Happy New Year from Continuum Flux!
Challenges | Solicitations | Resources
Design innovative concepts to transport pressurized dry goods containers to the moon for the Artemis program in this professional open-engineering GrabCAD Challenge. Deadline: January 9, 2023. [Forward]
Help develop next generation life support system hardware by designing novel ways to remove carbon particles from a Bosch reactor. Deadline: January 12, 2023. [Forward]
Crowdfunding platform Spaced Ventures is aggregating interest to petition for a direct, no fee investment in SpaceX, with the goal of democratizing space through ownership. As of late September it had ~$17 million of a $25 million target in pledges. [Forward]
Space Talent is a resource for careers at the intersection of space and tech. They match employers with top talent while providing insights and resources to grow your career. [Forward]
Participate in the search beyond Neptune for brown dwarfs, low-mass stars, and the hypothesized ninth planet using NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data. [Forward]
Upcoming Events
Join discussions on innovative technologies to dramatically increase science returns on future planetary science missions including New Frontiers, Discovery, and Flagship concepts. $110-$160. Galveston Texas. January 9-11, 2023. [Forward]
An interdisciplinary meeting of astronomers and astrobiologists to discuss how abiotic processes can be distinguished from evidence of life in challenging extraterrestrial environments. Tickets: £5.00. Online. January 13, 2023. [Forward]
Networking and panels focused on opportunities to grow smallsat businesses. $795 Online, $1,695 In-Person in Silicon Valley, California. February 7-9, 2023. [Forward]
SSSIF 2023 is an international workshop assembling small satellites designers, technicians, developers, and launchers for a unique networking and knowledge opportunity. Fee: €100-€450. Málaga (Spain). February 21-23, 2023. [Forward]
The virtual International Space Convention brings together 120+ speakers covering 80+ topics around critical space issues and opportunities surrounding the main theme of the year - ''Reaching the Unconnected''. Tickets: £79-£299. March 16-19, 2023. [Forward]
Image Credit: Explore Mars
Discussion of the steps needed to ensure that NASA, government and industry cooperate to achieve human exploration of Mars by the 2030s. $30-$550. Washington D.C. May 16-18, 2023. [Forward]
Add your event or campaign. Contact us for details.
Space Ecosystem | Startups | Deals
Space infrastructure and imagery company Maxar agreed to go private through a $6.4 billion all-cash acquisition led by Advent International along with British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. [Forward]
Global defense and aerospace firm L3Harris Technologies will acquire rocket engine and propulsion systems manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.7 billion in cash, to enhance its capabilities in civil space and precision munitions. [Forward]
South Korean pharmaceutical company Boryung plans to invest $50 million in space station developer Axiom Space for a 2.28% stake, a commitment toward exploring space-based healthcare solutions. [Forward]
Planet Labs, which sells satellite imagery and geospatial solutions, announced a deal to acquire Salo Sciences, a small climate company that offers a forest carbon measurement tool powered by Planet data. [Forward]
Photonics company Cailabs announced a €26 million funding round led by growth stage investor NewSpace Capital with support from existing investors for its laser communications and optical ground station business. [Forward]
Quantum Space, headed by former NASA acting administrator Steve Jurczyk, closed $15 million in Series A funding from Prime Movers Lab to develop its fleet of platforms for operation in cislunar space. [Forward]
German startup satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace, part of the European broadband constellation joint venture UNIO, raised €7 million in a first funding round from Alpine Space Ventures and other investors. [Forward]
The UK Space Agency announced £2.7 million ($3.35 million) in funding for 13 early-stage technology projects to support the growing satellite launch sector. [Forward]
Space Exploration | Development
Image Credit: MIT Technology Review
In 2023, we can expect uncrewed moon landings by ispace, Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, a SpaceX Polaris Dawn first-ever commercial spacewalk, sample return from OSIRIS-REx and launches of Starship, ULA Vulcan, Blue Origin New Glenn, Project Kuiper, Psyche, JUICE and Euclid. [Forward]
TechCrunch's predictions for 2023 include an increasingly competitive launch market, international progress, continued growth in satcom / earth observation and private missions, potential lunar tech M&A and greater emphasis on American manufacturing. [Forward]
The launch by Chinese launch company Landspace represented the world’s first attempt to reach orbit with a methane-fueled rocket. Methane promises advantages in reusability, with SpaceX’s Starship, ULA Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Rocket Lab’s Neutron and Relativity's Terran 1 nearing test flights. [Forward]
Kurzgesagt suggests melting the top 8 meters of the Martian surface using giant lasers might result in a breathable atmosphere in a century. [Forward]
Astronomy | Astrophysics | Cosmology
Physicists think the detection of antihelium, a form of antimatter, might indicate the presence of dark matter. In 2016, an instrument on the International Space Station may have detected eight antihelium nuclei. [Forward]