[Space] 2023.09.15

NASA is seeking AI-based research assistant solutions to help researchers in areas such as literature summarization, citation analysis and recommender systems. First place is $13,000. Closing date: October 2, 2023. 

The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is a hackathon to create solutions to challenges we face on Earth and in space using open data from NASA and its partners. October 7-8, 2023. 

Help NASA overcome challenges inherent to living far away from Earth by submitting an idea for sustaining a human presence to, from, and around the Moon. Deadline: October 2, 2023.

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.

NASA's Software Catalog offers hundreds of software programs, free to use in a wide variety of technical applications. Releases include a wing-design algorithm and an AR/VR toolkit for spacecraft design and mission telemetry.

Join founders, investors and builders for the original startup conference. Space Stage topics include Privatization & Space, Real Estate Race on the Moon, and VC Views On Government-Facing Businesses. $145-$850. San Francisco. September 19-21, 2023.

The 2nd annual South Florida Space Day is a full-day event comprised of keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking in support of space entrepreneurship. Free. Fort Lauderdale, FL. September 21, 2023.

The Mars Society and Debate to Educate are sponsoring an international debate tournament on whether or not to settle Mars. Over $1000 in cash prizes will be awarded. By donation. Online. September 30 - October 1, 2023.

Image of Mars taken by the OSIRIS instrument on the ESA Rosetta spacecraft during its February 2007 flyby of the planet.  Image Credit: ESA & MPS for OSIRIS Team

The 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention brings together leading scientists, engineers, commercial space executives and government policymakers to discuss current and future Mars exploration and planning for human missions. Tempe, Arizona. October 5-8, 2023.

Asia-Pacific satellite and space industry professionals gather for market insight and collaboration on the industry’s challenges and opportunities. $650-1,500. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur. October 10-12, 2023.

The Economist’s inaugural Space Economy Summit will offer a high-profile forum for space stakeholders worldwide to debate how to maximize commercial and environmental returns. Free-$899. Los Angeles and Online. October 11-12, 2023.

Two satellite industry events hosted back-to-back. Satellite Innovation focuses on analyzing next-generation satellite technologies and the current business environment, while MilSat Symposium will focus on space defense. $50-2,195. Mountain View, CA. October 17-20, 2023.

Advancing Space: From LEO to Lunar and Beyond is the theme for the 2023 von Braun Symposium. Connect with space industry leaders on future opportunities and challenges in space science and exploration. $20-$875. Alabama. October 25-27, 2023.

Insights and discussions on key military issues. Get access to senior officials from a variety of nations, with representatives from India, South Africa, Portugal and Peru added in 2023. Tickets £1198-2898. London, UK. November 6-9, 2023.

A showcase of the latest technologies, networking opportunities, and topical debates around new technologies. Free. Bremen, Germany. November 14-16, 2023.

The annual workshop, organized by the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) in partnership with U.S. Space Command, brings together leaders from various DoD agencies to discuss policy and operational issues related to commercial and military satellite communications. Arlington, Virginia. December 12-14, 2023.

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UK startup Open Cosmos raised $50 million to build “sustainable” low-earth orbit satellites that multiple organizations can use, and an end-to-end system for managing and sharing data. 

Intuitive Machines now expects to launch its IM-1 lunar lander mission as soon as Nov. 15. Credit: Intuitive Machines

Houston-based lunar lander developer Intuitive Machines raised $20 million from stock sales to an unnamed institutional investor to develop missions and work on a NASA contract providing engineering services.

GHGSat, a provider of greenhouse gas emissions intelligence, raised $44 million in Series C1 funding to accelerate its go-to-market strategy, develop new integrated solutions, and deploy more satellite and airborne measurement capacity. Backers include Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Investissement Québec, Japan Energy Fund and BMO.

GITAI demonstrated excavation, welding, and other tasks with its rover and robotic arm technology in March. Credit: GITAI

GITAI is developing a lunar rover and an “inchworm” robotic arm for constructing infrastructure such as solar arrays and antennas on the moon. Investors in the Series B extension round include MUFG Bank and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital.

Swissto12 raised $28 million from UBS to 3D-print more of its ten times smaller and at least three times cheaper geostationary orbit HummingSat satellites.

Space SaaS platform Antaris raised $3.5 million in seed funding to bring enterprise tech concepts to space. Streamlined Ventures led the round, with participation from HCVC and E2MC.

Techstars's 2023 Space Accelerator program will bring 12 startups from Los Angeles to Colorado and Washington, D.C. to build relationships with mentors and leaders in commercial, civil and military aerospace.

Redwire has successfully 3D-printed human tissue in microgravity on the International Space Station. Bioprinting cannot be done easily in Earth's gravity because typically printed tissue "settles into a puddle".

Musk indicated that SpaceX implemented 57 of 63 corrective actions required by the FAA for Starship’s integrated test flight. The FAA said it might approve a new launch license as soon as October.

HII-A rocket carrying the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). Credit: Kyodo News via AP

Japan's HII-A rocket launched with the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and a lightweight lunar lander, in an attempt to become the fifth nation to land on the moon early next year.

India may still be well behind the space programs of the US and China, but it has a thriving rocket program, a regional satellite navigation network, and could soon be the fourth nation capable of sending astronauts into low-Earth orbit.

MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-situ Resource Utilization Experiment) lowered into NASA’s Perseverance in 2019. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) extracted oxygen from the Martian atmosphere 16 times, successfully testing technology that future astronauts could use to produce breathable air or rocket propellant.

Physicists think spacetime on its smallest scales must be a seething ocean of black holes and wormholes flickering into and out of existence, but studies using Hubble ultraviolet spectrum data have been inconclusive.