Portfolio news from Axiom, SpaceX, Umbra, Lynk, and Space Forge. Plus news on Blue Origin’s Lunar Lander, a webinar and discussion of human spaceflight safety regulations, and China’s lunar ambitions get a budget.

SpaceX’s Starship Launch, Sizing up the 2023 GEO manufacturing battleground, Private equity firm closes $6.4 billion deal to acquire Maxar Technologies, Vast Aims to Launch World’s First Commercial Space Station by 2025, SpaceX hires former NASA human spaceflight official Kathy Lueders to help with Starship, and Virgin Galactic aims for triumphant return with crewed flight at the end of May

The University of Texas Races Towards the Kármán Line with its Liquid-Fueled Rocket, John Deere wants to provide satellite connectivity services to customers of its tractors, US, Philippines Join Forces in Orbit, Astroscale Secures ~$44M in Two New Debt Rounds, That's Brigadier General Dr. Buzz Aldrin to you, cadet.

Lunar gravity prevents skeletal muscle atrophy but not myofiber type shift in mice, Days before dying, Japan's lunar lander snaps a glorious photo of Earth during a total solar eclipse, US, South Korea Commit to Closer Cooperation in Orbit, VC Investment in the Space Industry Sees Lowest Numbers Since 2021, NASA tweaks Voyager 2's power settings • The Register

The latest in space exploration: Axiom welcomes retired General Raymond to the board, CFS supports nuclear fusion regulatory changes, SpaceX conducts a test flight with mixed results, and ispace aims for lunar landing.

Latest in space industry: Axiom Space offers customizable access to Low-Earth Orbit. Lynk brings 100% mobile coverage to Ghana with Vodafone. Orbital Sidekick launches first satellites in GHOSt Constellation. SpaceX faces fleet malfunction and delays Starship launch. Report advises Congress to prolong commercial human spaceflight 'learning period'. Global space companies trend towards transparent pricing.

Axiom Space prepares for private astronaut mission next month. Lynk tests across the Solomon Islands. SpaceX's Starship poised for launch pending approval. Virgin Orbit files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Artemis II, dearMoon, and Dennis Tito's missions to the moon are planned. NASA announces Artemis 2 crew. Redwire, Space Force, China, and India make strides in space tech and missions.

Lynk begins trial with NZ telecom 2degrees. Orbital Sidekick expands advisory board. Offworld starts operations in Luxembourg. Virgin Orbit ceases operations. McKinsey releases report on space sector opportunities. Lockheed Martin launches lunar service subsidiary. Astra, Maxar, SpaceX make advancements, while AST SpaceMobile faces satellite delays. Rosotics develops a 3D printer for aerospace structures.

Cosmic Shielding Corporation collaborates with Axiom on shielding polymer demo. Lynk supports US House Committee on ALERT Parity Act. NRO signs agreements with Orbital Sidekick & Xplore. SpaceX pauses Starlink launches, amid rumors of funding round. NASA's Kathy Lueders retires, replaced by Ken Bowersox. Virgin Orbit raising $200M from Matthew Brown. ESA urged to develop independent human spaceflight program. Relativity’s first 3D-printed rocket fails to reach orbit. ispace lunar lander enters lunar orbit. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner faces further delays. Companies expand remote sensing sectors. ABL Space Systems wins $60M military contract. Roscosmos confirms China's intent for space exploration cooperation.

Axiom Space unveils next-generation spacesuit for lunar astronauts and continues scientific research in Low-Earth Orbit. Lynk chooses Dawn Aerospace propulsion and FCC proposes direct-to-device connectivity framework. Umbra's Joe Morrison discusses industry transformation. NASA presents cost/benefit analysis of space debris mitigation. Space Force acquisition affected by Congress' persistence. Virgin Orbit faces bankruptcy if new funding isn't secured. The space industry reacts to a major bank's collapse. White House requests $30B for U.S. Space Force in 2024 budget. NASA expects to spend $1B on ISS deorbit tug. Amazon's Project Kuiper to offer 'beta services' in 2024. Firefly Aerospace secures second NASA lunar lander mission. Voyager Space acquires ZIN Technologies for Starlab space station. Astra requests Nasdaq extension to avoid delisting. SpaceX concludes SES satellite launch amid industry-wide launch shortage. Satellogic now selling entire satellites.

Michael Mealling, Starbridge GP, was heavily engaged in space policy shaping in Washington, DC. Axiom Space leaps towards building a commercial space station. Space Force initiates a 'marketplace' for satellite-to-cellular services with Lynk's involvement. Offworld.AI showcases Swarm Robot in action. Crew-6 launched to ISS via SpaceX's Crew Dragon. U.S. Army extends Maxar's contract for 3D geospatial data. ULA, a joint venture between Lockheed and Boeing, considering another sale. Controversy over the impact of low Earth orbit constellations like Starlink on space-based astronomy stirs Twitter. Investors in space startups face challenges in the defense market. Japanese H3 rocket fails due to second-stage malfunction. Lonestar secures $5M for lunar data centers. Rocket Lab rethinks mid-air recovery of Electron boosters. Raytheon wins $250M contract for missile-tracking satellites. Boeing's satellite communications ground system passes the key test.

Axiom was featured in CNBC's video about NASA's new spacesuits. Lynk Global's patented technology tricking cell phones into believing they're communicating with stationary towers, as the sat-phone race heats up. SpaceX prepares for Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission, deals with technical issue scrubbing crew launch, and unveils next-gen Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Umbra shares stunning SAR images captured by their satellites. George Whitesides, ex-Virgin Galactic CEO and NASA Chief of Staff, runs for Congress. Supply of launch sites struggles to meet demand, prompting solutions like sea-based launch pads. Former SpaceX engineers form Vast to build a partial gravity-capable space station and acquire Launcher. China plans to launch almost 13,000 satellites to compete with Starlink. Texas plans large public investment in space. ULA sets May launch for first Vulcan.