Category Archives: Space Travel

Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious 9.

Screengrab: YouTube/The Fast Saga

Sony has just released a new trailer for Fast 9, and it includes planes, magnet bombs, space travel, a cameo from Paul Walker, Helen Mirren behind the wheel, and Han's official return.

The 3-minute clip gives fans of the franchise an extensive look into what they can expect from the upcoming movie.

Following the events of The Fate of the Furious, Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel) and the family must face his younger brother, Jakob (John Cena), who has teamed up with their old enemy, Cipher (Charlize Theron).

WATCH IT HERE:

One of the most notable reveals is Han Lue's return (Sung Kang), whose character presumably died in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Justin Lin said about Han's return: "When I left [after Fast 6], I came in with Han, I'm leaving with Han. So, if there was no justice for Han and I came back, I probably wouldn't have brought him back."

Speaking about the character's return, Vin Diesel told the publication that there's something very special and magical about the Han character.

"When you see the movie, you'll feel it, but I believe at the core it's another testament to, not only don't turn your back on family, but don't give up on family," said Vin.

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The new trailer for Fast 9 teases space travel, a cameo from Paul Walker, and more! - News24

UKRAINE - 2021/02/21: In this photo illustration a Spacex logo is seen on a smartphone and a pc ... [+] screen. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Elon Musks privately held rocket company SpaceX raised around $1.16 billion via equity funding over the last two months per SEC filings, with the company now reportedly being valued at $74 billion. This compares to a previous valuation of $46 billion based on a $2 billion fundraise last August. So what has really changed for SpaceX to command a 60% jump in valuation?

See our dashboard analysis detailing SpaceXs Revenues and Valuation for the underlying numbers on launches, revenues per launch, and valuation multiples.

There is an increasing shift from government-driven space programs toward enterprise-backed programs and SpaceX has a nice track record of winning contracts from government agencies, particularly from NASA and the U.S Department of Defense. Starlink, the companys satellite-based Internet service - which we see as a big driver of SpaceXs long-term potential - went into beta testing a few months ago and should start generating revenues this year. (related Starlink Valuation: What Could SpaceXs Starlink Service Be Worth) We also expect SpaceXs total number of launches to grow this year, with total revenue expanding to about $1.6 billion. Moreover, new areas such as space travel and point-to-point transport around the earth are also on SpaceXs radar and could help revenues in the medium to long term.

There are likely some market-related factors driving SpaceXs valuation as well. With interest rates still remaining low compared to historical levels, investors have a greater appetite to bet on futuristic companies working on the cutting-edge and moonshot projects. This is likely helping SpaceX. Moreover, investors likely view SpaceX as a solid play on the emerging space economy. Although there are other publicly listed plays on Space, SpaceX has a strong record of innovation and execution, having the distinction of carrying out the first commercial manned launch, while raising the bar for reusable rocket technology.

[2/2/2021] How Is SpaceXs Starlink Service Shaping Up?

SpaceXs satellite-based Internet business, Starlink, is seen as the biggest driver of the space exploration companys valuation, given its large addressable market. (Related: SpaceXs Revenues and Valuation) So how is the service shaping up? Starlink went into beta testing about four months ago, providing services in the northern United States, Canada, and some parts of Europe and the company says that it now has over 10,000 users globally. SpaceX charges beta customers $99 per month, and theres also an upfront charge of about $500 that goes towards the satellite dish and related kit. The company is reporting speeds of between 50 to 150 Mega bits per second on the service. While this makes Starlinks service pricier and slower than some mainstream broadband offerings, both metrics are likely to improve as the company builds scale (more satellites and ground stations) and signs on more users. The company has already launched over 1,000 working satellites for Starlink and intends to have a total of around 42k satellites once the project is complete. SpaceX was recently awarded close to $900 million in subsidies by the FCC, under the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund which aims to bring high-speed Internet across the U.S., particularly in rural areas. This could also help the economics of the service, to a certain extent. That said, competition is also mounting. Wireless carriers have been betting big on 5G technology which can offer gigabit-speed internet over wide areas, competing head-on with the fixed-line internet services. It remains to be seen if SpaceXs service can offer customers an attractive value proposition as competition increases.

View our interactive dashboard analysis, Starlink Valuation: What Could SpaceXs Starlink Service Be Worth? to modify our key assumptions to arrive at your own estimate for Starlinks valuation as it heads toward an IPO.

