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☆ Virgin Orbit: The UK just took a step closer to space flight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The United Kingdom is one step closer to conducting its first ever satellite launch from its own shores. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a regulatory body, said on Wednesday that it had granted the final licenses to Virgin Orbit to carry out the launch. The company has already conducted four successful satellite launch missions in this way from California. “Today we are one step closer to opening the UK’s galactic gateway, with Virgin Orbit receiving an historic first license to allow the UK’s first ever spaceflight launch,” UK transport secretary Mark Harper said in a statement on Wednesday. The CAA said it granted Virgin Orbit the final remaining licenses after it met all necessary safety, security and environmental tests.

☆ Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gets green light for first orbital space launch from UK — and will use a repurposed Boeing 747 for the mission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gained a license for the first orbital space launch from the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's space regulator, announced in a statement on Wednesday that Virgin Orbit was permitted to launch from Spaceport Cornwall in southern England. Issuing the final license to Virgin Orbit for the UK's first orbital satellite launch was another "major milestone," the CAA said in the statement. Virgin Orbit didn't respond to Insider's request for comment about the new launch date. Virgin Orbit has named the mission "Start Me Up" after a song by The Rolling Stones.

☆ It's Not ChatGBT's Time to Shine — yet. Here's Why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Within weeks of taking over, he dramatically transformed Twitter's company culture and started major projects — seemingly with one foot already out the door. Although a successful future for any technology is not guaranteed, ChatGPT feels like a tipping point for generative AI. Roomba, an automatic vacuum cleaner, took multiple sensitive photos that were shared on social media. After short-video apps like TikTok became the dominant platforms for fans to listen to new songs in 2022, music-industry execs are now setting their sights on social media as the next big money-making opportunity. Here are 15 power players using social media to shape the music industry.

☆ How billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson spend their vacations, from cruising on yachts to visiting private islands
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Vacations look a little different for the world's billionaire executives. For Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt, cruising in a luxury yacht may be on the agenda. But for the wealthy and powerful, vacations look a little different. Or there's Tim Cook, Apple's billionaire CEO, who spends his time away from running the iPhone-maker exploring America's national parks. Take a look at how some of the nation's most high-powered billionaire execs spend their vacations.

Page purchased Hans Lollik and its smaller neighboring island, Little Hans Lollik, in 2014 for $23 million. The Hans Lollik Islands in the US Virgin Islands were bought by Larry Page in 2014 cdwheatley/Getty ImagesPage purchased the islands from Liberty Bankers Life Insurance Company using a limited-liability company called Virgin Island Properties LLC. Page's intentions for the Hans Lollik islands are unclear, but the larger island of the two may have personal significance for the Google cofounder. In the deposition, Osborne hinted that Larry proposed to his wife, the research scientist Lucinda Southworth, on Hans Lollik. Page expands to the South PacificIn 2020, Page added another island to his portfolio: the heart-shaped Tavarua island in Fiji's Mamanuca archipelago.

☆ The co-founder of Europe's first Black VC Fund on how he transformed his life, and his plan to help Black founders "build the impossible"
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Fahiemah Al-Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe co-founder of Europe's first Black VC Fund on how he transformed his life, and his plan to help Black founders "build the impossible"Black Seed's Karl Lokko, the co-founder and chairman of Europe's first Black-led for Black-founders venture capital fund, says he's on a mission to find South London's next Black unicorn. The UK native opens up to CNBC in a candid conversation about his transformational journey from gang leader to climbing Mont Blanc with Sir Richard Branson, how mastering the art of 'code-switching' led to access within the tapestry of London society, and why Brixton could become the "Black Silicon Valley."

☆ Billionaire-backed KoBold Metals to invest in Zambia copper mine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mingomba contains 247 million tonnes of ore with an average grade of 3.64% copper, according to KoBold. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema wants to boost the country's copper production to 3 million tonnes a year by 2032, from around 850,000 tonnes currently. As Africa's second-largest producer of copper, Zambia is highly dependent on mining. "Our message to the world is that Zambia is here, and is open for business," Hichilema said as he announced the deal at the summit. The deal, which will grant KoBold a majority stake in Mingomba, is set to close in the first quarter of 2023.

☆ Salesforce employees say they were blindsided by Bret Taylor's departure
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Today's not a typical day for the staff at Salesforce, some of whom told us they were blindsided by co-CEO Bret Taylor's decision to step down. Below, we've got details on what Salesforce employees — including now-solo CEO Marc Benioff — are saying about Taylor's announcement. Salesforce employees were blindsided by Bret Taylor's departure. The sudden announcement left many at the company feeling blindsided, employees and others close to the company told Insider. Here's what workers told us about Taylor's departure.

☆ 100 UK companies are scrapping the 40-hour workweek. Here's how the standard work schedule became so popular in the first place.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Marguerite Ward | Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

100 companies in the UK are adopting a four-day workweek without cutting pay for their employees. Here's a timeline of how the US adopted the five-day, 40-hour workweek. Indeed, the pandemic accelerated public discourse over whether the 40-hour workweek still makes sense for some employees. Here's a look back through the history of the 40-hour workweek and how we got to where we are today. How the 40-hour workweek has evolvedDespite the long work it took to make the 40-hour workweek a reality, research shows people do continue to log longer work hours.

