Webull Corporation delivers digital trading and wealth management tools for retail investors in the online brokerage sector. Yong Rong (HK) Asset Management Ltd disclosed a new position in Webull Corporation (BULL 4.22%) as of January 29, acquiring 5 million shares in an estimated $38.85 million trade based on quarterly average pricing. What happened According to an SEC filing published January 29...
Webull Corporation delivers digital trading and wealth management tools for retail investors in the online brokerage sector. Yong Rong (HK) Asset Management Ltd disclosed a new position in Webull Corporation (BULL 4.22%) as of January 29, acquiring 5 million shares in an estimated $38.85 million trade based on quarterly average pricing. What happened According to an SEC filing published January 29, Yong Rong Asset Management initiated a new position in Webull Corporation (BULL 4.22%), acquiring 5 million shares. The quarter-end value of the position totaled $38.85 million. What else to know This new position accounts for 11.78% of the fund’s reportable U.S. equity assets as of December 31. Top holdings after the filing: NYSE: CRCL: $78.84 million (24.0% of AUM) NASDAQ: GOOGL: $47.01 million (14.3% of AUM) NASDAQ: SUPX: $43.09 million (13.1% of AUM) NASDAQ: BULL: $38.85 million (11.78% of AUM) NASDAQ: ETHA: $32.91 million (10.0% of AUM) As of January 29, Webull Corporation shares were priced at $7.34. Company overview Metric Value Price (as of 1/29/26) $7.34 Market capitalization $3.68 billion Revenue (TTM) $513.50 million Net Income (TTM) $32.49 million Company Snapshot Webull Corporation offers a digital investment platform with trading services, wealth management product distribution, market data, user community features, and investor education resources. The company operates a technology-driven business model focused on providing accessible, data-rich trading and investment tools to retail investors. It serves a broad retail investor base, leveraging a large employee workforce and a global digital presence. Webull Corporation operates at scale in the digital brokerage and wealth management sector, leveraging a technology-first approach to serve over a thousand employees and a broad retail investor base. The company's strategy centers on providing accessible, data-rich trading and investment tools, positioning it competitively among online financial platforms. Its...
Shares of Palantir Technologies and Ralph Lauren could see a bounce next week as another raft of companies get set to report earnings. Among those on deck to deliver results next week are health care behemoths Eli Lilly , Merck and Pfizer . Semiconductor makers Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm report on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. And "Magnificent Seven" megacaps Alphabet and Amazon wi...
Shares of Palantir Technologies and Ralph Lauren could see a bounce next week as another raft of companies get set to report earnings. Among those on deck to deliver results next week are health care behemoths Eli Lilly , Merck and Pfizer . Semiconductor makers Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm report on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. And "Magnificent Seven" megacaps Alphabet and Amazon will force investors to weigh the outlook for hyperscalers that offer massive cloud computing platforms. CNBC Pro screened FactSet data to find which S & P 500 stocks are showing earnings momentum. Stocks in the table below had to meet the following criteria: At least 15 upward revisions to earnings estimates in the past three months Five or fewer downward revisions to earnings estimates in the past three months Have an average earnings estimate revision of upwards of 5% or more in the past three months, or 10% or more in the past six months Palantir, set to report earnings Monday after the market close, showed up on the screen. Up more than 80% in the past year, the company led by CEO Alex Karp has struggled since reaching an all-time high in November, sliding 25% over the past three months. Some 20 analysts have raised their Palantir earnings estimates over the past three months, lifting their profit numbers by 20%. Loop Capital on Thursday revised down its price target for Palantir to $220 from $230, while keeping a buy rating. Loop's price target indicates almost 60% upside for Palantir. Analyst Mark Schappel acknowledged in a note to clients that, while there is investor skepticism around Palantir due to fears of an artificial intelligence bubble and valuation worries, the company remains in strong condition. "Quality matters during periods of volatility, and Palantir remains a premium AI asset — uniquely positioned as a category leader in the nascent enterprise AI software market, with near-flawless execution and best-in-class revenue growth plus margins," Schappel wrot...
