Business
Stories on space business, including company updates, funding announcements, and contract awards.
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.”
The Hottest Trend in Space Is A Defense Pivot
“If I had a nickel for every space company that pivoted to national security, well, I wouldn’t need to raise another round,” one spacetech founder mulling that exact strategy told Payload this week.
Blue Abyss Partners with NASA on Astronaut Training Facility
“Expect a modern, commercial, exciting venue that offers all the ingredients necessary to take people off the street…and get them ready to go into space.”
Redwire Plans To Buy UAS Builder to Further NatSec Biz
Redwire intends to acquire Edge Autonomy, an uncrewed airborne system builder (UAS), to boost its ability to offer national security customers a suite of interconnected platforms across domains.
Hadrian’s Plan to Fix Space Manufacturing
The new tool combines a vetted supplier network with supply chain management and DFM (design for manufacturing) software, providing startups with a single point of contact for their entire supply chain.
Starlab Space Announces European Subsidiary
Starlab Space GmbH will provide boots on the ground and legal toeholds to open up business development and engineering opportunities to European companies, space agencies, and research institutions.
SpaceX Set to Debut Upgraded Starship Vehicle
Wednesday’s planned Starship launch may be the seventh test flight of the mega-rocket, but it also represents a couple of important firsts—the first flight of the new and improved second stage and the first time the rocket will attempt to deploy payloads.
What to Expect in 2025
2024 was a record-breaking year for the global space industry. More launches from more spaceports brought more satellites into orbit, and 2025 is expected to be no different.
NGSO Fixed Satellite Service Spectrum Priority in the US: Payload Research
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) updated its spectrum sharing rules for Non-Geostationary (NGSO) Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) systems to establish quantified interference protection criteria for satellite systems based on their level of spectrum priority.
Axiom Space Adjusts Space Station Plans
Axiom Space is reshuffling its space station module deployment plan at NASA’s request, installing a power module on the ISS in early 2027 before its habitat module.
NASA Cozies Up To Industry With 2025 SBIR Plans
If NASA’s 2025 SBIR and STTR solicitation themes are any indication, the US return to the Moon will rely heavily on small business’ tech.
