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Business Recorder
28-05-2025
- Science
- Business Recorder
SpaceX's Starship spins out of control after flying past points of previous failures
STARBASE: SpaceX's Starship rocket roared into space from Texas on Tuesday but spun out of control about halfway through its flight without achieving some of its most important testing goals, bringing fresh engineering hurdles to CEO Elon Musk's increasingly turbulent Mars rocket program. The 400-foot tall (122 meter) Starship rocket system, the core of Musk's goal of sending humans to Mars, lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas, launch site, flying beyond the point of two previous explosive attempts earlier this year that sent debris streaking over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to divert course. For the latest launch, the ninth full test mission of Starship since the first attempt in April 2023, the upper-stage cruise vessel was lofted to space atop a previously flown booster - a first such demonstration of the booster's reusability. But SpaceX lost contact with the 232-foot lower-stage booster during its descent before it plunged into the sea, rather than making the controlled splashdown the company had planned. Starship, meanwhile, continued into suborbital space but began to spin uncontrollably roughly 30 minutes into the mission. The errant spiraling came after SpaceX canceled a plan to deploy eight mock Starlink satellites into space - the rocket's 'Pez' candy dispenser-like mechanism failed to work as designed. 'Not looking great with a lot of our on-orbit objectives for today,' SpaceX broadcaster Dan Huot said on a company livestream. Musk was scheduled to deliver an update on his space exploration ambitions in a speech from Starbase following the test flight, billed as a livestream presentation about 'The Road to Making Life Multiplanetary.' Hours later, he had yet to give the speech and there was no sign that he intended to do so. Indian space tech firm Digantara eyes $30 million revenue with US expansion In a post on X, Musk touted Starship's scheduled shutdown of an engine in space, a step previous test flights achieved last year. He said a leak on Starship's primary fuel tank led to its loss of control. 'Lot of good data to review,' he said. 'Launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks.' SpaceX has said the Starship models that have flown this year bear significant design upgrades from previous prototypes, as thousands of company employees work to build a multi-purpose rocket capable of putting massive batches of satellites in space, carrying humans back to the moon and ultimately ferrying astronauts to Mars. The recent setbacks indicate SpaceX is struggling to overcome a complicated chapter of Starship's multibillion-dollar development. But the company's engineering culture, widely considered more risk-tolerant than many of the aerospace industry's more established players, is built on a flight-testing strategy that pushes spacecraft to the point of failure, then fine-tunes improvements through frequent repetition. Starship's planned trajectory for Tuesday included a nearly full orbit around Earth for a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean to test new designs of its heat shield tiles and revised flaps for steering its blazing re-entry and descent through Earth's atmosphere. But its early demise, appearing as a fireball streaking eastward through the night sky over southern Africa, puts another pause in Musk's speedy development goals for a rocket bound to play a central role in the U.S. space program. NASA plans to use the rocket to land humans on the moon in 2027, though that moon program faces turmoil amid Musk's Mars-focused influence over U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Mishap probe Federal regulators had granted SpaceX a license for Starship's latest flight attempt four days ago, capping a mishap investigation that had grounded Starship for nearly two months. The last two test flights - in January and March - were cut short moments after liftoff as the vehicles blew to pieces on ascent, raining debris over parts of the Caribbean and disrupting scores of commercial airline flights in the region. The Federal Aviation Administration expanded debris hazard zones around the ascent path for Tuesday's launch. The previous back-to-back failures occurred in early test-flight phases that SpaceX had easily achieved before, in a striking setback to a program that Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who founded the rocket company in 2002, had sought to accelerate this year. Musk, the world's wealthiest individual and a key supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, was especially eager for a success after vowing in recent days to refocus his attention on his various business ventures, including SpaceX, following a tumultuous foray into national politics and his attempts at cutting government bureaucracy. Closer to home, Musk also sees Starship as eventually replacing the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as the workhorse in the company's commercial launch business, which already lofts most of the world's satellites and other payloads to low-Earth orbit.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Indian space-tech startups set offices, mfg facilities in US
