Northrop Grumman Says Goodbye to Russian Engines
Northrop Grumman’s farewell launch of its Antares 230+ rocket on Tuesday marked the end of an era for Russian tech on the company’s launch vehicles. The Antares 230+ was powered by Russia’s RD-181 engines. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the US intensified sanctions against Moscow and rocket technology transfers—including the RD-181—came to a screeching…
iRocket Partners with the AFRL on its Reusable Launch Vehicle
iRocket announced a partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory today, which will give the company exclusive access to a test facility at Edwards Air Force Base and the opportunity to collaborate on its reusable rocket. The AFRL Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) will help accelerate development of its methalox engines and fully reusable…
Voyager and Airbus Team Up To Replace The ISS
Two major space companies are joining forces to make a commercial successor to the ISS a reality. On Tuesday, Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space announced a joint venture to build and operate Starlab, a LEO space station designed by Nanoracks, a department of Voyager Space. “The International Space Station is widely regarded as…
Lawmakers Propose Recognition for Mercury 13
Astronauts like Sally Ride and Judith Resnik made history by shattering the glass ceiling to space, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers says it’s time to recognize the group of women who made the first cracks. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Young Kim (R-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), the four co-chairs of the…
Tilebox Raises $1.7M for Satellite Data Management
Tilebox, a startup building software to host and manage raw satellite data, raised $1.7M in a pre-seed round to build out its team and expand its product offering. “We’re really excited about the space because we see the growth,” Tilebox cofounder Laura Costa told Payload. “The software part of the data management and processing is…
Space Command HQ Will Stay in Colorado
Space Command HQ will remain in Colorado Springs, CO, reversing a controversial Trump administration decision to move the combatant command to Huntsville, AL. President Joe Biden notified the Defense Department of his decision on Monday, department spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement, noting that having the headquarters in Colorado will ensure “peak…
SpaceX Tests its Starship Water Deluge Flame Deflector
SpaceX completed the first full-throttle test of its water deluge system at Starbase on Friday, setting the stage for a Super Heavy booster static fire on the new system. “New water deluge system to protect against the immense heat & force of Starship launch,” Elon Musk tweeted after the test. The system: The water-cooled steel…
ESA Performs an Assisted Reentry of Aeolus
ESA successfully tested a new tool to safely deorbit defunct satellites that were designed before the development of current guidelines on reducing debris. On Friday, the agency performed an assisted reentry of its Aeolus wind-monitoring mission, which was not originally designed for a manual deorbit. “These manoeuvres were complex, and Aeolus was not designed to…
Moon History For Sale At Sotheby’s Space Auction
Space enthusiasts bought a slice of history Thursday, shelling out a combined ~$680,000 at Sotheby’s annual space exploration auction. The online auction sold more than 60 pieces of historical memorabilia, signed photos, and items that had flown to space. Big ticket: The top seller was an Apollo 13 flight plan signed and inscribed by capsule…
Aerospace and Defense Primes Q2 Earnings Roundup
It’s not that kind of prime day. Earnings season is in full swing and today, we’re diving into coverage of three primes, including L3Harris’ acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing’s Starliner drag, and Northrop’s growing space division. L3Harris 🤝 Aerojet Rocketdyne $LHX announced it will close its $4.7B Aerojet Rocketdyne acquisition as soon as today. “We…
Kleos Space Files for Bankruptcy
Kleos Space, a Luxembourg-based company monitoring RF signals from space for defense and intelligence, announced yesterday that it is filing for bankruptcy. The company has not been able to raise the cash needed to progress a converting note advised on June 6, which followed Australia Securities Exchange (ASX) pausing trading on the company on May…
Lockheed Nabs $500M to Build Nuclear Powered Rocket
NASA and DARPA have chosen Lockheed Martin ($LMT) to develop the first nuclear-powered Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) rocket for a demo as early as 2026, the trio announced Wednesday. The contract is valued at $499M, with funding split evenly between the two government agencies. Lockheed Martin will build the spacecraft, and BWX…