US equity indexes declined on Friday as Kevin Warsh's nomination to be the Federal Reserve chair lif Upgrade to read this MT Newswires article and get so much more. A Silver or Gold subscription plan is required to access premium news articles.
US equity indexes declined on Friday as Kevin Warsh's nomination to be the Federal Reserve chair lif Upgrade to read this MT Newswires article and get so much more. A Silver or Gold subscription plan is required to access premium news articles.
A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket lifts off with a crew of six from Launch Site One in West Texas on Dec. 11, 2021. Joe Skipper | Reuters Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin on Friday said it was "pausing" flights of its New Shepard rocket for at least two years, effectively cancelling the company's centerpiece space tourism vehicle to focus instead on efforts to build a moon lander for NASA. Blu...
A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket lifts off with a crew of six from Launch Site One in West Texas on Dec. 11, 2021. Joe Skipper | Reuters Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin on Friday said it was "pausing" flights of its New Shepard rocket for at least two years, effectively cancelling the company's centerpiece space tourism vehicle to focus instead on efforts to build a moon lander for NASA. Blue Origin will "pause its New Shepard flights and shift resources to further accelerate development of the company's human lunar capabilities," the company said in a statement. Standing 60 feet tall, the reusable New Shepard rocket has launched dozens of paying passengers and research experiments from Texas across 38 brief, suborbital flights to the edge of space since 2021. With its debut launch in 2015, New Shepard was Blue Origin's first rocket, designed to launch some 70 miles high and return to land vertically on a slab of concrete. That landing technique would later help Blue Origin develop New Glenn, its heavy-lift orbital-class rocket that rivals launchers from Elon Musk's SpaceX and lands in a similar vertical fashion after boosting a payload to orbit. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp announced the decision internally to employees on Friday in an email that began, "I have some significant news to share with you," according to a copy seen by Reuters. "New Shepard has achieved great success and will forever be our first step," Limp said, adding "the decision to pause is not one that I take lightly." "We will redirect our people and resources toward further acceleration of our human lunar capabilities inclusive of New Glenn," Limp said. The New Shepard decision came as a surprise to some Blue Origin employees, and it is widely seen as a cancellation of the program, company staff told Reuters, speaking anonymously. Blue Origin has a $3.6 billion contract with NASA that helps fund development of Blue Moon, a lunar lander that is on deck to send U.S. astronauts to the lunar surf...
Earnings Call Insights: LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Peter Z. Vanacker opened the call emphasizing, "I am proud of our people and how they continue to navigate cycle in 2025, while maintaining focus on our long-term strategy, despite some of the most challenging market conditions I have seen in my career." He highlighted exceptional safety performance, stating 2...
Earnings Call Insights: LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Peter Z. Vanacker opened the call emphasizing, "I am proud of our people and how they continue to navigate cycle in 2025, while maintaining focus on our long-term strategy, despite some of the most challenging market conditions I have seen in my career." He highlighted exceptional safety performance, stating 2025 was "the safest year in our company's history" with a record-low incident rate despite significant maintenance activity. Vanacker detailed progress on the company’s three-pillar strategy: advancing core operations with divestment of four European assets on track for Q2 2026 completion, strengthening cost advantage in the Middle East, and extending the value enhancement program with a new target of $1.5 billion recurring annual EBITDA by 2028. He reported the value enhancement program achieved $1.1 billion of recurring annual EBITDA in 2025 and announced a focus on "immediately profitable projects" while reviewing the timing of certain 2030 goals and reducing capital expenditure plans for circular solutions. CFO Agustin Izquierdo stated, "We set a goal to conserve $600 million of cash relative to our 2025 plan, and we exceeded that goal by roughly $200 million to achieve $800 million." Izquierdo also noted a 7% global workforce reduction and said, "We expect to deliver an additional $500 million of incremental cash in 2026 relative to 2025 actuals." Izquierdo reported, "We ended the year with $3.4 billion of cash and short-term investments and $8.1 billion of available liquidity," emphasizing preservation of financial flexibility and readiness to advance growth projects as markets recover. Executive Vice President Kimberly Foley said O&P Americas fourth quarter EBITDA was $164 million, impacted by higher feedstock costs and maintenance, while the European/Asia/International segment posted a $61 million loss. She described proactive inventory alignment and ongoing progres...
