Starbridge Weekly Space Update for 5/8/2023

Portfolio News

Axiom

• SpaceX launch of Ax-2 private astronaut mission now targeted for May 21

SpaceX

• Several environmental groups are suing the FAA over its approval of SpaceX Starship launches from Texas.

• SpaceX surpasses 4,000 Starlink satellites on-orbit with Starlink Group 5-6 launch

• And 1.5 million subscribers

• How much more money can SpaceX spend on Starship?

Space Forge

• Southern Launch teams up with UK’s Space Forge - Australian Defence Magazine.

General Space News

• The University of Texas Races Towards the Kármán Line with its Liquid-Fueled Rocket

  As excitement grows and costs drop, more and more universities and colleges are developing hands-on and student-led space programs. Some start with building small liquid fuel engines like UT here. Others skip the rocket and build CubeSats that they fly through various programs. If you would like to support the next generation of aerospace engineers and space founders, check with your alumni foundation. There is probably a group that could use the help. 

• John Deere wants to provide satellite connectivity services to customers of its tractors.

  Starbridge has evaluated several agriculture-focused space startups over the past five years but has yet to make an investment decision due to how chaotic and culturally loaded that market can be. Plus, many in the field fear the tremendous footprint that John Deere has with farm automation technology. The company has said many times that it wants its own communications and Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) network so this appears to be the first step toward deploying that constellation.

• US, Philippines Join Forces in Orbit

  Teamwork makes the dream work. While most have heard of the Artemis Program and the Artemis Accords, few see the other side of the Accords which is building international coalitions. Recent successes include the Philippines, South Korea, and Czech Republic. 

• Astroscale Secures ~$44M in Two New Debt Rounds

  Astroscale is benefiting greatly from the strategic decision by the Japanese government to focus on space situational awareness and in-space servicing. Other countries struggling with their response to the growth of commercial space would do well to evaluate their model.

• That's Brigadier General Dr. Buzz Aldrin to you, cadet.

  Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin received an honorary promotion to Air Force brigadier general on Friday at Los Angeles Air Force Base. He also became an honorary member of the Space Force.

Other Space News

• Private equity investors have completed their $6.4 billion purchase of Maxar.

• Lockheed Martin announced Thursday that it is reorganizing its space business with a new focus on national security space.

• The Czech Republic became the 24th nation to sign the Artemis Accords Wednesday.

• NASA and the project team for the New Horizons spacecraft are at loggerheads over the future of the mission.

• A launch company executive says Europe won't have a reusable launch vehicle until sometime in the 2030s

• Leaders of the House Armed Services Committee are questioning whether the Space Force's plans to procure launches will be fair to new entrants.

• A federal bankruptcy court has approved plans for a sale of Virgin Orbit this month.

• A Chinese official said he expects the country to land people on the moon by the end of the decade.

• A coalition of Europe's largest space companies are planning to bid on a European Union satellite constellation.

• Limited availability of plutonium could push back a proposed NASA mission to Uranus to the latter half of the 2030s.

• A developer of terrestrial drones will help produce helicopters for flying on Mars.

• Seraphim Space has selected nine companies that will participate in the next round of its accelerator program for space startups.

• Relativity Developing New 3D Printing Tech for Terran-R - Payload

• A Chinese spaceplane has landed after spending 276 days in orbit. 

• SAIC is partnering with European manufacturer GomSpace to provide smallsats for U.S. government customers. 

• Docking port will first be used by a rescheduled private astronaut mission.

• China to launch Queqiao 2 and Chang’e 6 lunar missions next year

• India wants to mine the Moon too

James Webb Eye Candy

• Webb Looks for Fomalhaut’s Asteroid Belt and Finds Much More