December 2, 2023

Starfighters Space Subcontracts with GE Innoveering on Hypersonic Project (Source: Starfighters Space)
Starfighters Space is moving ahead in its role as a subcontractor to Innoveering, a General Electric (GE) Aerospace company with participation in the Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT) initiative under the auspices of the Defense innovation Unit (DIU) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

DIU started the HyCAT initiative in early 2023 to address the need for low-cost, high-cadence test capabilities for the hypersonic community. DIU awarded a contract to Innoveering, a GE Aerospace company, for the prototype of an affordable air-launched air-breathing hypersonic testbed. With subcontractors Specter Aerospace and Starfighters International, Innoveering will mature the design, conduct supporting modeling and simulation, and perform system integration to deliver a robust, hypersonic mission in the coming years. (12/1)

Research Shows Artificial Gravity Can Enable Deep Space Exploration (Source: WCCFtech)
Bone and muscle data for mice gathered by researchers from the Harvard Medical School and the University of Rhode Island shows that it is possible to mitigate some of the effects of zero gravity. Muscular atrophy and loss of bone density are key concerns for space travelers, particularly those on long-duration missions. The research is one of the first of its kind to simulate the effects of artificial gravity on mice that were present on the ISS, with the mice exposed to different levels of gravity on the ISS.

The research involved exposing 12-week-old adult mice to zero gravity, 0.33G, 0.67G or 1G in centrifuges during a 30-day mission on the ISS. At the same time, 12 mice were also placed in similar conditions on Earth. When the research period was over, the mice's body weight and bone grip strength were measured. Then, they were euthanized and dissected to evaluate their muscles. The researchers use this data to conclude that it is possible that exposure to artificial gravity through a centrifuge can help lessen the effects of artificial gravity on muscles. Whether the same will apply to humans remains to be investigated. (11/30)

NASA's Educational CubeSats: Small Satellites, Big Impact (Source: NASA)
Despite their small size, the satellites launching through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) missions have a big impact, creating access to space for many who might not otherwise have the opportunity. One recent mission tells the story of four teams of researchers and engineers who conceived, built, launched, and collected data from these shoebox-sized satellites, helping them answer a host of questions about our planet and the universe.

The teams’ CubeSats launched as part of the ELaNa 38 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) mission, selected by CSLI and assigned to the mission by NASA’s Launch Services Program. A little more than a month after launching aboard SpaceX’s 24th commercial resupply serv0ices mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the CubeSats were deployed from the International Space Station on Jan. 26, 2022. (11/30)

Passing Star Could Fling Earth Out Past Pluto Into the Oort Cloud (Source: New Scientist)
If a passing star came near the solar system, Earth would probably be fine – but there is a small chance our entire world could get thrown to the outer reaches of the solar system, crash into another planet or even get stolen by the wandering star. The other planets in the solar system could suffer similar fates, and Mercury in particular would be at risk of falling into the sun. (12/1)

Amazon Buys 3 Launches with SpaceX for Project Kuiper (Source: Teslarati)
Amazon announced today they have bought 3 Falcon 9 launches to deliver their Project Kuiper internet satellites to low Earth orbit in mid-2025. This wouldn’t be the first time SpaceX has launched a competitor satellite as they have now launched 4 times for one of their other competitors, OneWeb, with a total of 136 satellites delivered to orbit.

Amazon recently made the decision to move up the launch of their first Project Kuiper satellites from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket which has faced numerous delays to an Atlas V that launched on October 6th. The addition of the 3 Falcon 9 launches will help Amazon to deploy their satellites in a more timely manner in case of delays with the other rockets they have contracted to launch with. (12/1)

Webb Study Reveals Rocky Planets Can Form in Extreme Environments (Source: Phys.org)
An international team of astronomers used JWST to provide the first observations of water and other molecules in the inner, rocky-planet-forming regions of a disk in one of the youngest an closest massive star formation complexes. Click here. (11/30)

