NASA is starting off the year hot, with a positive budget proposal—as well as a permanent administrator at the helm, after nearly a year of interim leadership.  The post NASA Starts 2026 With Budget Plan, Administrator appeared first on Payload. Source: https://payloadspace.com/nasa-starts-2026-with-budget-plan-administrator/

Forget offshoring—the future of manufacturing is off-world. The post United Semiconductors, Aegis Aerospace Partner on In-Space Manufacturing Platform appeared first on Payload. Source: https://payloadspace.com/united-semiconductors-aegis-aerospace-partner-on-in-space-manufacturing-platform/

Golden Dome’s first fight will be won or lost on its ability to see.  The post Op-ed: Golden Dome Will Stand or Fall on Its Sensors. Here’s How to Make Them Endure appeared first on Payload. Source: https://payloadspace.com/op-ed-golden-dome-will-stand-or-fall-on-its-sensors-heres-how-to-make-them-endure/

The dozens of tubes of Martian dust collected so far by the Perseverance rover are waiting for a ride that may never come.  The post House Minibus Bill Would Kill Mars Sample Return appeared first on Payload. Source: https://payloadspace.com/house-minibus-bill-would-kill-mars-sample-return/

2026 has a chance to become an inflection point where commercial expansion, AI integration, and sovereign partnerships could collide to redefine what the next decade of space looks like. The post Op-Ed: Space Trends to Watch in 2026 appeared first on Payload. Source: https://payloadspace.com/op-ed-space-trends-to-watch-in-2026/

In a press conference at ESA HQ in Paris, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher laid out the agency's plan for 2026. The post ESA Outlines a Busy Year Ahead appeared first on Payload. Source: https://payloadspace.com/esa-outlines-a-busy-year-ahead/

For decades, space launch providers have faced the same persistent challenge: intermittent loss of telemetry data when rockets travel out of range of ground stations. These “blackouts” can last for minutes—leaving long and critical periods when vehicle health, performance, and safety information go dark. Viasat’s HaloNet Launch Telemetry

Billionaire backers have already taken the launch sector by storm. Now, one is getting into the space-science game. The post Former Google Chief Building Private Space Telescopes appeared first on Payload. Source: https://payloadspace.com/former-google-chief-building-private-space-telescopes/