SpaceX has released images of a Super Heavy booster heading to the launchpad for pre-launch testing.

“Flight 6 Super Heavy booster moved to the Starbase pad for testing,” SpaceX said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

Flight 6 Super Heavy booster moved to the Starbase pad for testing. The move comes just one week after returning the first booster caught following launch pic.twitter.com/iwmqCeF3tE

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 22, 2024

SpaceX, led by the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, is eager to proceed with the sixth test flight of the Starship, which comprises the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft.

Once the ground-based, pre-launch testing of the Super Heavy’s engines is complete, engineers will also test the Starship’s engines. After that, the Starship will be lifted atop the Super Heavy in preparation for the sixth test flight from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The most recent test of the most powerful rocket ever to fly took place on October 13 and was a huge success. The mission involved the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms “catching” the Super Heavy booster as it returned to Earth shortly after deploying the Starship spacecraft to orbit. It was the first attempt to perform the feat, and put SpaceX on a path to creating a reliable, reusable Starship system that will enable it to increase flight frequency and slash mission costs.

There’s no word yet on when the sixth Starship test will take place, but there’s a fair chance it could fly again by the end of next month. A message to news site NASASpaceflight (NSF) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suggested SpaceX currently has clearance to launch, provided it sticks to the same mission profile as Flight 5. However, if SpaceX changes the mission profile, the FAA will need additional time to review it before deciding whether to award a launch permit.

“The SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Flight 5 license authorization also includes FAA approval of the Flight 6 mission profile,” the regulatory body told NSF. “The FAA determined the changes requested by Space for Flight 6 are within the scope of what has been previously analyzed. Any modifications requested by SpaceX to the approved Flight 6 scope of operations may require further FAA evaluation.”

NASA is watching the Starship’s development closely as it will use the vehicle for the Artemis III mission, currently set for 2026, which will land the first humans on the lunar surface in five decades.

There are many tech startup companies being founded from the ground up—and they’re encouraging to see. However, keeping them thriving is different. Beyond the products or real-life solutions they provide, how they’re perceived by the world is important. Marketing in the tech industry goes beyond the technicalities but is more about being able to relay your offerings to other people. This is where hiring a marketing consultant comes in.

The unique challenges of tech startup marketing

Tech startups have always been at the forefront of developing the next big innovation. These latest trends are constantly being made from scratch and released in the market. The cycle just goes on and on, but what’s challenging on their end is communicating these often-complicated stuff to the masses in a manner that’ll be understood. If they’re doing these things for the people, then the general audience should be able to comprehend and appreciate them with their current level of thinking.

The marriage of technical and marketing principles for your startup requires a person dedicated to your craft and audience. Marketing consultants fit the bill as they’re passionate about training your sales team with best practices to keep them driving growth for the long term. Not only that, but they also provide expert insights on how to strategically and creatively approach your situation.

It’s a known fact that startups operate on a limited budget, so it’s crucial to make your marketing efforts impactful and effective. Asking for guidance from a reputable marketing consultant is the best way to go.

Expertise and specialized knowledge

Marketing consultants can bring the best out of your tech startup as they’re always in the loop with what’s hot and what’s not in the industry. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to trying to put yourself out there. Their specialized knowledge enables them to tailor-fit your products’ marketing according to your target audience and the direction of the company.

Working with a marketing consultant just hits different compared to doing the marketing on your own. While you may think you can DIY your way, having a professional working for you whose role is solely dedicated to marketing will exponentially boost your reach. They’re not juggling other roles, so they can go all in with spreading your offerings to other people.

Data-driven decision making

In relation to the discussion above, marketing consultants’ application of their specialized knowledge lies in their savage decision-making. Every marketing decision is backed up by qualitative and quantitative facts—nothing arises out of thin air. Marketing consultants study consumer behavior and market trends to identify which effort brings the most success. They establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure how their marketing campaigns are doing.

Interpreting marketing data isn’t for the faint of heart because a lot can be at stake. Methodologies and analytical tools can be complex at times, which is why marketing consultants are given this task. There are a lot of variables at play, and just relying on John Doe can prove to be risky.

