Max Q: Be a part of us! • TechCrunch

Howdy and welcome again to Max Q. Earlier than we get to the information, I’ve a reasonably thrilling announcement myself: We’re providing to Max Q subscribers free tickets to TechCrunch’s in-person area occasion. Discover out extra in regards to the occasion and get your free ticket by clicking right here.

On this situation:

• Layoffs come to Astra
• Information from NASA, Starlink and extra

Astra, a rocket startup that went public final yr, advised buyers Tuesday it laid off 16% of its workforce as a part of a wider technique to extend shrinking monetary runway and reduce bills.

The corporate additionally mentioned it might cut back near-term investments in area providers to develop its core companies: particularly, launch and spacecraft engines. This latter phase particularly has develop into a rising income for Astra, with the corporate reporting it had 237 dedicated orders for its spacecraft engines to entities together with Maxar, OneWeb and Astroscale. That represents a rise of 130% from final quarter.

The layoffs shine an unflattering mild on Astra’s fast development: CEO Chris Kemp advised buyers throughout a name Tuesday that the corporate tripled in dimension within the area of a yr, swelling to greater than 400 individuals. On condition that quantity, Astra decreased its headcount by at the very least 64 individuals.

Main area corporations, together with SpaceX and Relativity, are urging the U.S. Federal Communications Fee (FCC) to stay to its purview — spectrum utilization — because it seems to probably replace its guidelines for in-space servicing, meeting and manufacturing (ISAM) missions.

There’s loads that the FCC may — and will do — to assist ISAM missions that sit squarely inside its regulatory bounds, the businesses mentioned. SpaceX and others, in addition to startups like Orbit Fab, which desires to construct refueling depots in area, and Starfish House, which is growing a satellite tv for pc servicing automobile, submitted suggestions associated to spectrum and ISAM. The fee additionally heard from Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance and different area corporations and trade teams.

Right here’s SpaceX: “The Fee should deal with this probably essential however nonetheless nascent trade with care, exercising warning to not unintentionally stifle innovation by stepping outdoors the authority expressly delegated to it by Congress.”

Extra information from TC and past

• Apple invested $450 million in upgrades to Globalstar’s floor infrastructure and satellite tv for pc community to assist the rollout of Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc for iPhone 14 customers. (Apple)
• China is reportedly scrapping plans to make the booster of the Lengthy March 9 heavy-lift rocket expendable in favor of a completely reusable booster. (SpaceNews)
• NASA didn’t transfer the House Launch System rocket again to the protection of a hangar prematurely of Hurricane Nicole’s strategy, so the $4.1 billion rocket rode out the storm on the launch pad. As engineers proceed inspecting the rocket for harm, the company determined to maneuver the subsequent launch date to November 16. (NASA)
• Northrop Grumman‘s Antares rocket despatched a Cygnus spacecraft to the Worldwide House Station for cargo resupply, a profitable mission regardless of one of many capsule’s photo voltaic arrays not deploying correctly. (Northrop Grumman)
• Rocket Lab had tons of stories this week — along with releasing its quarterly monetary outcomes, the corporate additionally introduced it received a $14 million contract to provide separation methods for U.S. House Power satellites. (Rocket Lab)
• Rocket Lab set a launch date for its first mission from U.S. soil: December 7. My private suggestion: come to the TC Classes: House occasion on the sixth, then take a direct flight to Virginia. Simply saying. (Rocket Lab)
• Seraphim introduced the most recent cohort of area startups that may take part within the Seraphim House Accelerator and Technology House Accelerator. (Seraphim)
• SpaceX will impose slower speeds on Starlink customers that use giant quantities of energy throughout peak hours, in an effort to curb community congestion and enhance efficiency. (CNBC)
• Starfish House offered extra particulars about its in-space satellite tv for pc docking demonstration mission that may happen subsequent yr. (GeekWire)
• Virgin Orbit acquired a $25 million money injection from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group because the launcher firm’s money readily available continues to say no. (Virgin Orbit)
• Voyager House’s Nanoracks has a brand new CEO: NASA astronaut and former OneWeb Applied sciences president Tim Kopra. (Voyager)

Max Q is delivered to you by me, Aria Alamalhodaei. Should you take pleasure in studying Max Q, think about forwarding it to a good friend.