SpaceX
Facts
- HQ
- United States
- Sectors
- Aerospace, Space Technology, Data Center / Infrastructure
- Founded
- 2002
- Employees
- 10000
- Stage
- Private
Stoke Space Hotfires 100,000-Pound Thrust Full-Flow Staged Combustion Rocket Engine on New Vertical Test Stand
Stoke Space successfully hotfired its first-stage full-flow staged combustion rocket engine on a new vertical test stand in Moses Lake, Washington, marking a significant milestone for the startup. The company, founded by former Blue Origin employees, aims to develop fully reusable rockets operating with aircraft-like frequency.
Seattle Startup Lumen Orbit Raises $11M Seed Round to Build Space-Based Data Centers for AI
Lumen Orbit, a Seattle-area startup founded in 2023, raised $11 million in seed funding to develop data centers in space for AI and technology services on Earth. The company, valued at $40 million, plans to launch a full-scale prototype in 2025 and is led by CEO Philip Johnston and co-founders with aerospace and space tech backgrounds.
Jeff Bezos Optimistic About Trump’s Return, Predicts Blue Origin Will Surpass Amazon
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos expressed optimism about President-elect Donald Trump's return to office, highlighting Trump's calmer demeanor and regulatory reduction goals. Bezos also stated that his space venture Blue Origin will become a bigger business than Amazon.
Phaidra Applies AI to Cut Data Center Power Consumption Amid Rising U.S. Electricity Demand for AI Infrastructure
Phaidra, a startup co-founded by former DeepMind execs, uses AI to enhance energy efficiency in data center cooling systems, addressing the growing electricity demand driven by AI infrastructure. With data centers projected to consume 8% of U.S. power by 2030, Phaidra aims to reduce their environmental and cost impacts through real-time management of facility power usage.
Starfish Space Wins $37.5M U.S. Space Force Contract After Successful Otter Pup Satellite Rendezvous Test
Starfish Space successfully completed a satellite rendezvous with its Otter Pup spacecraft despite thruster failure, leading to a $37.5 million contract from the U.S. Space Force for further rendezvous and docking technology development.
Former Amazon Prime Air Founders Raise $4.5M for Radical’s Solar-Powered Autonomous Aircraft Startup
Seattle-based startup Radical, founded by ex-Amazon Prime Air employees James Thomas and Cyriel Notteboom, raised $4.5 million to develop autonomous solar-powered aircraft for long-duration stratospheric flights to provide connectivity and imaging services. They recently demonstrated a prototype that flew nonstop for over 24 hours and plan to expand their team and capabilities.
GeekWire Highlights: Amazon Protests, Tesla Cybertruck Test Drive, Veeam's $1.5B Revenue, OpenPipe's $6.7M Funding, and Washington's Fusion Power Support
GeekWire's most popular technology stories for the week of March 24, 2024, covered topics including Amazon protesters opposing fossil fuel use, Tesla Cybertruck test drives in Seattle, Veeam's headquarters move and revenue milestone, OpenPipe's $6.7M funding round, and Washington state's support for fusion power development.
Bellevue Startup Lumen Orbit Raises $2.4M to Launch 300 Satellites for AI Data Processing in Space
Lumen Orbit, a Bellevue-based startup, raised $2.4 million in a pre-seed round to launch a constellation of about 300 satellites aimed at processing data in space using onboard AI before downlinking it to Earth. The company’s founders include ex-McKinsey associate Philip Johnston, Oxford Space Systems and Airbus engineer Ezra Feilden, and former SpaceX software engineer Adi Oltean.
Blue Origin Raises New Glenn Rocket on Florida Pad for First Time Ahead of Tests Led by Jeff Bezos
Blue Origin, led by Jeff Bezos and CEO Dave Limp, successfully raised its orbital-class New Glenn rocket on Florida's Launch Complex 36 for the first time, marking a key milestone before a series of upcoming tests. The rocket will undergo tanking tests without engines and is designed as a heavy-lift, reusable vehicle named in honor of astronaut John Glenn.
Nectar AI Founded by Ex-Meta Sisters Launches AI-Driven Messaging Tool to Boost Social Commerce Engagement
Nectar AI, founded by ex-Meta sisters Misbah and Farah Uraizee, provides brands with AI-powered personalized messaging tools to better engage consumers via social commerce. The startup leverages trends in private messaging on platforms like Instagram to help D2C and e-commerce companies connect and convert customers more effectively.
Seattle Startup Muir AI Raises $3.25M Seed Round to Enhance AI Carbon Emissions Tracking
Seattle startup Muir AI, founded by aerospace veterans Harris Chalat and Peter Williams, raised $3.25 million in a seed round led by Base10 Partners to advance its AI and satellite-based carbon accounting technology. The company helps businesses measure complex supply chain emissions to reduce their carbon footprints.
Amazon Exec Dave Limp Named New CEO of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Space Venture
Dave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, will become CEO of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture starting December. The current CEO Bob Smith is retiring but will remain through January to support the transition.
Starfish Space's Otter Pup Satellite Spins After June 12 Anomaly on Launcher Orbiter SN3 During Docking Test
Starfish Space's Otter Pup satellite embarked on a June 12 rideshare mission but was spun uncontrollably following an anomaly with its mothership, Launcher’s Orbiter SN3. Emergency deployment allowed Otter Pup to remain operational and communicate, though its planned docking maneuvers were disrupted.
