Is there an economic downturn in space?
[Editor's Note: Yesterday, we heard from William Pomerantz, who runs Google's Lunar X Prize, on how private enterprise may give NASA and America's space program a much-needed infusion. One question he didn't touch on is how the current economic downturn may affect these space privateers and the investors who keep them flying. Below, Jeff Foust, editor and publisher of The Space Review, sheds light on the issue.]
Over the last several years, an entrepreneurial space industry… Continue Reading
SpaceX finally gets a rocket into space
Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has met with success on its fourth attempt to get a privately designed rocket into orbit.
SpaceX has now proven that a startup can replicate the success of huge efforts made by the United States and Soviet space programs in the 50s and 60s. Legacy technology from those early space programs still helps send satellites and space crews out of the atmosphere today, but the company hopes to undercut… Continue Reading
Private rocket company SpaceX gets $20M from The Founders Fund
Space Exploration Technology Corp., the company created by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk and better-known as SpaceX, has raised $20 million from The Founders Fund.
This is the first time SpaceX has raised outside funding, according to the Wall Street Journal; Musk previously invested $100 million of his own money. The news follows right behind the Hawthorne, Calif. company’s third attempted launch. The launch ended in failure last weekend, when the first-stage engine didn’t separate as required…. Continue Reading
Roundup: Agami shuts down, Amazon’s new book-site collection, and more
Toyota working on Segway killer — The transportation robot is called Winglet and comes in three sizes. See screenshot, via ZDnet.
Network storage company Agami shuts down — The Sunnyvale, Calif. company raised $85 million and competed against companies that went public, including 3Par. The shut-down was sudden, catching employees by surprise — apparently, a major debt-holder wanted its money back.
Illinois mandates online cancellation for game subscriptions — An Illinois family found it difficult to cancel a recurring online… Continue Reading