VC/PE

Samara Closes $10M Seed Round

The satellite bus builder is expecting to validate its tech in orbit imminently.

BusinessDebris

Atomic-6 Space Armor to Fly in October With Portal

It’s rare for space operators to cross their fingers, hoping their sat will get hit with a piece of space debris. But that’s exactly what Atomic-6 CEO Trevor Smith is doing. 

Opinion

Op-ed: Mars Sample Return May Be Canceled, But the Legal Questions It Leaves Behind Continue

With Mars Sample Return canceled, the question is no longer how to bring samples home—but how far existing space law can stretch before its gaps become consequential.

EOVC/PE

Quantum Imaging Startup Diffraqtion Emerges from Stealth

Diffraqtion is looking to see farther in space, and to understand its environment faster. The MA-based startup emerged from stealth today with a $4.2M pre-seed round.

Science

Former Google Chief Building Private Space Telescopes

Billionaire backers have already taken the launch sector by storm. Now, one is getting into the space-science game.

MarsPolicy

House Minibus Bill Would Kill Mars Sample Return

The dozens of tubes of Martian dust collected so far by the Perseverance rover are waiting for a ride that may never come. 

Polaris

NASA Starts 2026 With Budget Plan, Administrator

NASA is starting off the year hot, with a positive budget proposal—as well as a permanent administrator at the helm, after nearly a year of interim leadership. 

Polaris

Build Your Space Policy To-Read List

If you’re looking forward to the holidays to cozy up with a good book, we’ve got you covered.

Moonshot Mechanics 2025

The Policy Questions Facing a Lunar Economy

Once engineers solve the technical problems that stand in the way of a thriving lunar economy, it’s up to policymakers to set industry up for success on the Moon’s surface.

Policy

Trump Signs Space Superiority Executive Order

President Donald Trump laid out a clear vision—and timeline—for America’s next steps in space in an executive order signed Thursday afternoon. 

Polaris

How Space RCO Wants to Go Faster

The Space Force’s Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO) was established in 2018 to buy space tech and get it into troops’ hands as fast as possible—but according to its director, it’s not going fast enough thanks to barriers outside the organization.

ISSSpace 2025

CLDs: 2025 Wrapped

The space community has long known that the ISS agreement has a 2030 expiration date. But this year, headlines about the end of the station—and debates about America’s presence in LEO—have shifted the focus beyond 2030 to the companies building Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) vying to be the station’s successor.

Space 2025

Space Policy: 2025 Wrapped

If you’ve gotten whiplash, we can’t blame you.