Ryan Duffy
Intuitive Machines Announces Plans to Go Public
Space SPACs…are still alive! Houston-headquartered Intuitive Machines said today that it intends to go public, by merging early next year with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp ($IPAX). Assuming the two can take the transaction to the finish line, upon de-SPAC, the lunar lander startup will be listed on the Nasdaq. Key #s The transaction will generate…
SkyFi Launches App in Beta, Tops Off Seed Round
SkyFi has a very ambitious vision: making satellite imagery available and accessible for the masses. But before it can even dream about widespread EO democratization, the Austin, TX startup must develop a clean, consumerized experience, with a web portal and mobile app that support a marketplace for imagery, data, and analytics. To that end, SkyFi…
Countdown Capital Raises $15M Fund to Help “Rebuild American Industrial Base”
Last week, Miami-based Countdown Capital announced that it had closed a $15M Fund II. Started in late 2020 by Jai Malik, Countdown backs hard tech startups looking to “rebuild the American industrial base.” The firm invests at the pre-seed stage and often writes the first check. Malik is the founder and a solo GP of…
Pathfinder #0016, featuring Caleb Henry
These days, the satellite sector is hard-pressed to go a single week without fresh multibillion-dollar megamerger speculation or new household names (ahem, Apple, T-Mobile) jumping into the fray. That’s why we’re thrilled to have locked down Caleb Henry as today’s Pathfinder guest. He joins us this week to help make sense of the industry madness,…
Harris Convenes Second Space Council Meeting
On Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about US off-Earth policy as she convened the second meeting of the US National Space Council (NSpC). Broadly speaking, the Harris-led NsPC’s priorities are three-fold: Expanding America’s STEM workforce Using on-orbit assets to fight climate change Promoting international space-faring rules and norms Then and now…Speaking from Johnson…
A Q+A with Albedo’s Topher Haddad
Albedo Space recently announced that it has closed a $48M Series A round, co-led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Shield Capital. The startup also has other heavyweights on its cap table, such as Y Combinator, Initialized Capital, and Joe Montana. (Happy NFL Kickoff day to all who celebrate.) Albedo’s spiel The Austin- and Denver-based startup…
iPhone 14 to Get Satellite Capabilities for SOS Feature
Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 on Wednesday and it turns out the rumors were true. The Cupertino consumer device giant will add satellite connectivity into the next generation of its best-selling product. As one satellite industry executive put it to us, “this was the worst kept secret in the industry.” Now, the cat is out of…
Albedo (YC W21) Raises $48 Million
Albedo has announced a $48M Series A raise, in a round co-led by Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Silicon Valley-based Shield Capital. The Austin- and Denver-HQ’d satellite startup has now raised $58M, less than two years since its founding. Complementing Albedo’s big ol’ round is a padded out cap table. The startup is a…
Pathfinder #0015, featuring Kelly Larson
We have a rare Wednesday release of the Pathfinder podcast, but we promise the wait was worth it. Joining us today is Kelly Larson, who’s the CEO of Aquarian Space. The Boulder, Colorado startup is building “internet for the solar system.” Or, to get a bit more technical, Aquarian is developing a communications network for…
Orbit Fab Announces In-Space Refueling Prices
Prices at the pump may have cooled off and started coming down here on Earth, but topping off the tank in geostationary (GEO) orbit will still cost you a pretty penny. How much? Orbit Fab has announced a flat rate price of $20M for hydrazine fill-ups in GEO, which it aims to start in 2025.…
The ISS Retirement Roundup
In January, NASA released an updated ISS Transition Plan to extend the station’s life through 2030. After that, the agency plans to decommission it by burning it up in the atmosphere and dropping whatever’s left in an uninhabited region of the South Pacific. The ISS, originally planned to deorbit after 15 years, is old enough…
Starlink Mobile Play “Validates” Lynk’s Strategy, Says CEO
If you thought that T-Mobile and SpaceX’s Thursday announcement would scare the H-E-🏒🏒 out of other players working on direct-to-phone connectivity from space, think again. AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) execs welcomed the extra attention on their business brought by the T-Mobile/SpaceX technology partnership. So too did Lynk Global, a Virginia startup putting “cell towers in space”…
Pathfinder #0014, featuring Barry Matsumori
The Pathfinder guarantee is to bring you conversations you won’t find anywhere else. Today’s episode delivers on that guarantee in spades, taking us from the cost-per-kilogram of covered wagons to in-space delivery logistics to Mars highways. Our guest is Barry Matsumori, a space industry veteran who’s held exec roles at SpaceX, Virgin Orbit, and most…
