Latest news with #Argonaut
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposal would charge boaters a fee for docking at the Flats East Bank
CLEVELAND (WJW) – A proposal that would charge boaters a fee to dock at the East Bank of the Flats was on the minds of many mariners out for a Friday night cruise on the Cuyahoga River. The dock fee would be based on the length of the boat and how long it's docked: $1 per foot for every hour. Longtime boater Ed Neugebauer, who owns a 30-foot speedboat, said with the docking meter running all night, the proposed fee would force him and others to reconsider the East Bank as a destination. 'You have boaters that can't afford it,' he said. 'I mean, I'll pay $40, whatever it costs to park over here in a parking lot, but I'm not going to pay over $200 to dock here for the night and then spend $200, $300 at the clubs and restaurants. It's just too much money.' Local families head to DC to fight Medicaid cuts The proposed docking fee would help fund a nonprofit organization called Argonaut that would manage and maintain the East Bank docks and promote safe travel on the river. The fee would also allow boaters to reserve a spot on the docks. 'You don't have to show up in a 50-foot yacht and see a kayak and two jet skis taking up 60 feet of dockage. It's about managing it properly,' said Argonaut CEO Captain Drew Ferguson. The goal of the Argonaut program is to train young Clevelanders for jobs in the maritime and aerospace industries. Among other things, an Argonaut crew operates a marine safety boat called the Phastar 2543, which guides lake freighters up and down the 'Crooked River.' The program also provides hands-on education for younger students who will maintain the East Bank boardwalk, dock the boats and make sure they are secured. 'You know, obviously when you talk about a fee up front, people are like, 'oh my God, I have to pay a fee,' but our hope is people will come down here and they'll see the difference. There's a welcoming face. There's a young person that says, 'hey, welcome to the Flats,'' Ferguson said. Big Fun novelty shop owner selling his collection at Cleveland Heights garage sale The docking fee would support young students like 14-year-old Odis Rhone, who is a student at Cleveland's Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School. On Friday night, Odis was learning how to tie nautical knots so that he can work on the East Bank docks. His goal is to someday get his captain's license. 'The average 14-year-old doesn't really get this experience very often, so I think it's pretty cool that I'm able to have this job,' he said. Currently, just 300 feet of docking space is permitted along the East Bank, but the Argonaut program is asking the U.S. Coast Guard to increase the dockage to 900 feet when permitted by traffic on the river. 'It's all about maximizing the use of the space,' said Ferguson. While some boaters said they admire the goals of the Argonaut program, they are now weighing merits of the noble cause against the additional cost of the dock fee. 'Another added cost that now you have to really think about when you come down here. Whereas I think they made and built this up to be able to come down here and relax and have leisure,' said T.J. Carrie, who is a relatively new boater. In response to the criticism from the boating community, Ferguson said, 'you know, if you have a boat, if you have all the stuff, you're not on hard times.' Ferguson concedes that the status of the docking fee is what he calls, 'a very fluid situation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Times
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Europe's moonshot: Argonaut and the Irish engineer leading the way
In the seaside town of Noordwijk in the Netherlands , engineers at the European Space Agency's (ESA) European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) are hard at work addressing challenges never encountered before. Among them is Cork-born Dr Neil Murray, now lead engineer on the ESA's ambitious lunar lander project, Argonaut. Quietly and methodically, Europe is preparing to land on the moon, not as a partner, but on its own terms. For decades, the ESA has collaborated closely with Nasa , Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and others, contributing the Columbus module to the International Space Station , robotic arms and science instruments for missions across the Solar System. But with Argonaut, the ESA is stepping out independently with a bold goal: to deliver infrastructure, science and eventually supplies for astronauts to the surface of the moon. 'It's the first time Europe is going to safely land on the lunar surface,' Murray says. 'We have so many problems which is frustrating and beautiful at the same time.' READ MORE Argonaut is the ESA's new lunar cargo lander, a robotic spacecraft designed to deliver up to 1,500kg of cargo to the moon's surface. It will support missions to the lunar South Pole, a region of intense scientific and strategic interest, particularly for future human habitation. Capable of surviving the punishing lunar night – 14 days of darkness with temperatures plunging to minus 150 degrees – Argonaut is engineered to last up to five years on the moon. The spacecraft is composed of three main components: the Lunar Descent Element (LDE), which guides the lander safely to the surface; the cargo platform, acting as a foundation; and the mission payload, which includes rovers, life-support resources, scientific equipment and communications infrastructure. Standing six metres high and 4.5m in diameter, Argonaut is, as Murray says, 'a big spacecraft'. It is also Europe's first attempt at delivering something of this scale to another world. 