Walt Disney to acquire stake in MLB streaming platform for $1 billion, SpaceX Ships rocket to Texas for preliminary testing, West Hollywood’s Opinit acquired by Canadian app developer, and more.

SpaceX Ships Rocket to Texas for Preliminary Testing

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is sending its Raptor rocket engine to MacGregor, Texas for testing, reports Ars Technica. The Raptor is SpaceX’s next generation of rocket engine may be as much as three times more powerful than the Merlin engines that power its Falcon 9 rocket, and will power the company’s eventual Mars mission.

NASA to Support SpaceX Mars Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will provide engineering and technical support to SpaceX’s planned mission to Mars in 2018, reports Spaceflight Now. The agency will provide a number of services including selecting a suitable landing site, offering its dish antennas for communications as well as navigation, and government engineers will review the spaceships’ construction.

Walt Disney to Acquire Stake in MLB Streaming Platform for $1B

Walt Disney Co. will acquire a 33 percent stake in Major League Baseball’s video streaming company, BamTech, for $1 billion, reports the L.A. Business Journal. Disney will pay for the company in two installments, now and in January 2017, and has the option to acquire majority ownership in the coming years.

West Hollywood’s Opinit Acquired by Canadian App Developer

West Hollywood social media curation service Opinit has agreed to be acquired by Canadian app developer Fundamental Applications Corp, reports the L.A. Business Journal. Fundamental Applications, which operates an online marketplace geared toward students called Foro, plans to integrate Opinit’s technology into its website and app.

Technology reporter Garrett Reim can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @garrettreim on Twitter for the latest in L.A. tech news.