BusinessEuropeInternational

ISU Founder Shares a Vision Beyond Liquidation

Payload spoke with ISU cofounder Bob Richards and Dean Emerita Angie Bukley about what happened, and what comes next.

BusinessLEO

Exclusive: Loft Orbital Scales Offering with Apex Bus Purchase

Loft Orbital announced the purchase of new satellite bus inventory today designed to fly larger, more power hungry customer payloads.

EuropeLunar

Lunar Outpost Joins ESA’s Moonraker Mission in 2030

Lunar Outpost Europe will develop thermal management solutions to help Moonraker withstand the wide temperature swings in lunar orbit.

StartupsTechnology

Reditus Finishes ENOS Reentry Vehicle Ahead of First Flight

Reditus announced today it completed development of its first reentry spacecraft—called ENOS—which is scheduled to fly a debut flight this fall.

PolicyScienceStartups

Reflect Orbital Cleared to Fly In-Orbit Mirror by FCC 

The FCC said concerns about how the spacecraft will impact the environment and astronomy are outside of the Commission’s scope.

MilitaryStartups

Pulse Space Lands $40M Space Force Contract to Develop Laser Tech

Pulse Space, a WA-based startup building laser systems capable of beaming power to other satellites on orbit, announced a $40M Space Force contract.

EuropeMilitary

NATO Allies Plan to Stitch Together Sovereign Space Fleets

Eight NATO allies announced plans this week to combine their national defense satellites into a single network.

LaunchVC/PE

Blue Origin Seeks $10B at $130B Valuation, Reporting Shows

Blue Origin’s days as a Bezos-funded billion-dollar pet project are coming to an end.

LaunchStartupsVC/PE

Venus Aerospace Raises $91M Series B to Scale RDRE Production

The funding round is the latest in a string of news from RDRE engine companies, suggesting the more efficient rocket tech is having a moment in the industry. 

Launch

Transporter-17 Sends the First Commercial Nuclear Sat to Orbit

SpaceX’s ($SPCX) Transporter-17 rideshare mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:12am, carrying 81 payloads to LEO.

Startups

Exclusive: Ravee Optics Raises $6M Seed to Build Compact Laser Terminals

Ravee Optics’ solution is designed to bring laser comms to the masses, with terminals that are lighter, smaller, and easier to manufacture at scale.

EuropeInternational

Inside the Deepening Ties Between Europe and the Middle East

While European sovereignty may be driven by a response to the deterioration of geopolitical ties to the US, it’s opened the door for Middle Eastern space companies.

EuropeMilitarySatcom

Exclusive: Austria Taps R-Space for Its Second Military Sat

Aurora is one of three missions in a series of planned government-backed demos to validate new technologies in orbit