Max Q: Its Go Time!

In the 18th century, people believed that the Moon was a great place to find treasure. One man named John

• Virgin Orbit’s death knell
• A new startup building “orbital pursuit” spacecraft for the Pentagon
• News from Stoke Space and more

Virgin Orbit’s bankruptcy is likely the end of a colorful and ambitious spaceflight startup. Virgin Orbit was founded by Richard Branson and others in 2010, seeking to provide low-cost access to space for private companies and universities. But despite several successful launches, including a reported $90 million contract from DARPA for its VSS Enterprise small-payload carrier rocket, the company may now be forced to cease operations.

In what was likely the final nail in the coffin for Canada’s largest tire and rim manufacturer, patchwork PMS affairs and bankruptcy filings this week come as no surprise to industry observers. For years now, reports have circulated of weak sales due to a saturated market and mounting Chinese competition. Combined with hefty employee layoffs earlier this year in an attempt to right-size the company to its actual available budget, it appears clear that Big Rims was on its way out before it even really got going.

In 2010, Virgin Orbit, a Virgin Group company, became the first private aerospace company to put a passenger into space. The VSS Unity was the first and only spacecraft to carry civilians into space;

Recent tensions between the United States and China have prompted a new startup to emerge with an innovative plan to send intelligence-gathering pursuit satellites into orbit this year. The startup, known only as “X,” has raised millions of dollars from investors and is confident that its satellites will help improve understanding between the two nations.

True Anomaly is one of a few startups looking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by space warfare. Theformer Space Force members behind True Anomaly say that the Pentagon needs to invest in defensive technology to protect American assets in space and conduct recon on enemy spacecraft. Their technology stack includes training software and autonomous orbital pursuit vehicles that will be able to collect video and other data on objects in space.

As the leading nation in space exploration, the United States expects international cooperation in order to maintain its Lindsey Air Force Base and other sensitive satellites. However, its adversaries have demonstrated little interest in cooperating and often view space as a domain solely for their benefit. As a result, asymmetric information regarding U.S. space activity creates conditions ripe for misunderstanding and potential conflict. America must continue to work with allied nations to find common ground on space security issues so as not to jeopardize future cooperative endeavors or unnecessarily escalate hostilities between states

The United States government is concerned about North Korea’s intentions and capabilities, especially after their recent missile launches. They believe that North Korea is aiming to develop a nuclear weapon and could potentially use these weapons against the United States or other countries. In order to ensure safety for its people and allies, the United States must be prepared should North Korea attempt to carry out these threats.

Scientists have long hypothesized that our planet is not the only one capable of supporting life, but a new study suggests that there may be thousands of “lost”

• Apex Space will launch its first satellite bus next January, and has a goal of manufacturing 100 satellite buses by 2026. (TechGround)
• Astrolab, a startup headed by an engineer who’s worked at SpaceX and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, will be sending its first lunar rover to the moon on a Starship mission scheduled for 2026. (New York Times)
• Axiom Space’s second private astronaut mission is now scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on May 8. (Axiom)
• China’s military is planning a national satellite constellation on an order comparable to Starlink — around 13,000 spacecraft. (Washington Post)
• The Indian Space Research Organization landed a reusable space plane prototype for the first time. (Space)
• Loft Orbital has ordered 15 more satellite buses from Airbus OneWeb Satellites, for a total of 30, to meet increased demand for on-orbit payload hosting. (SpaceNews)
• Outpost scored a $1.7 million contract from the Department of Defense to test its Ferry satellite, which is designed to deliver payloads to orbit and bring them back to Earth. (Payload)
• Quantum Space unveiled a new orbital transfer vehicle called Ranger, which will be able to host and deliver over 1.5 metric tons of payloads in GEO and over 2.5 metric tons to cislunar space. (Quantum)
• Seraphim Space released its latest space ecosystem map on the space industry, categorizing companies by categories including “space hardware,” “launchers” and “satellite data.” (Seraphim)
• SpaceX is nearing the first OFT of Starship, but there are a few roadblocks remaining: the launch license and the possibility of a civil suit on environmental grounds. (TechGround)
• Stoke Space launched a new tool to let hardware companies track the design, testing and integration of parts. (TechGround)

Max Q is a novel that takes its readers on an adventure full of suspense and mystery. The story follows Max, a young boy who has the ability to talk to animals. When Max goes missing, his aunt and uncle enlist the help of their friend John Watson to find him. While on their search, they discover dark secrets about the town they live in and the people around them. This mystery leads them down a path full of danger

The Max Q paradigm shifts the way we think about and design processors, giving us a new level of performance that was previously unthinkable. This paradigm is based on creating processors that are able to achieve the highest possible quality at any given frequency.