[Updated 2/12/2020] How Much Value Could SpaceX Unlock From Starlinks Proposed IPO?

SpaceX recently indicated that it could spin off and pursue an IPO for its satellite-based Internet business, Starlink. The Starlink service, which is likely to see operations begin later this year, aims to provide high-speed Internet globally in a cost-effective manner by leveraging a constellation of several thousand satellites. While SpaceX has not given a definitive timeline for an IPO, it has indicated that it could occur within the next few years. According to our analysis, we estimate that Starlink could be worth about $30 billion by 2025, assuming it generates revenues of about $10.4 billion then and is valued using a P/S multiple of about 3x. Below, we provide a breakdown of the opportunity Starlink provides to SpaceX and the potential risks.

View our interactive dashboard analysis, Starlink Valuation: What Could SpaceXs Starlink Service Be Worth? to modify our key assumptions to arrive at your own estimate for Starlinks valuation as it heads towards an IPO.

Why Starlink is Crucial To SpaceX

Estimating Starlinks Valuation

We project that Starlinks first full year of service will be 2021, with coverage spanning a large portion of the global population by 2025. We also expect that Starlink will primarily compete with fixed-line broadband services, as its receivers are expected to be somewhat large for truly portable use (likely pizza-box sized).

2.1 Estimating Starlinks Total User Base

2.2 Estimating Starlinks Revenues

Monthly ARPU

2.3 Estimating Starlinks Valuation using a P/S Multiple

What Are The Key Risks Associated With Starlink?

2020 has created many pricing discontinuities that can offer attractive trading opportunities. For example, youll be surprised how counter-intuitive the stock valuation is for General Motors vs Comcast.

See allTrefis Price EstimatesandDownloadTrefis Datahere

Whats behind Trefis? See How Its Powering New Collaboration and What-Ifs ForCFOs and Finance Teams |Product, R&D, and Marketing Teams

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Is SpaceX Really Worth $74 Billion? Forbes - Forbes

The Natural History Museum is presenting its 2021 Lecture Series: Trailblazing Women in Science.

The series spotlights trailblazing women who are exploring the unknown, offering unimagined ideas, and paving the way for future generations.

You still have time to hear the last two women speak virtually, broadcast live on the web.

Dr. Nalini NadkarniBranching Out: Exploring the Tapestry of the Forest CanopyThursday, April 15, 2021 at 6:30pm.

Dr. Nadkarni is known as the "Queen of the Forest Canopy". Nadkarni will talk about her pioneering research on the biota that live in the treetops of tropical rainforests that play critical roles in ecosystem processes.

Mae JemisonKeynote speakerApril 22, 2021 - 6:30pm

Mae was the first-ever woman of color in space and she is the keynote speaker. She will discuss the 100 Year Starship Initiative she leads which seeks to ensure the capabilities for human interstellar travel beyond our solar system within the next 100 years.

To register for the lectures, please visit nhmu.utah.edu.

Originally posted here:

Travel deep into the forest with the "Queen of the Forest Canopy" and out into space with the first woman of color in space - fox13now.com

Neptune, photographed by Voyager 2 in 1989.NASA / JPL image

According to Wu Weiren, one of the leaders of the Chinese lunar research program, the two devices should be 15 billion kilometers from Earth by 2049. This is 100 times the distance from Earth to the sun. The centenary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China will be celebrated in 2049.

Initial plans for the Chinese Interstellar Express have already been submitted, but in an interview with China Space News this week, Wu said the mission is now officially part of the new five-year plan for Chinese space travel.

This is just going to happen, says Mark Klein Wolt, an astronomer from Nijmegen, who previously conducted a Dutch radio experiment on a Chinese satellite. If China says it will do something, it will. It is completely in line with their ambitious policy.

Space race

China is participating in a geopolitical space race with the United States. After a successful moon landing, plans are now underway to establish a manned lunar base with Russia. A Chinese robotic car is due to land on Mars next month, and its space station is under preparation.

The two identical probes on the Interstellar Express will close close to the solar system in opposite directions. Theyll basically measure the interaction of the solar wind the electrically charged particles that the sun blows into space with the extremely thin matter of interstellar space.

