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StarCloud CEO Says Starship Gives SpaceX Launch Monopoly For Near Decade

Zero Rss
3 months 1 week ago
StarCloud CEO Says Starship Gives SpaceX Launch Monopoly For Near Decade

The CEO of the startup building data centers for eventual low Earth orbit deployment told Molly O'Shea of the Sourcery podcast that he expects Elon Musk's SpaceX to hold a "near monopoly on launches" over the next five to ten years, driven by Starship's scale, launch cadence, and cost advantage.

Starcloud CEO Philip Johnston told O'Shea:

I'm very hopeful that other launch vehicles will be able to compete with SpaceX, but my general hot take is that SpaceX is going to have a near-monopoly on launch for at least the next five years, maybe ten.

I think Starship is way ahead of any other program, and even like Stokes Space—if their rocket works—their payloads are three tonnes versus 150-tonne payload for Starship. Especially with Gigafactory, so yeah, that's it.

O'Shea asked Johnston about Jeff Bezos' rocket company, Blue Origin, and whether it could challenge SpaceX's launch dominance in the years ahead: 

The problem with Blue Origin's rocket is they don't have a reusable upper stage at the moment, and as I understand, they're not even really trying to build a reusable upper stage.

So if they can get it flying, you're talking about launch costs comparable maybe with Falcon 9, although their quotes we've had are way higher than that.

.@Starcloud_ CEO @PhilipJohnston expects SpaceX to have a "near monopoly on launch" for the next 5–10 years:

"Starship is way ahead of any other program."

"The manufacturing that they're ramping up is insane—like building three Starships per day potentially with their… pic.twitter.com/qGCWPJ3cIh

— sourcery (@sourceryy) April 28, 2026

Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for the largest IPO ever, which could value the rocket company at up to $2 trillion. At this valuation, Musk would likely become the first trillionaire.

The latest data from Bloomberg shows Musk's net worth is around $646 billion. Larry Page of Google trails in the No. 2 spot at $297 billion, with Bezos at No. 3 at $278 billion.

In December, we outlined for readers how to profit from space-based data centers, given that ground-based data centers are being delayed or canceled, alarming the tech bros. This suggests that, with limited to no restrictions on space, space-based data centers will be the next big push - all hinging on the commercialization of Starship.

Tyler Durden Wed, 04/29/2026 - 15:10
Tyler Durden

Water-Based Method Recovers 65% Of EV Battery Metals In One Minute At Room Temperature

Zero Rss
3 months 1 week ago
Water-Based Method Recovers 65% Of EV Battery Metals In One Minute At Room Temperature

Authored by Neetika Walter via Interesting Engineering,

Researchers at Rice University have developed a water-based method that recovers valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries in minutes, offering a faster and lower-energy alternative to conventional recycling systems.

The new process targets key battery materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, which are in growing demand as electric vehicle and electronics production expands worldwide.

Battery recycling is becoming increasingly important as mineral supply chains tighten and nations seek to reduce dependence on newly mined materials. But many current recovery methods rely on harsh acids, toxic solvents, or long processing times.

Rice researchers say their new class of aqueous “amino chloride” solutions can extract metals quickly while avoiding many of those drawbacks.

Metals back, fast

“Traditional recycling methods often rely on harsh acids or slow, energy-intensive processes,” said study first author Simon M. King. “What we’ve shown is that you can achieve rapid, high-efficiency metal recovery using a much simpler, water-based system.”

The team focused on hydrometallurgical recycling, in which battery metals are dissolved into a liquid and later separated for reuse. It is considered one of the more scalable approaches, but common solvents can create environmental and cost challenges.

To improve the process, the researchers tested several amino chloride salts as alternative leaching agents. One compound, hydroxylammonium chloride, or HACl, delivered the best results.

In testing, the HACl solution extracted about 65 percent of key battery metals in just one minute at room temperature. Recovery rates climbed above 75 percent for several metals with slightly longer treatment times.

That speed is notable because many recycling systems require elevated temperatures or extended reaction periods, both of which increase energy use and operating costs.

Water beats solvents

“We were surprised by just how fast the reaction occurs, especially without the involvement of high temperatures,” King said. “Within the first minute, we’re already seeing the majority of the metal extraction take place.”

