Polaris

Congress Seeks Answers On Starlink Disruptions in Ukraine

“The United States government has a fundamental obligation to protect American personnel serving overseas,” the senators wrote. “The possibility that American personnel were endangered by preventable disruptions, inadequate coordination, or decisions made by their own government demands immediate scrutiny and accountability.”

Lunar

JAXA Taps ArkEdge for Two Lunar Navigation Demos

Today’s Moon explorers won’t have the luxury of GPS-like tech for navigation. But JAXA is trying to change that for future lunar visitors.

Polaris

Velos’ Election Day Tracker for Space

Space may not be top of mind when voters head to the ballot box, but Election Day outcomes still have a big impact on US policy and funding above the Kármán line.

Payload Pioneers 2026

Anna Shaposhnik, ORBES

Each astronaut hour in orbit costs $130,000. What if robots could help with some of the grunt work—while also giving the world a better view of living in space?

Payload Pioneers 2026

Kayla Bigham, FAA

Kayla Bigham grew up wanting to be an astronaut. Then, after learning about the Apollo 1 and Apollo 13 emergencies in elementary school, her goal shifted—she knew she wanted to keep space exploration safe.

Payload Pioneers 2026

Khushi Shah, Orbiventure

Shah was drawn to more “creative parts” of the space industry and is now creating art that’s touched down on the lunar surface.

Payload Pioneers 2026

Molly MacEachen, Mac’s Impact Consulting

Molly MacEachen wants to help companies comply with space-sustainability frameworks, but that market doesn’t exist today—so she’s building it herself.

Payload Pioneers 2026

Nicole Huimei Lee, MIT

Exercise is essential for astronauts in orbit, since microgravity causes rapid deterioration of bone density and muscle mass. But what if the astronauts could multitask?

Payload Pioneers 2026

Risha Das, MIT

Space is now widely viewed as the newest warfighting domain. Ritisha (Risha) Das is working to make sure it can be used for peace as well.

Payload Pioneers 2026

Clay Ito, OpenC3

“We just want people to get started so they can focus on the mission, and not all the tinkering,” he added.

Payload Pioneers 2026

Isobel Porteous, EarthTraq

What do a bird, a shipping container, and a polar bear have in common? They can all be tracked with tech from EarthTraq.

Payload Pioneers 2026

Naresh Kannan, OrbitAID

“My primary goal was to build the credibility of this domain in India,” he said. “Everyone was thinking, ‘This is a little bit too far-fetched.’”

Payload Pioneers 2026

Marc Galobardes Esteban, Amura Space

Marc Galobardes Esteban cofounded Amura Space (formerly known as CISGAM Inc.) in 2025, to rethink how the space industry approaches propulsion in orbit.