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.
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…
Blue Origin successfully launches its first crewed mission since 2022
Blue Origin has successfully completed its NS-25 mission, resuming crewed flights for the first time in nearly two years. The mission brought six tourist crew members to the edge of…
U.K.-based Seraphim Space is spinning up its 13th accelerator program, with nine participating companies working on a range of tech from propulsion to in-space manufacturing and space situational awareness. The…
Meet the Magnificent Six: A tour of the stages at Disrupt 2024
TechCrunch Disrupt has always been the ultimate convergence point for all things startup and tech. In the bustling world of innovation, it serves as the “big top” tent, where entrepreneurs,…
Intuitive Machines made history when it became the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon, so it makes sense to adapt that tech for Mars.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket will take a crew to suborbital space for the first time in nearly two years later this month, the company announced on Tuesday. The NS-25…
If you’re looking for a Starliner mission recap, you’ll have to wait a little longer, because the mission has officially been delayed.
Xona Space Systems closes $19M Series A to build out ultra-accurate GPS alternative
For decades, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has maintained a de facto monopoly on positioning, navigation and timing, because it’s cheap and already integrated into billions of devices around the…
Starfish Space and D-Orbit complete orbital rendezvous, bringing Otter Pup mission to a close
Starfish Space’s ambitious first mission to demonstrate on-orbit rendezvous and docking tech has officially come to a close, with the startup managing to complete some of the objectives thanks to…
Update: The Starliner mission will not move forward until no earlier than May 17, NASA announced. The long delay is to ensure launch provider United Launch Alliance can roll the…
Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. Let’s jump in! Want to reach out with a tip? Email Aria at aria.techcrunch@gmail.com or send me a message on Signal at 512-937-3988.…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is making strides in astronomy with its 122-megapixel primarily infrared photos taken 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth. Impressive stuff. The space agency’s newest sky-peeper…
NASA is expanding its Wallops Island facility to support three times as many launches
NASA is kicking off a formal environmental assessment of its facilities on Wallops Island, Virginia, to increase the number of authorized rocket launches at the site by almost 200%, according…
Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellite for the first time
Hubble Network has become the first company in history to establish a Bluetooth connection directly to a satellite — a critical technology validation for the company, potentially opening the door…
Danti’s natural language search engine for Earth data soars with $5M in new funding
Danti, an artificial intelligence company building a superpower search engine for Earth data, has brought on prominent defensive tech investor Shield Capital as it looks to scale its technology for…
NASA orders studies from private space companies on Mars mission support roles
Mars exploration has always been the exclusive purview of national space agencies, but NASA is trying to change that, awarding a dozen research tasks to private companies as a prelude…
Portal Space Systems unveils Supernova, an ultra-mobile spacecraft
The era of stationary spacecraft may soon be over. Portal Space Systems, a company headed by propulsion expert Jeff Thornburg, is looking to help usher in a new renaissance in…
Welcome back to TechCrunch Space. Let’s jump in!
Defense startup True Anomaly lays off around 25%, cancels summer internship
Space and defense startup True Anomaly has laid off around 25% of its workforce and cancelled its summer internship program, TechCrunch has learned.
Boeing’s Starliner set to fly astronauts for the first time on May 6
This will mark Starliner’s second flight to the ISS: The first, an uncrewed mission called Orbital Flight Test-2, took place in May 2022.
