Business
Stories on space business, including company updates, funding announcements, and contract awards.
Bridenstine Takes Over as Quantum Space CEO
Bridenstine, who was NASA chief between 2018 and 2021, told Payload that the new position allows him to get back into national security and defense—“That’s where my background is, and where my heart is,” he said.
Space Nuclear Execs Cheer the FY27 Budget Proposal
More than just money, NASA is throwing its full weight behind what Administrator Isaacman sees as the agency’s “logical evolution.”
York Space Systems to Acquire ALL.SPACE for $355M
York hopes the combined tech will increase its exposure to “high-growth adjacent markets,” namely comms and multi-domain military use cases.
Golden Dome Will Use COTS Parts, Space Execs Say
Asked what a Golden Dome satellite bus would have that a commercial satellite bus doesn’t, Apex Space CEO Ian Cinnamon’s answer was simple—”Hopefully, nothing.”
Opportunities Beyond the Moon Opened by CLPS
NASA said it intends to launch monthly uncrewed missions to the Moon starting next year. That’s good news for more than just Moon-focused companies.
Rocket Lab Enters the Thruster Market with Gauss
“Early technology development can be done at these small mom and pop shops, but when it really comes prime time to make things at scale, people like ourselves who are procurers of that, if they don’t vertically integrate, they get very nervous,” Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice told Payload
Voyager Technologies Wins Its First Private ISS Mission
Axiom Space was the only provider for the first five PAMs awarded by NASA, but new players have entered the competition in 2026.
ORBX ETF Launches Amid Wave of Space Tech IPOs
The goal is to track companies that earn more than half of their revenue from space tech—everything from transportation, to space software, to satellite-enabled data services.
Slingshot Introduces AI-Powered Portal Platform
Slingshot Aerospace introduced a new platform today that will allow operators to spot anomalies—and make decisions—in an AI-powered, one-stop-shop.
ICON Prime Launches, Led By Former TX Rep
Robotic construction company ICON today announced the establishment of ICON Prime, a new business unit that will work with the Pentagon and NASA.
Atomic-6 Launches Orbital Data Center Marketplace
GA-based composite manufacturer Atomic-6 is fueling that acceleration with the launch of a new marketplace today—called ODC.Space—to make securing orbital compute as simple as “add to cart.”
Sophia Space and Kepler Sign Agreement to Demo ODC Tech
The agreement, announced today, is Sophia’s first opportunity to validate its orbital-data-center software in space.
Albedo Ratchets Up the Power for its Second VLEO Flight
Albedo announced a new VLEO capable satellite bus today that’s aiming to fly the company’s second orbital mission in 2027.