Ageing, Human Research Studies Ahead of Next Cargo Mission (Source: NASA)
The ISS hosted numerous microgravity experiments on Wednesday investigating how the human body adapts to weightlessness and ways to live and work off the Earth. The Expedition 70 crewmembers also continued preparing for a cargo mission then conducted an emergency drill. More aging research was underway aboard the orbital lab today as NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli processed samples inside the Kibo laboratory module for the Space AGE study. The biology work took place in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox and may provide better insights into the aging process on cells and its effects on disease mechanisms both on Earth and in space. (11/29)

Spacelab to Gateway: 40 Years of Modules for People in Space (Source: ESA)
ESA’s first human spaceflight mission lifted off 40 years ago today. Accompanied by the first ESA astronaut, Ulf Merbold, the Spacelab module took flight inside the Space Shuttle’s cargo bay, turning NASA’s ‘space truck’ into a mini-space station for scientific research. Europe continues to be highly active in the crewed module business to this day. Click here. (11/28)

Rocket Lab to Return to Flight with Electron Launch on Dec. 13 (Source: Space.com)
Rocket Lab is gearing up for the next flight of its Electron small-satellite launch vehicle. The mission will fly a spacecraft known as "The Moon God Awakens" for Japan-based company iQPS, which has plans for a constellation of Earth-imaging satellites. This will be the 42nd launch for the Electron rocket, which has been grounded since September when a malfunction led to the loss of a mission payload during a launch. (11/29)

Do We Live in a Giant Void? That Could Solve the Puzzle of the Universe's Expansion (Source: Phys.org)
The universe's expansion makes galaxies move away from each other. The further away they are from us, the more quickly they move. The relationship between a galaxy's speed and distance is governed by Hubble's constant, which is about 43 miles (70 km) per second per megaparsec (a unit of length in astronomy). This means that a galaxy gains about 50,000 miles per hour for every million light years it is away from us.

But unfortunately for the standard model, this value has recently been disputed, leading to what scientists call the Hubble tension. When we measure the expansion rate using nearby galaxies and supernovas (exploding stars), it is 10% larger than when we predict it based on the CMB. One possible explanation: we live in a giant void in space (an area with below average density). We show that this could inflate local measurements through outflows of matter from the void.

Outflows would arise when denser regions surrounding a void pull it apart—they'd exert a bigger gravitational pull than the lower density matter inside the void. In this scenario, we would need to be near the center of a void about a billion light years in radius and with density about 20% below the average for the universe as a whole—so not completely empty. (12/1)

Open Source Spacecraft Avionics With NASA's Core Flight System (Source: Hackaday)
One thing about developing satellites, spacecraft, rovers and kin is that they have a big overlap in terms of functionality. From communication, to handling sensors, propulsion, managing data storage, task scheduling and so on, the teams over at NASA have found over the years that with each project there was a lot of repetition. Either they were either copy-pasting code from old projects, or multiple teams were essentially writing the same code.

To resolve this inefficiency NASA developed the Core Flight System (cFS), a common software framework for spacecraft, based on code and lessons from various space missions. The framework, which the space agency has released under the Apache license, consists of an operating system abstraction layer (OSAL), the underlying OS (VxWorks, FreeRTOS, RTEMS, POSIX, etc.), and the applications that run on top of the OSAL alongside the Core Flight Executive (cFE) component. Here cFS apps can be loaded and unloaded dynamically, along with cFS libraries, as cFS supports both static and dynamic linking. (11/30)

Zhurong Rover Detects Mysterious Polygons Beneath the Surface of Mars (Source: Phys.org)
China's Zhurong rover was equipped with a ground-penetrating radar system, allowing it to peer beneath Mars's surface. Researchers have announced new results from the scans of Zhurong's landing site in Utopia Planitia, saying they identified irregular polygonal wedges located at a depth of about 35 meters all along the robot's journey.

