Export control review seen as positive for space industries

Commercial high-technology products with potential military uses could be easier to sell overseas, if the federal government eases restrictions on exports that have been in place since the Cold War, tech companies said last week.
The Obama Administration announced that it will undertake a comprehensive review of U.S. export controls, while extending the Commerce Department’s emergency [...]

Google Earth Outreach tells renewable energy developers where to go

Earth imaging using the Digital Globe satellite network, via Google Earth, shows developers of renewable energy projects where to build, according to a story in Consumer Energy Report.
Google Earth Outreach is a program of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Audubon Society to produce a visual record of sensitive wildlife habitats and other [...]

From the NSS: Space industry grows as economy shrinks

The News: Plenty of interesting stuff  is coming out of the National Space Symposium, held this week in Colorado Springs.
The Space 2.0 Connection: As promoters of entrepreneurship – and connectors of start-ups to risk capital – we at 8th Continent most appreciate this exchange, reported by Debra Werner in Space News:

“There is never enough money [...]

Should Stimulus $ Go to Startup Funding?

The News: In Sunday’s New York Times, Thomas Friedman sets off a flurry of commentary by suggesting that the U.S. Treasury should direct $20 billion to top VCs to invest in start-ups, a much more reliable job creation engine than General Motors or Bank of America. Other bloggers suggest that existing programs already do that [...]

Privately Funded SpaceX Achieves Earth Orbit

Fueled by venture capital dollars and private investment, today’s successful launch and orbit by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation’s (SpaceX) Falcon 1 liquid-fueled rocket heralds a significant milestone in the private sector’s conquest of space.
The 8th Continent Project believes today’s event represents a clear signal to investors that the age of private sector commercialization of space [...]

Here Comes The Money

As aerospace technologies such as solar films and satellite-based power transmission are explored and transferred into the burgeoning alternative energy industry, public and private funds continue to pour into high-level renewable energy and scientific research projects here in Colorado.  As a result, the state is growing a strong reputation as one of the key entrepreneur-driven [...]

Space 2.0 in-depth part IV

Like other companies we have examined that came to 8th Continent through our “Space 2.0″ business plan competition, another runner-up company called ViraTag, comprised of Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University students, is able to solve an important  health care demand with their space-derived technology. The company has developed in-vitro diagnostic virus detection kits [...]

Space 2.0 in-depth part II

The Space 2.0 blog has been a resource for news surrounding the latest renewable energy developments, particularly recent advances in solar tech, power management and power storage systems. The principles most often discussed with renewable energy are efficiency, transmission and storage. Unbeknownst to many, these same principles of sustainable and renewable resources are based largely [...]

8th Continent Project Recognized by Colorado Legislature

The Colorado General Assembly has recognized the 8th Continent Project and the Colorado School of Mines for their “efforts to integrate space technology and resources into the global economy” through a joint resolution sponsored by State Senator “Moe” Keller and State Representative Gwen Green.
The resolution stated “That we, the members of the General Assembly: Salute [...]

Russia abandons Space Tourism program (for now)

The head of the Federal Russian Space Agency has announced that the country will abandon their planned $40,000,000 per trip, space tourism initiative. With mounting public criticism and several missions to the International Space Station already planned (with seats reserved for atronauts – not tourists), it seems that Russia no longer sees space tourism as [...]