Just like the American Voyager space probes 40 years ago, Chinese aircraft first fly over Jupiter or Saturn, where they are accelerated by the giant planets gravity. One is also to fly through the distant planet Neptune in the year 2038. It was examined closely only once before, in 1989 by Voyager 2.

In Chinese Space News, Wu described the project as Chinas contribution to the world and to humanity. Kline and Walt interested anyway. Who knows, we might also be able to turn a radio antenna on this.

Excerpt from:

Comments on: A new step in the space race: China travels to the stars - Commentary Box Sports

For Erik Lindbergh, whose grandfather Charles Lindbergh famously piloted the first-ever nonstop flight from New York to Paris, charting unknown territory comes naturally.

Instead of flying over the Atlantic Ocean, however, his aspirations have evolved to meet modern challenges. Namely, he aims to popularize electric air travel.

Electric propulsion is the future of transportation most every form of transportation, he said, in a recent Aviation Outlook virtual event, noting that the technology still has a way to go before it is perfected. The biggest issue in electric flight is the amount of energy you can pull out of a battery. So we saw there was a huge market.

Through his company, VerdeGo Aero, which provides powertrain systems and engineering services to the emerging electric aircraft industry, and is a partner in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universitys Research Park, Lindbergh attempts to meet that market demand through a phased approach.

The next Aviation Outlook webinar event will feature Bonny Simi, head of air operations and people at Joby Aviation, a company that is currently developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing aircraft that intends to operate as a commercial passenger ridesharing service, beginning in 2024. The Zoom event will take place 6 p.m. EDT Thursday, April 15. Register now.

Hybrid is really what we see as the bridge to full electric, he said. This is how were going to get to market.

For example: during takeoff and for thrust, use gas; the rest of the time, go electric.

If we want to see aviation become clean and quiet and sustainable, we need to invest in it, he added, noting that the same is true for space travel. We need to develop this technology.

For Lindbergh, challenging the status quo is key to seeing continued growth in the aerospace and aviation sectors, and it was the core concept behind his grandfathers transatlantic flight.

Before my grandfather flew across the Atlantic, people who flew in airplanes were called barnstormers and daredevils, and they often lost their lives in that pursuit, he said. After he flew across the Atlantic, people who flew in airplanes were called pilots and passengers. It was a shift in the worlds perspective about what airplanes can be used for.

Within six months of that historic flight, the number of pilots in America tripled, Lindbergh added. The number of licensed aircraft quadrupled. And pre-pandmic, more than 1,300 flights were traveling across the Atlantic daily.

Hyper-aware of the impact his grandfather had on the world, Lindbergh said that the lesson of that famous flight has guided most of his adult life including when he piloted his own solo trip across the Atlantic.

He remembered a moment during his flight when the communication systems shut down, and the quiet gave him time to take in his surroundings, time for contemplation. And it was just then, he said, that he felt most connected not only to the world but also to his grandfather.

I realized I was cradled in the same sky he was, he said. And he thought about how much more difficult his grandfathers flight must have been, using more primitive controls, much less communication and an unproven aircraft. (His flight) was a breakthrough moment in history, showing the world really what was possible.

That concept pushes him every day to uncover what other innovations might be possible, which is why in 1996 he helped launched the XPRIZE Foundation, which awarded a $10 million prize to the first successful privately manned space mission. That prize contributed to jumpstarting the commercial space industry we see today.

Were living in the most exciting time that Ive ever seen in aviation, he said. What weve seen in the electric propulsion side is that its moving faster than ever. Its actually moved faster during the pandemic. We have seen tremendous growth.

The full April 13 webinar, sponsored by the College of Aviation and featuring Erik Lindbergh, is available forplayback online. For recaps on prior guests, visit theAviation Outlookwebsite.

Posted In: Aviation

Read more from the original source:

Erik Lindbergh: Right Now is the 'Most Exciting Time' in Aviation - ERAU News

Spring has sprung, and its a bit springier than usual. The birds are singing with extra chirp, cherry blossom trees are bright with bloom, and buds are bursting open with a flourish. The annual opening of the natural world is enhanced this year by our own national reopening, as bars, restaurants and shops come back to life. As the bank holiday weekends race towards us with the promise of newfound fun and freedom, one sector of the hospitality industry has an extra-bullish bounce: camping is set for a breakout year.

