Estimating SpaceX’s 2024 Revenue
Payload is back with our SpaceX revenue breakdown. In 2024, we estimate SpaceX’s revenue reached $13.1B in 2024, up from $8.7B in 2023. Business line estimates:
AscendArc Raises $4M for its Small GEO Sats
AscendArc emerged from stealth this morning with $4M in funding to develop small GEO communication satellites.
AstroForge Names Target Asteroid, Signs Deal With Stoke
AstroForge announced which asteroid it’s targeting on its maiden fly-by mission—and the ride it’ll take for future prospecting flights to deep space.
Kepler Communications: Building the Internet for Space
Just as fiber optic technology transformed internet communications across the Earth, optical inter-satellite link (OISL) technology enables high-speed comms in space. Kepler Communications is building the critical infrastructure to solve compounding data needs in space with The Kepler Network, an optical data relay constellation designed to be the transport layer for space comms. An overdue…
Op-ed: Why Outdated Regs Are Holding Back the Nuclear Space Race
Regulators must find ways to balance safety and national security concerns surrounding nuclear systems and materials with the mandate for America to lead in space and the drive for a thriving commercial space economy, especially as nuclear technology becomes safer and less risky thanks to new advancements.
Kall Morris Inc. Shares Details of ISS Demo
Kall Morris Inc., a Michigan-based debris removal startup, became the first US entity to capture an uncontrolled object in space during a demo mission to the ISS.
What the Trump Administration Could Mean for Primes
“If I was at a large established prime that’s 20+ years or older, I would be in the war room thinking about how the hell we’re going to deal with this,” one space industry source told Payload. “They have a clear preference for the Andurils of the world.”
Inside the Comms Tech Headed to the Moon
As the world prepares for the return of crewed missions to the Moon, space agencies are teaming up with the commercial sector to help future missions communicate and navigate the lunar surface.
The Hottest Trend in Space Is A Defense Pivot
“If I had a nickel for every space company that pivoted to national security, well, I wouldn’t need to raise another round,” one spacetech founder mulling that exact strategy told Payload this week.
AST SpaceMobile Announces $400M Convertible Notes Raise
AST SpaceMobile is raising $400M through convertible notes to continue building out its BlueBird constellation, the company announced on Wednesday.
Spaceium Closes $6.3M Seed Round
Spaceium, an in-orbit refueling service, raised a $6.3M seed round led by Initialized Capital with participation from 15 additional VC firms and angel investors. The Y-Combinator-backed startup plans to use the funding to demonstrate its refueling technology in orbit and expand its team. “Fuel for spacecraft is a massive bottleneck in the industry,” Spaceium CEO…
Blue Abyss Partners with NASA on Astronaut Training Facility
“Expect a modern, commercial, exciting venue that offers all the ingredients necessary to take people off the street…and get them ready to go into space.”
