DTN 129: The Space Race is Transforming SoCal's Economy (Again)

Plus: lunar soil bricks, wifi signals measure heart rate, robots walk on water, SpaceX cleared to double Florida launches, Pentagon considers AI-generated propaganda, Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through, and more.

September 05, 2025

You don’t want to miss this HAUS party.

Ready for Climate Week? We're excited to announce our panel lineup for THE BLUE ECONOMY BOOM moderated by Delaney Demark, Author of Seaking Blue Newsletter.

Meet the Panelists

Deep Tech Newsletter subscribers are guaranteed entry until we reach capacity. RSVP below to reserve your ticket!

"If you're working on solving big problems that are nationally consequential - energy, defense, health care, AI, education, infrastructure, robotics, space - you're building in the national interest. The government can be your largest channel for scale and distribution. It could be your biggest customer, funder, or partner. It's also the most powerful regulator."

“Some 128 aerospace, artificial intelligence and companies in other fields have been founded by former SpaceX employees…Nearly half, or 63, were founded in Southern California, including 20 in aerospace. No other region comes close, including Silicon Valley or the Pacific Northwest, where Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket company is based in Kent, Wash…Some of Silicon Valley’s leading investors have placed bets here, including Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Peter Thiel, whose Founders Fund was the lead investor in a June $2.5 billion funding round for Anduril, a Costa Mesa maker of drones and other autonomous defense systems now valued at $30 billion.”

A prototype of Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar rover at the company’s test site in Colorado. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust.

In April 2024, NASA selected three companies, including Lunar Outpost, for initial design studies of Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTV), a program worth up to $4.6B over 10 years. Lunar Outpost’s rover features large wheels for obstacle handling, enhanced suspension, and a sensor suite with cameras and lidar offering a 360-degree view out to several hundred meters. Each company received funding to advance their designs and has now submitted proposals for the next phase, where NASA will select one to build and operate the rover for future missions. Unlike past contracts that included two providers, budget constraints have pushed NASA to choose only one. However, some lawmakers argue two providers are needed due to the technical and financial risks involved. The House’s version of a FY2026 spending bill calls for selecting at least two LTV contractors, citing the program’s strategic importance.(via Space News)

Therapists are turning to ChatGPT. Clients are triggered. / AI is hype crashing into reality. Stay calm. / My Day as an 80-Year-Old. What an age-simulation suit taught me. / Should AI get legal rights? / AI not affecting job market much so far, New York Fed says / Study maps the happiest and saddest national anthems from around the globe / Current extinction rates haven't reached level of 'mass extinction' just yet, study suggests / Why we slip on ice: physicists challenge centuries-old assumptions / Tesla dojo: the rise and fall of Elon Musk’s AI supercomputer / Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters / Pentagon docs: US wants to "suppress dissenting arguments" using AI propaganda / US guided-missile cruiser crosses Panama Canal, warships deployed to Venezuela / Anduril: amusement park for engineers / A24's empire of auteurs / Man declares country in unclaimed pocket of land between Serbia and Croatia / First murder-suicide case associated with AI psychosis / Why countries trade with each other while fighting / AI enters the grant game, picking winners / Murder at Burning Man turns Silicon Valley’s desert playground into a crime scene