Campsite owners across the country are busy cleaning, repairing and sprucing their campsites to be ready for what looks set to be the biggest UK camping season on record. Theres an expectant buzz in the air, as bookings are bounding in like never before. On the Cool Camping website alone, bookings are up by over 500 per cent this year compared with 2019, so the buzz is very real, with a new wave of holidaymakers set to embrace UK camping for the first time this season. Admittedly, uncertainty around foreign travel has added to the staycation surge, and the interest in camping in particular.

The fact that a UK camping holiday can cost less than pre-travel Covid tests for all the family must surely be a factor in peoples minds as they cost out the options. And then theres the traffic light system. Being stuck in expensive hotel quarantine when the traffic lights suddenly change is not the dream end to any holiday. Removing that possibility makes everything less stressful.

So a domestic camping trip is the answer for many of us this year. It certainly seems that the nation cant wait to find freedom among the woodlands and fields not surprising given the confines within which life has operated for so long. The pleasure of being outdoors is now appreciated fully, when previously it might have been taken for granted. The inevitable result is that camping is on the cusp of a boom. People want out, and theyre busy booking up their personal slice of fresh-air-filled happiness.

Thankfully, there should be plenty of space for everyone, as the increase in demand has been accompanied with a similarly vast explosion in places to camp. Planning regulations have been relaxed on temporary pop-up sites, allowing them to open for longer without a full campsite licence, thus making them viable for more land owners.

Hundreds of these pop-up sites will be dotting our great landscape with camping pitches and boutique bell tents, opening up incredible, scenic places for campers to enjoy. Farms, stately homes even schools and rugby clubs are all making use of the opportunity to host campers. Many will be offering simple pitches and basic facilities for bring-your-own-tent campers, but others involve larger operators who are known for providing glamping accommodation at festivals, now redirecting their tents and expertise to offer luxury holidays in places around the UK.

Its not just pop-ups on offer, either. The past year has seen an increase in applications for new campsite licences, as land owners pivot their businesses to match a renewed interest in camping. Some have also been able to secure government grants to invest in building more permanent structures, such as treehouses or woodland cabins as part of the Covid recovery programme.

So it seems a bigger, more permanent revolution in UK camping is under way, changing the landscape of Britain forever. This is all great news for us happy campers. We have the privilege of being able to discover and explore new corners of our countryside that have previously been out of bounds; to camp in places that have never been camped in before. Its one of the better side-effects of this pandemic, up there with extended family walks and getting to know the neighbours.

With the May long weekends coming up, its the first opportunity weve had in a while to dust off the canvas, stretch those pegs, and perhaps experience some of these new openings. The campsites are ready for us, and it looks like many of us are raring to go. Even if the roadmap to the wider post-pandemic holiday landscape is not yet clear, a canvas spring is already upon us. And I, for one, cant wait to get out there.

Jonathan Knight is the founder of coolcamping.com. The latest edition of Cool Camping Britain is out now (Punk Publishing; 16.95)

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It looks like the busiest season ever for campsites but there should be space for everyone - Telegraph.co.uk

Virgin Galactics shiny new spaceship, VSS Imagine, is the third generation of the aerospace companys aircraft that will soon be ferrying citizen astronauts from earth to space. Imagines exterior is finished in a mirror-like material that will reflect the surrounding environmentfrom the browns and muted colors of the mountains around Virgins spaceport in New Mexico, to the blue sky as it ascends, and into the blackness of space. Heres a video of the launch.

The livery is pretty amazing, Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier told Robb Report. It creates quite a contrast between the Earth and sky. It also reflects the planet when were in space.

VSS Imagine, which will soon have a Class III sister ship VSS Inspire, is the next step towards Virgins fourth generation of spaceships. That delta class will be produced at a lower cost, rather than built as custom vehicles as the first and second generations were. Imagine is a modular design, whereas the last generation spaceship Unity was literally built in place as a demonstrator, says Colglazier. The modular design allows for a faster number of turns from the spaceport into space.

The shiny exterior for VSS Imagine will reflect multiple environments from the ground to space.Courtesy Virgin Galactic

Imagines design is almost identical to Unity, but it will have tweaks to enhance its performance. Both generations of spaceship will be lifted by a mothership, VMS Eve, from the spaceport and eventually released for the trip into space. The spaceships will carry six passengers, who will experience six minutes of weightlessness once the aircraft moves into orbit.