'We're bringing 1,500 kilograms of passenger to the lunar surface. We like to refer to the payload element of Argonaut as the 'passenger', because it has so many elements to it.' The first full mission in the programme, known as ArgoNET, is planned to launch in late 2031. It will deploy 'NET' infrastructure – navigation, energy, and telecommunications – to help make the moon a more accessible, navigable place. Acting as a kind of lunar beacon, ArgoNET will improve lunar navigation serving as a reference point for essential selenodetic measurements to accurately measure the moon's surface and varying gravitational fields. The Argonaut mission is not just a technical challenge, it's also a statement of independence. 'It's important that we are autonomous,' Murray says. 'If we can't do things on our own, then we're always reliant on others. But it's also important that we can bring something unique to the table when we do co-operate.' The emphasis on European capability is everywhere in the project. The launcher for the mission is Ariane 6, built by the ESA in collaboration with European providers, Arianespace. The LDE is built primarily by Thales Alenia, also European. And the mission design, funding, and leadership are all European. 'Argonaut is important, and all these other things that the ESA provide, especially Earth observation means that we are contributing to the global space community. That's unique to us, and that allows us to add value.' The ESA is also leading the way in sustainable space, Murray explains. 'As part of our engineering process, we design beyond the short-term and instead include a sustainable end of life for our missions. That's good for everybody and good for the future.' 'Argonaut is part of ESA's vision for sustainable lunar exploration,' he adds, 'not just getting there, but staying there'. A mock-up of the Argonaut works facility built at LUNA Europe. Photograph: European Space Agency A replica of Argonaut stands proudly in LUNA, the ESA's state-of-the-art new lunar analogue facility at its European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The Spaceship EAC science research teams there are studying the moon's soil, searching for water ice, and preparing for future missions using lunar resources. Much like for Dr Aidan Cowley, materials scientist and ESA research officer at LUNA, it will be a proud moment on the day of touchdown. 'That will be amazing,' Murray adds. 'There will definitely be a piece of Ireland on the moon when Argonaut succeeds. We are well represented in this mission.' Murray's own journey to the moon is rooted in curiosity rather than certainty. 'When I was 16 or 17, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do,' he recalls. 'Not a clue. And I don't know how kids do it now either. You can always change.' He chose mechanical engineering at Munster Technological University (then Cork Institute of Technology), drawn by an interest in maths, physics and fixing things. 'Someone said, with mechanical engineering, you can do a bit of everything and then specialise later.' That open-minded approach served him well. A year of work experience confirmed he wasn't drawn to industry straight away, and instead he set his sights on further study. He was accepted by both Oxford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and chose MIT. 'People said I'd struggle like hell,' Murray says with a laugh. 'But actually, I didn't. The education I got in Cork was more than enough.' After MIT came a PhD at Imperial College London, where he found himself working in a supersonic wind tunnel, 'a Mach nine tunnel right in the centre of London', Murray beams. From there, a career at the ESA unfolded, eventually leading him to the Argonaut programme in 2023. Ask Murray about the highlight of working on Argonaut, and he can't pick one. 'Every day is different. Every day is a highlight. I love the team, and I love the problems. When something is really like: 'This is never going to work', and then it works. That's the best feeling.' Landing on the moon is notoriously difficult with failures more often than successful outcomes. Why? It's a challenge to remotely control a precision landing on the moon using complex guidance systems and varying lunar gravitational fields. 'Space technology is all cutting-edge and done on a tight budget,' Murray adds. 'People think the budgets are huge, but they're not. Compared to the real world, it's small. So we have to do very difficult things, in a very short time, with very little money.' That challenge is part of the appeal. 'If it was easy, we wouldn't be here,' he says. 'We chose to be here, because it's hard.' One of the most compelling aspects of Argonaut is its future role. Beyond the first mission in 2031, the ESA hopes to launch regular cargo runs to the moon throughout the 2030s. These could deliver scientific experiments, solar power units, rovers, or even the water, food and air needed by astronauts. The lander itself is designed to remain on the moon for up to five years, serving as a platform for new missions or as a reminder of Europe's first step toward a permanent lunar presence. 'This lander could one day be something we visit, something we point to and say: 'That was the first one. That was ours.'' For young people looking toward careers in the space sector, Murray offers this advice: don't get bogged down in whether it's 'possible'. 'I never thought about whether it was possible or not. I just thought about what I wanted to do, and just went for it.' He credits his success not just to technical skills, but to mindset. 'I like puzzles. I like maths. I have a good imagination for problem solving, and I don't get stressed by problems. I enjoy them.' More than a single mission, Argonaut represents a turning point, a moment when Europe shifts from participant to pioneer. With engineers like Murray at the helm, it's clear that the ESA isn't just thinking about the moon, it's thinking about what happens after we get there. 'Everything we do is for everybody and for the future,' he adds. 'We're thinking about clean space, debris, sustainability. It's not just about getting to the moon. It's about doing it in a way that makes sense for the future.' In the years ahead, Argonaut may quietly become one of the most important spacecraft of our time: a steady, sustainable bridge between Earth and the moon, built in Europe, for the world – and Ireland.
