We are IBX.
Dear Friends,
Welcome back to "We are IBX," a quarterly newsletter highlighting the latest news about IBX and the affiliated companies led by Kam Ghaffarian. The last few months have been filled with significant milestones, progress on our top objectives, and lots of exciting news, including:
- Note from Kam: Achieving corporate success by becoming "the light"
- X-energy: New video series shows the future of energy and our planet
- Intuitive Machines: Historic plans for annual cadence to the Moon
- Axiom Space: Axiom Station is one step closer to becoming the first commercial space station
- Philanthropic Focus: Empowering homeless, at-risk youth
- Team Spotlight: Meet Dr. Sonny White, the person getting us closer to warp drive and interstellar travel
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Dear Friends,
Fall is a great time to reflect. With the new year quickly approaching, now is an excellent opportunity to look ahead and focus on actions that will propel growth and excellence. I'm proud of our portfolio companies who have seen multiple months of growth and achieved significant milestones - from success with critical hardware, winning contracts, and securing key partnerships. I'm so thankful for their incredible work and commitment.
I recently spoke to the Houston Chronicle about the importance of following your passion and highlighting the team's incredible work to advance the state of humanity and human knowledge.
Be the Light:
Often I am asked about the secrets to my success. Many people quickly jump to the idea that it must be a particular business process. While business processes are essential, much of my success is based on a positive mindset, optimistic thinking, and being solution-oriented. The above quote, "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness," highlights this approach and really resonates with me, reflecting how I approach life and business. Rather than focusing on problems and dwelling on the negative, I encourage results-oriented thinking and a commitment to solving problems.
I encourage everyone to reflect on their operating approach and consider how a positive mindset and solution-oriented thinking can create a better tomorrow.
Cheers,
Kam |
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With three planned launches to the Moon, Intuitive Machines (IM) has an annual launch cadence to the lunar surface unseen outside of NASA. This yearly schedule provides longer lead times for commercial customers. Intuitive Machines, a NASA CLPS partner, is flying four NASA payloads on IM-1. They are also building NASA, an extreme mobility lunar vehicle, to take the first-ever pictures inside the craters on the lunar South Pole. With the IM-2 South Pole mission, the company has added secondary rideshare services.
Flying alongside the Nova-C class lunar lander will be the first node of IM's lunar communication and navigation constellation of satellites, which will serve as part of the backbone to Earth's first commercial lunar communications network. IM recently signed agreements with two ground stations, Morehead and Goonhilly, and finalized compatibility testing to ensure a strong connection with their Houston-based Nova Control, IM's center of operations for all missions.
With an expanded launch schedule, more customers, and a bigger team, Intuitive Machines announced a new larger facility at the Houston Spaceport. Watch this video of the announcement and building plans.
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“The future is now” is the title of a new video from X-energy Canada describing how X-energy’s technology is contributing to our planet’s clean energy future while meeting humanity’s increasing demand for energy. The video is the latest in a series of products providing a deeper picture into how X-energy’s technology is revolutionizing the marketplace – like this video discussing the XE-100, which is revolutionizing the marketplace.
Leveraging this state-of-the-art technology, X-energy is in the final stages of DOD’s Project Pele, developing small, portable microreactors that minimize risk while delivering safe, reliable, and resilient mobile power.
One of the most significant announcements is the creation of TRISO-X, a new subsidiary of X-energy that will help commercialize its advanced nuclear fuel. TRISO-X will bring X-energy’s proprietary advanced nuclear fuel to market under the leadership of X-energy’s nuclear fuel expert Dr. Pete Pappano.
X-energy’s fuel fabrication services will also power space efforts. As part of DARPA’s DRACO program, the company is developing key fuel fabrication processes to support a first-of-a-kind rocket powered by nuclear thermal propulsion.
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This month Axiom Space announced Axiom Station, the world's first commercial space station, has passed the next major milestone on the road to launch: completion, with NASA, of design for the first two modules. The next step is fabrication to move toward a 2024 docking.
Simultaneously, Axiom engineers and Axiom partners at Thales Alenia Space have worked on many critical elements for the first module, AxH1, including building the windows. The windows will be the largest ever constructed for the space environment - encircle multiple inhabitants of the station's Earth Observatory cupola, overlooking the planet in 360-degree freedom. Each Axiom module is an independent spacecraft equipped to sustain itself and maneuver into its assembly position in orbit.
Training continues for the crews of Ax-1 and Ax-2. With the Ax-1 launch date scheduled for February 2022, the crews have been going through rigorous training, including learning about space station systems and procedures in preparation for their planned stay aboard the International Space Station. To learn more, check out Axiom's video series - Axiom Rewind.
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With activities in four continents, Emerging Light Foundation is a non-profit that hopes to be a beacon of light and a distributor of hope across the globe. Led by Kam Ghaffarian, the charity is helping accomplish its mission with great organizations like Mobile Hope in Virginia, USA.
Mobile Hope provides support and emergency shelter to youth up to age 24 who are at-risk, precariously housed, or homeless and empowers them to become self-sufficient.
The idea started in 2011 when Donna Fortier saw homeless youth living in Loudon County. With local support, she used a bus to distribute clothing, food, and hygiene items to youth in need. The bus became a mobile center that could directly travel to where it was needed and reduce barriers to service. Today, in addition to the bus outreach program, Mobile Hope offers leadership training, mentoring services, individualized case management and has established Hope’s Village that includes a trade school, job training center, gym, and much more. Mobile Hope provides a non-judgmental and non-discriminatory environment where youth develop a sense of purpose and community. Their goal is to support kids on their journey from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Learn more by visiting: https://mobile-hope.org/
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Meet Sonny: The Limitless Space Institute (LSI) is a research and education non-profit with a mission to inspire and educate the next generation to travel beyond our solar system and support the research and development of enabling technologies.
They are powered by an incredible team, including Dr. Harold "Sonny" White, LSI's director of advanced research and development. In addition to overseeing the Eagleworks Lab, Sonny directs LSI's Grant Program, partnering with 18 academic institutions worldwide, and leads DARPA research projects.
Breakthrough Research: Sonny is leading groundbreaking research at LSI. His work was published in Euro Physics Journal, where he provided evidence of a new energy source. Imagine if we never had to change batteries in remote controls, pacemakers, and hearing aids! While LSI continues to explore power and propulsion technologies for interstellar space, their R&D has the potential to spin off new applications improving the state of humanity and our daily lives.
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In the News:
- 'What's your passion?' An entrepreneur's question leads to space enterprises [Houston Chroncile]
- X-energy expands TRISO-X as a Subsidiary to Commercialize its Advanced Nuclear Fuel [News Release]
- NASA reviews private space station proposals, expects to save over $1 billion annually after ISS retires [CNBC]
- Three-peat: Intuitive Machines Selects SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket for Third Moon Mission [News Release]
- Axiom Space Private Astronauts Begin Training at NASA's Johnson Space Center [NASA]
- X-energy Announces George Vanderheyden as Chief Nuclear Officer [News Release]
- Intuitive Machines: Major Milestones Surpassed in Establishing 4G LTE on the Moon [News Release]
- Thales Alenia Space to provide the first two pressurized modules for Axiom Station [News Release]
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