Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this edition:
Space station tech launches at an Alberta facility
A startup shifts strategy with a new acquisition
AI takes on a role in provincial legislation
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Space station tech comes to Alberta to pull carbon from the air
Photo: Deep Sky
Technology that keeps astronauts alive on the International Space Station is launching operations at a carbon capture facility in Innisfail, Alberta. Deep Sky, a Montreal company that develops carbon removal projects, is deploying Direct Air Capture equipment made by Airbus at its Deep Sky Alpha site. The unit can pull 250 tons of CO2 out of the air each year and was recently delivered after eight months of engineering and manufacturing.
Here's how it works: a filter captures carbon dioxide from regular air, then the system heats it up to release concentrated CO2 while pushing the cleaned air back into the atmosphere. Airbus adapted the technology from life-support systems it built for the space station and started selling it commercially in 2023. Deep Sky CEO Alex Petre says if carbon removal is going to make a real dent, technologies need to scale up fast enough to remove billions of tons of CO2.
Deep Sky Alpha opened earlier this year and tests carbon capture equipment from several companies, including Airhive, Phlair, and MissionZero. The facility is backed by some big names—Deep Sky landed USD $40 million from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst last December and has deals with RBC and Microsoft to deliver carbon removal credits over the next ten years.
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🤝 Funding, Deals, and Partnerships
DeepMarkit shifts strategy with Prospect acquisition, enters prediction markets. The acquisition gives DeepMarkit immediate entry into the rapidly expanding sports prediction category through Prospect’s blockchain-powered, free-to-play platform. Calgary.Tech
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📰 Need To Know
This Calgary startup is rethinking traditional house framing with fibreglass innovation. A Canadian entrepreneur wants homebuilding to be simpler than assembling IKEA furniture. Calgary.Tech
Alberta minister reportedly putting together first AI-generated legislation in Canada. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally says the plan is to use AI to develop and introduce the Alberta Whisky Act when the house sits next spring. CityNews
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