Payload

Our focus is on the business and policy aspects of the space sector. We release Payload, a daily newsletter every weekday at 9am ET, along with the Pathfinder podcast. Additionally, we offer Parallax, a weekly newsletter dedicated to science in the space industry.

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EO CEOs Slam ‘Shortsighted and Perilous’ Budget Request

1 week ago | payloadspace.com | Jacqueline Feldscher

Leaders at six of America’s 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. “The commercial remote sensing sector has listened, innovated, and delivered dependably,” the CEOs wrote in the letter.
Report Proposes Fixes For The Aerospace Talent Gap

1 week ago | payloadspace.com | Jacqueline Feldscher

It’s time for the aerospace and defense sector to learn to do more with less. 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. “There is simply not enough talent to go around,” the report said.
Dawn’s Aurora Spaceplane Will Fly From Oklahoma

2 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Jacqueline Feldscher

Dawn Aerospace’s Aurora spaceplane will begin launching from Oklahoma in 2027, positioning the state to play a prominent role in microgravity research. The New Zealand-based space startup signed a binding partnership with the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority to fly suborbital missions from the Oklahoma Air and Space Port in Burns Flat (west of Oklahoma City). Why Oklahoma?
Two New Space Bills Introduced on Capitol Hill

2 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Jacqueline Feldscher

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. Hit the Quad: The Quad—an informal security partnership among the US, Japan, India, and Australia—has tackled priorities ranging from vaccine distribution to cybersecurity preparations since its reestablishment in 2017.
Sodern, Dhruva Space Team On Star Tracker Demo

2 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Sharmila Kuthunur

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. The collaboration is a major win for the private Indian smallsat manufacturer looking to expand its global reach—and it also further strengthens Indo-French space ties. Sodern is using the demo to gain full telemetry access and validate the star tracker’s in-orbit performance.
ispace Fails to Reach the Moon in Second Attempt

3 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Jacqueline Feldscher

ispace’s lunar landing attempt failed on Thursday afternoon, with its RESILIENCE spacecraft likely crashing into the Moon. “This is the second time we were not able to land, so we have to take it very seriously,” CEO Takeshi Hakamada said at a press conference Thursday evening via a translator. “We’d like to utilize the results into Mission 3 and Mission 4, so for the future. That’s the most important part.
Dems Worry Golden Dome Will Launch Arms Race

3 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Jacqueline Feldscher

Senior DoD space officials on Tuesday said Golden Dome will provide increased deterrence against the growing capabilities of near-peer adversaries such as China, while promoting peace through strength. But some Democrats wondered: Will it actually just be a really expensive opening volley in a new arms race?
Planet Hits Free Cash Milestone

3 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

Planet Labs ($PL), the San Francisco EO company, reported positive free cash flow—$8M—for the first time as a public company in its first quarter earnings release yesterday. Sure, it’s just one quarter, and Planet isn’t expecting to sustain free cash flow for another year or two, but we hear there’s demand for good news these days. Planet saw revenue grow 10% year over year, and reported good progress building a fleet of Pelican satellites for its partnership with Japan’s Sky Perfect JSAT.
BAE Snags $1.2B Missile Warning Contract

3 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Tim Fernholz

BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems will build 10 missile warning satellites for Space Force’s Epoch 2 constellation, with a focus on using infrared sensors to track threats, including ICBMs and hypersonic vehicles. BAE declined to comment on the fixed-price contract, which sets a delivery date after September 2028. Stay resilient: This is the latest award in the Space Force’s $6B Resilient Missile Warning Tracking (MWT) network in MEO, developed by a combined team including MDA and SDA.
Space Force Partners on Rocketry Challenge

3 weeks ago | payloadspace.com | Jacqueline Feldscher

Every year in May, students from around the country gather in a field in the exurbs of the nation’s capital to launch rockets from a field. This year, for the first time, they did so with the support of the Space Force. The competition: More than 100,000 middle and high school students have participated in the American Rocketry Challenge, an annual competition hosted by AIA. This year’s engineering challenge?