Startups
Stories about the new players changing the space game.
Quantum Space Readies its Ranger Spacecraft to Fly in 2026
The first wave of Golden Dome spacecraft is about to start boot camp.
Exclusive: Viridian Wins Air-Breathing DoD SBIR
Air-breathing propulsion works exactly as it sounds. The satellites fly between 150km and 500km in altitude, and use oxygen in the upper atmosphere for fuel.
Inside Astrolight’s Secure Comms Network Plans
Instances of satellite jamming are on the rise, and so are optical communications solutions to defend against interference.
Frontier Preps Next Mission After Mixed Results On ATMOS
Frontier is preparing to fly a second (slightly pared-down) SpaceLab next year aboard Orbital Paradigm’s new reentry platform.
Inversion Space Unveils Arc Reentry Vehicle
The quickest delivery service isn’t coming via drone from an Amazon fulfilment center—it’s coming from space.
UK Space Agency Invests £6.5M in International Projects
The UK wants to build a vibrant sovereign space industry, but it knows it can’t do it alone.
Exclusive: Albedo Drops its Commercial Imagery Business
Albedo will abandon its imaging business to focus entirely on building VLEO satellite buses for other payload operators.
Spanish VLEO Startup Kreios Closes €8M Seed Round
New satellites are coming to an orbit (very) near you.
Icarus Raises $6.1M Seed to Put Robot Workers in Space
Add astronaut to the long list of jobs at risk of being displaced by AI.
Exclusive: Hubble Network Closes $70M Series B
The round brings Hubble’s total funding to $100M, which will fund the deployment of a 60-sat constellation by 2028.
Messium Plants £3.3M Hyperspectral Seed
Messium uses hyperspectral data from publicly available sources and commercial hyperspectral satellite operators to understand the nitrogen levels in its customers’ farm plots.
Orbital Paradigm Makes the Case for Profitable Reentry
Compared to the total mass of hardware that humanity launched to space during the last 70 years, the amount we’ve brought home intact pales in comparison.
Inside Aerospacelab’s Pitch to Build IRIS2
Payload sat down with Benoît Deper, Aerospacelab’s founder and CEO, to discuss the startup’s pitch to manufacture Europe’s secure satcom constellation.
