Alan Boyle
Alan Boyle is an award-winning science writer, author of The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference, and a contributor to GeekWire who is involved with the Fiction Science podcast.
Echodyne wins $20M, five-year DHS CBP contract to expand EchoGuard radar deployment at U.S. borders
Echodyne won a $20 million, five-year contract from DHS Customs and Border Protection to expand deployment and explore new uses of its compact EchoGuard radars at U.S. borders and ports, after already delivering 30 systems under the IDIQ agreement.
Yoodli unveils AI speech-coaching platform, opens beta waitlist and raises $1M pre-seed from AI2 and Madrona
Seattle startup Yoodli launched an AI-enabled platform that analyzes users' speech delivery and offers improvement tips, and is opening a beta waitlist while announcing a $1 million pre-seed round. The spinout from AI2 is founded by Ehsan Hoque, Esha Joshi and Varun Puri, who aim to help people communicate more effectively and access opportunities.
Starfish Space Raises $7M to Develop Otter Space Tug for Satellite Servicing and Disposal
Starfish Space, founded by ex-Blue Origin veterans, raised $7 million in seed funding to develop the Otter space tug for moving and safely disposing of satellites in orbit. Their technology aims to extend satellite lifespans and address space debris challenges with novel hardware and software currently undergoing on-orbit tests.
Xplore wins $2 million NSIC contract to accelerate Xcraft development, first LEO launch planned for 2023
Xplore received a $2 million contract from the Pentagon’s National Security Innovation Capital to accelerate development and component acquisition for its Xcraft spacecraft platform, which is slated for a first low-Earth-orbit launch in 2023 and will support payload hosting and space telescopes in partnership with the W.M. Keck Observatory.
BlackSky begins NYSE trading as BKSY after SPAC merger with Osprey, raising ~$283M and valuing company near $1.5B
BlackSky began trading publicly on the NYSE under ticker BKSY after shareholder approval of a SPAC merger with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp., which unlocked about $283 million in capital and valued the company near $1.5 billion.
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.
WellSaid Labs raises $10M Series A led by Fuse to expand AI text-to-speech platform
Seattle-based WellSaid Labs raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Fuse to expand its AI-driven text-to-speech platform, building on a $2 million 2019 seed and backing from investors including Voyager Capital, Qualcomm Ventures and Good Friends. The funding will support research, product hires and sales expansion to scale the startup’s natural-sounding synthetic voice offerings.
Astra goes public via Holicity SPAC led by Craig McCaw, valued at $2+ billion with $500M cash
Astra completed its SPAC merger with Holicity and began trading on Nasdaq (tickers ASTR/ASTRW), a deal that values the company at over $2 billion and provides about $500 million in cash. The transaction was led by Holicity chairman Craig McCaw with financial backing for Holicity from Bill Gates’ Pendrell Corp., and adds McCaw and Michael Lehman to Astra’s board.
AWS Selects 10 Space Startups from 44 Countries for Four-Week Space Accelerator, Grants $100,000 in Cloud Credits Each
AWS selected 10 space-focused startups from over 190 applicants across 44 countries for its four-week AWS Space Accelerator, offering technical training, mentorship and $100,000 in AWS Activate cloud credits to help them scale satellite, lunar and Mars-focused services.
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.
Xplore opens 22,000‑sq ft satellite manufacturing facility in Redmond, to start production in June
Xplore has leased a 22,000-square-foot satellite manufacturing facility in Redmond, Washington, in the former Planetary Resources complex and will begin moving in June to produce ESPA-class XCraft and LightCraft spacecraft. The company plans to build up to 20 spacecraft per year for commercial customers and U.S. agencies including NASA, NOAA, the Space Force and Air Force.
Orbite launches three-day astronaut orientation sessions Aug. 23 in France, November–December in Orlando with zero‑G and high‑G flights
Seattle startup Orbite will offer three-day "try before you buy" astronaut orientation sessions starting Aug. 23 in France and later in Orlando, featuring VR, zero-G and high-G flights, space-food classes and stargazing for up to 10 participants per session.
Pacific Northwest Software Founders Launch Ag‑Tech Startups — TerraClear, Carbon Robotics, Pollen Systems Draw Major VC Interest
Successful Pacific Northwest software founders are applying their startup experience to ag tech, drawing significant venture capital into farm-focused startups and developing robotics and marketplaces for agriculture. Examples include Brent Frei's rock-picking robots at TerraClear, Paul Mikesell's weed-zapping Carbon Robotics, and Keith McCall's Pollen Systems and Everyvine relaunch.
