Op-eds from leaders in the space community.
As industry develops and deploys its most innovative capabilities—from commercial space stations to asteroid mining missions—there is no US government entity clearly empowered to approve such commercial activities, threatening the future of US leadership in space.
As the number of satellites in LEO continues to grow exponentially, when it comes to a satellite’s location, sharing is caring.
With space a focus of the new administration, and SpaceX founder Elon Musk as a senior advisor, we can expect to see money, more ambition, and fewer restrictions on private companies expanding America’s reach in LEO and beyond.
Regulators must find ways to balance safety and national security concerns surrounding nuclear systems and materials with the mandate for America to lead in space and the drive for a thriving commercial space economy, especially as nuclear technology becomes safer and less risky thanks to new advancements.
The Space Force has proven the government can launch a sat on short notice—but you can’t launch what you haven’t built.
Real-time space domain awareness (SDA) is critical to NATO for more than just avoiding collisions and promoting safe operations.
The FAA’s mandate is to focus on public safety, and the long wait times are understandable, given the agency’s current method of reviewing applications. But the cadence is not sustainable if we want the industry to continue to grow.
As space becomes a bucket list vacation destination for the rich and famous, it’s worth asking: is investing in space tourism really the best use of resources amid the very real and immediate threats in orbit?
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 […]
In need of some tunes this summer? We’ve got you covered. We’re pleased to present Space Jams, the only space-themed playlist you’ll ever need. We polled the team, asked readers for input, and consulted with the top DJs in the galaxy to come up with this space-inspired playlist. Shout out to Payload readers Erin B. and […]
The ISS is the most expensive object ever built by humanity, and the largest scientific and engineering collaboration the world has ever witnessed. The space station treaty, signed Jan. 29, 1998 by the EU, the US, Russia, Canada, and Japan, represented a new era of cooperation that ushered in significant scientific and technological breakthroughs for […]