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has revealed the total number of active FSD subscriptions for the first time at its fourth-quarter earnings call. 1.1 Million Active FSD Subscriptions The company shared the figure during its fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, with CFO Vaibhav Taneja sharing that there were 1.1 million active FSD subscribers worldwide. He shared that there were "nearly 1,100,000 pa...
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has revealed the total number of active FSD subscriptions for the first time at its fourth-quarter earnings call. 1.1 Million Active FSD Subscriptions The company shared the figure during its fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, with CFO Vaibhav Taneja sharing that there were 1.1 million active FSD subscribers worldwide. He shared that there were "nearly 1,100,000 paid customers globally," adding that over "70% were upfront purchases." Taneja shared that as the company announced the transition to FSD's subscription-only model starting next month, "will impact automotive margins." Don't Miss: Missed Nvidia and Tesla? RAD Intel Could Be the Next AI Powerhouse — Just $0.85 a Share If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it? Tesla offers a $99/month subscription for the FSD, as well as an option to pay $8,000 upfront, which would now only be available until 14th February this year. The move could help Tesla reach the 10 million active subscriptions, which is one of the milestones laid out in Tesla CEO Elon Musk‘s trillion-dollar pay package. FSD Transfers, Subscription Price To Go Up? The news comes as Tesla announced updated guidelines for free FSD transfers, which are slated to end on March 31 this year. Tesla shared that new vehicle purchases dated between April 24, 2025, and March 31, 2026, could be eligible for free FSD transfers. Musk also shared that the price for the FSD subscription fee would go up as the technology continues to improve. See Also: Blue-chip art has historically outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995, and fractional investing is now opening this institutional asset class to everyday investors. Tesla Model S, X Rollback, xAI Investment The news comes as Tesla announced it was scrapping production of the Model S and Model X this year. "It's time to bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge," Musk shared during the compa...
Thursday’s arrests of Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort demonstrate the administration’s lawless crusade against routine journalism Two federal courts reviewed the government’s evidence against journalist Don Lemon and declined to approve his arrest last week. But nevertheless, the attorney general, Pam Bondi, persisted, desperate to please her authoritarian boss no matter what the con...
Thursday’s arrests of Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort demonstrate the administration’s lawless crusade against routine journalism Two federal courts reviewed the government’s evidence against journalist Don Lemon and declined to approve his arrest last week. But nevertheless, the attorney general, Pam Bondi, persisted, desperate to please her authoritarian boss no matter what the constitution and law say or what her ethical obligations as an attorney require. Thursday’s arrests of Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort – like the recent raid on the Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson – demonstrate the administration’s lawless crusade against routine journalism. In normal times the expectation is that even when a journalist’s conduct might technically fit the legal elements of a crime – jaywalking to get footage of a protest, for example – prosecutors will exercise their discretion and judgment to not apply the law in a manner that chills the free press. Seth Stern is the director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation and a first amendment lawyer Continue reading...
Former Google software engineer Ding Linwei was convicted by a federal jury in San Francisco on Thursday of stealing AI trade secrets from the US tech giant to benefit two Chinese companies he was secretly working for, the US Department of Justice said on Thursday. Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, was found guilty after an 11-day trial of seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts...
Former Google software engineer Ding Linwei was convicted by a federal jury in San Francisco on Thursday of stealing AI trade secrets from the US tech giant to benefit two Chinese companies he was secretly working for, the US Department of Justice said on Thursday. Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, was found guilty after an 11-day trial of seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets for stealing thousands of pages of confidential information. Each economic espionage charge carries a maximum 15-year prison term and US$5 million fine, while each trade secrets charge carries a maximum 10-year term and US$250,000 fine. Advertisement Ding is scheduled to appear at a status conference on February 3, according to the DOJ. A lawyer for Ding, also known as Leon Ding, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 27:50 Post Techcast: the DeepSeek shock wave Post Techcast: the DeepSeek shock wave Ding was originally indicted in March 2024 on four counts of theft of trade secrets. A superseding indictment in February expanded the charges.
