News – NewSpace Chicago

Space-startup Astroscale completes Series C, will sweep the skies of debris

July 19, 2017 July 19, 2017News

Space debris is a serious problem, threatening not only satellites and space vehicles, but our very economy. With space-based communications, television, military, and GPS/navigation systems, our economy is more dependent upon space that many realize. Astroscale, a newspace start-up based out of Singapore, Japan, and the UK, is developing technology to de-orbit dead satellites. Gracefully de-orbiting dead satellites will prevent them from colliding with other objects, damaging or destroying them and thereby creating yet…

Crowdfunding Experts Share Their Experience With Chicago Space Entrepreneurs

July 9, 2017 July 9, 2017News

Chicago is one of the fastest growing centers for start-ups in the country, and crowdfunding is part of that engine. 25 space entrepreneurs and enthusiasts came together at Chicago’s mHub incubator on June 15th to learn from some of crowdfunding’s best experts and advocates. NewSpace Chicago founder and meetup moderator David Hurst opened with a short background on crowdfunding, and some successful examples from the space arena, including SpaceVR, the Integrated Space Plan, ArduSat, and…

After the ISS: Big Plans for Commercial Space Habitats

March 20, 2017 March 20, 2017News

The International Space Station has been our outpost in space for the last 19 years. But the space station is coming to the end of its lifespan. After the ISS, where will be able to go in space? The Space Angels Network looks at the coming commercial space stations that will be flying soon. Have you ever dreamt of living in outer space? Since the development of spaceflight, the off-Earth lifestyle has been limited to…

SpaceX to send privately crewed Dragon spacecraft beyond the Moon in 2018

March 6, 2017 March 6, 2017News

As reported in Space.com on Monday, Feb 27, SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced that the company will fly two private citizens around the Moon in 2018. The private spaceflight company will use its Falcon Heavy rocket to send the two paying passengers into space aboard one of the company’s Dragon spacecraft. The two private citizens, who have not yet been named, approached SpaceX about taking a trip around the moon, and have “already paid a significant…

On Becoming a Multi-Planetary Species

October 10, 2016 October 10, 2016News

On Tuesday, September 27th, during the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Elon Musk, CEO and Chief Designer of SpaceX, announced the company’s plans to colonize Mars, with the long-term goal of humans becoming a multi-planetary species. Musk described an Interplanetary Transport System and how it’s design seeks to overcome the long-standing challenges of sustainably moving large numbers of passengers and large cargo off-world. The plan Musk presented certainly has both technical and financial flaws. Yet the…

Boeing CEO vows to beat Musk to Mars as new space race beckons

October 6, 2016 October 10, 2016News

From the Chicago Tribune, October 5, 2016: Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg sketched out a Jetsons-like future at a conference Tuesday, envisioning a commercial space-travel market with dozens of destinations orbiting the Earth and hypersonic aircraft shuttling travelers between continents in two hours or less. And Boeing intends to be a key player in the initial push to send humans to Mars, maybe even beating Musk to his long-time goal. Like Musk’s SpaceX,…

Regional Roundup: Chicago aims to be space travel hub

June 17, 2016 June 17, 2016News

NewSpace Chicago mentioned on STARTLAND: SpaceX may be the company people think of when it comes to finally plunking a flag into the red soil of Mars, but a Chicagoan David Hurst has other ideas. The serial entrepreneur has sky-high plans to help area startups get in on the ground floor of the “next trillion dollar industry.” Hurst aims to make Chicago a thriving hub for space innovation, beginning with the founding of Orbital Transports…

Chicago…A Hub for Space Travel? This Entrepreneur Says Yes.

June 9, 2016 August 19, 2016News

NewSpace Chicago mentioned on ChicagoInno: When you think about the future of commercial space travel and the possibility of long-term human presence in outer space, you think Elon Musk–and rightfully so. SpaceX has been one of the darlings of the tech world, making massive advancements in space innovation and collecting more than $1 billion in funding. But innovation in the space industry isn’t exleusive to SpaceX, nor is it limited to startups in Silicon Valley. The space…

NewSpace Chicago Business Plan Competition Postponed

March 4, 2016 March 4, 2016News

Friday, March 4, 2016 – Chicago IL – We regret to announce that due to a lack of qualified contestants at this time, we must cancel the NewSpace Chicago Business Plan Competition in March. We are evaluating possible alternatives for rescheduling the event for later this year. Please stay tuned for further announcements.

NewSpace Chicago Business Plan Competition Sweetens the Pot

March 1, 2016 March 1, 2016News

Tuesday, March 1, 2016 – Chicago IL – NewSpace Chicago announced today that the organization is increasing the prize for winning its business plan competition by $500. The NewSpace Chicago Business Plan Competition is focused on space-related and space-scalable business start-ups in or around the Chicagoland area. The NewSpace Chicago BPC will be held on March 16th, 2016 at 1871, a local high-tech incubator in downtown Chicago. Submissions will be accepted from February 2nd, 2016…