Chennai: To scale up their business and gain access to the lucrative space-technology market, an increasing number of domestic space-tech startups are setting up subsidiaries and office facilities in the US. This helps them to gain access to the market as companies prefer domestic vendors, while some companies go a step further in US expansion by setting up local manufacturing facilities. Yashas Karanam, co-founder and chief operation officer of Bellatrix Aerospace said, 'Having a US presence supports our market expansion goals. Accessing the US government sector often necessitates having a local office or subsidiary for foreign companies. Additionally, many US entities prefer working with US-based partners. These factors collectively make a US presence crucial for growth and market access,' he said. Startups like Bellatrix, a satellite propulsion maker and Digantara, which focuses on space surveillance and intelligence, have already recently announced US operations, including subsidiaries and manufacturing facilities while players like GalaxEye plans to set up offices. Better market opportunity as the US represents over 50% of the global space market and better funding opportunities are some of the major drivers for startups to establish a US presence. Lt Gen AK Bhatt (retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA) said setting up local entities will help navigate regulatory requirements, adding that the window of opportunity in the next three years is very critical for Indian companies tapping the global markets. 'To be relevant global players and have an early mover advantage, startups should have their products tested in space sooner. More companies need to validate their technology and some need to prove with orbital launches,' he said. While growing, the current domestic market, primarily driven by defence application and increasing interest from private players, is limited. Bhatt acknowledged the effort made to boost domestic demand, and said a lot more needs to be done. The US space technology market is estimated at $231 billion and market research reports estimate it to reach $348 billion by 2030. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Meet Asia's 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs Making Robots And Rockets
Yi Gang was a chemistry student at the China University of Mining and Technology when he realized a friend was struggling to afford a prosthetic hand. Determined to help, he researched how to make one himself, and with money raised from a teacher and part-time jobs, he completed a robotics prototype his junior year. Impressed, the university gave Yi access to a lab room and a robotic engineering tutor to study the subject further. After graduating in 2020, Yi launched Shanghai-based Ti5 Robot Technology, which has since developed five robot models. They include a couple of two-legged humanoids powered by its AI software, which can navigate different environments and respond to verbal commands. Yi Gang is one of the innovators on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Industry, Manufacturing & Energy list who are creating pioneering products. Deliveries of Ti5 Robot Technology's 1.7-meter-tall humanoids will start in June in China and the U.S. 'The commercialization of humanoid robots is happening very fast,' Yi says. 'And we are at the forefront of it.' Yi declined to name customers of his humanoids, which cost between 200,000 yuan and 800,000 yuan ($27,000 and $110,000). The price varies, he says, depending on whether the robots will be used for simpler jobs, such as shaking hands or interacting with customers in service centers, or for complex customized tasks like running checks on factory lines. Ti5 has raised almost 200 million yuan from investors, including Chinese VC Plum Ventures and Matrix Partners China. The company also sells a bionic hand and robotics parts to industrial manufacturers, including car makers. Humanoid robots are especially seeing an uptick in demand in China where the government has announced plans to channel hundreds of billions of dollars in funding to cutting edge industries including robotics and AI. Yue Xi, cofounder of Robotera Supplied photo Also riding this trend is Xi Yue who cofounded Beijing-based humanoid robot maker Robotera with Tsinghua University assistant professor Chen Jianyu (over 30). Their 1.7-meter robot Star1 can walk and run, has climbed the Great Wall and taken part in a marathon. Robotera has raised about 400 million yuan ($54 million) in funding from investors that include IMO Ventures and Vision Plus Capital. In March, the company signed an agreement with Chinese home appliance giant Haier to jointly develop robots to assist with household chores. 