U.S

☆ Boeing close to Emirates deal for more 777 jets, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A Boeing 777X airplane takes off during its first test flight from the company's plant in Everett, Washington, January 25, 2020. Boeing and Emirates are reportedly close to a major order of 777 jets, which would further bolster the airline's existing position flying world's largest fleet of the widebody aircraft type. The deal is expected to feature "several dozen" of the jets, according to Bloomberg and Reuters, citing sources familiar with the negotiation. That would add to Emirates' existing order backlog for 155 of the 777X aircraft, the reports noted. Boeing and Emirates did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the reports.

Organizations: Boeing 777X, Boeing, Emirates, Bloomberg, Reuters, 777X, Airbus Locations: Everett , Washington, Emirates

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailElon Musk's Starlink business has grown quickly and so has its influenceSpaceX has said its satellite internet service, Starlink, now has more than 2 million active customers and is available on all seven continents and in over 60 countries. Praised for its ability to connect remote parts of the world , Starlink has also become indispensable in areas hit by natural disasters, and, more recently, during times of conflict, particularly in the Russia-Ukraine war. But some are worried about Musk's and Starlink's growing influence.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Starlink Organizations: Elon, SpaceX Locations: Russia, Ukraine

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