Jacqueline Feldscher
Varda Raises $251M Series D
Lux Capital and Natural Capital led the round, which valued the company at $1.6B.
Artemis Accords To Meet on Lunar Debris, Emerging Space Help
The Artemis Accords Principals’ Meeting in Turkey will be led by NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson and Maj. Gen. Roberto Melgar Sheen, director of the Peruvian Space Agency.
Starship Reaches Orbit on 14th Test Flight
After reaching orbit, Starship deployed 26 V3 Starlink sats over about 30 minutes using its ‘Pez dispenser’ system.
FUSE Grows Its Space Portfolio
When FUSE was founded in 2020, the goal was to bring the Bay Area VC experience to software firms in Seattle, WA. However, the VC firm has since found success among the stars and broadened its reach across the US, announcing its eighth space investment this week.
Starfish’s First Operational Otter Heading to Orbit Next Month
During the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability, aka SSPICY, mission, Otter will approach and inspect multiple US defunct satellites, whose operators have agreed to receive a visit from the spacecraft.
Isaacman Promises ‘Artemis Acceleration’ Update Next Month
“There’s a lot of ingredients—so many ingredients—that need to come together for that landing, and we owe everybody an update,” he said. “There’s going to be an Artemis acceleration update…sometime in early October. Maybe it might even coincide with the [ISS] Crew 13 launch.”
Exclusive: Astrolab, Interstellar Mapping Hunt Lunar Water
A new partnership between Astrolab and Interstellar Mapping is one giant leap for mapkind.
TRL11 Will Build Imaging Tech for SR-1 Freedom
TRL11 has received a NASA contract to provide imaging systems for the Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom mission to Mars.
InnerPlant’s Glowing Soy Demos Hyperspectral Use Case
InnerPlant, which was founded in 2018, has enabled plants to let humans know when they’re under stress.
EnduroSat Raises $205M, Notches Vantor Sat Win
It was the third nine-figure fundraise announced by a European company during the past two weeks, following Open Cosmos’ €300M ($348.6M) raise and The Exploration Company’s $450M Series C.
Open Cosmos Raises €300M Funding Round
“We deliberately wanted strong European representation because we’re building strategic infrastructure in Europe, while also bringing in investors from elsewhere where it made sense,” Open Cosmos cofounder and CEO Rafel Jorda Siquier told Payload via email.
Besxar Flies Suborbital Semiconductor Demo
Besxar recently flew its first mission, demonstrating that its future semiconductor-manufacturing tech works above the Kármán line.
Schiess Becomes CSO Amid Space Workforce Shortages
Gen. Douglas Schiess became the chief of space operations on Sept. 3, following the retirement of Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, who led the almost-seven-year-old service for nearly four years.