Three news items caught my eye over the past few days. The European Union is finally ready to totally ban the import of Russian natural gas. (You mean they have still been buying Russian gas?) The new National Defence Strategy put out by the Pentagon says the United States will de-prioritise Europe – which must address its own regional security needs – and focus on deterring China And former Germa...
Three news items caught my eye over the past few days. The European Union is finally ready to totally ban the import of Russian natural gas. (You mean they have still been buying Russian gas?) The new National Defence Strategy put out by the Pentagon says the United States will de-prioritise Europe – which must address its own regional security needs – and focus on deterring China And former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder wrote a piece in a newspaper that ended up drawing a lot of flak for himself. Why? He said Germany will eventually need to resume cooperation with Russia. He also defended the construction of Nord Stream 2, the Russian-German gas pipeline, which was blown up either by Ukrainian terrorists, American special forces or Russian saboteurs, depending on who you believe. Advertisement The last one seems most unlikely, though it was, for a long time, promoted by Brussels. Why would Russia blow up its own infrastructure while still trying to sell gas to Europe, despite the Ukraine invasion? At least EU foreign minister Kaja Kallas didn’t allege Chinese involvement! The European Union has finally approved a total ban on all imports of Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas by 2027, over the objections of Hungary and Slovakia – not quite the land of unanimity and consensus as advertised. Advertisement All this time, Brussels has been criticising China , and to a lesser extent India, for buying discounted energy from Russia, which it claims amounts to supporting Moscow’s war efforts. And yet, EU states have continued importing it.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpine Banks of Colorado (OTCQX: ALPIB) (“Alpine” or the “Company”), the holding company for Alpine Bank (the “Bank”), today announced results (unaudited) for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2025. The Company reported net income of $19.7 million, or $1.23 per basic Class A common share and basic Class B common share, for fou...
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpine Banks of Colorado (OTCQX: ALPIB) (“Alpine” or the “Company”), the holding company for Alpine Bank (the “Bank”), today announced results (unaudited) for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2025. The Company reported net income of $19.7 million, or $1.23 per basic Class A common share and basic Class B common share, for fourth quarter 2025. Highlights in fourth quarter 2025 and the year ended December 31, 2025, include: Basic earnings per Class A and Class B common share increased 6.4%, or $0.07, during fourth quarter 2025 as compared to third quarter 2025. Basic earnings per Class A and Class B common share increased 42.0%, or $1.30, during the 12 months ended December 31, 2025. Net interest margin for fourth quarter 2025 was 3.57% compared to 3.54% in third quarter 2025 and 3.18% in fourth quarter 2024. “Alpine Bank finished 2025 with strong financial momentum, a testament to the resilience of our employee-owners and the loyalty of the Colorado communities we serve,” said Alpine Bank President & CEO Glen Jammaron. “While we are proud of our accomplishments in 2025, our hearts remain heavy following the loss of our founder and chairman, Bob Young, this past December. Bob’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of Alpine Bank—from our commitment to independence to his belief that 'caring' is the most valuable thing one person can give to another. He was deeply committed to creating opportunities for his fellow employees to grow and succeed, and we intend to honor him by remaining an independent, community-focused bank that puts people first. We are proud to carry Bob’s legacy forward and ensure the values he championed for over 50 years continue to guide us.” Net Income Net income for fourth quarter 2025 and third quarter 2025 was $19.7 million and $18.5 million, respectively. Interest income increased $1.7 million in fourth quarter 2025 compared to third quarter 2025, primarily due to increas...
Galmed Pharmaceuticals ( GLMD ) on Friday said it received a notice from Nasdaq that it is not in compliance with the exchange’s minimum bid price requirement of $1 per share. The company has 180 days, until July 28, 2026, to regain compliance by maintaining a closing bid price of at least $1 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days. If it fails to do so, it may be eligible for an additional ...
