But a little company in the U.K. with 25 employees has been sending things into space for over a decade.
Sent Into Space, the WSJ noted today, makes a business out of sending "stuff" into "space" (at 110,000 feet, it's technically just the stratosphere, but the pictures will fool you).
Details: A chicken nugget, Jameson whiskey, a wedding dress, and a meat-and-potato pie have all taken the trip, per the report.
Um, why? It's fueled some pretty good marketing campaigns. And why not?
Between the lines: There are no rockets involved. A polyethylene balloon takes the object up for its photo shoot before descending back down to Earth.
A single trip can cost between a few thousand dollars to "hundreds of thousands," per the WSJ.
"Continued investments in diversity initiatives are essential to the success of your business and our country's economy."
— Leaders of a dozen nonprofits representing the economic rights of minority communities, in a letter today to Fortune 500 CEOs, assailing the backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission isn't done cracking down on crypto lending — it announced a $3 million in fines against TradeStation over its lending program today.
Why it matters: Offering customers yield for allowing a third party to lend out their cryptoassets was a popular product in the blockchain business, but then many of the companies offering it fell apart in 2022.
Toyota expects to notch an annual profit of more than $30 billion when its fiscal year closes in March, it said Tuesday.
Why it matters: That would be a record profit for the Japanese car giant, suggesting its decision to emphasize gas-hybrid vehicles, rather than fully electric models, is paying off.
Meta stock hit a high above $485 per share on Friday. That's a jump of more than 23% from where it closed on Thursday before the company reported earnings and announced its first-ever dividend.
Why it matters: Dividends are a form of financial engineering. They don't change anything fundamental about a company's size or profitability — and yet they can have an enormous effect on its valuation.
Shortages of weight-loss drugs are driving pharmaceutical companies to scramble to shore up supplies.
Why it matters: Booming demand for anti-obesity drugs, known as GLP-1s, has led to a windfall of revenue for pharma giants like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
Palantir Technologies is reaping a surge of AI-related revenue earlier than anticipated, Nathan writes.
Why it matters: The company's sales jump — reported after yesterday's closing bell — illustrates how quickly artificial intelligence is lifting the tech sector to new heights.
Driving the news: Fourth-quarter revenue for the data-analytics company rose 20%, compared with a year earlier, which included a 70% jump in U.S. commercial revenue.
Missing bolts likely contributed to an emergency blowout aboard a Boeing 737 MAX 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight last month, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) preliminary findings on the incident released on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The findings shed light on the near catastrophe that's reignited scrutiny on Boeing and its 737 MAX jets, which were previously involved in two crashes that killed 346 people.
Delinquency rates on credit cards and auto loans spiked to their highest since the Great Recession, according to a New York Fed report out Tuesday.
Why it matters: The striking resilience of the American consumer is a key reason why the economy has avoided a recession. Emerging stress on household balance sheets is one of the few worrying signs for a U.S. economy that has continued to shrug off threats.
Starry — Pepsi's new Sprite alternative — has already racked up more sales in its first year than its predecessor Sierra Mist had in its last four years combined, company execs shared with Axios.
Why it matters: America's largest food company is making the latest move in the ongoing lemon-lime soda wars with itsStarry Super Bowl commercial debut Sunday.
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told lawmakers on Tuesday he will use any authority available to him to hold Boeing accountable for any noncompliance that contributed to last month's 737 Max 9 accident during an Alaska Airlines flight.
Why it matters: FAA administrator Michael Whitaker told the House subcommittee on aviation that the agency will not grant Boeing any additional manufacturing expansions for the Max until it's resolved quality control issues.
The Fed's closely watched survey of senior bank lending officers, out Monday, suggests an improvement in access to credit for businesses.
Why it matters: Credit is the lifeblood of the U.S. economy, and it got much harder to come by after the Fed launched its rate-hiking campaign in 2022.
Taylor Swift's relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is more than just a love affair, it's an economics case study, says University of Kansas professor Misty Heggeness.
What's happening: She's created a Taylor Swift curriculum — Swiftynomics 101 — to help high school and college teachers convey economics lessons by analyzing the 34-year-old pop star's effect on the NFL's business.
Austin, Raleigh, Boise, Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah, top the Milken Institute's latest annual list of the Best Performing Cities, released first to Axios.
Why it matters: These metropolitan areas offer high wages, plentiful jobs, a (relatively) low cost of living and thriving tech sectors — making them economic models for the rest of the nation.
Beauty and health food brands are buying up ad spots for the Super Bowl on Sunday — a testament to football's growing popularity among women and young people.
Why it matters: Pop stars and influencers such as Taylor Swift and Alix Earle helped drive an unprecedented ratings bump for the NFL from the sidelines this season. Now consumer brands want to get in on the action during the Big Game.
The Apple Vision Pro draws some surprisingly strong opinions on social media, in friend circles, and as we found out this morning — in companywide newsroom meetings.
Why it matters: Most of those come from people who've never put one on. What I determined after using it for a weekend — it's an incredible piece of technology that sets a new bar for other reality altering gadgets to beat.