RBC Signals raises $1.2M late-seed round to scale global satellite ground-station services, total funding $3.2M
RBC Signals closed a $1.2 million late seed funding round to expand its satellite ground-station services as demand rises, bringing total funding to $3.2 million and supporting growth ahead of a busy 2021.
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures invests $24.3M in ZeroAvia, lifting private funding past $53M
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures led a follow-up $24.3 million investment in ZeroAvia’s hybrid hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrains, joining prior investors and bringing the company’s total private funding to more than $53 million and nearly $74 million including grants. ZeroAvia plans a 19-seat hydrogen-electric demonstration by 2023, commercialization of a 600 kW powertrain in 2024, and a 2 MW program targeting 50+ seat aircraft by 2026.
AWS and Seraphim Launch Four-Week Space Accelerator Selecting 10 Startups; Apply by April 21 for Up to $100,000 in AWS Credits
AWS and investment group Seraphim are launching a four-week AWS Space Accelerator for space startups, selecting 10 companies in June; applications open now and are due April 21, with winners eligible for up to $100,000 in AWS Activate credits plus mentoring and collaboration opportunities.
Kymeta and Kepler demonstrate u8 flat-panel antenna achieving 100 Mbps and 2+ GB per pass in Arctic test
Kymeta and Kepler demonstrated that Kymeta's u8 flat-panel antenna can connect with Kepler’s LEO Global Data Service in Inuvik, Canada, achieving average uplink and downlink speeds of 100 Mbps and transferring over 2 GB per satellite pass in extreme cold.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon and others invest $80M in Turntide to commercialize switched-reluctance Smart Motor System
Turntide Technologies raised $80 million in a funding round led by Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, bringing its total funding to $180 million to scale its Smart Motor System based on switched reluctance motor technology. Investors include the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures and several venture firms, backing the company’s effort to improve motor efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Stoke Space Technologies raises $9.1 million seed round to build reusable upper-stage rockets
Stoke Space Technologies, founded by former Blue Origin engineers in Renton, Wash., raised $9.1 million in seed funding to develop a reusable upper-stage rocket aimed at making full-stage reusability commonplace. CEO Andy Lapsa says extending reusability to upper stages is the next industry milestone and will better serve the commercial satellite market.
Pivotal Commware raises $50M Series C led by Tracker Capital with Bill Gates and Verizon participating
Pivotal Commware closed a $50 million Series C led by Tracker Capital Management, with participation from Devonshire Investors and existing backers including Bill Gates and Verizon, to expand R&D, distribution and deployment of its millimeter-wave 5G products. The company sells Pivot outdoor repeaters, Echo indoor repeaters, WaveScape modeling and an Intelligent Beam Management System for ultra-wideband mmWave 5G.
WiBotic launches Commander software to orchestrate per-robot wireless charging for fleets, priced per robot per month
Seattle startup WiBotic launched Commander, a fleet energy-management software that schedules and orchestrates wireless charging for drones, robots and other mobile devices to simplify charging logistics as deployments scale. The service is priced per robot per month, with final pricing still being refined.
Craig McCaw’s Holicity to Merge with Astra in $2.1 Billion SPAC Deal That Could Raise $500 Million
Craig McCaw’s Holicity SPAC is merging with launch startup Astra in a deal that values Astra at $2.1 billion and would yield up to $500 million in cash proceeds, aiming to fund daily low-Earth-orbit access despite Astra not yet having achieved routine orbit success.
Hanwha Systems to invest $30M in Gates-backed Kymeta to pursue LEO-compatible satellite antennas
Hanwha Systems will invest $30 million in Kymeta Corp., backing the company's metamaterial flat-panel u8 antenna and Kymeta Connect hybrid cellular-satellite service as demand grows for LEO-compatible satellite connectivity.
Kymeta launches u8 hybrid satellite–cellular service and terminal for commercial and government markets today
Kymeta is launching commercial availability of its next-generation u8 hybrid satellite-cellular connectivity service and terminal for voice and data, targeting both commercial and government/military customers starting today. The low-power flat-panel u8 antenna uses metamaterials for electronic satellite tracking, is redesigned for extreme environments, and was validated in beta trials by users including firefighters.
Organizations
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Cosmic Log Journalist · current
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Fiction Science podcast current
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GeekWire Journalist · current