Galmed Pharmaceuticals ( GLMD ) on Friday said it received a notice from Nasdaq that it is not in compliance with the exchange’s minimum bid price requirement of $1 per share. The company has 180 days, until July 28, 2026, to regain compliance by maintaining a closing bid price of at least $1 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days. If it fails to do so, it may be eligible for an additional compliance period, subject to meeting other listing requirements. Galmed said the notice has no immediate effect on the trading of its shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market. GLMD closed -5.33% at $0.71. Source: Press Release More on Galmed Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Galmed Historical earnings data for Galmed Financial information for Galmed
PM Images Gold ( XAUUSD:CUR ), silver ( XAGUSD:CUR ), and other mining stocks and precious metal funds saw a sharp reversal on Friday, with the gold spot price returning to the $4,800 level and silver down to the 80s. All of this unwinding might be due to President Donald Trump’s pick for new Federal Reserve chair, according to the Street. “Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair is capturing mo...
PM Images Gold ( XAUUSD:CUR ), silver ( XAGUSD:CUR ), and other mining stocks and precious metal funds saw a sharp reversal on Friday, with the gold spot price returning to the $4,800 level and silver down to the 80s. All of this unwinding might be due to President Donald Trump’s pick for new Federal Reserve chair, according to the Street. “Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair is capturing most of the blame for today’s unwind of the debasement trade. Gold ( XAUUSD:CUR ) is sharply lower as the dollar ( DXY ) bounces off support. Historically, when gold experiences rapid gains—like it has in recent months—volatility tends to increase afterward,” said Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial. He added that strong three-month advances in gold have historically been followed by higher realized volatility over the next three months too. The U.S. dollar ( DXY ), which is down more than 10% from a year ago, rose +0.89% on Friday. We are now seeing gold volatility peaking to “a level rarely seen,” according to SentimenTrader. Gold VIX (SentimenTrader) “When the Gold VIX crossed above 38 for the first time in three months, gold was higher six and 12 months later every time,” its analysts said. “Today, newcomers to commodities paid their tuition fees,” said Seeking Alpha analyst Alex King of Cestrian Capital Research . “The magnitude of the drop in metals and mining ETFs suggests that the New Metallurgists have been winding on the leverage in a manner comparable to altcoiners.” “Once this flush is complete and enough homes, hearts and wallets are broken, we expect a resumption of the upward trend in commodities and equities alike,” he concluded. More on the markets Federal Reserve Watch: Trump's Choice Is A 'Warsh' January Barnburner: Gold Soars And Crashes, Stocks Rally, Bonds Quiet 3 Things To Consider In Kevin Warsh's Nomination For Federal Reserve Chair U.S. stocks end the week in the red as tech sell-off deepens Warsh nomination is a ‘pro-market m...
(RTTNews) - Extending yesterday's decline, Canadian stocks plummeted on Friday as metal-linked stocks nosedived after a tailspin in gold prices, weighing heavily on the broader market. After opening well below yesterday's close, today the benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index traded below the flatline throughout the session before settling at 31,923.52, down by 1092.61 points (or 3.31%). Three of the ...
(RTTNews) - Extending yesterday's decline, Canadian stocks plummeted on Friday as metal-linked stocks nosedived after a tailspin in gold prices, weighing heavily on the broader market. After opening well below yesterday's close, today the benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index traded below the flatline throughout the session before settling at 31,923.52, down by 1092.61 points (or 3.31%). Three of the 11 sectors posted gains today, with the communication services sector leading the pack. Yesterday, Front Month Comex Gold for February delivery rose to $5,318.40 per troy ounce. After this new record high, which it reached with increase in eight consecutive sessions, today investors opted to book profits, sending gold prices down the slope. As a result, mining stocks nosedived and pulled down the index. The decline was further accelerated due to an increase in the U.S. dollar index value following the announcement of U.S. President Donald Trump's choice for the next U.S. Federal Reserve Chair. The tenure of the current Fed Chair Jerome Powell ends in May. In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced Kevin Warsh as his nominee as the next Fed Chair. Warsh was a member of the Fed's board from 2006 to 2011. As Warsh is known for adopting a "hawkish" stance, his selection caught markets by surprise since Trump has been explicitly proposing slashing interest rates to as low as 1%. Meanwhile, Canada-U.S. ties have heated up further. Reacting to the refusal of Canada to certify the 500, 600, 700, and 800 jets from Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace, yesterday Trump warned Canada of 50% tariffs on all Canadian aircrafts sold in the U.S. if Canada does not change its position. Trump even threatened to de-certify Global Expresses aircrafts from Canada's largest aircraft manufacturer Bombardier. Following this, Bombardier shares dropped by around 9%. Much later, the U.S. clarified that Trump was not de-certifying planes currently in operation. Notably, Bombardier and Gulfstream are riva...
