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Private Space Industry

All articles tagged with #private space industry

science-and-technology17 days ago

Jared Isaacman Unveils Bold Plan for NASA's Lunar Return and Permanent Moon Base

Jared Isaacman, a billionaire outsider with a background in private space ventures, has been confirmed as NASA's new administrator amid a period of budget uncertainty and organizational challenges. His proposed Athena plan aims to modernize NASA by leveraging commercial partnerships and focusing on cost-effective, expanded space activities, which could either rejuvenate the agency or raise concerns about privatization and public interest. His leadership marks a potential shift towards a more privatized and efficient NASA, but the long-term impact remains uncertain.

via Jalopnik|
#athena-plan#jared-isaacman#nasa
space-exploration1 year ago

"Race to Mine Helium-3 on the Moon: Startups and Former Space Executives Compete"

Interlune, a startup founded by former Blue Origin executives, aims to be the first private company to mine the moon for resources, starting with helium-3, which could be used for applications like quantum computing and medical imaging. The company plans to have a pilot plant on the moon by 2028 and begin operations by 2030, and has raised $18 million in funding, including $15 million in its most recent round led by Seven Seven Six. Interlune's goal is to excavate lunar soil, process it, and extract helium-3 gas for shipment back to Earth, with a robotic lander mission planned to assess the concentration of helium-3 at the selected location on the moon's surface.

via Engadget|
#helium-3#interlune#moon-mining
space-exploration1 year ago

"Odysseus: Making History with First Commercial Lunar Landing"

A commercial spacecraft has successfully landed on the Moon, marking a significant milestone in the private space industry's efforts to expand beyond Earth's orbit. This achievement opens up new possibilities for space travel and exploration, demonstrating the potential for commercial entities to play a key role in lunar missions.

via Financial Times|
#commercial-spacecraft#lunar-mission#moon-landing
space-exploration1 year ago

"Odysseus Lunar Lander Achieves Historic Moon Landing with Weak Signal"

A private lander, built and managed by Intuitive Machines, successfully made the first U.S. moon landing in over 50 years, marking the country's return to the lunar surface since NASA's Apollo program. Despite initial communication challenges, the company confirmed the lander's upright landing and data streaming in after touchdown. This achievement also makes Intuitive Machines the first private business to accomplish a lunar landing, as part of a NASA-supported program to commercialize lunar deliveries. The lander, carrying experiments for NASA and items from other entities, aimed for a relatively flat spot near the moon's south pole, closer than any other spacecraft has come, with the intention to operate for a week.

via The Associated Press|
#intuitive-machines#lunar-exploration#moon-landing
space-exploration1 year ago

"Nova-C: First US Commercial Lunar Landing in 50 Years"

Intuitive Machines, a private company, successfully landed a craft on the moon, marking the first U.S. moon landing in over 50 years. Despite initial communication challenges, the company confirmed the craft's upright landing. This achievement makes Intuitive Machines the first private business to accomplish a lunar landing, with NASA's support. The landing site near the moon's south pole holds potential for discovering frozen water. The craft carried experiments for NASA and also included payloads from Columbia Sportswear, sculptor Jeff Koons, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

via ABC News|
#intuitive-machines#lunar-exploration#moon-landing
space-exploration1 year ago

"The New Space Race: Redefining Moon Missions for Business and Exploration"

A private firm's soft landing of Odysseus on the Moon represents a new business model for space, with uncertain prospects. The Economist examines the Moon rush's potential and business models. The podcast also covers the anniversary of a revolution in Ukraine and the impact on today's conflict, as well as the rise and anticipated decline of entertaining British obituaries.

via The Economist|
#business-models#moon-mission#odysseus
space-technology2 years ago

Sierra Space Successfully Tests Inflatable Space Habitat with Controlled Explosion

