All Stories
Business • Policy

Insurance is Commercial Space Nuclear’s Biggest Headache

Lots of challenges face commercial space nuclear missions—but experts at an industry seminar on Thursday only called one a “show stopper”—insurance. 

Pro

Charts Defining the Space Industry in Q1 2026 

Revenge of EO
The post Charts Defining the Space Industry in Q1 2026  appeared first on Payload Pro.

Civil • Lunar

CLPS Companies Excited For NASA’s ‘Opportunity Bomb’ Lunar Plan

Last week, NASA laid out a vision for a lunar base that’s built and supplied through monthly uncrewed lunar landings, with launches beginning as soon as next year.It’s no surprise that CLPS companies are raring to go. 

Business • Startups • Technology

Phantom Space Acquires Thermal Management Technologies

Thermal Management Technologies builds advanced satellite thermal components for in-space applications.

Lunar

Artemis II Is On The Way To The Moon

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, plus Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are on board—with Koch and Glover poised to make history as the first woman and person of color to head to the Moon, and Hansen as the first non-American.

ISAM • Startups

Exclusive: In-Orbit Manufacturing Startup Dispatch Emerges from Stealth

Dispatch emerged from stealth this week with $500,000 in funding to build an uncrewed space station that will host manufacturing infrastructure on orbit

VC/PE

Antaris Raises $28M Series A

WestWave Capital led the round, which also included participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures and other new investors. 

Lunar • Polaris

Top Space Lawmaker on Moon Base, Artemis Plans

“What I have heard from colleagues is they’re really rallying behind the idea of going to the Moon,” he told Payload. “Once we establish a base there…that might be the best place to launch to Mars.”

ISS • Startups • Technology

Voyager and Icarus Team Up on ISS Robotics Demo

The pages of the ISS manifest are starting to look a lot like those of a sci-fi novel.

Civil • Lunar • Q&A

Q&A With Lunar Base Manager Carlos Garcia-Galan

At the start of last week, Carlos Garcia-Galan was working on NASA’s program for a lunar-orbiting habitat. Last Tuesday, however, he became the person overseeing the space agency’s ambitious plan to build a lunar surface base at record speed. During last week’s Ignition event at NASA HQ, Payload sat down with Garcia-Galan, the program executive…

Launch • LEO • Startups

Transporter-16 Sends 119 Payloads to Orbit

The latest cargo train to orbit has left the station.

Startups • Technology • VC/PE

Starcloud Raises $170M Series A at $1.1B Valuation

The fundraise highlights not only the overwhelming demand among investors to fund orbital-data-center ventures, but also Starcloud’s unique position as a data-center startup with flight heritage.