The objects measure from centimeters to tens of meters across. The scientists believe the buried polygons resulted from freeze-thaw cycles on Mars billions of years ago, but they could also be volcanic, from cooling lava flows. (11/30)

Satellite Imagery Reveals Explosion at China’s Jiuquan Spaceport (Source: Space News)
A Chinese launch vehicle maker appears to have suffered an explosion at a test site at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Satellite images show what are likely test stand facilities and the apparent aftermath of an exhaust plume from a hot fire test on the desert surface. Charred debris can be seen scattered across the surrounding area. (11/29)

Australian Startup Develops Dual-Headed Space Camera (Source: Space News)
Australian startup Infinity Avionics is developing a dual-headed camera system for space-based space surveillance. With approximately 1 million Australian dollars ($660,000) provided by the Australian research consortium SmartSat CRC, the Australian Capital Territory government and internal research funding, Canberra-based Infinity Avionics is working with the University of New South Wales Canberra Space and Australian startup Nominal Systems to develop technology to autonomously detect space objects. (11/30)

Firefly Aerospace's New Rocket Engine Spouts Green Flames in 1st 'Hot Fire' Test (Source: Space.com)
Firefly Aerospace conducted the first hot fire test of its new Miranda rocket engine, producing a massive plume of green flames. Firefly's Miranda engine is slated to be used on the first stage of Northrop Grumman's Antares 330 rocket as well as the Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) the two companies are developing together.  The Antares 330 rocket is designed to carry more than 22,000 lbs of cargo to the International Space Station (10,000 kg), while the MLV will be able to loft 35,000 lbs (16,000 kg) of payload to low Earth orbit. (11/29)

Astronomers Spot Giant Stream of Stars Between Galaxies (Source: Phys.org)
o their surprise, an international team of researchers has discovered a giant and extremely faint stream of stars between galaxies. While streams are already known in our own galaxy and in nearby galaxies, this is the first time that a stream running between galaxies has been observed. It is the largest stream detected to date. (11/30)

South Koreas' Spy Satellite Launches Heat Up Arms Race in Space (Source: Yonhap)
Space has emerged as an extended battlefield for the rival Koreas as they have successfully launched their own spy satellites into orbit and are gearing up to send more to better monitor each other amid an intensifying arms race, analysts said Saturday. Military officials expressed hope that the reconnaissance satellites will serve as an "eye" for South Korea's Kill Chain preemptive strike system as they will enable the prompt detection of signs of North Korea's potential nuclear and missile attacks. (12/2)

North Korea Bristles at U.S. Over Comments About Possible Disabling of Spy Satellite (Source: Yonhap)
North Korea lashed out at the United States on Saturday after a U.S. space official hinted at possible disabling of the North's military spy satellite launched last week, saying that it will take it as "a declaration of war" against the regime. A spokesperson of the North's defense ministry issued the statement after Sheryll Klinkel, a strategic communicator at the U.S. Space Command, said that "a variety of reversible and irreversible means" can be employed to "deny" an adversary's space and counterspace capabilities. (12/2)

Chinese Scientists Precisely Monitor Solar Radiation on Earth's Surface (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese team has developed a high-precision monitoring system for solar radiations on the Earth's surface. The product has important scientific significance and application value for monitoring and predicting solar power generation, estimating agricultural yields, human health and carbon capture. The researchers constructed the high-resolution remote sensing product set, utilizing observation data generated by geostationary meteorological satellites including China's Fengyun-4 Series and Japan's Himawari-8/9. (12/1)

New Research Shows What NASA Can Teach Organizations on Strategic Agility (Source: ESMT Berlin)
To shed light on how strategic agility is achieved, the study follows NASA’s successful shifts to three different strategic alignments over the past 60 years. The study suggests that an often-overlooked factor, known as logical incrementalism, has played a crucial role in NASA’s ability to adapt and succeed over time.

The study highlights three phases of incremental changes in NASA’s evolution: the emergence of new approaches, the integration of these approaches into specific contexts, and their expansion to other organizational areas. Strategic agility, as explored in the study, involves an organization’s capacity to significantly shift and realign its business model over extended periods, ensuring sustained competitiveness.

The research recognizes the challenges organizations face in balancing exploitation and exploration, emphasizing the need for new business models to overcome the tendency to rearrange old ways of doing business. The study contends that strategic agility is crucial in fostering innovation, particularly when organizations risk falling into competency traps or strategic inertia. (12/1)

SpaceX’s New Design for Lunar Starship Unveiled (Source: AmericaSpace)
After Starship’s dramatic debut in April, there has been some uncertainty surrounding the vehicle’s status and the launch date for Artemis 3. However, recent statements from NASA and SpaceX shed light on the effort to develop this highly-capable vehicle. Even more notably, newly-leaked renders from SpaceX reveal that the lunar Starship’s design has undergone significant revisions since its development began two years ago. To begin, the new design of the Starship lander is taller than its previous iterations. 

