A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket expended its entire reusable core and two strap-on boosters to lift the Aurora 4A satellite to geosynchronous orbit. The launch from Florida on April 30 positions the satellite more than 22,000 miles over Alaska. The satellite is the key to Pacific Dataport’s “middle mile” communications between small communities and internet trunk lines. The 800-pound satellite built by Astranis is relatively small for spacecraft orbiting so high, but it has the advantage of never dropping below the horizon.
auroraiv.com

The electric utility in Seward remains a city department after a May 2 special election saw a sale to Homer Electric Association fail by a margin of 7 votes. Of ballots cast, 58 percent favored the $25 million sale—227 to 162—but the proposition required a 60 percent margin to pass. This is the second time since 2000 the question has been put to Seward voters; since the first, Homer Electric agreed to terms of a sale. However, some Homer residents advocated for a sale to Chugach Electric Association instead.
homerelectric.com | cityofseward.us

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) surpassed Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) in the latest tally of world air cargo to claim the slot for third busiest airport in 2022. Airports Council International counted 3,461,603 tonnes of cargo transiting ANC’s runways. Among the top ten airports, ANC had the largest increase since 2019, with 26.1 percent more cargo tonnage, even though volume dropped by 4.3 percent since 2021. Hong Kong International Airport remained in the top rank, with 4.2 million tonnes, followed by the FedEx hub in Memphis, Tennessee, with 4 million tonnes. Shanghai PVG, with the largest year-over-year drop of 21.7 percent, moved a little less than 3.1 million tonnes. Among the top ten for 2022, only Louisville, Kentucky’s airport grew since 2021, up half a percent to rank 5th. For international freight only, ANC ranks 6th, moving 2.3 million tonnes, down 5.6 percent from 2021 but up 21.1 percent from 2019, the largest growth among the top ten.
ancairport.com

The presses have stopped at the Peninsula Clarion, although the newspaper is still being published. The Washington-based owner, Sound Publishing, shut down the in-house press on Friday, April 28, and twice-weekly printings of about 1,000 copies are being outsourced to another vendor. The Clarion’s lone pressman was laid off. Sound Publishing also owns the Juneau Empire and Homer News and announced similar outsourcing arrangements for those papers; contractors were not named. The arrangement follows the Anchorage Daily News decommissioning its press in 2017 and contracting with Wick Communications, owner of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, for print jobs.
peninsulaclarion.com

A subsidiary of Chugach Alaska Corporation acquired a San Diego-based tech firm. Chugach Government Solutions (CGS) is now the parent company of Vector Planning & Services, Inc. (VPSI). Founded in 1997, VPSI specializes in cybersecurity and information assurance, systems engineering and acquisition management, and IT and cloud system integration. CGS will leverage the expanded technical services expertise to broaden its reach in the federal defense and civilian agency market. VPSI is led by Greg Hammond, who will continue to serve as subsidiary president.
chugachgov.com

The Valdez Native Tribe launched Alaska’s first green bank, Alaska Green Capital (AGC), a standalone nonprofit focused on strengthening energy resilience and energy efficiency. AGC aims to help homeowners and businesses shift to clean energy and provide low-cost loans to entrepreneurs and business initiatives in the green/blue economy. The Rasmuson Foundation awarded a grant to the tribe to aid the startup. AGC is working to capitalize its inaugural lending programs. The nonprofit business accelerator for Southeast, Spruce Root, is pursuing a similar model through a new partnership with the Washington, DC-based Coalition for Green Capital.
alaskagreencapital.org | spruceroot.org

The board of trustees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation voted in April to end a short-lived foray into in-state business investments. The board set aside $200 million in 2018, and two outside management firms directed the money into ventures such as Macro Oceans seaweed products, Fleetzero electric cargo ships, and the Three Bears Alaska supermarket chain. However, the investments were underperforming the Fund’s out-of-state portfolio and duplicated efforts of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. No additional money is being allocated to in-state investments, but the current portfolio is being retained.
apfc.org