Business Wire
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Argonaut Manufacturing Services Selected to Manufacture siRNA Medicines for Potential Prion Disease Trial
CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Vallabh/Minikel lab at the Broad Institute has selected Argonaut Manufacturing Services, Inc., 'Argonaut,' as the drug product manufacturer for a therapeutic compound for a potential clinical trial for prion disease. The Vallabh/Minikel lab has received FDA clearance for the compound, a divalent short interfering RNA (siRNA) intended for delivery via intrathecal injection, as an Investigational New Drug for symptomatic patients with prion disease. The team is now pursuing efforts to launch a clinical trial using this compound. Prion disease, a rare but devastating neurodegenerative condition, is caused by the misfolding of the prion protein (PrP) and leads to rapid cognitive decline and death. Approximately 500 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. The investigational siRNA therapeutic is designed to hybridize with the mRNA encoding PrP, thereby reducing PrP expression levels and potentially altering the course of the disease. The Vallabh/Minikel lab is committed to advancing therapeutic options for patients with prion disease. 'We are proud to support the Broad Institute's groundbreaking clinical trial efforts by providing critical manufacturing services for this important therapeutic candidate,' stated Argonaut CEO Rick Hancock. 'Our collaboration underscores Argonaut's commitment to advancing innovative treatments for rare and life-threatening diseases. While Argonaut provides clinical to commercial manufacturing of drug products, this partnership highlights the flexibility of our services, where it is critical to achieve maximum fill efficiency as every drop of this product counts.' The project highlights Argonaut's specialized capabilities in the manufacture of complex RNA therapeutics with near zero line losses, reinforcing its role as a trusted CMO partner for organizations pursuing novel genetic medicines. Learn more about prion disease and the upcoming work from the Vallabh/Minikel lab to potentially launch a clinical trial. About Argonaut Argonaut Manufacturing Services, Inc. is an FDA-registered cGMP contract manufacturing organization (CMO) dedicated to providing custom manufacturing and supply chain solutions for biopharmaceutical and diagnostic companies. Aseptic drug fill/finish features state-of-the-art automated equipment for high-yield filling of sterile injectable drugs including biologics, peptides, small molecule, and vaccines. Diagnostic manufacturing includes proprietary lyophilization technology and a spectrum of kitting capabilities. Projects are supported with full analytical quality control services including warehousing and global shipping logistics. Serving innovators in the life science, molecular diagnostics, and biopharma industries, Argonaut provides a wide range of flexible solutions for diverse outsourcing needs.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch gets financial boost as video game tycoon donates £2million to Conservative Party
A British video game tycoon has given a £2million donation to the Tory party. The money from Jeremy Elliott, who is better known as Jez San, will give a huge boost to Kemi Badenoch 's leadership, just days before challenging local elections. I can disclose that Mr San, who founded Argonaut Software in his bedroom as a teenager during the early 1980s computer boom, gave £1million in February. He then gave a second surprise £1million earlier this month. He is the biggest donor to Tory funds since Mrs Badenoch became party leader in November. Mr San used to be a Labour supporter, but turned against Keir Starmer after the record £40billion tax-raising Autumn Budget. His Argonaut company produced the Harry Potter, Alien Resurrection and Star Fox hit console games. It was also instrumental in developing early 3D graphics technologies, including the SuperFX chip used by Nintendo. Mr San, 59, and his wife Natasha had dinner with Mrs Badenoch and her husband Hamish, who works in the City. They bonded over the Tory leader's pledge to cut regulation, taxes and to try to ensure Britain develops maximum potential from AI. Computer games have been kind to Mr San. In 2022 he bought Palazzo di Vista, a £40million mansion in Los Angeles where his neighbours include Jennifer Aniston, Beyonce and Elon Musk. He's also a major donor to Great Ormond Street children's hospital. Like most of his competitors, Mr San was an early computer user. He was 12 when his father brought back from the US a TRS-80, a forerunner of today's PCs. But his parents and teachers were far from encouraging. In a rare interview, he said: 'Everyone thought it was a terrible influence. I was staying up all night, every night. 