Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. this will happen last The TechCrunch Space newsletter you receive in 2024 wishes all our readers to have a great holiday and see you next year.

There is so much to look forward to next year. I expect to see much more progress from SpaceX on Starship, major changes at NASA under the leadership of new administrator Jared Isaacman, Rocket Lab's debut on Neutron, and major missions for Impulse Space, Varda, and dozens of other startups. It will also be interesting to see if the rumors that Boeing is selling its space business are true. This will be the sign of a truly new world order.

In terms of venture financing, I expect to see further recovery from the lows in the 2023 timeframe, and if Elon Musk's Department of Public Efficiency does even a fraction of what he's proposing, that could significantly loosen the regulatory and bureaucratic environment in which infrastructure exists. -heavy industries (such as aerospace) operate. The downstream effects could be seen very quickly.

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Speaking of regulations, it was nice to get an update from Blue Origin on the opening of New Glenn last week; The company essentially said the only puzzle pieces that would fall into place were regulatory approvals for the rocket's hot-fire testing and launch.

With almost two weeks left in the year, it's certainly possible that New Glenn will launch in 2024, but much will depend on how it goes through hot fire testing. The turnaround time will be shorter…

Late-stage deals in the space have been on the decline this year, so it was exciting to see the announcement. Fleet Space Technologies It said it closed a $100 million Series D. The Adelaide, Australia-based startup has developed a technology stack that enables mineral exploration from space, and identifying critical mineral deposits will be key in a future that relies heavily on them (i.e. identifying lithium). batteries).

This week in space history

OK, we did it. thanksgiving in space A few editions ago, so it only feels right to take a look at how astronauts celebrate Christmas in space. For 18 consecutive years, the astronaut fleet has celebrated the holiday on the station, which is filled with mini Christmas trees, Santa hats, stockings and other decorations.

Click this link to see a truly beautiful collection of photos NASA has taken over the years.