Launch
Stories about the companies building a ride to space.
Tim Ellis on The Way Forward After Terran 1’s First Flight
Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis knows what went wrong during Terran 1’s first flight—and he shared with Payload why he is confident the same thing won’t happen to the startup’s Terran R rocket.
SpaceX to Launch ESA’s Galileo Sats
SpaceX will launch ESA’s Galileo navigation satellites amid a dearth of European launch operations, the WSJ reported.
Payload Pioneers 2023: Shiv Patel
At just 25-years-old, Shiv Patel is pitching the government on innovative ideas as the government affairs lead at SpinLaunch.
Payload Pioneers 2023: Patrick Finley
Patrick Finley is building a bridge to connect academic aspirations with real-world aerospace innovations, making rocketry more accessible and tangible for the next generation.
Spain’s PLD Space Launches for the First Time
PLD Space, a Spanish rocket startup, successfully launched its Miura-1 suborbital rocket on Saturday.
Vega-C Needs a Nozzle Redesign, Return to Flight Pushes to Q4 2024
Vega-C will not fly again until at least Q4 2024, European officials announced yesterday.
Opinion: Space Launch Could Falter…Big Time
This opinion piece is written by Nicholas Francoeur, an active-duty officer in the US Space Force. Most recently, he was the director of LEO and GEO operations, and was previously a senior range operations commander at Cape Canaveral. These views are his own, and do not represent the views of Payload or the military. It’s…
FCC Opens Spectrum For Commercial Launch
The FCC adopted a new rule on Thursday that will ensure commercial launchers have access to the spectrum they need to communicate with the rocket during and after liftoff. The successful vote to approve the rule represents the conclusion of a multi-year push to set aside specific spectrum bands for commercial launch after FCC Chairwoman…
Stoke Completes Static Fire for its Reusable Second Stage Rocket, Looks to Hop
While all eyes remain on Starship, another rocket startup is quietly ticking off milestones in its pursuit of full reusability. Stoke Space completed a static fire of its fully reusable second-stage rocket earlier this week. The prototype—which looks more like a fiery Tin Man than a final product—also underwent avionics, power systems, navigation, heat shield,…
FAA Completes Starship Mishap Report Review, Launch License is Next
The FAA has completed its review of SpaceX’s Starship mishap report—a key milestone for Starship to hit the skies again for the first time since its April 20 integrated flight test that ended with a bang (literally). “The FAA has been provided with sufficient information and accepts the root causes and corrective actions described in…
China’s Galactic Energy Launches Rocket from the Sea
Chinese rocket startup Galactic Energy launched its Ceres-1 solid rocket from a mobile sea platform yesterday, becoming China’s first commercial rocket to achieve the feat. The launch, which transported four IOT birds to LEO, took place off the coast of Haiyang in the Yellow Sea. Sea launcher: With this launch, China has now completed five…
