Beta Bytes: Week of December 12th

Photo by Hans Reniers on Unsplash

Snippets of financial news calibrated to science, technology, and engineering as well as our client’s interests.

US Experts Convene to Decide if Pfizer Vaccine Will be Approved

• The meeting of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration is one of the last hurdles before the expected start of what will be the biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history.

• Depending on how fast the FDA signs off on the panel’s recommendation, shots could begin within days.

• Later this month, the FDA is expected to pass judgment on another vaccine, developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, that has proved about as protective as Pfizer’s. Vaccine candidates by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are also in the pipeline.

Elon Musk Announces Move to Texas

• The move coincides with SpaceX and Tesla projects in Texas, Musk selling his Los Angeles homes and his frequent public criticism on California taxes and how the COVID-19 pandemic is being handled.

• However both Tesla Inc., headquartered in Palo Alto, and SpaceX, based in the Los Angeles area are remaining in California.

• Tesla started construction on a site near Austin for a factory for its Cybertruck, Model 3 and Model Y. SpaceX has also built a launch site in Boca Chica, Texas

Bechtel Team to Build $3B-$6B Nuclear Test Reactor in Idaho

• The U.S. Energy Dept. is set to build a test reactor to support research and development of new nuclear energy technologies at its Idaho Falls, Idaho, research site.

• The Versatile Test Reactor, or VTR, project will cost between $3 - $6 billion, with design and construction by a Bechtel-led team.

• The VTR will foster experiments with much higher neutron energy and flux compared to the nation’s existing 35 research reactors, which would help develop advanced nuclear fuel for future nuclear power plants in the U.S.

Boeing 737 Max Returns to Flight

• The worldwide fleet of 737 Max planes has been grounded since March 2019, after two deadly crashes raised concerns over the aircraft's safety and airworthiness is now up in the air again.

• Boeing's 737 Max jet is flying commercial routes once again, as Brazil's Gol Airlines brought the jetliner back into service Wednesday, flying from São Paulo to Porto Alegre, along Brazil's eastern coast.

• The FAA ordered airlines to carry out several improvements before the plane could again carry passengers, including software changes and enhanced crew training.