Space Ecosystem | Startups | Deals
SpaceX is looking to raise about $250 million, valuing Elon Musk’s space company at $36 billion (CNBC) – SpaceX is raising about $250 million to fund development of Crew Dragon, Starlink and Starship. The latest round places its valuation at around $36 billion.
Blue Origin lays out ambitious plan for rocket engine production as it opens Alabama factory (GeekWire) – The 350,000-square-foot, $200 million factory opened its doors in Huntsville, Ala, America’s Rocket City. Next-generation BE-4 engines are promised to roll off the production lines within a few months.
Virgin Galactic reports greater-than-expected quarterly loss, shares slide (CNBC) – The company’s fourth-quarter results showed an EBITDA loss of $55 million, more than the $46.9 million loss expected, despite demand from potential customers continuing to climb.
Los Angeles approves a 20-year SpaceX lease for a Starship rocket facility in the city’s port (CNBC) – A new rocket factory will help SpaceX develop and build its massive, next-generation rocket called Starship. SpaceX is expected to pay $52.8 million for the lease over 20 years.
Rocket Lab will launch a satellite to the Moon for NASA to prepare for the Lunar Gateway (TechCrunch) – The startup will launch a CubeSat on behalf of NASA for the agency’s CAPSTONE experiment. Placed in the cislunar orbit, it will be used for the Gateway Moon-orbiting space station.
Spaceflight Industries says sale of rideshare business a “win-win” for all parties (SpaceNews) – The decision to sell the rideshare launch services company, Spaceflight, to two Japanese firms is said to benefit both Spaceflight and its parent company. Values were not disclosed.
Space Exploration
NASA's Juno Probe Finds Out How Much Water Jupiter Really Has (AmericaSpace) – With its new Microwave Radiometer (MWR), Juno discovered water molecules make up 0.25% of Jupiter’s atmosphere at the equator and that Jupiter’s water is extremely variable across the planet.
Largest data set in SETI history released to the public (Phys.org) – Breakthrough Listen has completed the most comprehensive radio search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) in history. No signs of artificial life were discovered. The public can download and examine the results.
Open University scientists testing 'Moon dust' for water (BBC) – Research on lunar soil collected by Neil Armstrong in 1969 may be the key to fuel, building materials, and drinking water off planet, enabling long-term space exploration.
Astronomy | Astrophysics | Cosmology
Earth has acquired a brand new moon that's about the size of a car (New Scientist) – Astronomers spotted the second known asteroid captured by our planet as a mini-moon. Officially dubbed 2020 CD3 (or C26FED2), the mini-moon has been circling Earth for about three years.
Oh Well, Betelgeuse Has Officially Stopped Dimming For Now (ScienceAlert) – The dimming that some thought to be a precursor to supernova has stopped. Betelgeuse continues to baffle scientists with recent images of the star revealing the dimming is mysteriously lopsided.
Two Black Holes Are Merging at the Center of a Distant Galaxy (Popular Mechanics) – The two black holes form a cosmic object called "Spikey." It’s suspected the supermassive black holes are on a collision course that won’t take place for another 100,000 years.
Secrets of Titan’s Atmosphere Revealed – Galactic Cosmic Rays Affect Saturn’s Largest Moon (SciTechDaily) – Planetary scientists found a chemical footprint in Titan’s atmosphere. Research indicates cosmic rays coming outside of the Solar System affect chemical reactions involved in the formation of nitrogen-bearing organic molecules.
Interesting Finds
Does Consciousness Influence Quantum Mechanics? Part 1 and Part 2 (PBS Space Time) – A discussion of Young’s double-slit experiment. According to the decoherence hypothesis, consciousness does not collapse a wave function. Rather, observers only see a slice of the global wave function.
We need to figure out sex in space: here’s how tech can help (Fast Company) – For space colonization to succeed, human sexual needs must be considered. Erobots offer intimate relations with artificial agents tailored to the needs of their users.
Launches
SpaceX Falcon9 CRS-20 (Kennedy Space Center) – 20th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral on March 6.
SpaceX First Astronaut Mission “Demo-2” Could Take Off in May (TechCrunch) – The mission will fly two astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, to the ISS. The tentative date for the Cape Canaveral launch is May 7.
Events
International Space Development Conference (ISDC) 2020: Continuing the Journey (National Space Society) – ISDC 2020 to be held at the Embassy Suites in Dallas on May 28–31. The focus is on getting humans back to the Moon, then Mars.
Camp Kennedy Space Center (Kennedy Space Center) – Weeklong NASA-based day camp for students aged 7 through 16. Kids are exposed to hands-on STEM challenges, labs and astronaut-training simulations. ($350; Monday-Friday sessions from June 1 to August 7)