Sierra Space successfully conducted a "ultimate burst pressure" test on its inflatable space habitat, exceeding NASA's safety level by 27%. The test focused on the pressure shell made of expandable "softgoods," including Vectran straps, which are stronger than steel when inflated on-orbit. Sierra plans to deploy these modules as part of Orbital Reef, a private space station project with Blue Origin, and is conducting aggressive testing on other layers of the habitat this year.

via Yahoo News|
#burst-test#inflatable-habitat#private-space-industry
space-technology2 years ago

Sierra Space's Successful Inflatable Space Habitat Test Explosion

Sierra Space successfully conducted a "ultimate burst pressure" test on its inflatable space habitat, exceeding NASA's safety level by 27%. The test focused on the pressure shell made of expandable "softgoods" and demonstrated the module's potential for providing habitable space in low Earth orbit. Sierra plans to deploy these modules as part of the Orbital Reef project, a private space station being developed with Blue Origin, and is conducting aggressive testing on other layers of the habitat this year.

via TechCrunch|
#burst-test#inflatable-habitat#private-space-industry
spaceflight2 years ago

"Chinese Startup Plans Reusable Rocket Launch in 2022"

Chinese startup Galactic Energy is working on a reusable rocket called Pallas 1, with a debut launch targeted for 2024. The rocket will be powered by the company's own Cangqiong kerosene-liquid oxygen engines and will be capable of carrying 11,000 pounds of payload to low Earth orbit. Galactic Energy has already successfully developed and launched a light-lift solid-fueled rocket named Ceres 1. The company faces competition in China from other private startups developing reusable liquid-propellant rockets.

via Space.com|
#china#galactic-energy#pallas-1
books2 years ago

Exploring Modern Space Race Figures in 'Heavens' Review

Ashlee Vance's "When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach" profiles four private space companies - Astra, Firefly, Planet Labs, and Rocket Lab - as they compete to dominate the skies by launching rockets and putting satellites into orbit. Vance's reporting and clear writing illustrate the explosive growth of the private space industry, with the number of satellites expected to grow to possibly 100,000 over the next decade. The book leaves some unanswered questions about the implications of that growth for both space and the businesses trying to cash in on it.

via AOL|
#ashlee-vance#books#modern-frontier
space2 years ago

Japanese Moon Lander Lost in Historic Lunar Landing Attempt

Japanese private space company iSpace's lunar lander, Hakuto-R, is likely to have crashed on the Moon's surface after communication was lost moments before it was due to touch down. The lander was carrying an exploratory rover and a small robot developed by a toymaker. The mission aimed to assess the viability of commercial launches to the lunar surface and was the first test by iSpace of what they hope will be a series of commercial landers over the next few years.

via BBC|
#commercial-space-services#ispace#lunar-exploration
space2 years ago

"SpaceX's Starship Takes Flight to Mars in Stunning Animation"

SpaceX has shared an animation of its Starship spacecraft making a journey to Mars. The video shows the spacecraft launching to orbit and detaching from the Super Heavy first-stage booster, while Super Heavy returns to Earth and is caught on the ground by SpaceX's "Mechazilla" launch tower. The animation also shows Starship spacecraft touching down on a landing pad and emitting impressive exhaust clouds. SpaceX aims to build one million Starship spacecraft to send more than one million humans to Mars by 2050. The private space firm could launch the Starship Orbital Flight Test (OFT) as soon as April 20.

via Interesting Engineering|
#mars#private-space-industry#space
business2 years ago

Virgin Orbit's Funding Crisis Leads to Massive Layoffs and Ceasing of Operations.

Virgin Orbit, the satellite-launching subsidiary of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, is laying off 85% of its workforce and ceasing operations due to funding difficulties. The company had been struggling to compete with larger players in the private space industry and had failed to secure additional investment. The layoffs will affect 675 positions across every department, leaving just 100 employees remaining at the company. Virgin Orbit will pay approximately $15 million in severance payments and other costs related to winding down the business, paid for by a cash injection of $10.9 million from Branson’s investment arm, Virgin Investments.

via The Verge|
#business#funding#layoffs