Researchers said replacing traditional organic solvents with water lowered viscosity, allowing molecules to move more freely and accelerate reactions. Water-based chemistry also simplifies waste handling and may reduce environmental risks.

The team used experiments and modeling to understand why the solution performed so well. While acidity and chloride ions help dissolve metals, the researchers found that a built-in redox-active nitrogen center in HACl played a major role.

“While the rapid metal dissolution is very interesting, what is most exciting is that this highlights the generic chemical properties that are the major drivers for efficient leaching,” said Sohini Bhattacharyya.

“That redox capability gives it a major advantage over other similar systems we tested.” After extraction, the recovered metals were reprocessed into new battery materials, demonstrating a closed-loop recycling pathway.

The findings could help shape next-generation battery recycling plants by combining low-toxicity solvents with targeted chemistry that boosts speed and efficiency. With EV battery waste expected to rise sharply in the coming years, faster recovery methods may become increasingly valuable.

The study was published in Small.

Tyler Durden Wed, 04/29/2026 - 14:50
Tyler Durden

Wall Street Reacts To Powell's Last FOMC Meeting

Zero Rss
3 months 1 week ago
Wall Street Reacts To Powell's Last FOMC Meeting

The kneejerk reaction from Wall Street pundits is that the bar for the Federal Reserve to hike rates is still relatively high and there’s no need for the Fed to change its bias or react in a meaningful way: that's the view voiced by SocGen's US Research Head Subadra Rajappa, who said on BBG TV that the "US is in a very good position overall"

Others, such as Deutsche Bank Chief US Economist Luzzetti, said that "the Fed could adopt a more balanced language" while JPMorgan Head of Global Fixed Income Bob Michele notes that "the US economy looks pretty good and can absorb some inflation" adding that "inflation is passing through the system" and so "need to watch if cost-push inflation passes to prices."

Michele also said that he’s reluctant to say this time the economy will stumble given how the economy managed tariffs last year, and believes that the Fed cold remain on hold until end of this year, even as "the bar to hike got lowered a notch."

Below we summarize several views from across Wall Street:

  • Katherine Judge at CIBC Capital markets: "Oddly, the statement noted that three members who supported maintaining the target range did not support including an easing bias in the statement, even though the text they were objecting to was not present in the statement."
  • Simon Penn, UBS trader: "Hammack, Kashkari and Logan said they didn't support the easing bias. The easing bias itself is reflected in the following sections: "attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate."
  • Maria Capurro, Bloomberg Econ: "We won’t know what really drove the dissenters until they release their public statements, but it is worthy to note this is the committee that Kevin Warsh, Trump’s appointee, will now face: one with growing dissents, where at least some officials do want to make it clear a rate hike is on the table"
  • Ian Lyngen at BMO Capital Markets: his take is the forward-guidance language as having been interpreted as an easing bias: The relevant language is “In considering the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the target range” - not clearly biased toward easing, but it has been interpreted as such in the past. 
  • Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM: "The dissents could also be about preserving Fed’s independence: One gets the sense that the three dissenters are signaling a willingness to not only protect central bank independence but also the incoming bias towards rate cuts when inflation is clearly heading in the direction that may require rate hikes."
  • Nic Puckrin, macro analyst and CEO of Coin Bureau: "The chance that we won’t see a rate cut at all this year has increased to 77%. However, other central banks – notably the BOJ – are already discussing hikes. Most commentators don’t expect hikes from the Fed, yet the central bank could begin running out of options. This doesn’t bode well, because hiking could mean plunging the banking and private credit sectors into crisis. Wall Street banks now hold more US treasuries than at any point since the GFC in 2007 – up 37% from last year to $550bn. If rates rise, this could become a massive liability, while private credit is already under enormous pressure at current rate levels."
  • David Russell, Global Head of Market Strategy at TradeStation: "Miran is increasingly a lonesome dove. Today’s dissents show the pendulum is swinging away from rate cuts. Inflation is a growing risk as oil soars and the job market remains tight. March’s durable goods orders also confirm the strong economy and remove the need for easing. The AI datacenter boom is making it easier for policy to be far less necessary. Kevin Warsh could be stepping into a difficult spot if he was hoping to deliver rate cuts."

Developing

Tyler Durden Wed, 04/29/2026 - 14:35
Tyler Durden

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