Moonlighter’s Second Act To Test Cyber Tech In Orbit
The Moonlighter satellite successfully completed its first act as a “hacking sandbox” during a competition to discover cyber vulnerabilities in orbit—but the spacecraft’s mission is far from over, officials said. Moonlighter 101: The spacecraft, which is a joint project from the Aerospace Corporation, Space Systems Command, and the Air Force Research Laboratory, launched in June…
Pulsar Fusion and the University of Michigan Partner on Electric Propulsion
Partners are teaming up across the pond to work on spacecraft propulsion tech. Pulsar Fusion, a propulsion startup based in England, announced last week it is partnering with the University of Michigan to research electric Hall-effect thruster tech. The UK Space Agency is funding the collaboration. “This is another key US partnership for Pulsar—we continue…
BryceTech Releases Q2 2023 Briefing
SpaceX is dramatically outpacing the rest of the world in launch cadence and capacity. In its Q2 2023 launch trends briefing, BryceTech quantified just how much the launcher is breaking away from the competition. SpaceX vs. the world: On each of the launch metrics tracked by BryceTech—that is, number of launches, number of satellites launched,…
Integrate Space Raises $3.4M Seed Round
Seattle-based Integrate Space has closed a $3.4M seed round that will help expand its team and grow its customer roster, the company announced yesterday. The round for the program management software company was led by Hyperplane and included participation from Riot Ventures, Ravelin Capital, and John Capodilupo. Integrate 101: Space industry veteran John Conafay, formerly…
Space SPACs Q2 Earnings Roundup
Five space companies gave their second quarter financial update this week. Here are the highlights: Astra ($ASTR): The company reported $36.7M of free cash flow burn in Q2, reducing the company’s cash in the bank to $26.3M. Astra is rapidly restructuring its businesses as it enters the homestretch in its race against cash burn. The…
SpaceX Files its Starship Mishap Report to the FAA
SpaceX has filed a final mishap investigation report to the FAA for its April 20 Starship integrated flight test, the FAA told Payload on Tuesday. Submitting the report is an important regulatory step toward SpaceX launching Starship on its second orbital test flight, a milestone that will require sign-off from the FAA. “When a final…
Bill Nelson is Spreading NASA’s Message Abroad
What do Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Argentine President Alberto Fernández have in common? They all met with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson this summer. Nelson is embracing—and elevating—his role as the nation’s space diplomat, and his long history on Capitol Hill means he doesn’t clam up when…
Telesat and MDA to Build Lightspeed
Telesat’s ($TSAT) LEO broadband plans are back on track. On Friday, the company announced a $2.1B CAD ($1.6B) contract with Canadian space tech company MDA ($MDA) to build 198 satellites. The deal puts an end to Telesat’s previous plan to build its constellation using slightly larger satellites from Thales Alenia Space, which has been beset…
York Opens a New Facility in Denver
York Space Systems is expanding. This morning, the Denver, CO-based satellite manufacturer announced that it will open the doors to a fourth production facility, dubbed Potomac, and start cranking out buses by Q4. “Our new Potomac facility represents a significant milestone in York’s growth trajectory, driven by steadily increasing demand from new and existing customers,”…
Collins Aerospace Wins $36M AFRL Contract to Build Aircraft Comms Pods
Collins Aerospace nabbed a $36M Air Force Research Laboratory contract last week to develop a comms terminal to feed military and commercial satellite data directly to cockpits. “This resilient communications terminal is designed for survivability in degraded environments to offer military leaders enhanced situational awareness to make better decisions, faster across the battlespace” Collins VP…
For The Spaceport Company, the Water is Calling
When Tom Marotta founded The Spaceport Company last year, he knew he was entering a domain usually reserved for governments or large corporations. “I said I think I want to go build a spaceport,” Marotta told Payload. “Which is a weird thing to say, right? “It’s like saying I want to go build a railroad…
Space Businesses Report Q2 Earnings, SPAC Edition
Earnings season is in full swing, with several closely-watched companies reporting financial results this week. Here’s our high-level takeaway on what you need to know. Rocket Lab ($RKLB): While a number of space SPACs are just trying to keep their heads above water, Rocket Lab continues to be a bright spot. The company executed three…
