📰 eVTOL Earnings – It's Early…
Welcome
Happy Saturday folks. Welcome to The Godspeed Weekly.
It was a busy week. Grab a drink – let’s get to it.
eVTOL Earnings – It’s Early
This week, eVTOL manufacturers – Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation reported Q4 & FY2024 earnings.
Here’s a succinct overview…
The earnings reports were more or less noise. Both companies are pre-revenue and have yet to receive FAA authorization.
Wednesday, Joby Aviation addressed its Stage 4 status of FAA type certification, the delivery of its second aircraft to the USAF and its intent to commence passenger carrying flights in late-2025 // early-2026.
$JOBY finished the week flat.
Thursday, Archer Aviation detailed plans to commercialize its Midnight aircraft ahead of FAA type certification in Abu Dhabi, touted its collaboration efforts with Anduril and shared the production status at its ARC facility in Covington, GA.
$ACHR fell -2.74% this week – however – it witnessed a wild turn-around Friday following earnings. The stock soared from 6.74 to 8.88, gaining 31% intraday.
My friend and ace trader, Shake Pryzby shared his thoughts on $ACHR’s post-earnings reaction,
Love to see an earnings gap down be bought, typically bullish.
FAA Tests Starlink
The FAA is testing SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet services in Atlantic City and Alaska as a potential upgrade to its telecommunications network.
The administration issued the following statement highlighting the past connectivity issues experienced in remote sites such as Alaska,
In 2023, Verizon was awarded a $2B contract to upgrade the FAA’s IT; however, the telecommunication company’s contract may be at risk if Starlink proves superior.
Elon shared his thoughts…
The Verizon system is not working and so is putting air travelers at serious risk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
1:47 AM • Feb 25, 2025
Space Data Centers
Starcloud, formerly Lumen Orbit, secured $10M as it seeks to build space-based data centers.
The company’s big idea is to create a network of megawatt-scale computer servers in Earth’s orbit – powered by grids of solar panels.
Starcloud’s 132-pound demonstrator satellite destined to be launched into low Earth orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Bandwagon 4 rideshare mission. The fresh funding allows Starcloud to accelerate its plans and will provide capital for its next two launches.
Space-based data centers may play a key role in processing the large data captured by Earth observation satellites. Conducting computationally intensive operations in space could reduce the bandwidth requirements for transmitting data from Earth to ground stations.
We will watch this space.
Energy In Demand
Energy is in high demand. Nuclear is widely considered to be the most efficient energy source for the future.
Here are some notable nuclear developments from the last week… .
Proxima Fusion unveils open-source Stellarator design, aiming for fusion power by 2031.
Maritime Fusion seeks to build the first fusion reactors for marine applications.
Last Energy intends to build 30 micro nuclear reactors in Haskell County, Texas, to meet rising data center electricity demands.
Holtec and Hyundai E&C partner to build small nuclear reactors at Michigan’s Palisades plant by 2030.
Italy adopts a law to reintroduce nuclear energy after a 40-year prohibition.
And Core Power initiates U.S. Liberty program to mass-produce floating nuclear power plants by the mid-2030s.
Waymo’s Exponential Growth
Waymo surpassed 200,000 weekly paid robotaxi rides across Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. This figure represents a 20X increase in less than 2 years!
Incredible.
The autonomous ride-hailing company travels more than 1M miles each week as it eyes extended services to Austin, Atlanta, Miami and Tokyo.
Adopting new technologies takes time – it requires immense trust. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Duolingo Leans Into AI Education
Language-learning software developer, Duolingo also reported Q4 earnings this week. The company beat estimates for subscribers, total users and revenue. Paid subscribers grew 43% YoY and DAUs increased +51% YoY.
Duolingo cited excess costs to support Duolingo Max – an AI-infused learning experience.
Luis von Ahn, Co-Founder and CEO comments,
We see exciting opportunities ahead in 2025. We intend to continue to invest in our product in order to drive engagement and user growth, as well as in features like Video Call to drive adoption of Duolingo Max. These investments will help us teach better, continue to expand our market, and drive sustained, long-term growth.
Finimize provides additional insights into the language guides’ AI initiatives,
Duolingo’s AI-fueled success underlines technology’s transformative role in global education. Their strategic focus suggests a shift towards AI-centric educational methods, possibly reshaping teaching practices worldwide. As edtech evolves, companies innovating rapidly, like Duolingo, may set new learning standards.
Vintage Classic Clears 8 Figures
One-of-just eight 1966 Ford GT40 Mk IIs sold at Sotheby’s Miami 2025 for $13,205,000.
The vintage automobile finished 2nd at the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring and was used as a test car at Ford’s Kingman test track in preparation for Le Mans.
Rosebee’s Radar
Gecko Robotics Inks $100M Energy Deal
Amazon Banking on Robotics Savings Amid Increased AI Spending
Humanoid Robots Finally Get Real Jobs
YC Grad Deepnight Nabs $5.5M For AI Night Vision Software
MIT Researchers Create “Fibre Computer” That Can Be Woven Into Clothes
Sedona Anticipates Aviation Innovation – Godspeed
Avride’s Sidewalk Delivery Bots Land In Japan
Brave The Wild River – National Park Service, Behind the Scenery
Tesla Applies For Ride-Hail Permit In California – But There’s A Catch
Community Comments
As we grow – I will forward comments received from the community.
In response to last week’s post, Tanya Weiman pens,
Wanted to mention that Karman+’s title of “High Frontier” for the mission was likely based on the late, great Gerard O’Neill’s book, “The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space”. He should be as well known to us as Carl Sagan! The documentary about him, “The High Frontier: The Untold Story of Gerard K. O’Neill” is highly recommended.
Thanks, Tanya!
What’s peaking your interest?
Send me your thoughts.
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Godspeed – Rosebee
Disclosure: The author of this newsletter holds $ACHR/W.
