The Deep End #82
Auriga aims for Uber-fast space launch with fresh funding
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Auriga Space raises $6M to shoot rockets off an electromagnetic launch track
Auriga Space is aiming to change the launch game. Instead of a first-stage booster, the California-based startup is developing a launch track that will use electricity to power powerful magnets. Those magnets will accelerate a small rocket to over six times the speed of sound. The track’s final segment rises on a steep ramp, enabling the rocket to exit at hypersonic speed and only ignite its engine in the final push to orbit. Beyond propellant savings, the entire ground-based architecture is entirely (and rapidly) reusable.
The company is also trying to address the demand from the U.S. Space Force for “responsive” launch, or the ability to launch payloads to orbit with little to no advance notice. While there have been some impressive demonstrations of responsive launch in the past 12 months, with companies like Firefly Space launching a rocket with a 24-hour notice, Auriga wants to shrink that time to a matter of minutes.
“We call an Uber, and we expect the Uber to show up in a matter of minutes,” Auriga founder and CEO Winnie Lai explained. “I think that should be the case for space as well.”
Tech Terrain
Future Mobility
NASA Tests 5G-Based Aviation Network to Boost Air Taxi Connectivity
Why this matters: The findings of this work could serve as a blueprint for future aviation communication network providers, like satellite navigation providers and telecommunications companies, and help guide the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan for future advanced air mobility network requirements in cities.
MOTOR AI, a startup developing cognitive autonomous driving tech, raised a $20M seed round
Defense Tech
Navy successfully demonstrates swarm mission planning tech
Trend to watch: The new Optimized Cross Domain Swarm Sensing software program helps the Navy plan missions using groups of unmanned aircraft. By running thousands of computer simulations, it determines the best combination of drones, sensors, and arrangement to achieve mission goals at sea.
Castelion raises $350M Series B to scale hypersonic missile business
Space
Global Space Economy Tops $600B For The First Time
Why this matters: The growth was dominated by the commercial sector, which brought in $480B in revenue, accounting for more than three-quarters of the space economy last year.
Advanced Computing
First electronic-photonic quantum chip manufactured in commercial foundry
Why this matters: As quantum photonic systems grow in scale and complexity, these integrated quantum chips could become the building blocks for technologies ranging from secure communication networks to advanced sensing and, eventually, quantum computing infrastructure.
xLight raises a $40M Series B to become the go-to laser company for the semiconductor industry
Energy
Autonomous nuclear reactors’ plan gets US boost with Amazon’s tech for next-gen designs
Trend to watch: Idaho National Laboratory and Amazon Web Services have established a collaboration to use artificial intelligence to advance nuclear energy technology. The partnership will apply AWS’s cloud computing infrastructure and AI tools to INL’s work on next-generation nuclear reactors.
Realta Fusion taps $36M in fresh funds for its fusion-in-a-bottle reactor