The Edge

SpaceX looks to raise $1.7 billion in new funding, boosting its valuation to $127 billion
A Falcon 9 rocket launches a batch of Starlink satellites to orbit on April 29, 2022. SpaceX SpaceX is raising a massive round of fresh funding, CNBC has learned, sending the private company’s valuation to about $127 billion. The space venture is looking to bring in up to $1.725 billion in new capital, at a […]
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The space industry is on its way to reach $1 trillion in revenue by 2040, Citi says
A Falcon 9 rocket carries 49 Starlink satellites toward orbit on Feb. 3, 2022. SpaceX The space industry should reach $1 trillion in annual revenue by 2040, with launch costs dropping 95%, Citigroup analysts said in an extensive report published this month. A further decline in the cost of accessing space would create more opportunities […]
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Boeing is trying again to launch its Starliner capsule to the space station — here’s what’s at stake
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled out to the launchpad for the OFT-2 mission scheduled to lift off on May 19, 2022. Joel Kowsky | NASA Boeing is set to make another attempt to reach the International Space Station with its Starliner capsule […]
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Boeing considers redesigning problematic valve that has kept Starliner from flying NASA astronauts
Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) mission is lifted on top of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket on May 4, 2022. Frank Michaux / NASA Boeing is examining whether to redesign the propulsion valves on its Starliner crew capsule, a crucial system that has kept the company from flying astronauts […]
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Citadel founder Ken Griffin wins Blue Origin spaceflight auction, donating two seats to NYC teachers
Ken Griffin, Founder and CEO, Citadel (L) and Blue Origin New Shepard rocket lifts off (R) Reuters Ken Griffin, billionaire founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel, placed the winning $8 million bid in an auction Monday for a seat on a spaceflight with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Bezos’ company donated two seats on its […]
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Virgin Orbit is assembling a fleet of 747 jets to launch more rockets into space
The modified 737 aircraft “Cosmic Girl” lifts off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California carrying a LauncherOne rocket on June 30, 2021. Virgin Orbit Virgin Orbit is assembling a fleet of modified 747 jets, the company announced Tuesday, ordering two new modified cargo airframes to help launch more rockets into space. The company […]
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SpaceX splashes down NASA’s Crew-3 mission, completing its sixth astronaut flight
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule Endurance splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida on May 6, 2022. NASA TV SpaceX returned the astronauts of NASA’s Crew-3 mission to Earth early Friday morning, marking the completion of its sixth human spaceflight. Crew Dragon capsule Endurance splashed down off the coast of Tampa […]
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SpaceX adds $25 monthly fee for users to temporarily change Starlink locations
Elon Musk’s SpaceX rolled out a $25 monthly fee this week for customers who seek to relocate their Starlink internet service satellite dishes. “Portability enables customers to temporarily move their Starlink to new locations and receive high-speed internet anywhere Starlink provides active coverage within the same continent,” SpaceX wrote in an email to customers on […]
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Rocket Lab CEO touts successful helicopter catch of rocket as key toward reusable goals
The Electron booster comes into view of the company’s helicopter for the catch. Rocket Lab Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck heralded the company’s first attempt on Monday to catch its Electron rocket booster using a helicopter after launch as “phenomenal,” telling CNBC that the test “achieved 99%” of the company’s goals toward reusing rockets. “Yesterday […]
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NASA chief says competition is making space exploration cheaper, in dramatic shift on contracts
The Artemis 1 mission Space Launch System (SLS) rocket Frank Michaux / NASA The head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Tuesday discussed a dramatic shift in how the agency plans to issue contracts for its space exploration programs, citing success with cost-saving competitive bids. NASA administrator Bill Nelson, testifying before a Senate […]
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