Building brand identity

Your brand identity should clearly define who you are and what you’re all about. This should be distinct for you alone and be established early on. Marketing consultants are there to guide you in coming up with compelling content that connects with your community and create a cohesive representation.

Beyond the colors, shapes, and sizes, consultants can dwell on the psychological and emotional aspects of branding and connect with your target people on a deeper level. They can create a visual identity that’s so appealing that people will always remember it because of its uniqueness and relatability. They can also craft messaging that clearly communicates your unique value proposition and position your startup effectively against competitors.

Note that building an identity for your tech startup is a collaboration between you, as the leader of your organization, and the marketing consultant. It ultimately starts with how you see your tech startup, bouncing it with your consultant, and teaming up to build the brand identity you want to be known for. Both of your efforts will be geared towards differentiating your brand in a crowded market and creating messages that speak directly to your customers’ pain points and aspirations.

Navigating the digital landscape

The battle for tech startups lies in their online presence. Marketing consultants can guide you through the complexities of digital marketing, including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, and content marketing. These means of marketing put you in the position of pitching your products to your audience, and all they need to do is act upon your offering.

Conclusion

Effective marketing is your best ally in making your tech startup thriving. Having a good marketing consultant can unlock the potential of your business. As the tech industry continues to evolve, the guidance of a marketing expert can provide the competitive edge needed in this dynamic ecosystem.

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Car manufacturers will be able to develop new AI voice assistants for their cars thanks to a new partnership with Qualcomm and Google. announced earlier today that it’s working with Google on a new AI development system for carmakers.

The new version is based on , Google’s infotainment platform for cars. Qualcomm is offering its Snapdragon Digital Chassis with Google Cloud and AAOS to generate new AI-powered digital cockpits for cars. Qualcomm also unveiled for powering driving systems including the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite for dashboards and the Snapdragon Ride Elite for self-driving features.

The new interface will allow car drivers and passengers to interact with custom voice assistants, immersive maps and real-time driving updates. Carmakers can use the new system to create their own unique and marketable AI voice assistants that don’t require a connection to a smartphone.

Other carmakers have taken steps to try to integrate AI systems in its vehicles. announced plans at CES 2024 that it would integrate ChatGPT in its cars’ voice assistants across a range of newer models. After a slow start, AAOS now underpins vehicles from several manufacturers including Chevrolet, Honda, Volvo and Rivian.

Could your profile picture use an update? Not everyone has the time or money to hire a professional whenever they need a headshot, and a smartphone picture doesn’t usually make a good impression. Designed to automatically give your photos a professional look, an AI headshot generator might be the perfect solution—but which is the right choice for you?

Portrait Pal’s service is highly rated. It takes amateur pictures and transforms them into professional headshots that would have otherwise seemed impossible. Its polished but authentic look generates natural poses for even initially stiff-looking photos. Even the backgrounds don’t have the usual signs of AI.

Facial features and skin tone remain true to life without the typical unnatural distortions. The images convey warmth and approachability, giving the user confidence in their new visual presentation.

Creating an image with Portrait Pal takes less than a few hours, and there are only a few steps to complete before starting. Create an account with your email address and choose from a starter package with 20 photos and a 3-hour wait for $35, a basic package with 60 photos and a 2.5-hour wait for $45 or a premium package with 100 photos and a 2-hour wait for $75.

Portrait Pal will ask for your gender, ethnicity, hair and eye color, hair length and if you want glasses in the photos. Then, submit your photos and payment information. A few hours later, your high-quality headshots will be ready.

PixelPose promises highly realistic AI headshots, with a fast and user-friendly process yielding impressive results. This platform is similar to Portrait Pal, most likely using a comparable AI model to achieve their results.

To create an image with PixelPose, you will first be asked to create an account. Afterward, you select a package. The starter, basic, and premium packages offered by PixelPose are priced the same as Portrait Pal’s but boast 2-hour, 1-hour and 30-minute processing times, respectively, instead. They also provide various outfits and backgrounds based on the package.