georgeclerk Peloton Interactive ( PTON ) plans to cut about 11% of its workforce in a significant cost‑reduction move, according to Bloomberg. The job cuts are another effort by CEO Peter Stern to streamline operations and boost profitability. Sources indicate that the layoffs are heavily concentrated in engineering and technology roles, including teams working on enterprise initiatives, signaling...
georgeclerk Peloton Interactive ( PTON ) plans to cut about 11% of its workforce in a significant cost‑reduction move, according to Bloomberg. The job cuts are another effort by CEO Peter Stern to streamline operations and boost profitability. Sources indicate that the layoffs are heavily concentrated in engineering and technology roles, including teams working on enterprise initiatives, signaling a pullback from some longer-term development projects. Notably, the job eliminations follow the launch of new AI-enabled bikes and treadmills, whose early sales have reportedly been sluggish. Shares of Peloton ( PTON ) are down 9.3% on a year-to-date basis. More on Peloton Peloton Interactive: Some Positive Developments, But Overall Fundamentals Remain Weak (Rating Upgrade) Peloton: Profit Continues Growing, Despite Cheap Multiples Peloton: No Credit For The Turnaround Peloton's AI-powered equipment struggling to gain traction with consumers Peloton raises 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $425M-$475M as new product launches drive premium mix
Comprehensive cross-platform coverage of the U.S. market close on Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, and YouTube with Romaine Bostick, Katie Greifeld, Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)
Comprehensive cross-platform coverage of the U.S. market close on Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, and YouTube with Romaine Bostick, Katie Greifeld, Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)
Blue Origin pauses space tourism flights to focus on lunar lander toggle caption Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, is suspending the short flights of its suborbital New Shepard spacecraft, which took paying customers to the edge of space and back. Since its first human launch in July 2021, New Shepard's space tourism flights ...
Blue Origin pauses space tourism flights to focus on lunar lander toggle caption Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, is suspending the short flights of its suborbital New Shepard spacecraft, which took paying customers to the edge of space and back. Since its first human launch in July 2021, New Shepard's space tourism flights have carried 98 people above the Kármán line — the widely-accepted boundary of space about 62 miles above the Earth — and safely back again in a capsule. From launch to landing in west Texas, the missions last about ten minutes. That first flight carried Bezos, his brother Mark, aviator Wally Funk and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen. Since then, Blue Origin has carried paying customers, along with some celebrity passengers like William Shatner, Katy Perry, Gayle King and Michael Strahan. Sponsor Message The company says the pause, which will last at least two years, will allow Blue Origin to dedicate more time and money to developing its human lunar landing capabilities. NASA awarded Blue Origin a $3.4 billion contract to develop a spacecraft that could take humans to the surface of the moon. NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, and is working with commercial space companies to develop the hardware. Elon Musk's SpaceX is developing its Starship rocket for the first two human landing missions, and Blue Origin will provide its vehicle for the third. But before any of those companies can ferry astronauts to the lunar surface, NASA must successfully complete Artemis II, which is taking astronauts on a trip around the moon and back. That mission could launch as early as Sunday, Feb. 8 — although unusually cold temperatures at the Florida launch site this weekend are delaying a critical test ahead of that launch attempt.