Stories about the companies building a ride to space.
Spaceflight Inc has partnered with Italian launch broker SAB Launch Services (SAB-LS) to fly its Sherpa space tugs aboard Arianespace-managed, Avio-built Vega C rockets, making use of an ESA-initiated service. We’re going to need a diagram if this gets any more complicated. What’s in it for Spaceflight + SAB-LS? Founded in 2018, SAB-LS offers launch […]
Earnings season is fully upon us, with companies from both sides of the launch and satcom aisle releasing results last week. The SPAC side of last week’s reporting left much to be desired, as companies adjust to a harsh macroenvironment, program delays, and shortening runways. Starting with the launch SPACs… $ASTR: Astra won’t launch again […]
Ahead of its second orbital launch attempt, Firefly Aerospace tells Payload it’s made a slew of new executive leadership hires. Though the Cedar Park, TX launch unicorn has been through the ringer in recent months, its Alpha rocket is vertical at Vandenberg and liftoff is seemingly weeks away. Moreover, Firefly is sounding a confident note […]
Boeing ($BA) Q2 results fell short of Wall Street expectations yesterday, due to weaker defense sales and program delays. Robust commercial plane orders softened the blow, and the company stuck by its forecast to return to positive free cash flow this year. The overall numbers: Operating cash flow = $100M Revenue = $16.7B, a 2% […]
China’s space station is almost finished. Over the weekend, the China Manned Space Agency launched the Wentian laboratory module to its in-progress Tiangong station atop a Long March 5B. Wentian successfully docked with the station earlier this morning after a 13-hour journey. Wentian: The lab module is the largest spacecraft that China has ever sent […]
Isar Aerospace is the first privately-funded operator to gain access to the Guiana Space Centre (GSC) in French Guiana. French space agency CNES announced the news on Thursday. GSC has been in operation since 1968 and has supported hundreds of missions. CNES responded to several requests from industry to open the site to privately-funded operators […]
UK-based horizontal launch startup Astraius has selected Northrop Grumman and Exquadrum to supply three rocket motors for its vehicle. Northrop will supply the first and second-stage rocket motors. California-based Exquadrum will supply the upper-stage rocket motor. Buy vs. build: “From Day 1, we decided the best way to reduce risk, lower cost, and quickly deliver […]
UK-based launch startup Skyrora has new digs: a 55,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that the company says will be capable of producing up to 16 launch vehicles per year. “Opening the UK’s largest rocket engine manufacturing facility is a significant step towards Skyrora achieving the first sovereign orbital launch from British soil,” Skyrora COO Lee Rosen told […]
The first Avio-built Vega C rocket launched from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana at 15:13 CET (9:13 ET) today. The mission successfully deployed the LARES2 passive satellite for the Italian space agency (ASI) and six small secondary payloads. With the first flight of Vega C now complete, the European Space Agency will hand […]
SpaceX launched its 51st set of Starlink satellites this evening, with the workhorse Falcon 9 lifting out of a thick layer of fog enveloping Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sunday evening marks the 50th dedicated Starlink launch. The mission’s first-stage booster previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, NASA’s DART planetary defense mission, and three Starlink […]
Virgin Galactic ($SPCE) has selected Aurora Flight Sciences to build its next generation of motherships. The Boeing ($BA) subsidiary will build two motherships for Virgin, the human spaceflight company said Wednesday. $SPCE rose over 5% in after-hours trading. Terminology first: The mothership carries and air-launches Virgin’s spaceship at a release altitude of ~50,000 feet. The […]
This weekend, Virgin Orbit launched its fourth successful mission. Straight Up launched from Mojave under the cover of night for the first time. That name may sound familiar as the mission was named after a 1988 Paula Abdul song and included a prep visit from the pop legend herself. Cosmic Girl and Launcher One delivered […]