'It's a while since I've seen the sunrise after working all night, but at school it happened all the time. I was hacking before it was made illegal, but never since.' He was only 16 when the money started to roll in. 'Some friends and I wrote a game called Skyline Attack,' he says. 'My share of the profits bought a second-hand Volkswagen Scirocco GTi. Computers have given me a great new car about every 18 months since.' Starting from a Saturday job at a computer shop in Edgware, north-west London, less than a mile from Argonaut's offices, he now employs hundreds globally. Mrs Badenoch told me: 'I was delighted to meet Jez San, who is one of our great entrepreneurs and innovators. His donations are an important statement of support in the Conservative Party to lead Britain out of the current economic malaise.' A source close to Mr San told me: 'Jez does not believe you can tax your way to growth. He has huge concerns over Labour's tax-heavy approach, which is driving top talent and investors abroad. 'He will offer policy advice to the Tories to help champion high-growth sectors and reward homegrown innovation. He believes you have to reward risk takers.' The revelation of the donations comes at the end of a strong week for Mrs Badenoch who had her best performance at the despatch box at Prime Minister's Questions this week when she mocked Sir Keir's U-turn on the definition of woman in the aftermath of the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court.
News.com.au
23-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
The Argonaut Algorithm: Fundie David Franklyn's key takeaways from March reporting season
Argonaut Funds Management's David Franklyn joins Stockhead to share investing secrets from the high-conviction resource sector investing fund, including his junior stock pick of the month. While the market's attention has been inexorably turned to the Trump-China trade war, global economic fears, tariffs and war, the world has kept turning. That includes those of miners, who are deep in one of the key reporting seasons of the year, delivering results to the market peeling back the layers on how their operations performed in the March quarter. These are key moments for analysts and fund managers, who get to assess which stocks surprised to the upside and downside, or have hidden info that could provide clues about future performance. This month, Argonaut's David Franklyn joined Stockhead to share some of his highlights from the first week of the ASX mining sector's reporting season. Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) Franklyn says there was nothing 'dramatic' in the March quarter result posted by the leading lithium stock on the ASX. But it continues to show that we're "bouncing along the bottom in the lithium market. Franklyn noted Pilbara shares, as of mid-week, were down 41% in the past three months and 63% over the past year. "It just took another step down with the recent pull back in the market. If you look at the results, I think they're doing everything right operationally," he added. Production was chopped from 188,000t to 125,000t after PLS shut its secondary Ngungaju plant, but that's only stemming cash outflows. "Unit costs were reported at about US$500/t, but the all in cost was something around US$800/t once you strip out growth capex," Franklyn said. "It just highlights, you've got one of the most efficient producers of hard rock lithium really struggling to make money. "There's obviously some headwinds on the demand side of things slowing down a bit, and still a lot of supply. "But it doesn't look sustainable that prices can stay where they are for any meaningful length of time if one of your main, low cost producers is struggling." Franklyn says it's still a little early to call a rotation back into lithium, but that value is emerging with the sector significantly sold off. Genesis Minerals (ASX:GMD) ASX gold stocks may have been carted yesterday as Trump's aboutface on China reversed bullion's gains. But at current prices margins are screaming. Franklyn said Raleigh Finlayson led Genesis delivered a "cracking result" in the March quarter, producing just shy of 60,000oz across the Leonora and Laverton hubs. "They realised prices of about $4500/oz Australian and their costs were around $2300/oz Australian," Franklyn said. " So a very good margin there, they added over $100 million for the quarter, which is strong. And they're also just ... fleshing out their growth profile." " This year they'll produce about 210,000oz of gold by '27 that should be 300,000oz, and then moving to 400,000oz and higher the further you go out." Franklyn said Genesis was attractive because it can achieve that growth organically. "I think it still looks one of the better value gold producers," he said. Greatland Gold (LSE:GGP) Greatland