Active Starship prototypes stand 164 feet tall By comparing the height-to-width ratio of the old and new renderings, we can deduce that the revised HLS design is roughly 180 feet tall. Larger propellant tanks would allow it to carry enough liquid methane and liquid oxygen to land, despite the loss of propellant through boil-off to space. SpaceX also tweaked the lander’s four landing legs. They are no longer housed inside enclosed aerodynamic fairings. Instead, they simply seem to be retracted and flush against the lander’s body during launch.

SpaceX’s approach to lunar landings relies on orbital refueling, which will be implemented on a large scale for the first time. According to Lakiesha Hawkins of NASA’s Moon to Mars program office, nearly 20 Starships will need to be launched as in-flight tankers or fuel depots. These vehicles will contain liquid methane and liquid oxygen, which are to be transferred to a specialized variant of Starship that has been optimized to land on the Moon. This complicated architecture has induced risk to Artemis 3’s schedule. (12/1)

Space Force Postpones Launch of Secretive X-37B Space Plane to Dec. 10 (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. Space Force has announced a delay in the upcoming launch of its elusive X-37B space plane. The mission, designated USSF-52, was scheduled for Dec. 7, but has now been pushed back to Dec. 10. X-37B will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida. Shifting launch schedules and availability at Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A) were cited for the date change. (12/1)

Angola Signs Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Angola signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration Nov. 30, becoming the third African nation to do so. The signing took place during the visit of Angola’s president, João Lourenço, to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden. The signing was mentioned briefly in White House statements about the meeting. (12/1)

'Forbidden' Exoplanet is Way Too Massive for its Star (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have discovered a massive extrasolar planet, or "exoplanet," orbiting an ultracool dwarf star that is way too small to host such a world, challenging scientists' models of how planets and planetary systems are born. The planet in question, designated LHS 3154 b, is 13 times as massive as Earth, meaning that it has a mass similar to the solar system ice giant Neptune, yet it closely orbits a tiny dwarf star, which is nine times less massive than the sun. (12/1)

Ireland Enters Space Age with Student Satellite (Source: BBC)
Researchers hope young scientists are feeling inspired after Ireland's first satellite was successfully launched into space. Constructed by students from University College Dublin (UCD) with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), EIRSAT-1 is a two-unit CubeSat [miniature cube satellite] equipped with three experiments. The project has been called a "major milestone" for Ireland's emerging space sector. (12/1)

Scottish Spaceport Proposes Smaller Rocket Launch Site for Habitats (Source: The National)
THE company building a spaceport on the northern coast of the Scottish mainland has proposed changes to its plans for the site, with a smaller footprint and lower buildings suggested. Sutherland Spaceport is being built on the A’Mhoine peninsula on a site leased to the UK company Orbex, which intends to use it for satellite launches. Construction on the site began in May this year, with the company saying at that point it hoped to host 12 launches a year.

Orbex is now consulting with the local community on proposed changes, including a smaller launch pad, to better protect the surrounding environment. There will also be smaller access roads, and the size of the integration facility, where rockets are assembled before launch, is to be reduced. The company said: “These changes will make the building footprint smaller, leading to a reduction in peat disturbance and a lower impact on the groundwater ecosystem. (12/1)

Russia’s Progress MS-25 Resupply Ship Launches to Space Station (Source: TASS)
A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the Progress MS-25 resupply ship blasted off from the Baikonur spaceport to the ISS. In about nine minutes, the space freighter separated from the rocket’s upper stage. The Progress cargo craft will approach the orbital outpost two days after its blastoff. The Progress MS-25 resupply ship will deliver 2,528 kg of cargo to the orbital outpost, in particular, 515 kg of refueling propellant, 420 liters of potable water, 40 kg of compressed nitrogen. (12/1)

Meteorites Likely Source of Nitrogen for Early Earth (Source: Kyoto University)
Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system. Nitrogen compounds, such as ammonium salts, are abundant in material born in regions far from the sun, but evidence of their transport to Earth's orbital region had been poorly understood. (12/1)

NASA Urges Researchers to Reach Out for China’s Chang’e 5 Moon Samples, Sidestepping US Ban (Source: South China Morning Post)
NASA researchers have been given the go-ahead to study China’s moon samples, in the first collaboration of its kind between the two countries’ space agencies. US law has kept Nasa and its counterpart the China National Space Administration (CNSA) at arm’s length but, in a turn of events, they will be allowed to work together, at least on this occasion.