Virgin Galactic is an incredible aerospace company at the heart of our organization says Colglazier, who spent several decades as an executive with Disney, overseeing its parks around the world. But what were really trying to do is give our astronauts a memory for the rest of their lives. Our goal is to make sure the memory is emotional and exciting, and they dont see space as a scary, cold place.

Which is where Disney comes in. Virgin recently hired Joe Rohde, another Disney veteran who was its lead Imagineersomeone who fuses imagination and engineering to create a vivid, lifelike experience. His brilliance is creating deep, transformational moments, says Colglazier. Hell work on the shoulders of the space flightwhat happens before and after the flightto maximize the experience. The CEO did not elaborate on details.

Virgins eventual goal is to have 400 flights from multiple spaceports around the world.Courtesy Virgin Galactic

Unity is scheduled to fly into space four times from May through early fall: twice with a test crew, the third with Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson, and the fourth with a team from the Italian air force. Richard Branson will be on the demonstrator flight, says Colglazier, We consider it a movie trailer, if you will, for the private astronaut experience.

The Italian air force team will show the scientific and research possibilities of Virgin flight. It will also demonstrate the potential for astronaut training, says Colglazier.

Following Bransons flight, Virgin will open future flights to the public. Currently, more than 600 have signed on. Prices are said to run between $200,000 and $250,000. Unity will begin commercial flights in 2022, Imagine will soon follow, and then Infinity will eventually enter service.

VSS Unity, with its mothership VMS Eve, will begin commercial trips into space in 2022.Courtesy Virgin Galactic

Taking a structural page from Disney, Virgin Galactics goal is to have multiple spaceships flying from different spaceports around the world. Colglazier says the number of spaceships will range from high single digits to low double digits.

Our goal is to have 400 flights from each spaceport every year, he says. The third and fourth generations of spaceships will let us increase the number of turns between flights to achieve that goal.

Link:

Virgin Galactics Mirror-Like Spaceship Brings Us One Step Closer to Space Travel - Robb Report

In space, your heart gets smaller.

In a study published on Monday in the journal Circulation, scientists reported that the largest chamber of the heart of Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year on the International Space Station in 2015 and 2016, shrank in mass by more than one-quarter by the time he returned to Earth.

That just adds to the litany of transformations that the human body undergoes without the steady downward pull of gravity. Astronauts also tend to have swelled heads, squashed eyeballs, shriveled legs and bones that become more brittle.

But a smaller heart did not appear to have any ill effects on Mr. Kelly.

He did remarkably well over one year, said Dr. Benjamin D. Levine, the senior author of the Circulation paper and a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas.

His heart adapted to the reduced gravity, Dr. Levine said. It didnt become dysfunctional, the excess capacity didnt get reduced to a critical level. He remained reasonably fit. His heart shrank and atrophied kind of as youd expect from going into space.

Without the pull of gravity, the heart does not have to pump as hard, and like any other muscle, it loses some fitness from less strenuous use. For Mr. Kelly, the shrinkage occurred even though he exercised almost every day on the space station, a regimen that has proved effective at limiting the brittling of bone and loss of muscle overall.

But a smaller heart could be a concern for future missions to Mars.

Based on the experience of Mr. Kelly and other astronauts on the space station, Theyll probably be OK, Dr. Levine said. But problems could arise if an astronaut were injured or fell sick and could not exercise. Or if the exercise equipment broke. With weaker hearts, they could become lightheaded and faint when stepping foot on the red planet after months of weightless travel.

In the paper, Dr. Levine and his colleagues also compared Mr. Kellys heart to that of Benot Lecomte, a long-distance endurance swimmer, when he attempted to cross the Pacific in 2018. Buoyancy in water has many of the same effects on the body as weightlessness. Mr. Lecomte was horizontal most of the time up to eight hours of swimming and eight hours of sleeping on an accompanying support boat.

Scientists thought that the hours of swimming would be strenuous enough to maintain Mr. Lecomtes heart, which was observed by periodic echocardiograms. Instead it shrank, almost as quickly as Mr. Kellys had in space.

Over 159 days Mr. Lecomte had to abandon the swim less than a third of the way into a planned 5,650-mile journey after the boat was damaged in a storm the left ventricle of his heart lightened from an estimated six ounces to five ounces. The left ventricle is the biggest and strongest chamber of the heart, pumping blood into the aorta and through the body.

