SpaceX has a $55 billion plan to build AI chips in Texas
SpaceX has a $55 billion plan to build AI chips in Texas

Elon Musk’s plans to get into the AI chip manufacturing business are going to be costly. As the The New York Times and CNBC report, SpaceX is planning to invest at least $55 billion into its “Terafab” chip plant in Austin, Texas. That’s according to the details of a public hearing notice filed in Grimes […]

India’s first space tech unicorn emerges as Skyroot gears up for orbital launch

Skyroot’s valuation has more than doubled since 2023 as the Indian rocket startup prepares for the country’s first private orbital launch.

Skyroot becomes India’s first space-tech unicorn ahead of June Vikram-1 launch

GIC and BlackRock-managed funds anchor a fresh round that more than doubles the company’s 2023 valuation. The round is timed to the planned orbital launch of Vikram-1 from Sriharikota, the first private Indian rocket to attempt the milestone. Skyroot A…

From Alan Shepard to Artemis, celebrating 65 years of Americans in space
From Alan Shepard to Artemis, celebrating 65 years of Americans in space

On the morning of May 5th, 1961, 37-year-old Alan Shepard woke up, ate a breakfast (consisting of a filet mignon wrapped in bacon, scrambled eggs, and orange juice), strapped into the Freedom 7 rocket, and blasted off into space, becoming the first American astronaut to do so. Shepard’s historic flight – and the first crewed […]

4 days left: Get 50% off a second TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass to make more deals faster

For the next four days only, you can buy one pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and get 50% off a second of the same ticket type. That window closes May 8 at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, prices go up, and you’ll pay more to bring a partner or colleague. Reg…

Scientists have found a hidden galaxy inside the Milky Way, and they’re calling it Loki

A new study suggests the Milky Way consumed an ancient dwarf galaxy billions of years ago, and its stellar remains may still be embedded within ours.

Space weather could cost the satellite industry $40 billion in a single storm. A 15-person startup is building the forecast.
Space weather could cost the satellite industry $40 billion in a single storm. A 15-person startup is building the forecast.

There are more than 8,000 active satellites in orbit. By 2030, there will be more than 25,000. A single geomagnetic storm, the kind the sun produces several hundred times during a solar maximum, could cost the satellite industry $40 billion. In Februar…

5 days only: Bring a partner or colleague and get 50% off a second TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass

The BOGO offer is live. For a limited time, buy one pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and get 50% off a second of the same ticket type. Offer ends this Friday, May 8. Save here.

Planet Labs is not selling satellite images. It is selling a subscription to watch the entire planet change in real time.
Planet Labs is not selling satellite images. It is selling a subscription to watch the entire planet change in real time.

At 2:59 a.m. Eastern Time on 3 May, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying 45 satellites, three of which belonged to Planet Labs. Pelicans 7, 8, and 9 are the latest additions to Planet’s next-generation constellati…

SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion on Starship and is racing to make rocketry resemble an airline schedule
SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion on Starship and is racing to make rocketry resemble an airline schedule

SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion developing its Starship megarocket and is pushing for a launch cadence that would make space access resemble an airline schedule rather than a government programme, Reuters reported on Friday, drawing on the compa…