France’s Sodern, a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, will partner with India’s Dhruva Space for an in-orbit demo of Sodern’s HORUS star tracker next year. payloadspace.com/sodern-dhruva-…

Arkadia Space received data back from its first mission in space proving that its DARK propulsion system—which uses safe-to-handle hydrogen peroxide to generate thrust—can perform as well as, if not better than, toxic hydrazine equivalents. payloadspace.com/arkadia-proves…

.@Northropgrumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) will wear a lot of hats in orbit, from gas station attendant and mechanic to orbital taxi driver and Airbnb host. payloadspace.com/northrop-grumm…

San Francisco startup Aethero raised $8.4M in seed funding to support the development of high-powered computing in space, including two orbital demonstrations, CEO Ed Ge told Payload exclusively. payloadspace.com/aethero-raises…

The legislative wheels are turning, with senators introducing two new space-focused bills last week and one NASA bill set to get marked up in the House tomorrow. payloadspace.com/two-new-space-…

In this episode of the Valley of Depth, Erik Kriessmann from Altimeter talks about his philosophy to pick and nurture great founders. Check out the full episode below to learn more on what he thinks about concentrated investing, why the firm bets big on supercycles, and what it

Integrate, a Seattle-based space software startup, won a $25M Space Force contract—one of the largest awarded by the branch to a software company. payloadspace.com/integrates-win…

US Africa Command turned to a new Space Force program called TacSRT (Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking), to keep an eye on vehicles and people in the unsettled territory around a US airbase ahead of the withdrawal. payloadspace.com/how-private-sp…

.@Voyagertech_ , Inc. went public on the NYSE on Wednesday—raising $382.8M through the sale of over 12M shares at $31 a pop. payloadspace.com/voyager-ipos-a…

.Muon Space, a Mountain View, CA company developing end-to-end satellite systems, today announced the closing of a $44.5M extension of its Series B fundraising round and the acquisition of propulsion startup Starlight Engines. payloadspace.com/muon-hauls-in-…

This week, @ESA member states declared that they will carry on with their ambitious space science and exploration plans—with or without the US. payloadspace.com/esa-watch-sett…

.@Orbexspace, Skyrora, and Rocket Factory Augsburg all said late last year that they planned to launch their first flights from the UK in 2025. But—as is often the case in launch—timelines are starting to slip to the right just halfway through the year. payloadspace.com/the-uks-launch…

Whether or not the rift between US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is closed, the questions raised by the president’s threat to cancel SpaceX’s contracts remain important: Why is the US so dependent on SpaceX’s fleet of reusable rockets? payloadspace.com/why-is-spacex-…

If the hottest idea in markets is defense business, the greatest hope of entrepreneurs in the space sector is selling the Pentagon on defense as a service. payloadspace.com/is-the-world-r…

UK nuclear propulsion startup PULSAR has dreams of ferrying rockets to the Moon, Mars, and Saturn—but first, they’re headed to Texas. payloadspace.com/pulsar-fusion-…

.NASA is planning to cut more than 5,000 jobs without Congressional approval, and insiders fret that institutional knowledge is being lost ahead of critical missions. payloadspace.com/nasa-begins-wo…

.VENTURI Space France is developing a lunar rover—named Mona Luna—to support future ESA and CNES missions to the lunar South Pole. payloadspace.com/venturi-space-…

Last year, nearly 15% of employees left the aerospace industry, despite widespread efforts to retain more top talent, according to a report released Monday by AIA and McKinsey & Company. payloadspace.com/report-propose…

Leaders at six of the biggest remote sensing firms are urging Congress to reject cuts proposed in the Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget plan—a proposal that would dramatically reduce the government’s purchasing of commercial EO data. payloadspace.com/eo-ceos-slam-s…

A 21-ft tall Honda-built rocket flew 890 feet in the air over Hokkaido, Japan, before descending to land safely—as part of the car company’s reusable rocket program payloadspace.com/honda-hops-reu…