TechCrunch reports that NASA's decision to cancel its $11 billion, 15-year mission to return samples to Mars could spark a supply frenzy for startups. NASA is going back to square one in hopes of getting the space industry to cooperate, saying the plan is too slow and too expensive. Sure, you might worry that NASA won't be able to manage its own missions on an acceptable schedule and budget, but huge amounts of money are being swallowed up by startups working on making space more accessible. Opportunity can be a huge boon.
Startups aren't all social media apps, enterprise software, and NFT-based online games. Even if the idea of building advanced hardware without software elements is almost unthinkable, there is quite a bit focused on the bits and atoms side of the technology fence. So hardware startups are actually working on both digital sides at the same time.
But space startups aren't worried about that. A look at recent TechCrunch space headlines shows that Dark Space is working on ways to remove space debris. The real anomaly is working on the moon landing. Varda Space's efforts to manufacture drugs in space and bring them back to Earth appear to have been successful, raising an additional $90 million. Orbital Fab wants to refuel satellites. The list goes on.
I mean, there could be a lot of startup-sized buckets in NASA funding, so I'm here for that. Yes, I'm a big science fiction buff, but I'm still dizzy with the hype for our future as a cosmic species. So if you're a startup that's working with NASA to explore rocks on Mars and you need someone on the ground to check dials and stuff, I'm your guy. Press play and enjoy!