Talking IM-2 With Tim Crain
Payload talked to IM CTO Tim Crain about the Athena lander, the onboard technology, and, yes, those pesky laser range-finders.
Business
Stories on space business, including company updates, funding announcements, and contract awards.
BlackSky’s Gen-3 Sat Enters Orbit, Company Lands String of Contracts
BlackSky launched its first Gen-3 Earth observation satellites aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket yesterday, adding higher-resolution imaging to its data offerings.
True Anomaly Expands to Long Beach
The facility—a new product development center—will work on payload development and new spacecraft designs, streamlining hardware and software development and production as the firm looks to expand its classified operations.
“Space to Grow” Provides a Curriculum on Space
Space, once the sole domain of militaries and civil space programs, is increasingly ruled by market forces.
Space CEOs Pitch Tech For Trump’s Push to Mars
Space CEOs outlined how their tech would help the US explore Mars amid the Trump administration’s focus on the Red Planet during remarks at the Commercial Space Conference on Wednesday in DC.
MDA Space Wins Mega Contract To Build Globalstar’s Network
Under the contract, the Canadian space company will build 50+ AURORA sats for the American satellite connectivity company, though the announcement did not lay out a time frame for delivery or launch.
Observable Space Forms From Telescope Hardware, Software Merger
Observable Space wants to become the Tesla of telescopes.
Boeing Starliner Losses Top $2B—And Counting
Years of technological and operational challenges have increased costs to develop Starliner, with Boeing reporting losses almost every year since it began developing the spacecraft in 2014.
Kayhan Space Beefs Up its Space Traffic Coordination Tool
The company hopes the new tool will make it easier for satellite operators to run their missions and coordinate collision avoidance maneuvers with their neighbors.
AVS Secures ESA Study for Dark Matter Probe Platform
Added Value Solutions (AVS) won an ESA contract to advance the design and development of its satellite platform for the ARRAKIHS dark matter astrophysics mission.
Commerce Nominee: Space Data “Fundamental” to US Leadership
Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of commerce, committed to supporting the commercial space sector in his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
What the Trump Administration Could Mean for Primes
“If I was at a large established prime that’s 20+ years or older, I would be in the war room thinking about how the hell we’re going to deal with this,” one space industry source told Payload. “They have a clear preference for the Andurils of the world.”