Tim Fernholz

Oakland

Senior Space Reporter at Payload

Journalist. Writing at Payload Space and elsewhere. ROCKET BILLIONAIRES: https://t.co/YVizgUxKkg | +1 347 778 1414 | byproduct of yesterday’s trades | (he/him)

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Articles

Intuitive Machines Says The Moon Is Still Go

1 day ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus is a fan of the White House’s plan for space, telling investors on a first quarter earnings call that “the president’s recent NASA budget request signals continued support for deep space initiatives that Intuitive Machines [is] built to serve.”Does it?
The Eternal Return of the National Space Council?

3 days ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

If the Trump administration’s space policy seems scattershot to you, you’re not the only one noticing. Amid clamor from industry for more coordination, it appears the National Space Council (or something like it) is coming back. No duh: Talk of advancements in space science, discovery, and warfighting doesn’t match proposed budget cuts that threaten the sector. One reason why? There aren’t voices in the executive branch who care about space writ large. “[There is] no space council, no space person.
Rocket Lab Wins Point-to-Point Demo Contract for Neutron

6 days ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

AFRL hired Rocket Lab to perform “a Rocket Cargo survivability experiment” in 2026 with the reusable Neutron rocket it hopes will fly this year.
IonQ Buys Capella Space For Quantum Comms Gambit

1 week ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

Capella Space, a CO-based company that operates a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites, is set to be purchased by IonQ, a quantum computing firm that plans to use Capella’s technology as the basis for a space-based quantum communications network. The all-stock deal valued Capella at $311M, according to SEC filings and yesterday’s $IONQ closing price. It’s expected to close in the second half of the year.
Ursa Major Had A Hot Week

1 week ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

Colorado rocket engine builder Ursa Major announced a new contract and successful flight tests this week, showing how the propulsion firm is carving out a niche in the fields of highest interest to the Pentagon. Fire one: The AFRL will pay Ursa to continue developing the Draper engine for responsive space, hypersonic, and on-orbit propulsion. Now, the company will build a demonstration vehicle—essentially, a missile—to perform flight tests.
Europe’s Space Defense Industry Sees Opportunity in Discord

1 week ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

Amid major shifts in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump, European governments have unshackled budget rules and funded a five year rearmament plan, including a €800B ($905B) investment in defense technologies that will benefit space contractors. Invent it: Paris-basedDark was founded in 2022 by former defense industry engineers, CEO Clyde Laheyne and CTO Guillaume Orvain.
Trump's "Skinny" Space Budget Winners and Losers

1 week ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

It’s time to play the game again! On Friday, the White House released top-line budget numbers that covered key space spenders at DoD and NASA. While there’s no guarantee this is what the final budget looks like, here’s our guide to the people, companies and concepts that stand to gain, and those that are in trouble. The high-level budget proposal reflects who has leverage in Trump world.
Lockheed Martin Hands Over Orion Spacecraft for Artemis II

1 week ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

The spacecraft set to carry humans into lunar orbit for the first time this century is in NASA’s hands. Lockheed Martin delivered a completed Orion spacecraft to the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems team yesterday. It is scheduled to carry four astronauts around the Moon during the Artemis II mission in early 2026. Long pole: Kirk Shireman, the Lockheed VP in charge of the Orion program, said battery packs that failed extreme shock tests and needed to be redesigned caused most of the delay.
Isaacman Pays The Moon Price, Heads For Senate Floor

2 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA will come before the full Senate after being approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation by a vote of 19-9. The full body is expected to approve the nomination in the weeks ahead, but when that happens is subject to a procedural tug-of-war between the two political parties. Price to pay: Committee Chair Sen.
Radian Plans Re-entry Vehicle For Hypersonic Tests

2 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

Radian Aerospace said it will build a hypersonic reentry vehicle to generate cash, and support the development of its sled-launched single-stage-to-orbit rocketplane. What it is: The Radian Reusable Reentry Vehicle (R3V) will be a capsule just over six feet high that will fly on launch vehicles as small as Rocket Lab’s Electron.