Gold is a major position for Argonaut in both the Natural Resources Fund and Gold Fund. And its first full quarter in charge of the formerly Newmont owned Telfer gold mine in WA's Pilbara delivered with around 90,000oz of gold and 3000t of copper, the latter a handy by-product credit to reduce costs. "The big issue with this asset was what kind of production can they drag out of the Telfer asset while they're waiting for Havieron to come on stream in sort of '28-29 and they gave some guidance there as well," Franklyn said. "They're looking between the 300-340,000oz in '26, 260-300,000oz in '27, which really fills that gap, and we think there's still work to do on exploration and increasing the reserve base." While the US$475m acquisition price seemed hefty last year, GGP is set to pay for the acquisition within 12-18 months given current gold prices. But Franklyn says Telfer and the nearby Havieron development will be one of the "great long term assets" in the Australian market, with a mid-year secondary listing on the ASX to put the ~$4bn capped Andrew Forrest backed company on the radar of even more institutions. Capricorn Metals (ASX:CMM) The third gold miner that piqued Franklyn's interest was Mark Clark's Capricorn Metals, owner of the Karlawinda and Mt Gibson gold projects. Karlawinda produced around 30,600oz in the March quarter with all in sustaining costs still guided for FY25 of $1370-1470/oz, well into the bottom quartile for the gold industry. "They're looking to increase production from Karlawinda and they're also bringing on their Mt Gibson project over the next couple years," he said. "Their production is going to something around 120,000oz to around 300,000oz or a little bit more. "It's going to be 10 year mine lives, low operating costs, strong balance sheet, limited hedging, we think it looks pretty good."* *This interview took place before news broke that CEO Paul Criddle would go on leave after being charged by a Perth court with assault. Executive chairman Mark Clark will take on day to day management of the gold miner. Franklyn has previously touched on Amplitude before, naming the east coast gas explorer his stock of the month in March. "Their March quarter was very good, production was in line with guidance at about 6.1 petajoules," he said. "The average realised gas price increased to over $10/GJ, which was good." But Franklyn said the key developments of Amplitude came on the corporate end. "The two key things we were looking for from Amplitude were 1) the Orbost plant providing some consistency on its production output, and that's happened," he said. "And then secondly they've got an east coast gas project which is their growth project. Mitsui said they didn't want to proceed with that, they've now got OG Energy that has come in as a partner, which is a very good partner. "So that project can now proceed and is funded. So we think that story continues to look good. It's on an EV/EBIT multiple of less than 4x in 2026. "So it's the cheap, it's defensive. And I think the issues they've had over the past couple of years are starting to be resolved under the management team." Stock of the month While producers in gold and energy caught the eye in reporting season, rare earth companies have stood out in recent weeks in spite of mild pricing that has persisted for well over a year. "What you're seeing at the moment with the trade issues that are taking place is China seeing an opportunity to restrict supply into the West, and so there's a real focus now on how we get these rare earths that are critical for magnets and where they're going to come from," he said. While Lynas (ASX:LYC) is the standout producer in the ASX, Franklyn is also turning his attention to more speculative stocks with clay-based deposits in Brazil. He thinks they have the prospect of coming into production relatively quickly and at low cost. "The Brazilian rare earth players look like they can produce and still make money at something around current levels," Franklyn said. "The one we like is Meteoric Resources (ASX:MEI). "It's got the Caldeira ionic clay project in Minas Gerais in Brazil, which is a well-established mining area, they've got a PFS which is due out in the next quarter and we think that they can develop it and become producer in the medium term." Meteoric is up 65% in the month to date but down 52% over the past 12 months to Tuesday this week, suggesting there's still value in what Argonaut sees as a standout in the sector. Caldeira is both high grade and rich in heavy rare earths, making it a strategic asset for the US and Brazil, Franklyn said. Argonaut Funds Management is a high conviction resource sector investor managing the Argonaut Natural Resources Fund and the Argonaut Global Gold Fund. David Franklyn is the Fund Manager for the Argonaut Natural Resources Fund.