In an internal email on Wednesday, the US space agency said it had “certified its intent to Congress” to allow Nasa-funded researchers to apply to the CNSA for access to the lunar samples, collected by China’s Chang’e 5 mission in 2020. The applications would normally be illegal under the so-called Wolf Amendment – passed by the US Congress in 2011 and named after then Republican senator Frank Wolf – which bans Nasa from cooperating with China unless authorised by lawmakers. (12/1)

SpaceX Rocket Lifts Off with South Korean, Other Payloads From California (Source: Noozhawk)
Falcon 9 rocket launch spectators were rewarded with especially clear skies on Friday at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Launch of the Falcon-9 rocket standing 229 feet tall occurred at Launch Complex-4 on South Base, with a long rumble, leaving behind a white contrail in the bright blue sky. The rocket carried 25 satellites, including South Korea’s 425, a reconnaissance spacecraft. Other payloads aboard the rocket included Space BD’s ISL48, SITAEL’s microHETSat, D-Orbit’s ION SCV Daring Diego, York Space Systems’ Bane, and PlanetIQ’s GNOMES-4, with each having various purposes once they arrive in orbit. (12/1)

'Tremendous Technical Challenges': New Report Says NASA Won’t Land Astronauts on the Moon in 2025 (Source: Fox35 Orlando)
NASA will miss its mark trying to land astronauts on the moon by 2025. That’s according to a new report, released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week. The new 47-page document from the GAO estimates NASA is at least two years off track in its Artemis program. The report outlines several issues with the current mission, including an unrealistic timeline from NASA based on previous project durations, several six-month and longer delays on key technology tests, and design challenges with the spacesuit. (12/1)

Hubble Glitch Renews Talk About Private Servicing Mission (Source: Space News)
A problem with the Hubble Space Telescope has renewed discussion about whether and how NASA might approve a private mission to reboost and potentially repair the spacecraft. NASA announced Nov. 29 that Hubble was in a safe mode because of a problem with one of its three operational gyroscopes. That gyro first triggered a safe mode Nov. 19 when it provided what NASA described as faulty readings. Spacecraft controllers restored operations of Hubble, only to see problems again Nov. 21 and 23. (12/2)

NASA Conducts Annual Moon to Mars Architecture Concept Review (Source: NASA)
NASA hosted its second annual Architecture Concept Review in mid-November, bringing together leaders from across the agency to discuss progress on and updates to NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture since NASA released outcomes from its first such review in April. NASA hosted its second annual Architecture Concept Review in mid-November, bringing together leaders from across the agency to discuss progress on and updates to NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture since NASA released outcomes from its first such review in April. (11/30)

For Henry Kissinger, NASA'S Apollo 11 Lunar Landing was About More Than the Moon (Source: Space.com)
While Kissinger is remembered most for his hawkish foreign policy positions, the former Secretary of State played a key role in promoting the success of NASA's Apollo 11 mission in landing on the moon to the world. During the historic Apollo 11 moon landing mission in July of 1969, Kissinger's own State Department and the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) were instrumental in sharing details of the space program with the world as a means of promoting American democracy and innovation.

According to the U.S. State Department, Nixon and Kissinger saw the moon landing as the perfect opportunity for a State Department-orchestrated world tour of the entire Apollo 11 crew, accompanied by their wives, to expand foreign policy efforts and show our country’s eagerness to openly educate Earth's citizens. (11/30)

300 Gamma-Ray-Blasting Neutron Stars Found in Massive Haul — and Some are 'Spider Pulsars' (Source: Space.com)
The Fermi gamma-ray space telescope has discovered around 300 rapidly spinning neutron stars. Each of the newfound objects sweep two beams of radiation across the universe like a cosmic lighthouse.

