Space 2025

Golden Dome: 2025 Wrapped

In 2025, Golden Dome captured the attention of the space industry. It drove hundreds of millions in venture funding, sparked the creation of new hardware (or at least new marketing specifically targeting the program), and secured $25B from Congress. 

A year ago, it didn’t exist.

BusinessISAM

Starfish, Impulse Partner on Remora RPO Mission

Starfish Space and Impulse Space teamed up quietly this year to conduct an RPO demo in orbit, bringing spacecraft to within 1,250 meters of each other autonomously.  The mission, called Remora, proves RPO missions do not require expensive hardware or custom-built spacecraft, as has historically been the case. Starfish added one camera and its software…

Business

Overview Energy Emerges From Stealth

Going off-Earth to collect sunlight allows solar power to be a more reliable energy source for terrestrial industries—including at night, Overview officials say. 

MilitaryPolaris

NDAA on Golden Dome, Acquisition, Nat Sec Launch

House and Senate negotiators unveiled the compromise fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Bill on Monday, which would codify President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense program into law.

Policy

SpaceX Ties Were All Business, Isaacman Says

“In that respect, my relationship is no different than that of NASA,” he said. 

Polaris

A Preview of Isaacman’s Confirmation Hearing

The fireworks start at 10am ET, when the two-time SpaceX astronaut and billionaire nominee to lead the space agency appears before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. That will be his second appearance this year, after his first nomination for the job was pulled in May. 

Polaris

Sprint to the Finish: What’s on Deck for December

Next week is the official start of “let’s circle back on that in the new year” season—but not for Congress, where lawmakers have a handful of time-sensitive priorities on their holiday to-do list.

ISS

Starliner to Fly Uncrewed Cargo Mission in April, Not Astronauts

After making headlines for a troubled crew flight test that ended last year, as well as two uncrewed flight tests in 2019 and 2022 that did not meet expectations, the Boeing capsule is trying to shed its negative reputation. 

Launch

Blue Announces New Glenn Engine Upgrades, Super Heavy Variant

The changes—announced just a week after Blue made history as the second rocket company to land an orbital booster—are aimed at boosting performance, increasing launch cadence, and making the platform more reliable, according to a press release. 

VC/PE

Ursa Major Closes $100M Series E

Eclipse led the round, which also included participation from Woodline Partners, Principia Growth, XN, Alsop Louie Partners, and others.

PolarisPolicy

A Debate on the Wolf Amendment

Necessary national security safeguard, or out-of-touch barrier to communication with a leading space power? That was the question at the heart of a debate last week on whether the Wolf Amendment is still in America’s best interest, almost 15 years after it became law.

BusinessSatcom

Project Kuiper Becomes Amazon Leo

The program was known by the Project Kuiper “code name” (a nod to Kuiper Belt objects, like asteroids and comets), but is now a program with 150+ sats in orbit. Many more sats are planned to bring internet to the masses, with the initial constellation expected to number 3,200 spacecraft.

BroadbandMilitary

Exclusive: Meet Diamondback, Gravitics’ New Orbital Carrier

Gravitics unveiled Diamondback, a smaller orbital carrier designed to fulfill missions from protecting US national security satellites to deploying space-based missile interceptors.