China’s is on Track to Beat the US to Extract Lunar Water
Forget boots on the Moon. China looks like it’s going to beat the US to extract water from the lunar surface.
Lockheed, Northrop, and Iridium Q3 Earnings Roundup
This week, a pair of primes—Lockheed Martin ($LMT) and Northrop Grumman ($NOC)—and satcom operator Iridium ($IRDM) reported their revenues for the third quarter. We’ve got the roundup of all the space-related tidbits inside.
VC Investors Weigh the Impact of Europe’s Major Merger
Payload spoke with a handful of venture capital firms on the continent, and the overwhelming sentiment was the same: Startups are going to be just fine.
ESA Unveils Worrying Space Health Index
ESA’s Health Index for the space environment currently sits at a 4. For reference, 1 is the threshold for long term orbital sustainability.
Nyxara is Building Lasers To Pierce the Clouds
In the world of optical communications, cloudy days are bad for business.
Lynk and Omnispace Plan to Merge
Lynk Global, a satellite operator with a constellation of D2D and IoT-enabled satellites, plans to merge with telecom firm Omnispace to expand their business across both commercial and government lines.
Quantum Space Readies its Ranger Spacecraft to Fly in 2026
The first wave of Golden Dome spacecraft is about to start boot camp.
Vantor Wins New Space Force Contract for In-Space Monitoring
Vantor—the artist formerly known as Maxar Intelligence—is expanding its relationship with the DoD through another in-space awareness contract.
Apex Set to Launch Commercial Interceptor Demo Next Year
“We’re doing this on our own dime,” he said. “We are just trying to do our part, and then if we do a good job here, we hope that great folks who make interceptors will want to work with us and partner with us—and we can help supply their constellations.
Bridenstine on DoD’s Cislunar Goals, CLPS, and Returning to the Moon
“The reality is we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to secure this country,” he said. “We can’t just pretend like we don’t need to know what’s happening out there, from a national security perspective.”
Muon Space Will Tap into Starlink’s Laser Network
Muon Space will integrate Starlink’s mini-laser terminals into future iterations of Muon’s Halo satellite platform as soon as 2027.
Duffy Opens Competition to Speed Up Lunar Landing
“I love SpaceX; it’s an amazing company. The problem is, they’re behind…and we’re in a race against China,” Duffy said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “So I’m going to open up the contract. I’m going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX.”