I was just shocked, Dr. Levine said. I really thought that his heart was going to get bigger. This was a lot of exercise that hes doing.

In an interview, Mr. Lecomte estimated that his heart rate was maybe in the low hundreds as he swam and described the intensity of long-distance swimming as more like a fast walking, maybe, or a very slow running.

NASA may now be able to design better exercise programs for astronauts. Theres a big question as to the appropriate intensity and duration of exercise, said Dr. James MacNamara, a cardiology fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and another author of the paper. Mr. Lecomtes swimming gave us an opportunity to look at someone who did a whole lot of low-intensity exercise.

On the space station, Mr. Kelly exercised six days a week, jogging on a treadmill for about 30 to 40 minutes or working out on a stationary bicycle. In addition, he used a resistance machine that mimicked the lifting of weights.

Its pretty strenuous, Mr. Kelly, now retired from NASA, said in an interview. You push it pretty hard, more weight than I would lift at home here certainly.

And yet, over his 340 days in space, Mr. Kellys heart mass shrank to 4.9 ounces from 6.7 ounces, a decline of about 27 percent.

The hearts of both Mr. Kelly and Mr. Lecomte slimmed at a rate of about 1/40th of an ounce a week.

Mr. Kelly joked that he found the study interesting because it found my heart acted similar to an elite athlete.

Dr. Levine said another study looked at the hearts of 13 astronauts before and after six-month stays at the space station. That study, not yet published, provides a broader range of data that appears reassuring.

Whats really interesting, Dr. Levine said, is that it kind of depended on what they did before they flew.

For the most athletic astronauts, their hearts lost mass in space, just as Mr. Kellys had. But for those who were couch potatoes on Earth but then had to exercise regularly on the space station, their hearts, like the Grinchs in the Dr. Seuss story, grew in size.

That was not because they were experiencing newfound kindness and generosity but simply increased exertion.

The heart is like any other muscle, and it responds to the load thats placed on it, Dr. Levine said.

NASA has provided financing to study the heart health of the next 10 astronauts who spend a year in space.

Mr. Kelly said that his body, which experienced other changes, including bone loss, has almost returned to normal.

I dont have any symptoms from being in space, at least no physical ones, he said. Today, if you let me, Id go do it all over again.

Read more here:

An Astronaut's Heart Shrank From Space Travel, Study Finds - The New York Times

Space: the final investing frontier?

Hokey one-liners aside, private space travel, exploration and operation is one of the smallest and youngest industries we have left to invest in. Even if you're being generous, space-adjacent plays number in the dozens, and you've likely got the requisite fingers to count the pure plays. Yet investor interest is robust enough that a cottage industry of space ETFs has popped up over the past couple of years.

It's a growth market, to be sure. In a 2020 note, Morgan Stanley estimates "the global space industry could generate revenue of more than $1 trillion or more in 2040, up from $350 billioncurrently." And most of that will find its way into a number of larger existing sectors and industries.

"Near term, space as an investment theme is also likely to impact a number of industries beyond Aerospace & Defense, such as IT Hardware and Telecom sectors," Morgan Stanley says. "Yet, the most significant short- and medium-term opportunities may come from satellite broadband Internet access."

Satellite broadband will represent 50% of the projected growth of the global space economy by 2040 and as much as 70% in the most bullish scenario, Morgan Stanley says. It adds that launching satellites that offer broadband Internet service will help to drive down the cost of data, just as demand for that data explodes.

Although you could try to take a ride to the moon on an individual play or two, several space ETFs have cobbled together what they believe will be the beneficiaries of humanity's growing movement toward the stars. Here, we explore the three main players: products from Procure and SPDR, as well as the new ARK Invest space ETF.

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We'll start with the "oldest" space ETF but also the least pure in mission.

The SPDR S&P Kensho Final Frontiers ETF (ROKT, $39.91) got its start in October 2018, making it a relative newbie among fundsbut a grizzled ol' veteran among space ETFs.

But a key detail in the name spills the beans that this isn't a purely space-themed fund: "frontiers." As in plural.

ROKT's tracking index, the S&P Kensho Final Frontiers Index is (emphasis ours) "designed to capture companies whose products and services are driving innovation behind the exploration of deep space and deep sea." The underlying index is actually made up of stocks from two indexes, grabbing components from the S&P Kensho Space Index, as well as the deep sea exploration components of the S&P Kensho Drones Index.