30 Under 30 Asia listees this year are also making strides in spacetech–especially in India where Tanveer Ahmed, Rahul Rawat and Anirudh Sharma cofounded Digantara, which develops tools for commercial space companies and government agencies to monitor potential safety risks in orbit, such as satellites and debris. Sharma says Digantara is building the equivalent of Google Maps for space. The company's funding includes a $12 million series A round completed last February from investors including Aditya Birla Ventures, Peak XV Partners and Kalaari Capital. Jainul Abedin, founder of Abyom SpaceTech and Defence Supplied photo Their compatriot Jainul Abedin founded Abyom SpaceTech and Defence in 2020. The company is developing reusable rocket launch technologies for commercial use and academic research. Abedin says the first launch is scheduled for 2027. Last November, the company raised $2.5 million in seed funding from Scope Ventures. Reusable rocket launch technologies have also attracted the attention of Manu J. Nair and Prashant Sharma who cofounded Bangalore-based space startup Ethereal Exploration Guild in 2022 with Shubhayu Sardar (over 30). The company is developing fully reusable launch vehicles, targeting the so-called medium-lift segment, which can lift between 2,000 and 20,000 kilograms by NASA classification. EtherealX's initial product is called Razor Crest Mk-1, which can carry 25 tons to low Earth orbit. Last year, the company raised $5 million in seed funding from investors including Bluehill Capital and YourNest. Elsewhere in the region, young entrepreneurs are exploring new and environmentally friendly ways to manufacture industrial and consumer goods. In New Zealand, college friends William Murrell and Ben Scales cofounded KiwiFibre in 2021. The Christchurch-based company has developed technologies to turn the country's indigenous harakeke plant into materials that can serve as a sustainable alternative to carbon fiber and fiberglass. KiwiFibre has raised almost NZ$5 million ($2.9 million) in funding from investors including Icehouse Ventures and Phase One Ventures. The company says its products have already been used to make snowboards and race cars. William Murrell and Ben Scales, cofounders of KiwiFibre Supplied photo In neighboring Australia, Connor Balfany's The Leaf Protein Co. has developed technologies to extract protein from leaf tissues in the form of an edible powder, which can be mixed in drinks or used to make diet supplements. Last June, the Melbourne-based company raised A$850,000 ($540,000) in pre-seed funding from investors including LaunchVic and Loyal VC. In China, Su Rui and Xue Ruixuan cofounded SynMetabio to make synthetic materials, particularly synthetic leather. Established in 2021, their Shanghai-based company uses gene editing and fermenting technologies to process base materials such as corn cobs and straw into synthetic leather. The company has raised 50 million yuan ($7 million) in funding from investors including K2VC and MiraclePlus. Read our complete Industry, Manufacturing & Energy list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 coverage here.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Indian states are in a race to board space-tech wagon
After battling for IT parks, electronics clusters, and semiconductor fabs, Indian states are now setting their sights far beyond – on the space ecosystem. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and others are busy drafting space policies, setting up space parks, and offering sweeteners to attract private space companies and competition is likely to drive investments and create specialised hubs, according to Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (In-SPACe), the nodal agency to promote private investment in the space industry, and startups that ET spoke with. States also see an opportunity to gain priority access to central projects, funding, and tie-ups with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) by preparing the ground, showing initiative with land, infrastructure, ease of business, and policy support, industry watchers said. 'State governments have been actively engaging with spacetech startups and holding consultations. They are encouraging them to establish manufacturing or operational bases within their territories,' said Rohan Ganapathy, co-chairman of the CII National Committee on Space and CEO of Bellatrix Aerospace. While Bengaluru has led the private space ecosystem in the last decade, policies and invitations from other states are creating strong competition for Karnataka, demanding rapid acceleration, he said. With the Indian space industry aiming to grow to $44 billion by 2033 and capture 8% of the global market, states are keen to explore revenue generation through investments, industry experts said. Space pie that states want A Gujarat government official said it has already received two proposals from electronic component manufacturers to make space-graded components. Gujarat's plan to set up a satellite launchpad in either Dholera or Kutch has garnered the attention of the space industry. The state has linked its spacetech policy to its existing Gujarat Electronics Policy and Gujarat IT/ITeS Policy. Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco) managing director Sandeep Nanduri said the state has leverage over others due to its strong base in electronics, automotive, and heavy manufacturing. The state's 'Space Industrial Policy' will focus on spacetech services across upstream and downstream. Tamil Nadu aims to provide better subsidies and a talent pool, Nanduri said without revealing exact details. