Launch
Stories about the companies building a ride to space.
Skyroot Aerospace Raises $51M Series B
Skyroot Aerospace has raised $51M in a Series B round led by GIC, a global investment firm based in Singapore. This is the largest funding round in the Indian private space sector to date. The company raised an $11M Series A in 2021. The launch startup is developing India’s first private launch vehicle and was…
Orbex Launches Major Recruitment Drive
Scottish launch startup Orbex has announced that it plans to add 50 new staff to its ranks over the next six months. Orbex is developing its 19-meter two-stage Prime vehicle, which can lift 150 kg payloads to orbit. The company unveiled the first full-scale prototype of the vehicle in May, which is currently being used…
Skyrora Goes Mobile with a Second Stage Hot Fire Test
Skyrora has test fired the second stage of its three-stage Skyrora XL rocket. The successful test comes on the heels of the UK-based launch startup opening its new 55,000-square-foot production facility in Cumbernauld, Scotland. Skyrora XL 101: 22.7m tall and 2.2m wide Capable of launching 315kg payloads Third stage can be swapped out for a…
ESA Considers SpaceX Launch Partnership
The space industry hasn’t yet completely resolved the gap in access to launch stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To get some of its stranded sats back on their mission timelines, ESA has begun preliminary talks with SpaceX, Reuters reports. The story so far: The war in Ukraine has poked holes in Europe’s spaceflight plans…
Rocket Lab Reports Q2 2022 Earnings
Rocket Lab ($RKLB) reported earnings at market close on Thursday. The New Zealand-based launch company recorded a quarterly record revenue of $55.5M, up 392% YoY. Key Rocket Lab Q2 2022 #s Adj. EBITDA = -$8.5M Cash & cash equivalents = $542.5M Backlog = $531.4M Net loss = $37.4M Revenue By Segment Space Systems = $36.4M…
Spaceflight to Launch Space Tugs on Arianespace’s Vega C
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…
Catching Up On Last Week’s Earnings
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… $ASTR: Astra won’t launch again…
Exclusive: Austin-Based Firefly Aerospace Bolsters Senior Leadership
Ahead of its second orbital launch attempt, Firefly Aerospace tells Payload it’s made a slew of new executive leadership hires. Though the Cedar Park, TX launch unicorn has been through the ringer in recent months, its Alpha rocket is vertical at Vandenberg and liftoff is seemingly weeks away. Moreover, Firefly is sounding a confident note…
Boeing ($BA) Reports Q2 2022 Earnings
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 Launches Wentian Laboratory Module to Tiangong
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 gets Green Light to Launch from French Guiana
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…
Astraius Looks to US for Rocket Motors
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…
Skyrora opens new 55,000-square-foot manufacturing plant
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…
