NASA awarded SpaceX a $331.8M contract to take the first two components of its Gateway space system into space. The Gateway space station will orbit the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.

What is the Artemis program:

• NASA's Artemis program aims to establish a permanent human presence in space. It plans to send a man and woman to the moon by 2024.
• The space agency aims to set up the Gateway space station as a permanent lunar habitat. Astronauts will be able to dock and be transported to the moon via a lunar lander.
• It will be one-sixth the size of the International Space Station and contain a command center along with work/sleeping quarters.

SpaceX's role:

• A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will carry the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) — two critical components of the Gateway — into space.
• The Falcon Heavy rocket has only been flown twice. In 2018, it carried a red Tesla into space, which is still in orbit around the Sun.

Ride-sharing companies' earnings roundup:

Uber reported revenue of $11.13B in 2020, a 14% decline YoY. Revenue in Q4 was $3.17B, down 16% YoY. The ride-sharing company shrank its losses from $8.5B in 2019 to $6.7B in 2020. 

More:

• In Q4, its food delivery business saw a 130% YoY increase in gross bookings. Its ride-sharing business saw a 50% decline YoY in gross bookings.
• After completing its Postmates acquisition, Uber Eats controls 35% of the U.S. food delivery market, trailing DoorDash with about 50%.
• Uber Eats Pass now has more than five million paying members.
• Uber's share price is up more than 80% since November when California voted to pass Prop 22. The legislation exempts gig economy companies from classifying workers as employees.
• Uber was part of a coalition of gig-economy companies that spent $200M combined to ensure Prop 22 passed.

Lyft posted revenue of $2.4B in 2020, a 35% decline from the previous year. Revenue for Q4 was $570M, a 44% drop YoY. It reported a net loss of $1.8B in 2020, less than the $2.6B net loss in 2019.

More:

• CFO Brian Roberts said Lyft is still on track to be EBITDA profitable in Q4 of this year and suggested the company could achieve it by Q3.
• Lyft implemented cost-cutting measures that generated $360M worth of savings.
• Its active riders in Q4 fell by 44%, from 23 million to 12.5 million.
• Lyft shares have more than doubled since November after California passed Prop 22

Self-driving startup Aurora Innovation struck a deal with Toyota and auto-parts supplier Denso to develop and test self-driving vehicles, starting with Toyota Sienna minivans. The alliance will see the minivans equipped with Aurora’s driverless technology, setting the stage for their eventual rollout on Uber and other ride-hailing networks.

More:

• The companies want to begin testing the initial fleet by the end of this year. The tests would take place near their locations in the Bay Area, Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Texas.
• In addition to developing and testing the vehicles, the partnership will include financing, insurance, and maintenance options for the self-driving vehicles once they're deployed in larger numbers.
• In December, Uber announced a deal to sell its autonomous vehicle unit Uber ATG to Aurora Innovation. As part of the deal, Uber agreed to invest $400M in Aurora and receive a 26% stake.
• In 2018, Uber and Toyota announced a partnership that included a $500M investment by Toyota into Uber for self-driving vehicle development. The newly announced partnership is separate from the Toyota-Uber one, Aurora co-founder Sterling Anderson said.

A version of this story first appeared in Inside AI. You can read the full issue here.

Automaker earnings roundup:

General Motors:

• GM's revenue in Q4 rose by 22% YoY to $37.52B. The automaker's net profit was $2.85B.
• The automaker warned the semiconductor shortage will cost it $2B in revenue this year but expects net profit to rise.
• Earlier this week, GM announced it would extend shutdowns at three of its plants in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Toyota Earnings:

• Quarterly sales rose to $78B. Despite the pandemic, the automaker sold more vehicles in the U.S., Japan, and Europe compared to last year.
• Toyota's operating profit in Q3 grew by 54% to $9.45B
• Toyota revealed it didn't have to significantly reduce production due to the global chip shortage, as it had stockpiled months' worth of supplies.

Volkswagen announced it will use Microsoft's cloud computing services to accelerate the software development of its autonomous vehicles. Volkswagen's software division will work with Microsoft to build a cloud-based platform to streamline development processes and ensure faster integration into its cars.

More:

• Volkswagen owns several brands such as Audi and Porsche that are developing their own self-driving technology.
• Last year, it consolidated certain brands into a single subsidiary called Car.Software.
• The various brands within the subsidiary used different systems to develop their software, however, all of them will now use Microsoft.
• This will make it easier to issue software updates for new features.

The pilot in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and six other passengers last year violated federal standards by flying into thick clouds, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. Investigators said Ara Zobayan, who was Bryant's regular pilot, "became so disoriented that he could not discern up from down." Zobayan also died in the crash. He told flight controllers he believed he would soon break through the clouds in his ascent. 

More: 

• Bryant, who was 41, his daughter, and the other passengers were on their way to a youth basketball tournament in Calabasas, California.
• The NTSB said 184 crashes between 2010 and 2019 involved spatial disorientation. 20 of those were fatal helicopter crashes.
• The group plans to make recommendations to the FAA to prevent future crashes.

QUICK HITS:

• How do engineering Leaders from Facebook, Google, Uber, Stanford, etc. manage remote developer hiring to solve for speed and quality -- at scale? Join us for Turing Boundaryless: #BuildfromAnywhere on February 18th, from 11-2 p.m. PT to learn how.*
• Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshai said the ride-sharing company won't buy bitcoin but could accept it as a form of payment.
• President Biden urged Congress to pass a new infrastructure package and warned if the U.S. doesn't move quickly, China is "going to eat our lunch."
• Boeing delivered 26 new planes in January, including 21 new 737 Max aircrafts.
• Apple's autonomous vehicles drove 18,805 miles last year, more than double the 7,544 miles from 2019.
• Streaming intent is the ultimate competitive advantage for ABM strategies. Learn 7 ways to shorten the sales cycle by utilizing real-time intent data.*

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