Technology
Stories about the tech that’s driving the new space age.
Aethero Raises $8.4M for Space Computers
Kindred led the round, which included Neo, Giant Step Capital, O’Shaughnessy Ventures and Alumni Ventures.
Northrop Grumman Brings the Gig Economy to GEO
Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) will wear a lot of hats in orbit, from gas station attendant and mechanic to orbital taxi and Airbnb host.
Reflect Orbital Raises $20M Series A
Reflect is planning to launch its first sat next spring to illuminate 10 locations around the world and boost public interest in nighttime lighting.
Zeno Power Raises $50M Series B
Zeno’s technology uses the heat emitted from nuclear waste—an isotope called Strontium-90—to power systems in extreme environments where solar cells and batteries fail.
Interlune Unveils Prototype Lunar Helium-3 Excavator
Space resources startup Interlune announced yesterday that its first customers are ready to buy its Moon-mined Helium-3.
Start Your Engines: The Lunar Rover Race Has Begun
Payload spoke with several companies building next-gen lunar rovers—including Astrolab, ispace, Intuitive Machines, and Lunar Outpost—about the biggest challenges and opportunities in this sector.
Radian Plans Re-entry Vehicle For Hypersonic Tests
Radian Aerospace said it will build a hypersonic reentry vehicle to generate cash, and support the development of its sled-launched single-stage-to-orbit rocketplane.
Frontier Flies its Lab-in-a-Box on ATMOS’ Reentry Mission
Frontier Space’s first mission is designed to test key components of its lab-in-a-box bioreactor, which will give future space travelers the ability to grow things like food and medicine in space.
Phantom Space and Ubotica Team Up to Bring AI to Orbit
The volume of data being gathered in space is growing exponentially, and the capacity to ship that data back to Earth is increasingly constrained. That’s why more companies want to analyze their data on orbit. Phantom Space is no different.
Boeing Hits Key Milestone On Path To Quantum First in Orbit
HRL Labs has built a space-hardened quantum payload and demonstrated it on the ground—a key milestone in Boeing’s push to demonstrate the first quantum entanglement swap in space. The device, which is going through final environmental testing, will serve as a “ground twin” for the final payload, which is expected to reach orbit on the…
The Golden Dome Might Fly Sooner Than You Think
Leaders from L3Harris argued that the company has already demonstrated many technologies that will be central to the Golden Dome architecture.
Portal Space Systems Raises Staggering $17.5M Seed
Portal plans to use the seed round to scale production and accelerate Supernova’s development in time for a mid-2026 maiden launch date.
Aetherflux Raises $50M Series A
Index Ventures and Interlagos led the round, which also included participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and actor Jared Leto, among others.