Bobby Wagner, NASA Astronaut Kayla Barron, and 'Love is Blind' Star Share Teamwork Wisdom at 2023 GeekWire Awards
At the 2023 GeekWire Awards in Seattle, Seattle Seahawks linebacker and Fuse venture partner Bobby Wagner, NASA astronaut Kayla Barron, and a 'Love is Blind' star shared insights emphasizing teamwork, culture, and empowerment with the Pacific Northwest tech community.
Amazon and SpaceX Veterans Launch Muir AI to Improve Corporate Carbon Footprint Measurement Using AI and Satellite Technology
Muir AI, founded by Amazon and SpaceX veterans, uses AI and satellite technology to help corporations accurately measure and reduce their scope 3 carbon emissions, particularly from supply chains. The startup aims to fill data gaps that currently hinder precise carbon accounting and enable companies to meet climate goals more effectively.
Seattle Teen Launches ClimateJets Tracking Private Jet Carbon Emissions of Ultra-Rich, Bill Gates Ranks 13th
Seattle teen Akash Shendure created ClimateJets, a website tracking carbon emissions from private jets flown by ultra-rich individuals, highlighting the environmental impact and disparity. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ranks 13th with over 3,000 tons of CO2 emissions from 393 flights, despite his climate philanthropy and investments in clean energy.
Echodyne Secures $135M Funding Led by Bill Gates and Baillie Gifford to Expand Next-Gen Radar Production
Echodyne, a radar technology company backed by Bill Gates and Baillie Gifford, secured $135 million in funding to expand production of its advanced radar systems used in drones, law enforcement, and infrastructure monitoring. The funding boosts its total investment to $195 million as it prepares to launch its next-generation radar with triple the range of its current product.
Avalanche Energy, Founded by Blue Origin Vets, Raises $5M to Develop Small-Scale Fusion Device, Achieves First Neutron Fusion
Avalanche Energy, founded by former Blue Origin executives Robin Langtry and Brian Riordan, is developing a small-scale fusion energy device and recently raised $5 million in seed funding. The Seattle-based startup has generated its first neutrons via fusion and secured an international patent, aiming for a simpler, scalable fusion solution.
Bill Gates Leads $84M Funding Round to Expand Kymeta's Flat-Panel Antenna Production and Market Reach
Bill Gates led an $84 million funding round for Kymeta, a mobile connectivity startup specializing in flat-panel antennas that provide hybrid cellular-satellite connectivity. The investment will support production acceleration and market expansion, especially for defense and satellite broadband users.
ZeroAvia opens R&D center at Everett’s Paine Field; $5.5M refit and $350K Washington grant support hydrogen-electric powertrain work
ZeroAvia is opening an R&D center at Everett’s Paine Field near Seattle to develop hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrains, with plans to begin customer rollouts in 2024 and potentially build a North American manufacturing hub there. The Paine Field site converts warehouse space into offices and labs, received a $350,000 Washington grant, and will employ 20–30 people initially while ZeroAvia pursues larger-scale manufacturing and powertrains for bigger aircraft.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Bill Gates) leads $65M funding for Stoke Space’s fully reusable-rocket program
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures is leading a $65 million investment in Stoke Space to support development of fully reusable rockets aimed at cutting launch costs and enabling faster, lower-cost access to satellites for climate-monitoring applications.
Kymeta and OneWeb Successfully Test u8 Antenna-Based Mobile Satellite Broadband at 200 Mbps Using OneWeb’s LEO Constellation
Kymeta Corp. partnered with OneWeb to test satellite broadband services using Kymeta's u8 flat-panel antenna, achieving promising results for mobile connectivity with OneWeb's LEO satellite network. The tests in Toulouse demonstrated about 200 Mbps reception, targeting first responders, government, military, and enterprise markets.
Stoke Space builds Moses Lake test site, completes full-scale second-stage demo and hot-fire 'three-pack' in six months
Stoke Space Technologies rapidly built a 2.3-acre liquid-hydrogen/liquid-oxygen test facility in Moses Lake, Washington, and completed a full-scale manufacturing demonstration and hot-fire tests of a second-stage engine ‘three-pack’ in six months. CEO Andy Lapsa says the two-year-old startup is pursuing full second-stage reusability to lower launch costs, taking a different technical approach than SpaceX and Blue Origin.
DressX Partners with Crypto.com to Launch Digital Fashion NFTs Featuring Limited Edition SpaceX Collection on August 29
DressX, a digital fashion start-up, partnered with Crypto.com to launch the DRESSX NFT store featuring limited edition digital fashion collectibles, including a SpaceX-themed outfit dropping on August 29 priced from one Ethereum. The NFTs can be worn virtually via augmented reality through DressX's app, offering a new model for distributing and valuing digital fashion assets.
Astra to Go Public July 1 via Craig McCaw’s Holicity SPAC in $2.1B Deal; Proxy Voting Starts
Astra plans to go public on Nasdaq on July 1 via a merger with Craig McCaw’s SPAC Holicity, a deal that values Astra at $2.1 billion and follows recent launches and business moves including a planned acquisition of Apollo Fusion worth up to $145 million. CEO Chris Kemp said proxy statements for the June 30 shareholder vote are being mailed, and Astra has secured multi-launch work for Planet and aims to use Apollo Fusion propulsion on Spaceflight Inc.’s Sherpa tug.
