Tag: Space X

SpaceX disputes $633K FAA fine, citing ‘systematic challenges’ with agency | TechCrunch

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

SpaceX sent a letter to top congressional leaders on Wednesday denying allegations that it violated its launch licenses on two separate occasions last year, which has resulted in regulators seeking $633,009 in penalties from the company.

Instead, the company asserts that the inability of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) to process “relatively minor” license updates is further proof that the agency is unable to keep pace with the space industry’s — but chiefly SpaceX’s — rapid growth.

Read More

Report: Google Closing in on SpaceX Investment | WIRED

~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

Google may be in the final stages of investing in Elon Musk’s private space exploration company SpaceX, a move that would bolster SpaceX’s emerging satellite business and would help Google expand internet access around the world.

According to The Information, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the talks, the deal would value SpaceX at more than $10 billion, though the exact terms of the investment are still unclear. But at an event in Seattle last week where SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk first announced the new satellite venture, Musk gave some indication as to the epic scope of the project that lies ahead. He seeks to create a network of hundreds of satellites that could not only connect people on Earth to the web, but also people on Mars—if and when people get there. The total cost of such an audacious project? $10 billion.

Read More.