Space News | TechCrunch

SpaceX launches Starship for the sixth time — with Trump on site to watch

Aria Alamalhodaei — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:01:23 +0000

SpaceX conducted the sixth flight test of its massive Starship rocket on Tuesday afternoon, and although the company did not replicate the history-making booster catch, the company did welcome a very special guest: President-elect Donald Trump. Trump, who will soon be sworn into office for his second term, said on X that he was headed […]

TechCrunch Space: A big pivot

Aria Alamalhodaei — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome back to TechCrunch Space! This week, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said she wouldn’t be surprised if the company launched Starship 400 times over the next four years. What do you think? How realistic are those numbers, on the scale of “almost certain” to “no chance in hell”? I believe SpaceX has the […]

Space tech giant Maxar confirms hacker accessed employees’ personal data

Carly Page — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 13:50:34 +0000

Maxar has 2,600 employees — with more than half having security clearances to work on classified U.S. government projects.

The Exploration Company raises $160M to build Europe’s answer to SpaceX Dragon

Aria Alamalhodaei — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Only two companies currently provide cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station, and both are based in the United States. The Exploration Company, which operates out of Germany, France, and Italy, is looking to change that: It just closed a large funding round to further its mission of building Europe’s first reusable space […]

SpaceX Starship: Everything you’ve ever wondered but were afraid to ask

Aria Alamalhodaei — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket has the potential to transform the commercial space economy, ensure America’s position as the global leaders in the space race, and put humans on Mars for the first time. But first it has to get to orbit. This is becoming much more likely as the Starship test program accelerates and the company […]

After raising nearly half a billion dollars, ABL Space pivots from launch vehicles to missiles

Aria Alamalhodaei — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 17:44:12 +0000

Significant changes are coming to ABL Space Systems. The leader of the 7-year-old startup took to social media last night to make a big announcement: The company will no longer be focusing on the commercial launch market but will be turning instead to missile defense. ABL had been developing a small launch vehicle called RS1 […]

Ben Horowitz’s tight ties with the Las Vegas Police Department — and why it matters

Theresa Loconsolo — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:55:20 +0000

Over the last few years, Andreessen Horowitz co-founder and famed VC Ben Horowitz has donated at least $7.6 million to fund purchases by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, including new drones from a16z-backed Skydio. Skydio is not the first of a16z’s portfolio companies to benefit from these donations, either. Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts […]

Mission Space launches next quarter to provide real-time space weather forecasts

Devin Coldewey — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 15:01:00 +0000

When you board a plane, the pilot already knows the weather on the flight path and can steer clear, or at least warn you it’s coming. The same can’t be said of “space weather” from solar events, which can seriously affect satellites and even passenger planes. Mission Space is about to launch a constellation to […]

Starfish Space raises $29M to launch satellite-servicing spacecraft missions

Aria Alamalhodaei — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Starfish Space has closed a new tranche of funding led by a major defense tech investor as it looks to launch three full-size satellite servicing and inspection spacecraft in 2026. The Washington-based startup’s Otter spacecraft is designed for two primary missions: extending the operational life of expensive satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) and disposing of […]

TechCrunch Space: Nothing to see here!

Aria Alamalhodaei — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. There was absolutely no news last week because nothing happened. Just kidding. Defying all early polling, Donald Trump swept the election and will soon be sworn in for his second term in office. From a space policy perspective, things are already starting to look interesting. That’s mostly due […]

Firefly Aerospace readies for a big year in orbit with $175M D round

Aria Alamalhodaei — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 18:01:29 +0000

Firefly Aerospace has raised a massive late-stage funding round as it prepares for the launch of its lunar lander later this year and the first mission of its Elytra spacecraft next year. The $175 million Series D, which set Firefly’s valuation at over $2 billion, apparently closed in less than two months in a show […]

SpaceX alums find traction on Earth with their Mars-inspired CO2-to-fuel tech

Tim De Chant — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 17:30:26 +0000

Though General Galactic is focused on producing methane, the company isn’t necessarily looking to displace the fuel from heating and energy.

Intuitive Machines CEO: ‘We now have the platform for a lunar economy’

Devin Coldewey — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Steve Altemus is optimistic. And as CEO of Intuitive Machines, which made history with the first ever successful moon landing performed by a private company, he has good reason. But that was just the opening act of his company’s plans to build “a full stack: all the pieces you need to create missions to the […]

SpaceX to launch Starship for the sixth time this month

Aria Alamalhodaei — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 22:37:53 +0000

SpaceX will conduct the sixth flight test of Starship, the largest rocket ever built, as soon as November 18, following the smooth success of the previous mission less than a month ago. The high flight cadence is thanks, in part, to that success, which included the first-ever return of the Super Heavy booster to the […]

What Trump’s win might mean for Elon Musk

Rebecca Bellan, Aria Alamalhodaei — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:51:03 +0000

Elon Musk — the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and the owner of The Boring Company, Neuralink, and X — took a sharp swing to the right this election to support President-elect Donald Trump, using his vast wealth, influence, and megaphone on X to influence the outcome of the election. Musk’s support came […]

SpaceX wants to test refueling Starships in space early next year

Aria Alamalhodaei — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 22:16:30 +0000

SpaceX will attempt to transfer propellant from one orbiting Starship to another as early as next March, a technical milestone that will pave the way for an uncrewed landing demonstration of a Starship on the moon, a NASA official said this week. Much has been made of Starship’s potential to transform the commercial space industry, […]

TechCrunch Space: Disrupt 2024 wrap-up

Aria Alamalhodaei — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 23:06:34 +0000

Hello, and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 is a wrap, and I’m more than thrilled by the amazing space industry programming we had on offer this year. We covered everything from building a dual-use business to orbital re-entry, we caught up with Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck, and heard about the ground station […]

Three investors talk the highs and lows of space investing

Aria Alamalhodaei — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 17:17:00 +0000

The space industry operates in waves: There are massive highs and big lows, but it’s always exhilarating. Three venture capitalists who invest in space joined us onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt on Monday to talk about what’s coming next for this dynamic area. Much of the current investing is shadowed by the SPAC boom in 2021 […]

Space CEOs talk about the challenges and opportunities of selling defense tech

Aria Alamalhodaei — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:37:00 +0000

Space executives took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt on Monday to talk about the challenges and opportunities of building out dual-use technology, or tech that has both a defense and a commercial use case. The dual-use strategy can be tricky for young startups to manage, however, because they run the risk of diluting their focus […]

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024: Tony Fadell, Mary Barra, Colin Kaepernick, and a new Startup Battlefield winner

Morgan Little — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:44:21 +0000

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 has begun, with hundreds of speakers, hundreds of startups and exhibitors, plus thousands of attendees meeting in San Francisco’s Moscone Center to experience three days of expertise, industry insights, and networking opportunities. In this live blog, you’ll get the rundown on the highlights from TechCrunch Disrupt’s panels, news from the show floor, and updates on the competition leading up to the winner of Startup Battlefield 200.