It'd be easy to confuse the resultant 30-stock portfolio with a defense-industry ETF. Roughly two-thirds of assets are wrapped up in aerospace and defense stocks, including top holdings such as Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings (AJRD, 4.9%), Boeing (BA, 4.7%) and Northrop Grumman (NOC, 4.6%). The rest of the holdings are a smattering of research and consulting services firms (7.9%), industrial conglomerates (4.5%), industrial machinery (3.4%) and a few other industries.

It's always important to understand how an ETF is built, but this is especially the case when a "theme" (such as space) doesn't have enough pure-play stocks to fill the roster. That's because the fund's fortunes could rise and fall on any number of drivers outside the theme. With ROKT, for instance, changes in defense spending will likely have an outsized impact on its holdings.

Learn more about ROKT at the SPDR provider site.

The Procure Space ETF (UFO, $28.27) got its start just a few months after ROKT, in April 2019, but it has already accumulated more than five times the assets under management (AUM).

A clever ticket helps, but so, perhaps, does a more targeted focus on space.

The Procure Space ETF tracks an index of about 30 stocks that have material exposure to space-related industries. Per UFO's prospectus: "A company's space-related revenue must constitute either (a) a minimum of 20% of the company's total annual revenue, or (b) more than $500 million in annual revenue."

At the moment, Procure boasts that at least 80% of UFO's weight is allocated in stocks that derive a majority of revenues from space-related industries, such as satellite telecommunications, space-based imagery, rocket and satellite manufacturing and operation, and space technology, among others.

Indeed, UFO definitely skews more toward Morgan Stanley's perspective one that sees satellites producing half if not a majority of space-related growth over the next couple decades. Some 44% of the fund's assets are wrapped up in communication services stocks, including France's Eutelsat (5.2%), U.S. firm Garmin (GRMN, 5.2%) and Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT Group (5.1%).

Comparing these two established space ETFs, Todd Rosenbluth, Head of ETF & Mutual Fund Research for CFRA, says his fund currently favors ROKT "as we find many of the industrials positions, such as L3 Harris Technologies (LHX) and Northrop Grumman attractively valued." He also points out concern for UFO's prospects "because of its higher-risk smaller-cap holdings."

Learn more about UFO at the Procure provider site.

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The newest entrant in the space-ETF race is the ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKX, N/A), which launched March 30.

This fund comes from Cathie Wood's ARK Invest, which produced several of 2020's best-performing ETFs. The success of Wood's funds brought in a flood of assets, with the firm jumping from about $3.5 billion in AUM to $41.5 billion within a year.

That has made ARKX's launch one of the most anticipated of 2021 but investors might want to consider peeking under the hood rather than buying on name recognition alone.

"In short, this is a rare example when there's pent up demand for an ETF due to the firm behind it more than the investments inside, such as gold or Bitcoin," Rosenbluth says. "But investors might be surprised with what stocks are inside the portfolio since ARK has discretion to identify the companies that fit the theme and have the highest potential rather than following an index playbook."

ARKX, which aims to hold between 40 and 55 stocks, is an actively managed portfolio helmed by none other than Wood herself. It focus on four types of companies: Those involved in companies that deal in orbital aerospace platforms; those that deal in suborbital aerospace platforms; those that develop technologies used by space exploration-related companies (including 3D printing, robotics and AI, among others); and those that stand to benefit from aerospace activities (including GPS technology, imaging, drones and more).

Some of ARKX's holdings, such as Trimble (TRMB, 8.6%) and L3Harris Technologies (5.1%), are easy enough to explain and can be found in the other space ETFs. Interestingly, Wood gets exposure to 3D printing companies through her own fund, The 3D Printing ETF (PRNT, 6.0%).

But several of ARKX's initial holdings will raise an eyebrow or two.Among them are Netflix (NFLX), Amazon.com (AMZN) and even tractor maker Deere (DE).

"With thematic investing, there's significant room for interpretation by the index provider or active manager," Rosenbluth says. For instance, Cathie Wood tells Cinthia Murphy at ETF.com that China e-commerce play JD.com (JD) makes the cut because of its sophisticated logistics operations, "using drones to especially to help with supply chain management."