PixelPose asks for gender, age and body type before you upload your photos and enter payment information. The resulting images are quality and professional, setting them apart in a crowded market.

3. Dreamwave

Dreamwave is another impressive headshot generator that delivers satisfying results. Its process begins on the homepage, requiring you to upload at least five photos to get started. Much like other generators, they guide the best photos to upload. After uploading your photos, Dreamweave will ask for your email address and ask you to select your gender.

Dreamweave has a free option regarding pricing, but the queue times can extend for weeks. The starter package has 120 photos with a 2-hour wait at $35, the standard package has 240 photos with a 2-hour wait and one free redo at $59, and the best value package has 500 photos with a 2-hour wait, two free redos and human touch-ups available from Photoshop experts at $99.

After receiving your photos, you have the option to edit the photos, with options to auto-improve teeth, auto-improve eyes, remove blemishes, crop the image or apply filters. While still in beta, these features are nice additions.

Is It worth considering AI headshot generators?

Interface.ai, a customer automation platform for banks and other financial institutions, today announced that it closed a $30 million funding round led by Avataar Venture Partners.

Twenty million dollars of the round was equity, while the remaining $10 million was in the form of debt. It’s Interface’s first outside capital; the startup had been completely bootstrapped.

“Interface is trusted by more than 100 financial institutions across North America, processing millions of interactions every day,” CEO and co-founder Srinivas Njay told TechCrunch. “We’re generating tens of millions in annual recurring revenue.”

Njay said that the inspiration for Interface came from his father, who owned a credit union in India. Previously, Njay worked at Microsoft as a product manager on the Bing advertising team and at EA as a senior product manager on mobile games.

Njay teamed up with Bruce Kim, the founder of customer management and billing company Inovaware, in 2019 to launch Interface.

“The big national banks are investing heavily in AI to transform their banking operations,” Njay said. “But for many regional and community-based financial institutions, staffing and resourcing this capability is simply out of reach. Interface democratizes access to AI.”

Interface’s core product is a collection of voice- and text-based AI agents designed to handle basic bank customer service requests. Powered by models trained on in-house data, the agents can perform tasks like helping modify mortgage payments and opening new accounts.

Banks can customize the agents by fine-tuning them on their internal data. The agents can also be configured to upsell products based on information like the content of prior chats.

“Our AI is specifically designed for the banking industry,” Njay said, “complete with pre-built integrations, data models, and workflows.”

Financial institutions are piloting AI — and in particular generative AI — for applications ranging from customer service to predictive analytics. According to a March survey cited in American Banker, more than half of global and U.S. banks intend to implement generative AI at some level over the next year.

Besides Interface, AI startups trying to nab a slice of banks’ business include Hyperplane, which builds AI models to predict customer behavior; Cambio, which creates AI to talk to a bank’s customers; and Digital Onboarding, which specializes in strengthening banks’ relationships with customers.

Banking customers are wary of the tech, however. In a J.D. Power poll, only 27% said that they’d trust AI for financial information and advice, while less than half said they’d take product recommendations from AI.

Institutions also aren’t necessarily deploying AI for customer communications — which is a big portion of Interface’s business. But in a spot of bright news, credit unions — one of Interface’s largest customer segments — have been aggressively adopting chatbot tech this year.

“Our platform has multiple levers for creating value,” Njay said. “The number of unique applications of AI is one of the main factors contributing to Interface’s ability to weather potential headwinds.”

With the new money from the funding round, Interface plans to expand its 120-person team across North America and India and “accelerate go-to-market initiatives.”

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“We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations,” Intelsat said. The company has since established a board to conduct a “comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly.”

U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) has confirmed the breakup of Intelsat 33E (#41748, 2016-053B) in GEO on October 19, 2024, at approximately 0430 UTC. Currently tracking around 20 associated pieces – analysis ongoing. S4S has observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.

It’s unclear how many pieces there are, as satellite-tracking company ExoAnalytic Solutions says it’s monitoring 57 pieces of debris, Space News reports.