Hey and welcome again to TechCrunch Area. Pleased belated Mom’s Day!
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For those who’re in search of a Starliner mission recap, you’ll have to attend slightly longer, as a result of the mission has formally been delayed. At this level, we’re no sooner than Could 17 for the launch. The lengthy delay is to make sure launch supplier United Launch Alliance can roll the rocket again to the Vertical Integration Facility hangar to interchange a valve. (All the time these stinkin’ valves!)
Not fairly a scoop this week, however I did write an unique on a five-month-old startup referred to as Layup Elements, which has closed a $9 million financing spherical led by Founders Fund. The corporate needs to deliver automation to composite elements manufacturing, in the identical approach that Protolabs and Xometry have reworked CNC machining, for instance.
What we’re studying
As a substitute of recommending one thing to learn this week, I’m going to suggest one thing to look at: this incredible 30-minute video from the nice On a regular basis Astronaut. It takes a deep dive into the primary Polaris Daybreak mission and the brand new spacesuits the non-public astronauts shall be sporting, designed by SpaceX.
Everyone knows (and love) the Worldwide Area Station, however earlier than there was the ISS there was slightly orbiting platform often called Skylab. And 50 years in the past, on Could 14, 1973, Skylab lifted off on the final Saturn V rocket.