☆ India's first private rocket company looks to slash satellite costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Nivedita Bhattacharjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Employees pose in front of Vikram-S rocket, India?s first private rocket developed by Skyroot, an Indian Space-Tech startup, at a spaceport in Sriharikota, India, November 18, 2022. The Hyderabad-based company, backed by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC, says the $68 million it has raised will fund its next two launches. Skyroot faces both established and up-and-coming rocket launch rivals that also promise to bring down costs. India opened the door to private space companies in 2020 with a regulatory overhaul and a new agency to boost private-sector launches. The Skyroot rocket that reached 89.5 kilometers altitude in last week's test launch used carbon-fibre components and 3D-printed parts, including the thrusters.

New Delhi CNN Busines —Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace launched the country’s first privately developed rocket, Vikram-S, into space on Friday with support from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Until now, the country’s space industry has been dominated by the state-run ISRO, but Skyroot Aerospace has opened up the sector to private companies. This mission symbolizes not just India’s first private rocket launch but also “the potential of new India,” said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace after the launch. Skyroot Aerospace was launched in 2018 and is based in the southern tech hub of Hyderabad. Last year, it became the first startup to enter into an agreement with ISRO to use the Indian space agency’s expertise and to access facilities.

REUTERS/Michael Weekes Jr./File PhotoNov 15 (Reuters) - Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company SpaceX is in talks about an offering of mostly secondary shares that could value the company at up to $150 billion, representing a 20% increase in valuation, sources told Reuters. The offering would be aimed at helping employees and shareholders cash out, two of the sources said. That view appears to contradict earlier information from a separate source that the offering would raise up to $1 billion for SpaceX via a new share issuance. Talks with potential investors are centering around a price of $85 apiece for SpaceX shares, up from a split-adjusted $70 per share fetched earlier this year, sources said. The valuation is still fluid and any share sale plan, which requires SpaceX’s approval, could still change, the sources cautioned.

☆ Britain issues first spaceport licence ahead of maiden satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Britain issued its first spaceport licence on Wednesday, paving the way for the country's maiden satellite launch later this year as it looks to become Europe's leading space industry player. The licence was issued to Spaceport Cornwall. The first UK launch is expected before the end of the year, the UK Space Agency's deputy chief executive, Ian Annett, said in a CAA statement. Virgin Orbit plans to use a modified Boeing 747 with a rocket attached under its wing. The CAA said Spaceport Cornwall had demonstrated it had met the appropriate safety, security and environmental requirements to become a spaceport.

REUTERS/Michael Weekes Jr./File PhotoNov 15 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX is in talks to raise nearly $1 billion in a new round that would value the rocket-launch and satellite company at about $150 billion, sources told Reuters. The ongoing talks offer SpaceX's share at about $85 apiece, up from the $125 billion valuation the company fetched earlier this year, sources said, suggesting strong investors' appetite while many late-stage venture capital-backed startups have to cope with valuation cut. Investors could buy new shares issued by SpaceX, or from employees who opt to sell via a private placement, or tender offer. The primary raise could fetch nearly $1 billion, one of the sources added. Investors have shown strong interest in SpaceX as the company has had a series of breakthroughs this year.

Companies Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc FollowNEW YORK, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday said British billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson must face shareholder claims he concealed problems in Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc's (SPCE.N) spaceship program, and sold hundreds of millions of dollars of stock at inflated prices. Lawyers for Virgin and Branson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit covers shareholders who owned the stock of either from July 10, 2019, to Oct. 14, 2021, when Virgin grounded Unity and delayed its commercial space travel service. In Monday afternoon trading, Virgin shares were up 5 cents at $4.97. The case is Kusnier et al v. Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No.

☆ Virgin Orbit raises $25 million from Branson's conglomerate as cash reserve dwindles
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Virgin Orbit raised $25 million, the company announced Monday alongside its third-quarter results, as the alternative rocket launcher faces a dwindling cash reserve. The company disclosed that Richard Branson's Virgin Group, an existing shareholder, made the additional $25 million investment on Nov. 4. Virgin Orbit emphasized in its report that it will "continue to be opportunistic in the capital markets," as the company is "focusing on cost and operational efficiency to improve cash flow." The company brought in revenue of $30.9 million and had $71.2 million in cash on hand at the end of the third quarter. Virgin Orbit said the fourth launch is currently "paced by spacecraft readiness."

☆ Tinkov renounces citizenship of 'fascist' Russia over Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Serial entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov has renounced his Russian citizenship, saying he does not want to be associated with “fascism” or people who collaborate with “killers.”In an Instagram post published on Tuesday, the 54-year-old founder of Tinkoff Bank wrote: “I decided to renounce my Russian citizenship after Russia invasion of independent Ukraine. He was forced to sell his 35% stake in TCS, Tinkoff Bank’s parent, to Russian metals magnate Vladimir Potanin in April, following a string of anti-war comments. “I hate when my brand/name is associated with the bank that collaborates with killers and blood.”Oleg Tinkov. Before he sold his stake, Britain imposed sanctions on Tinkov, saying he was “receiving benefits from the Russian government” through his stake in a systemically important company. Tinkoff previously held U.S. citizenship, but renounced that around the time Tinkoff Bank went public in 2013 in what Washington said was an attempt to avoid tax liabilities.

