Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. It\u2019s becoming a habit to open each TechCrunch Space newsletter with a bit of an update on Boeing\u2019s Starliner mission, so bear with me. Per NASA officials, the spacecraft will now return its two-person crew to Earth no earlier than June 26, instead of the originally planned date of June 14. In other words, they\u2019ll be spending at least 20 days on board the International Space Station instead of just eight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read my story from last week<\/a> on the causes of the additional delay and what it might mean for Boeing\u2019s Starliner program. <\/p>\n Want to reach out with a tip? Email Aria at aria.techcrunch@gmail.com<\/span><\/a> or send me a message on Signal at 512-937-3988. You also can send a note to the whole TechCrunch crew at tips@techcrunch.com<\/a>.\u00a0For more secure communications<\/strong>,\u00a0click here to contact us<\/a>, which includes SecureDrop instructions<\/a> and links to encrypted messaging apps.<\/em><\/p>\n The space industry is all abuzz about how\u00a0SpaceX\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Starship,\u00a0Blue Origin\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0New Glenn and other heavy-lift rockets will change just about everything.\u00a0One likely consequence is that spacecraft will get bigger \u2014 much bigger \u2014 as engineers work outside the constraints of low mass requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s one problem: The current testing regime for spacecraft is focused on payloads four meters or less across. Gravitics<\/a> and NASA<\/a> are looking to change that, with a new agreement aimed at addressing this dearth of testing and qualification methods for larger spacecraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like many highly valued startups,\u00a0SpaceX<\/a>\u00a0sometimes allows its\u00a0employees to cash out some of their shares by selling\u00a0<\/a>to company-authorized outside investors.<\/p>\n TechCrunch has gotten a peek at an internal\u00a0SpaceX<\/a>\u00a0document about such a tender offer from May 2022. Musk\u00a0posted on X<\/a>\u00a0last month that SpaceX holds such sales for employees about every six months.<\/p>\n These documents offer interesting insights into the investors who are authorized to buy these secondary shares, and the good deals they get.\u00a0Click the link above to take a look.<\/p>\n Congratulations to Rocket Lab<\/a> for nailing its 50th Electron rocket launch! To commemorate the massive milestone, the company posted this pretty poignant video on X that sums up just how far Rocket Lab has come.<\/p>\n When you look at all the hurdles we had to clear, reaching our first launch seemed highly improbable. <\/p>\n As we approach our 50th launch, @Peter_J_Beck<\/a> reflects on the magnitude of the task we had in front of us to bring Electron to life. Fortunately we’ve never shied away from a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/MnZChovpDY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) June 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Did you know\u2026that we posted the agenda for this year\u2019s space programming at TechCrunch Disrupt? We are incredibly <\/em>excited by this year\u2019s lineup, which includes some of the top founders and investors operating in the space industry. Plus fireside chats with none other than Rocket Lab\u2019s Peter Beck and Bridgit Mendler of Northwood Space<\/a>. Click the link above to learn more.<\/p>\n![\"South](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-2147789850.jpg?w=680\")
Launch of the week<\/h2>\n
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This week in space history<\/h2>\n
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