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's announcement of introducing a spacetech policy in the next three months was the latest entrant to the domain. Bengaluru-headquartered Digantara said while states are not actively driving demand, they are keen to align with central government policies. 'We have had talks with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to set up satellite manufacturing and assembly lines but have not finalised any plans yet,' its CEO Anirudh Sharma said. Digantara is evaluating which state offers the best manufacturing subsidies, as the cost of setting up facilities remains high in India. Early investment will pay off The demand for spacetech is still in the nascent stages within India. Most startups are looking at the US or European markets to grow their revenues. Industry experts said states are betting on future readiness and also find the domain aspirational, which grabs a lot of eyeballs. Earlier, ET had reported that startups such as Bellatrix Aerospace, Pixxel Space, and Digantara have set up shop in the US to benefit from non-price-sensitive markets. 'There's a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) happening too,' said Apurwa Masook, CEO of IISc-incubated SpaceFields. 'No state wants to be the one that doesn't prepare for the next technology boom.' The startup is developing India's first aerospike rocket engine. 'By moving early, they can anchor clusters to create a gravitational pull for global and ancillary companies,' Masook added. In-SPACe director (promotions) Vinod Kumar said, 'Incentives are crucial in attracting investments, especially for high-tech industries like space.' States offering strong incentives—tax breaks, subsidies, or a single-window approval process—will create an ecosystem within their states, he said. While this decentralised growth is a positive signal for innovation and employment, it also demands careful management, Indian Space Association (ISpA) director general, Lt Gen (retd) AK Bhatt said. 'It is essential that state space policies do not lead to fragmentation or duplication, but be a harbinger of added opportunities and fair competition for the growing space sector,' he said. 'Areas like spectrum management, orbital slots, and ITU-level engagements must and will remain coordinated through central authorities.'
Japan Times
21-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's space debris firm Astroscale to tie up with Indian companies
Japan's Astroscale, a company specializing in removing orbital junk, has agreed with Bengaluru-based space companies Digantara and Bellatrix Aerospace to collaborate on technology and services, it said on Friday. The tie-ups will "hopefully" result in an orbital services bid for Indian clients "in one to two years," which would mark Astroscale's first operations in Asia-Pacific outside its home, President Eddie Kato said. "India has been on our top list of possible markets" with established space capabilities, where Astroscale's on-orbit servicing technology would meet demand, Kato said. Astroscale is also interested in South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Australia, he added. "India's space policy used to be rather protectionist, but we've seen very rapid moves to bolster ties with the United States and liberalize the market for commercial actors — even fostering them," Kato said. The agreement did not contain any monetary terms. India has opened the country's space sector to private players beyond the state-owned Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and created a 10 billion-rupee ($116 million) fund to support startups. At home, Astroscale is working with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to demonstrate a commercial debris removal mission in 2027. It has also won orders from the U.S. Space Force and the space agencies of Britain and France, which include experimental services to extend a satellite's lifespan. As the number of orbiting satellites increases, potential collisions could create more than $500 million in risk over the next five years, according to an industry estimate. Digantara provides space situational awareness services to monitor orbital objects and has contracts with multiple U.S. defense agencies. Bellatrix Aerospace manufactures satellite propulsion systems. With the partners, Astroscale would first provide on-orbit services for Indian government clients, Kato said. The partnership would "help unlock new market opportunities across both established and emerging space economies," Digantara's Vice President Shreyas Mirji said in a statement. It "marks a significant step for us as we venture into the Japanese market," said Bellatrix chief executive Rohan M Ganapathy. The move was the latest budding tie-up between Japanese and Indian space companies, such as between moon explorer Ispace and rocket maker Skyroot, as well as SKY Perfect JSAT-affiliated Orbital Lasers and robotics firm InspeCity. The Indian and Japanese governments will hold their third round of "space dialogue" policy talks in Tokyo in coming days, officials say.
