Launch
Stories about the companies building a ride to space.
DOT Proposes Changes to Part 450 Licensing Rules
On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced five proposed FAA rules aiming to streamline and modernize commercial space launch and reentry regulations.
Skyrora Shifts Orbital Launch Timeline to 2030
First-mover advantage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be—at least, that’s the thought process for UK launcher Skyrora.
Transporter-18 Tests the Building Blocks of Orbital Data Centers
Few rideshares come with a theme, but SpaceX’s Transporter-18 had one: getting power to compute in orbit.
Starship Reaches Orbit on 14th Test Flight
After reaching orbit, Starship deployed 26 V3 Starlink sats over about 30 minutes using its ‘Pez dispenser’ system.
Exclusive: Meridian Space Spins Out from SpinLaunch
“Meridian will carry forward the satcom infrastructure business… SpinLaunch will continue to build on its vision for a lower-cost approach to launch, with further applications in hypersonics to support the Golden Dome program and in the lunar economy,” Meridian Space CEO Massimiliano Ladovaz told Payload.
Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice Predicts More M&A Deals on the Horizon
Iridium shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the company’s acquisition by Rocket Lab. According to Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice, there’s more M&A on the horizon.
SEOPS Books Five Launches on Isar’s Spectrum Rocket
Isar Aerospace became the first European launch startup to reach orbit less than two weeks ago, and already the market is demanding more.
Maverick Books 10 Kepler Sats to Fill Excess Capacity On Portal’s Dedicated Launch
Everybody’s looking for launch capacity these days, and for those who have it, the phones are ringing off the hook.
Stoke Space Raises $1B Initial Series E Round
Stoke Space Technologies announced today that it has closed an initial $1B tranche of a Series E round, bringing the company’s total capital raised to $2.3B.
Isar Aerospace Reaches Orbit on Second Attempt
Isar Aerospace became the first European Launcher Challenge startup to reach orbit this weekend, after the second launch attempt of its Spectrum rocket.
PLD Space, HyImpulse Close Major Extension Rounds
This week, two European launch hopefuls—Spain’s PLD Space, and Germany’s HyImpulse Technologies GmbH—closed major extension rounds to support their launch efforts.
SpaceX Announces New Starbase, Louisiana Spaceport
Gwynne Shotwell joined Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday to announce a high-cadence launch site for future Starship operations.
Letara Raises ¥2.6B to Build its Hybrid Rocket Engine Tech
Japanese propulsion startup Letara closed a ¥2.6B ($16M) pre-Series A round to fund the development of its low-cost, hybrid engine tech.