☆ Entrepreneur Tinkov renounces Russian citizenship over Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In an Instagram post published on Tuesday, the 54-year-old founder of Tinkoff Bank wrote: "I decided to renounce my Russian citizenship after Russia invasion of independent Ukraine. He was forced to sell his 35% stake in TCS, Tinkoff Bank's parent, to Russian metals magnate Vladimir Potanin in April, following a string of anti-war comments. Tinkov said an original Instagram post published on Monday, with a picture of a certificate renouncing his citizenship as of Oct. 26, had "mysteriously disappeared". Before he sold his stake, Britain imposed sanctions on Tinkov, saying he was "receiving benefits from the Russian government" through his stake in a systemically important company. Tinkoff previously held U.S. citizenship, but renounced that around the time Tinkoff Bank went public in 2013 in what Washington said was an attempt to avoid tax liabilities.

☆ Virgin Fibra to bundle fast Internet with video streaming in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Virgin Fibra, a start-up firm backed by the group founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, will add video streaming services to its newly-launched fast fibre offer in Italy, its chief said on Tuesday. Led by telecoms and media industry veteran Tom Mockridge, Virgin Fibra, which started marketing its services in August, now offers ultrafast connectivity services at a reduced monthly price of 26 euros ($25.66). "We will partner with the streaming hubs but we are not a business that is creating our own content. There are some fantastic choices of streaming apps," Mockridge said during a press briefing in Milan to present the new venture. Similarly to Sky and Iliad, Virgin Fibra partnered with state-backed fibre-optic operator Open Fiber's to launch fast-connectivity services in Italy.

☆ Virgin Orbit to launch first satellite in Europe within six weeks - Branson
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MILAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Richard Branson's small satellite service provider Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc (VORB.O) will be doing its first launch from European soil within the next six weeks, its founder said on Tuesday. "Virgin Orbit can launch satellites into space from anywhere in the world into any orbit at a days notice," Branson said during a press conference in Milan. "We are doing the first launch from European soil into space within the next six weeks ... from Cornwall," he added. Founded by Branson back in 2017, the company began commercial service in 2021. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elisa Anzolin; writing by Agnieszka Flak, editing by Cristina CarlevaroOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The stock market crash is exposing Wall Street's biggest charlatans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In a market bubble, it's easy to confuse opportunity for genius. While many of these new investors invested wisely, a pack of them got swept up in a social-media-driven market mania. For the past decade-plus, the stock market loved this. It's really never a good sign when you see celebrities hanging around the stock market, and during the bubble they were everywhere, pumping crypto and investing in SPACs. Good information about the stock market does not come easy, and Gordon Gekko was right to say that if you want a friend on Wall Street, you should buy a dog.

☆ Why companies like UPS and Disney are allowing workers to show their tattoos
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Companies including Disney, UPS and Virgin Atlantic have relaxed their dress and style codes to allow employees to show their tattoos in the workplace. Shifting views on tattoos at workBartlett said after that policy was well received, UPS began looking at changes to its tattoo policy. Previously, the company barred employees from showing any visible tattoos — workers with tattoos had to cover them with long sleeves or pants, or skin-colored coverings. According to the Disney cast member handbook, visible tattoos that are no larger than an extended hand are permitted except for any on the face, head, or neck. That carried over into corporate culture, where hiring managers would stereotype applicants with visible tattoos, or where employers would worry that employing someone with tattoos would turn off customers.

☆ Investing in Space: You must be this rich to ride
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | 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. For decades, only those selected and trained by the world's superpowers could journey to space. Then came Dennis Tito, a man who left NASA and built his fortune in finance – a fortune he used to become a space tourist. Two decades after Tito's first mission, the long-promised marketplace for space tourism is finally burgeoning. And yes, space tourism is currently only for the wealthy, and those lucky enough to ride along with them.

☆ SpaceX to take entrepreneur Dennis Tito on Starship around the moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX said on Wednesday that the world's first space tourist Dennis Tito and his wife Akiko have signed up to fly around the moon on the space exploration firm's Starship rocket. The SpaceX flight's roughly week-long journey will see the rocket travel within 200 kilometers of the moon without landing on its surface. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterTito and his wife are the first crewmembers to be announced for Starship's second commercial spaceflight around the moon. SpaceX has not announced a date for the launch of Starship, the focus of Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Musk's ambition to ferry humans and cargo to the moon and Mars. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kamala Harris announces space coalition including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin as the White House seeks to broaden the aerospace industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

VP Kamala Harris announced a new coalition of space firms to diversify the workforce of the aerospace industry, per Reuters. The report said Blue Origin, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman will anchor the coalition. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are set to anchor the coalition, the statement said, per Reuters. Other companies including Elon Musk's SpaceX, Bezos' Amazon, and Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit will partner in the coalition, the White House said in the statement, per Reuters. The White House and the other companies mentioned in this report didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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