burble

I brought up Northrop because I'm guessing they bid a Cygnus derived deorbit vehicle.

How is this a handout? They bid for a contract and won it vs competitors.

I'm hoping we get a source selection statement soon where they spell out why companies like Northrop and Blue didn't win.

Between the EV3, EX30, R3, and little Jeep EV, I'm hoping that small EVs change some American minds about car size and reverse some of the arms race. They still aren't small small, but at least they aren't an F150 or Suburban.

A purpose built skateboard chassis is still good for a low center of gravity, bigger battery capacity, and ease of manufacturing, but I would gladly pass on a lot of bells and whistles and "luxury" features.

Rocket Lab, Stoke, and Relativity are all trying!

I'm a Blue Origin hater, too. They pretend to be an old space prime by buying their way into a market but not having done anything. They don't have the drive, efficiency, or fun redeeming qualities of startups.

For rockets, I would rather see Stoke pull off Nova and Rocket Lab build Neutron.

For space stations, I'm rooting for Vast and Gravitics.

For space tugs, go Impulse.

For moon landers, BO copied SpaceX's homework, so go Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic.

Not Grande enough for Americans. Maybe we'll get the Venti Panda or Trenta Panda.

I won't be able to afford it, but I'm still glad they're electrifying toys for rich people. Every source of pollution and noise that gets taken off the road is a win by me.

That's still only a $15-20k car

Aren't you describing the Bolt?

I respect the first part, but it seems like a niche audience that would care about materials sourcing. The battery health history is interesting. Service logs are one thing, but real data to show how hard it's been charged and driven is cool.

I don't think it's a complete deal breaker if the company can be trusted to make decent software (Tesla, Rivian?) but for companies like GM and VW...