These neutron stars are known to spin hundreds of times per second and are specifically called millisecond pulsars; prior to the launch of Fermi in 2008, humanity was aware of less than ten examples of such bodies. They're particularly of note because they blast out a form of high energy electromagnetic radiation known as gamma-rays. Moreover, within this clutch of never-before-seen neutron stars are several so-called "spider pulsars," which are believed to devour their companion stars (any stars locked in orbit with them) like black widow spiders devour their mates. (11/30)

Nuclear-Powered Dragonfly Mission to Saturn Moon Titan Delayed Until 2028, NASA Says (Source: Space.com)
NASA has set a provisional launch date of July 2028 for its Dragonfly mission, meant to explore Saturn’s largest moon Titan, with budgetary uncertainty cited as the reason for the project’s one-year delay. The Dragonfly team can now move forward with the next stage of development  —  Phase C  —  for the car-sized, nuclear-powered rotorcraft drone that will fly above and land on the sands of Titan, a world planetary scientists believe is rich in organic molecules. (11/30)

NASA Delivers Inclusion Message to Annual Bayou Classic Participants (Source: NASA)
NASA was on full display during the 50th Annual Bayou Classic Fan Fest activity in New Orleans on Nov. 25, hosting an informational booth and interacting with event participants to deliver a clear message – There’s Space for Everybody at NASA. In addition to event signage and messaging, NASA representatives were out in force during the morning-long Fan Fest event, providing attendees with memorabilia and sharing information about student internship and employment opportunities with the agency. (11/30)

ESA Sets Mid-2024 Date for First Ariane 6 Launch (Source: Space News)
With the successful completion of a core stage hot-fire test, the European Space Agency says it now expects the first launch of the Ariane 6 to take place in the middle of 2024. At a Nov. 30 briefing, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher announced a launch period for the inaugural Ariane 6 flight of June 15 through July 31. A more precise launch date will be provided after qualification reviews in the spring of 2024. (11/30)

Amini Raises $4 Million for Africa-Focused Environmental Constellation (Source: Space News)
Amini has raised $4 million toward launching its first satellite in early 2025 to improve Africa-focused environmental information, the Kenya-based climate data startup said Nov. 30. Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund led the seed funding round, joining investors who helped the year-old startup raise $2 million in May. Amini is still refining constellation plans but envisages at least six satellites. (11/30)

Intelsat to Bring Multi-Orbit Wi-Fi to Regional American Airlines Jets (Source: Space News)\
American Airlines announced plans Nov. 30 to equip nearly 500 regional jets with multi-orbit Wi-Fi connectivity from Intelsat over two years starting in early 2024. Intelsat is providing terminals that can connect to its geostationary fleet in addition to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites from Eutelsat OneWeb, which partnered with the operator last year in the aviation market. (11/30)

Blue Origin Nearing New Glenn Milestones Ahead of Debut Flight (Source: NSF)
As 2023 nears its close, there has been a large increase in publicly visible movement from Blue Origin around its Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral facilities. With sightings of New Glenn booster segments, upper-stage tank sections, payload fairings, and new support hardware arriving at Port Canaveral, it seems Blue Origin is pushing to hit major milestones in 2024.

On Nov. 27, 2023, a New Glenn first-stage tank section was captured outside of Blue Origin’s main manufacturing facility at its Exploration Park campus. This section — referred to as the “First Stage Mid Module” by Blue Origin in the 2018 New Glenn payload users guide — is the combination of both the liquid natural gas and liquid oxygen tanks. This section is the largest and most complete part of a New Glenn booster that has been publicly seen. (11/30)

Branson Won't Invest More in Virgin Galactic (Source: The Hill)
Billionaire Richard Branson said his space travel company Virgin Galactic “should” have “sufficient funds” without his investment Saturday. “We don't have the deepest pockets after Covid, and Virgin Galactic has got $1bn, or nearly. It should, I believe, have sufficient funds to do its job on its own,” Branson told the Financial Times. Branson has made a decision to not add more money to the Virgin Galactic business, according to FT. (12/2)