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Proton Enhances its Privacy Portfolio with Acquisition of Standard Notes

Switzerland Technology Computers Email Encryption
Switzerland-based Proton, the privacy-focused firm behind end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) webmail ProtonMail and other apps, has acquired Standard Notes, a note-taking app founded back in 2017. By adding Standard Notes to its portfolio of apps, Proton will deepen its reach with an engaged community of pro-privacy users, layering on additional cross-selling opportunities as well as boosting the utility of its app ecosystem. And while there is some usage overlap, a Proton spokesperson said that less than a quarter of Standard Notes users are already Proton users. Proton said the Standard Notes app, which is available for both mobile and desktop, will remain “open source, freely available and fully supported”. Commenting in a statement, Mo Bitar, founder and CEO of Standard Notes, talked up the sense of shared mission.

“NASA Selects Three Teams to Develop Revolutionary Moon Buggies”

Intuitive Machines
NASA has given three space companies the chance to design the next generation moon buggy — but only one design will go to space. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab are developing rugged vehicles intended for astronauts to drive around on the lunar surface, from which NASA may choose as early as next year. The three teams will now enter into a 12-month “feasibility phase” that will culminate in a preliminary design review. NASA declined to specify the dollar value of the awards, though Intuitive Machines said in a statement that it was awarded a $30 million contract. “With NASA’s Artemis campaign, we are building up the capabilities needed to establish a longer-term exploration and presence of the moon,” he said.