After wowing us with breathtaking images of the galaxy and Jupiter up-close, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched by NASA seems to have encountered a micrometeoroid, the space equivalent of floating rock. It's the sixth such encounter by JWST since its launch in December, 2021 but a recent report suggests that the hit has impacted one of the 18 mirrors of the telescope, causing damage that 'cannot be corrected.'
On the bright side, NASA has awarded a new contract to SpaceX (yes, we can't keep Elon Musk out of news) to launch its next telescope into space in 2026. The US government's civil space program will payu SpaceX an estimated $255 million to launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to tackle outstanding questions in cosmology, effects of dark energy and dark matter and exoplanet exploration.
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Till then, keep calm and read on.
Here are the other top stories of the day:
Jar to offer securities via new subsidiary
First Cheque closes its second fund at $5M and much more!
Funding
Fitterfly raises $12M
Healthtech startup Fitterfly has raised $12 million in a Series A round, led by Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund and Fireside Ventures.
What does this mean?
This follows a $3.1 million in a pre-Series A round it announced last year in April. The latest round takes the total amount raised by the startup to $16.6 million till date.
Micro gold saving and investment app Jar plans to go beyond gold and offer securities such as exchange traded funds (ETFs) and sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) through its platform.
The company has received the board's approval to form a subsidiary under the name 'Safejar Advisors Private Limited' for this purpose.
First Cheque has raised Rs 38 crore from global investors for its second fund and plans to invest in 50 startups in the next 18 months.
The VC firm aims to be the earliest institutional capital available for founders.
Funding
AppViewX raises $20M
AppViewX, the Seattle-based automation and orchestration platform, raised $20 million in a Series B round led by existing investor Brighton Park Capital.
What does this mean?
Despite industry-wide challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the startup has nearly doubled its workforce since 2019, bolstering its customer success, engineering and go-to-market teams across the globe.
Gupshup hires Krishna Tammana as CTO - Gupshup has hired Krishna Tammana as its chief technology officer, to lead tech strategy, engineering and integration for the startup.
Accenture opens Advanced Technology Center in Coimbatore - IT giant Accenture said it has opened a new advanced tech centre in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, to focus on building and delivering "transformative technology services" for global clients.
Motovolt partners with CSC Grameen E-Store -Motovolt, an electric mobility venture, said it is collaborating with CSC Grameen E-store to provide its range of e-cycles available to people in the remotest villages of India.
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