FCC Announces Space Bureau
The Federal Communications Commission is building a new home for space activities. Last week, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel revealed a new plan to split the International Bureau into two distinct offices: the Office of International Affairs and the Space Bureau. The thought process: “A new Space Bureau at the FCC will ensure that the agency’s…
NOIRLab Identifies Three “Planet Killer” Asteroids
Peering through the light-warping haze of the atmosphere at twilight, astronomers made a rare discovery: Three huge near-Earth asteroids, each capable of causing the next mass extinction event on Earth. Now, before I get ahead of myself, these asteroids aren’t headed for Earth. Two of the three will orbit completely inside Earth’s orbit, never crossing,…
Some Key Space Advocates Are Leaving Congress in 2023
The looming departure of national security space champions from Capitol Hill is expected to leave a vacuum as the Space Force approaches its third birthday, but experts say more junior members are waiting in the wings for their shot to drive military space policy. One of the community’s biggest losses is Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN),…
Pitchbook Releases $$$ Invested Into Space Companies So Far This Year
Despite deteriorating economic conditions on Earth—and plenty of reasons to be bearish on the sector—space tech is set to have a banner year in VC funding. Global venture investment into space startups totals ~$6.2B billion this year, according to a recent PitchBook tally (the data runs through Oct. 24). That’s roughly the same amount as…
Why Apex Believes the Satellite Bus Sector Is Ripe for Innovation
Apex recently announced itself to the world with a $7.5M seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The startup seeks to manufacture 100-kilogram class satellite buses that can support ~100 kg of payload. Its first product is called Aries. Last month, Payload caught up with Apex Cofounder and CEO Ian Cinnamon. He previously founded Synapse, a…
Isar Adds Another Space Tug to Manifest
Exotrail has signed a launch services agreement with Isar Aerospace. The German launcher will conduct the flights on its forthcoming, two-stage Spectrum rocket from Norway’s Andøya Space and the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. More about Exotrail The French space mobility startup offers last-mile transportation for satellites aboard its spacevan vehicle as part of…
Australia Bans Direct-Ascent ASAT Testing
In an effort to make the orbital environment a little bit safer, Australia has joined the US-led pledge not to conduct any destructive, direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) tests. The story so far: Last November, Russia fired an ASAT missile at a defunct Soviet satellite, exploding it into a cloud of 1,500+ pieces of debris that forced…
Firefly Prepares for Production Ramp; Names Permanent COO
Firefly made history when it became one of only a handful of privately funded players to reach orbit a month ago. Now, the self-described “end-to-end space transportation company” is staffing up to scale production and ensure that October’s successful Alpha launch isn’t a one off. “What we have to do now…is take Alpha to full-rate…
Pathfinder #0023, featuring Awais Ahmed
Today’s episode takes us to the bleeding edge of Earth observation, where one startup aims to bring what it claims is a step change in multispectral data to the commercial markets. Our guest, Awais Ahmed, is the CEO and cofounder of Pixxel. The Indian-American startup, which is building a health monitor for Earth, has raised…
Exclusive: Wyvern Raises $7M in New Funding
Wyvern has raised $7M in a seed plus round led by Uncork Capital, bringing the hyperspectral startup’s total financing to ~$15M to date. Previous investors MaC Venture Capital and Y Combinator also participated in this round. MaC led Wyvern’s seed round in October 2021; Wyvern also recently graduated from YC’s W22 batch. The Edmonton, Canada…
The Space Insurance Landscape
Launching satellites to space is a risky business. The field of orbitally proven vehicles remains small, sensor and payload technology is new and constantly changing, and certain orbital regimes are getting more crowded by the month. Insurers, of course, are no strangers to risk. The space insurance industry dates back nearly 60 years. But the…
SatixFy Completes SPAC Merger
SatixFy completed its SPAC merger with Endurance Acquisition Corp ($EDNC) last week, after shareholders voted to approve the deal Wednesday. The Israeli satcom company had its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, Oct. 28, represented by the ticker $SATX. SatixFy 101 The company is a fabless chipmaker and developer…
