Space
The latest news and updates on space, including launches and funding rounds about satellite communications systems like Starlink and Kuiper, and of course the latest research taking place on the ISS, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
SpaceX unveiled Starlink Mini, a more portable version of its satellite internet product that is small enough to fit inside a backpack. Early Starlink customers were invited to purchase the…
The space industry is all abuzz about how SpaceX’s Starship, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, and other heavy-lift rockets will change just about everything. One likely consequence is that spacecraft will…
Boeing’s Starliner capsule took astronauts to space — now it needs to bring them back
The delays are not over for Boeing’s Starliner capsule. After years of delays, the aerospace giant finally launched the spacecraft earlier this month, but the two-person crew will spend more…
Announcing the agenda for the Space Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
We’re out-of-this-world excited to announce that we’ve added a dedicated Space Stage to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. It joins Fintech, SaaS and AI as the other industry-focused stages — all under…
Internal SpaceX documents show the sweet stock deals offered to investors like a16z, Gigafund
Like many highly valued startups, SpaceX sometimes allows its employees to cash out some of their shares by selling to company-authorized outside investors. TechCrunch has gotten a peek at an…
Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck on reshaping the space economy at Disrupt 2024
The future of the space industry may look a lot like its past, or so believes Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in San…
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. We’ll have to wait a little longer for the return of Boeing’s Starliner capsule from the International Space Station — the capsule and…
Astroscale’s space junk inspection satellite snaps a close-up photo of a discarded rocket stage
Astroscale’s space junk observation satellite has moved within striking distance to a discarded rocket upper stage that’s been floating around Earth for nearly 20 years, taking close-up pictures — preliminary…
Albedo takes Earth observation up close and personal from very low Earth orbit
Satellite imagery startup Albedo is preparing for its up-close-and-personal debut. Albedo’s first satellite will take to orbit next spring as the company looks to turn the commercial Earth observation industry…
We’re about to learn a whole lot more about how the human body reacts to space
We could be entering a renaissance for human spaceflight research, as a record number of private citizens head to space — and as scientists improve techniques for gathering data on…
Apex’s off-the-shelf satellite bus business attracts $95M in new funding
Fresh off the success of its first mission, satellite manufacturer Apex has closed $95 million in new capital to scale its operations. The Los Angeles-based startup successfully launched and commissioned…
Biden administration looks to give Rocket Lab $24M to boost space-grade solar cell production
In addition to the federal funding, the state of New Mexico — where SolAero is based — committed to providing financing and incentives that value $25.5 million.
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. What a week! In the same seven-day period, we watched Boeing’s Starliner launch astronauts to space for the first time, and then we…
“Messages via Satellite,” announced at Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote, works much like the SOS feature does.
William Anders, astronaut who took the famous ‘Earthrise’ photo, dies at 90
William A. Anders, the astronaut behind perhaps the single most iconic photo of our planet, has died at the age of 90. On Friday morning, Anders was piloting a small…
NASA puts $10M down on Mars sample return proposals from Blue Origin, SpaceX and others
It turns out the space industry has a lot of ideas on how to improve NASA’s $11 billion, 15-year plan to collect and return samples from Mars. Seven of these…
Boeing’s Starliner overcomes leaks and engine trouble to dock with ‘the big city in the sky’
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has successfully delivered two astronauts to the International Space Station, a key milestone in the aerospace giant’s quest to certify the capsule for regular crewed missions. Starliner…
SpaceX launches mammoth Starship rocket and brings it back for the first time
SpaceX achieved a key milestone in its Starship flight test campaign: returning the booster and the upper stage back to Earth.
This is the last major step before Starliner can be certified as an operational crew system, and the first Starliner mission is expected to launch in 2025.
DARPA and Slingshot build system to detect ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ adversary satellites
The number of satellites on low Earth orbit is poised to explode over the coming years as more mega-constellations come online. This will create new opportunities for bad actors to…
Try to imagine the number of parts that go into making a rocket engine. Now imagine requesting and comparing quotes for each of those parts, getting approvals to purchase the…
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. Unfortunately, Boeing’s Starliner launch was delayed yet again, this time due to issues with one of the three redundant computers used by United…
Japanese billionaire pulls plug on private ‘dearMoon’ lunar Starship mission
The Japanese billionaire who commissioned SpaceX for a private mission around the moon on a Starship rocket has abruptly canceled the project, citing ongoing uncertainties around when the launch vehicle…
SpaceX sent Starship to orbit — the next launch will try to bring it back
SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket could take to the skies for the fourth time on June 5, with the primary objective of evaluating the second stage’s reusable heat shield as the…
Basalt plans to ‘hack’ a defunct satellite to install its space-specific OS
Space startup Basalt Technologies started in a shed behind a Los Angeles dentist’s office, but things have escalated quickly: Soon it will try to “hack” a derelict satellite and install…
India’s Agnikul launches 3D-printed rocket in suborbital test after initial delays
After two years of preparation and four delays over the past several months due to technical glitches, Indian space startup Agnikul has successfully launched its first suborbital test vehicle, powered…
ESA prepares for the post-ISS era, selects The Exploration Company, Thales Alenia to develop cargo spacecraft
The European Space Agency selected two companies on Wednesday to advance designs of a cargo spacecraft that could establish the continent’s first sovereign access to space. The two awardees, major…
If you’ve been looking forward to seeing Boeing’s Starliner capsule carry two astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. The…
Space VC closes $20M Fund II to back frontier tech founders from day zero
Gone are the days when space and defense were considered fundamentally antithetical to venture investment. Now, the country’s largest venture capital firms are throwing larger portions of their money behind…
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. For those who haven’t heard, the first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner capsule has been pushed back yet again to no earlier than…