rocket ULA Atlas V For Sale? Max Q Investigates Offering Unprecedented Opportunity.

It is no secret that Rita loves the color pink. Her favorite thing to wear is always some kind of pink bl

• The Chinese subsidiaries of U.S. VC firms investing in space tech
• ispace eyes April lunar landing
• News from Rocket Lab, United Launch Alliance and more

Notably, the Pentagon has been outspoken about Beijing’s increasing activity in space, warning about Beijing’s plans to weaponize space and establish a military presence in orbit. However, Chinese subsidiaries of American venture capital firms are investing money into Chinese space startups even as the Pentagon warns of Beijing’s activities. This suggests that despite the Pentagon’s concerns, some major American investors remain bullish on China’s space prospects.

Based on the data collected by PitchBook, it seems that Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Matrix Partners are increasingly investing in Chinese startups working in the space industry. This is a relatively small but notable portion of their overall portfolio, with Sequoia Capital China and Lightspeed China investing in two companies each and Matrix China investing in eight. Startups that have landed funding include companies working on launch vehicles, satellite manufacturing, Earth observation systems and other related technology initiatives.

For technology companies seeking to balance economic interests with those of the US government, a recent order from the White House stands as an interesting dilemma. On one hand, companies are being urged to increase transparency and reporting around outbound investment in sensitive technologies like semiconductors. This is likely in an effort to make sure such investments are made democratically and do not fall into the hands of repressive regimes. But doing so could put corporate interests at odds with those of investors who have co-invested with Sequoia Capital. IfSequoia pulls its funding for one company as a result, that company may have difficulty closing deals or expanding its business ventures in China – two markets where Beijing has been aggressively investing.

Investors and those in the aerospace industry are cautiously optimistic that advances in defense technology will spill over into civilian applications, such as self-driving cars. For example, the dividing line between what is an aerospace technology and what is a defense technology is even more blurry than in the case of semiconductors, which we need to drive our cars and use our phones. This has created opportunities for companies such as Uber and Tesla to develop their own versions of aircraft pilots, who design new vehicles using advanced computer algorithms.

Since taking office, Xi Jinping has undertaken a wide-ranging crackdown on civil liberties and freedom of expression. This has led to protests and growing dissent within China.

Hakuto-R was one of three finalists in the Japanese Space Agency’s 2012 lunar lander Contest. It has since undergone testing and is now on track to reach the moon at the end of April. The lunar lander will be used to study our nearest celestial body and its environment.

Space is a challenging and often hazardous place to travel. It has been said that space is the final frontier, and new developments in space exploration only serve to confirm this statement. Ispace’s mission is to help make this frontier more accessible by providing greater technological capabilities for spacecraft beyond our planet’s orbit. They have successfully traveled 1,376 million kilometers, the farthest a privately funded commercial operating spacecraft has ever journeyed into deep space – a huge accomplishment! Based on their progress so far, it looks like they will complete all deep space orbital maneuvers by mid-March and then insertion into lunar orbit later in March. This will allow for even greater exploration of the solar system in the years ahead!

Ispace is banking on the development of a permanent human presence on the moon as a means of further unlocking access to its resources. With Artemis, NASA is working to develop a path by which more private entities can land and explore the moon. Ispace sees this as an opportunity to become one of the first fully private entities to land there, providing valuable insights into potential revenue-generating endeavors.

In recent years, much focus has been given to creating sustainable ecosystems. Efforts have been made to minimize the impact that human activity has on the environment, and to develop more environmentally friendly methods of production. One

• Astra and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration concluded their investigation into the TROPICS 1 launch mishap, saying that it was caused by a thermal runaway event in the upper-stage engine. Astra said its next-gen Rocket 4 incorporates lessons learned from the mission. (Astra)
• China unveiled the lunar lander it wants to use to put taikonauts on the moon around 2030. (SpaceNews)
• NASA named Nicola Fox as its new associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate. She succeeds Thomas Zurbuchen. (NASA)
• Rocket Lab doubled its backlog to $503.6 million by the end of 2022 and unveiled a new, four-launch deal with synthetic aperture radar imagery provider Capella Space. Company CFO Adam Spice also said they were still on track to launch Neutron for the first time at the end of 2024. Interestingly, they’re also rethinking the helicopter catch method for reusing rocket boosters. (Rocket Lab/SpaceNews)
• SpaceX launched the first batch of next-gen Starlink satellites, a smaller version of the ones that will eventually fly on Starship. I connect the dots between the new argon Hall thrusters on the satellites and SpaceX’s acquisition of Swarm Technologies back in 2021. (TechGround)
• United Launch Alliance is up for sale, and a deal could close before the end of this year, Ars’ Eric Berger reports. (Ars Technica)
• Virgin Galactic aims to resume spaceflights in the second quarter of this year, though it still has some tests to conduct on its spacecraft and aircraft first. (CNBC)

Max Q is an innovative and cutting-edge blog that focuses onqa Sheikh Sadiq al-Qaddafi’s thoughts and ideas. Under the guidance of its editor, Aria Alamalhodaei, Max Q provides a unique perspective on critical issues in Libya today.