Beta Bytes: December 23rd, 2020
Snippets of breaking news calibrated to science, technology, and engineering topics as well as our clients’ interests.
2020 is When Private Spaceflight Just Got Started. In 2021 it Will Shoot for the Stars
In 2020, SpaceX became the first company ever to send humans to space aboard a privately owned spacecraft, as the US government continued to work closely with startups and space businesses to put humans back on the Moon.
2021 is expected to be even bigger for the industry as reigning giants such as SpaceX continue to pursue futuristic technologies — from Mars rockets to space-based internet service and extraterrestrial tourism.
Next year, Boeing could also add another vehicle to the United States' arsenal of human-worthy spacecraft. The company is planning to conduct the first crewed flight of its Starliner vehicle, which is being developed under the same NASA program as SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
From CNN
Peloton to Acquire Fitness Equipment Maker Precor in $420M Bid
Precor is one of the world’s largest suppliers of commercial fitness equipment, often supplying commercial gyms and hotels.
In addition to expanding its commercial business, this acquisition also helps Peloton bring on a lot more manufacturing capability in a time when its order queue for its Tread and Bike hardware is deeper than ever, thanks to the increase in demand resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Precor already maintains a significant U.S.-based manufacturing operation, as well as dedicated research and development teams and facilities.
From TechCrunch
Emedgene Collaborates with Illumina to Scale the Interpretation of Genomic Data for Rare Diseases
Emedgene is a leading precision medicine intelligence company whose Clinical Rare Disease application is one of a portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered applications for high-throughput genomic interpretation across clinical and research use cases.
Emedgene's Cognitive Genomics IntelligenceTM solution automatically produces insights from genomic data, reducing the time and cost of its interpretation.
High-value features within Emedgene's AI solution are now integrated into Illumina's TruSight Software Suite platform.
From Cision PR Newswire
AECOM Out as General Contractor on $1.6B MSG Sphere in Las Vegas
Developers of the $1.66-billion MSG Sphere in Las Vegas have removed AECOM as a general contractor on the project and will bring construction management in-house for the 875,000-sq-ft entertainment venue.
AECOM, a multinational engineering/construction management company, was brought on board as a general contractor in June 2019.
When complete, the MSG Sphere will be the world’s largest spherical structure, at 360 ft high, with cutting-edge audio and video technology for concerts and other events.
From ENR Southwest
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