Payload 🚀

.@PortalSpaceSys and @paladinspace_ are partnering on a mission designed to advance orbital-debris-removal tech from one-off demos, to an economically viable commercial service. payloadspace.com/portal-paladin…

Germany’s @HyImpulseTech announced a launch service agreement to begin flying from SaxaVord Spaceport, in the Shetland Islands. payloadspace.com/hyimpulse-sign…

.@ApexSpacecraft is branching into the Japanese market, with a new contract. Under the contract, the Japanese NEC Corporation will buy one of Apex’s Aries satellite buses for a communications demo mission next year. payloadspace.com/apex-signs-fir…

.@ulalaunch is expecting to fly its first modified Vulcan this summer. The company was already planning the modifications before ULA suffered an anomaly with its Vulcan booster during a February mission for the Space Force. payloadspace.com/modified-vulca…

Not many space companies want to reduce the world’s reliance on satellite infrastructure, but that’s the pitch that landed Australia-based Advanced Navigation a $110M Series C. payloadspace.com/advanced-navig…

@NanoAvionics signed a multi-million-euro contract with South Korean space energy startup FLEXELL SPACE to supply solar arrays for a Korean national security satellite program. payloadspace.com/nanoavionics-l…

The FAA announced that US launchers had all transitioned to the five-year-old licensing requirements, leaving no one still operating under legacy regulations. payloadspace.com/faa-ends-part-…

The @AIAspeaks and PricewaterhouseCoopers released a report detailing gaps in the supply chain for the space industry, and ideas for addressing those problems. payloadspace.com/how-congress-c…

.@nvidia unveiled a new piece of tech—the Space-1 Vera Rubin Module—aimed at providing the computing power necessary to fuel future in-space computing applications. payloadspace.com/nvidia-announc…

Canada will invest in a spaceport and three young rocket systems as part of its push to build up sovereign launch capabilities. payloadspace.com/canadian-launc…

The Italian A&D prime @Leonardo_live announced it would begin testing its Michelangelo Dome missile-defense system in Ukraine before the end of the year. But that’s just the beginning. payloadspace.com/leonardos-miss…

@NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is going all in on building a Moon base, with initial plans kicking off next year. payloadspace.com/isaacman-plans…

Spacecraft today operate in an environment defined by two accelerating forces: the explosive growth of satellites in orbit, and the rapid evolution of cyber threats targeting them. payloadspace.com/viasats-halone…

This year’s Tectonic Defense Summit was bigger and better than ever, and Payload was thrilled to join the fun with the inaugural Payload Space Stage. payloadspace.com/a-recap-of-pay…

China’s web of space ties is rapidly going global—but even as Beijing offers benefits on cost and offerings, experts say the US and Europe still could maintain their diplomatic toehold in emerging space nations. payloadspace.com/whos-working-w…

China’s web of space ties is rapidly going global—but even as Beijing offers benefits on cost and offerings, experts say the US and Europe still could maintain their diplomatic toehold in emerging space nations. payloadspace.com/whos-working-w…

.@iceye_global is rolling in it. The SAR satellite operator released its financial results for 2025, revealing a massively successful year for a business that found itself in the right place at the right time. payloadspace.com/iceye-smashes-…

Mantis Space formally exited stealth with the announcement of $10M in seed financing. Mantis will use the funds to complete development of its prototype payload and to grow its workforce. payloadspace.com/mantis-space-e…

.@FireflySpace’s Alpha rocket flew the first leg of a redemption arc. Alpha lifted off the pad from Vandenberg Space Force base at 8:50pm ET in the company’s first fully successful flight in nearly two years. payloadspace.com/fireflys-alpha…

European space startup AIRMO closed a €5M ($5.8M) seed round to launch its first greenhouse-gas-monitoring satellite no earlier than next year, and to expand its drone and airplane monitoring into the Middle East market. payloadspace.com/airmo-raises-e…