Proterra raises $140 million and will increase hiring at City of Industry plant, SpaceX to resume launches on Jan. 8, and Mattel working on voice assistant for kids.

SpaceX to Resume Launches on Jan. 8

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is planning to relaunch its Falcon 9 rocket on Jan. 8, the company posted to its blog. The company also reported that it had closed its investigation into its September rocket explosion, concluding that a failed pressure vessel in a liquid oxygen tank buckled and sparked.

Mattel Working on Voice Assistant for Kids

Mattel is working on a voice assistant toy for kids called Aristotle, reports Fast Company. The device is a $300 Wi-Fi speaker-based voice assistant that functions like Google Home or Amazon Echo, but is built to live in a child’s room and answer questions.

Proterra Raises $140M, Plans to Increase Hiring at City of Industry Plant

Electric bus manufacturer Proterra of Burlingame announced on Tuesday that it has raised $140 million from investors, which will be partly used to start manufacturing and hiring at its City of Industry plant, reports the Business Journal. The company is looking to ramp up manufacturing after unveiling what it claims is a heavy-duty, long range battery system for buses.

Send tips on L.A. tech companies and startups to reporter Garrett Reim via [email protected]. Follow @garrettreim on Twitter for the latest in L.A. tech news.