Pulsar Fusion Unveils Nuclear-Powered Rocket
The Sunbird Migratory Transfer Vehicle is a nuclear-fusion powered rocket capable of reaching 329,000 mph.
DARPA Eyes Orbital Mission to Map Lunar Water Ice
The program—Lunar Assay via Small Satellite Orbiter (LASSO)—seeks to design, test, build and deliver a spacecraft that can identify regions that are at least 90% probable to have at least 5% water.
NRO Launches First Payload Under New NatSec Contract
The NROL-145 launch is the first under the Space Force’s Phase 3 Lane 1 rubric—a launch contracting mechanism that will spend $5.6B on relatively simple launches with fewer requirements, which might suit new entrants to the national security launch game.
States Vying to Welcome America’s Space Workforce
The headquarters of NASA and US Space Command are caught in a nationwide clash that has many in the US civil and military space workforce wondering: should I stay or should I go?
We Have Some Space Questions About The Golden Dome
President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for a new, satellite-based missile defense architecture around the continental US has defense contractors salivating, but questions about the cost, capabilities, and requirement for such a system remain unanswered.
The Space Force Outlines Its Guide to Space Warfare
Space is the ultimate high ground, and like a modern-day Sun Tzu, Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman has issued his Art of Space War.
Phantom Space and Ubotica Team Up to Bring AI to Orbit
The volume of data being gathered in space is growing exponentially, and the capacity to ship that data back to Earth is increasingly constrained. That’s why more companies want to analyze their data on orbit. Phantom Space is no different.
A Post-Mission Debrief with AstroForge’s CEO
“Will we actually land on an asteroid and get these beautiful samples? Probably f—— not,” Gialich told Payload. “But do we hope to change the name of the game for access to deep space, and show people that the price point we’re doing this at is doable? I hope.”
Boeing Hits Key Milestone On Path To Quantum First in Orbit
HRL Labs has built a space-hardened quantum payload and demonstrated it on the ground—a key milestone in Boeing’s push to demonstrate the first quantum entanglement swap in space. The device, which is going through final environmental testing, will serve as a “ground twin” for the final payload, which is expected to reach orbit on the…
US and Korean Space Officials Push For Closer Collaboration
Officials from the two countries’ civil space programs met in Washington, DC on Monday for the fourth US-ROK Civil Space Dialogue, which culminated in a bilateral commitment to increase collaboration on civil, military, and commercial space missions.
NATO Considers Reopening Space Policy Ahead of Schedule
“It’s not supposed to be even touched until 2027. Now they’re saying that’s probably too long. So let’s talk about—is now the time, based on what’s happening in the world,” Col. Jonathan Whitaker told Payload on the sidelines of Space Symposium.
Trump Team Plans To Push TraCSS Out of Government
The White House wants the long-awaited Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) to be handed over to a non-profit or private company, backtracking on a mandate in the first Trump administration to move it into the Office of Space Commerce.
