Hello and welcome back to Max Q! Today we’re thinking of the four astronauts heading to the International Space Station. See you guys soon!
In this issue:
Vast Space, a company that emerged from stealth last September with the aim of building artificial gravity space stations in low Earth orbit, has acquired space tug startup Launcher.
The acquisition, a first for Vast, will give the company access to Launcher’s Orbiter space tug and payload platform and its liquid rocket engine, E-2. Under the terms of the deal, Vast will also absorb all of Launcher’s talent, including Launcher founder Max Haot, who will join as president.
The deal could be a big accelerator for Vast; the company’s founder, billionaire crypto pioneer Jed McCaleb, said Vast will use the Orbiter tug to test space station subsystems and components in orbit as soon as June of this year, and then again around October. More generally, McCaleb said that acquisitions are not part of Vast’s larger strategy. “Acquisitions typically go pretty wrong,” he said. “For the most part, the combined team now plus a few more folks, we’ll be able to do quite a bit.”
Vast Space station. Image Credits: Vast Space
Vast Space station. Image Credits: Vast Space
Relativity Space has finally received its launch license from U.S. regulators, clearing the way for the company’s first-ever orbital flight attempt on March 8.
Relativity will be attempting to send its lightweight rocket Terran 1 to orbit for the first time, in a demonstration mission that will not carry any customer payloads. The company is quick to point out that, at 110-feet tall and 85% 3D-printed by mass, Terran 1 is the largest 3D-printed object to attempt orbital flight and the largest 3D-printed object to exist, period. Sending it to space will be no small feat, and indeed, this flight will see Relativity’s 3D-printed architecture and approach put to the test for the first time.
You’ll be able to watch a livestream of the launch on YouTube or via Relativity’s website.
Relativity Space Terran 1. Image Credits: Relativity Space
Relativity Space Terran 1. Image Credits: Relativity Space
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Source @TechCrunch
