Uber and SpaceX: Problems with American flight start-ups

Several start-ups that are aiming for the skies are currently experiencing problems in the USA. SpaceX has to abort a launch, Uber is selling its air taxi business.

These are troubled times for American aerospace start-ups: First, Uber announced that it was selling its Uber Elevate air taxi project, then Elon Musk's space company SpaceX had to abort testing a new rocket after just 1.3 seconds.

According to SpaceX, a problem with the engine was the reason for the abort. The prototype was to be shot at an altitude of 12.5 kilometers for the first time, instead of only 150 meters as before. According to Musk, the new "Starship" rocket should be completely reusable, in contrast to his previous models, where this was only partially the case.

At Uber, the end of the air taxi business is part of a series of cost-cutting measures initiated by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at the company's driving service. In addition to Uber Elevate, he also stopped Uber's work on self-propelled cars and the electric bicycle rental business. Last quarter Uber lost over $1.1 billion and almost a fifth of its sales.

However, the air taxi business will not be scrapped; instead, the aeronautical engineering company Joby, which had previously cooperated with Uber, will take over the business.