"Given ARK's track record of stock picking, we expect many investors are open to a discretionary approach," Rosenbluth says, but adds that, for now, UFO looks to be the most straightforward space ETF of the bunch.

Learn more about ARKX at the ARK Invest provider site.

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The Space (ETF) Race: UFO, ROKT and ARKX - Kiplinger's Personal Finance

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inspiration4, the worlds first all-civilian mission to space, today announced the final two members of the four-person crew that will undertake a historic voyage to the stars later this year. Christopher Sembroski of Everett, WA and Dr. Sian Proctor of Tempe, AZ will join previously announced crew member Hayley Arceneaux under the command of Jared Isaacman. SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft later this year.

The full crew will be introduced publicly today for the first time from historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Sembroski and Proctor will represent the mission pillars of:

This opportunity is proof that hard work and perseverance can pay off in unimaginable ways, said Dr. Proctor. I have always believed that I was preparing for something special, and that moment has arrived with Inspiration4.

Proctor will serve as the Mission Pilot and back up the commander and support related needs throughout the mission.

Although Ive been fortunate to have spent years in the aerospace industry, I never imagined having the opportunity to reach the stars, especially through something as simple as supporting St. Jude, said Sembroski. I am honored to occupy the Generosity seat and look forward to using this platform to encourage everyone to be generous to others in whatever ways they are able.

Sembroski will serve as the Mission Specialist and will help manage payload, science experiments, communications to mission control and more.

Inspiration4 is completed by the other mission pillars of Leadership, represented by Isaacman, and Hope, represented by Arceneaux. Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR) and a world record-holding pilot, created the Inspiration4 mission and donated the three crew seats to inspire humanity and raise money for the lifesaving mission of St. Jude. Arceneaux is a 29-year-old physician assistant who works at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, TN and joined Inspiration4 last month. In addition to working at St. Jude, she was treated as a child for bone cancer at the preeminent care and research hospital and vowed to return to serve others. Arceneaux will serve as Medical Officer overseeing medical care and experiments on the mission.

Inspiration4s goal is to inspire humanity to support St. Jude here on earth while also seeing new possibilities for human spaceflight, said Isaacman. Each of these outstanding crew members embodies the best of humanity, and I am humbled to lead them on this historic and purposeful mission and the adventure of a lifetime.

All crew members will undergo commercial astronaut training by SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft the very same Dragon spacecraft currently attached to the International Space Station supporting the Crew-1 mission. Once Dragon returns the Crew-1 astronauts back home to Earth, the SpaceX team will inspect and refurbish the spacecraft ahead of the Inspiration4 mission. Crew member training will include a specific focus on orbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress testing. The crew will receive emergency preparedness training, spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, as well as partial- and full-mission simulations.

The mission is being targeted for no earlier than Sept. 15, 2021. It will launch from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will be carefully monitored at every step by SpaceX mission control as the spacecraft orbits the planet every 90 minutes along a customized flight path. The crew is targeting an approximate 540 km orbit, flying further than any human since Hubble, for an expected mission duration of approximately three days. In advance of the mission, the crew is working closely with SpaceX and multiple organizations to identify scientific research opportunities they can support while in orbit. Upon conclusion of the multi-day journey, Dragon will reenter Earths atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida.

To learn more about Inspiration4 and how to support and follow this historic journey to space, visit http://www.Inspiration4.com and follow the mission on social media on Twitter (@inspiration4x), Facebook (@inspiration4mission), Instagram (@inspiration4) and YouTube (@Inspiration4) to receive the latest news on mission training, preparation and timing.

About Shift4 Payments

Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR) is a leading provider of integrated payment processing and technology solutions, delivering a complete omnichannel ecosystem that extends beyond payments to include a wide range of commerce-enabling services. The companys technologies help power over 350 software providers in numerous industries, including hospitality, retail, F&B, ecommerce, lodging, gaming, and many more. The newly launched Shift4Shop platform offers a turnkey ecommerce experience includes a robust website builder, product and order management, customer marketing tools and more. With over 7,000 sales partners, the company securely processed more than $200 billion in payments volume for over 200,000 businesses in 2019. For more information, visit shift4.com.

About St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital

St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude wont stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

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Final Crew Members Named for World's First All-Civilian Mission to Space - Business Wire