Virgin Orbit launches Vox Space subsidiary, Snap Maps offered real-time coverage of Tuesday’s terror attacks in Manhattan and Breitbart and other conservative outlets escalate anti-SpaceX campaign.

Virgin Orbit Launches Subsidiary Vox Space

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit launched Vox Space, a wholly-owned subsidiary, which aims to provide the national security branches of the U.S. and allied nations with launch services for small satellites bound for Low Earth Orbit, TechCrunch reports. The company is headquartered in Manhattan Beach and will provide launch services using Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne.

Snap Maps Offered Real-Time Coverage of Tuesday’s Terror Attack in Manhattan

During Tuesday’s terror attack in Lower Manhattan, in which a driver in a pickup truck killed eight people and injured 11, Snap Maps, the location-sharing feature that Snapchat introduced this summer, proved to be an effective way to get real-time information on what was happening, Nieman Lab reports. The app included footage of the terrorist incident almost immediately after it happened.

Breitbart, Other Conservative Outlets Escalate Anti-SpaceX Campaign

SpaceX has become the target of a sustained campaign of criticism in articles, mostly in conservative publications such as Town Hall, Breitbart and the Daily Caller, for being the beneficiary of U.S. government contracts, Ars Technica reports. The articles, several of which are written by former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul or his associates, have the same general theme: founder Elon Musk has given lavishly to politicians, especially Arizona Sen. John McCain, and is benefiting from cronyism.

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