Vol. 01 · 8 briefings

Archive

One issue a week. Earth observation, connectivity, the in-space economy, and the contracts underneath.

Issue 008 · 5 October 2026

In-space economy · Policy & capital

Moving the mass

EXIM backs Astranis with a $468M credit facility to build GEO satellites in Northern California against a backlog of more than $1B. Varda raises $251M as two more capsules fly. Northrop's first 21 Transport Layer satellites reach Vandenberg for SDA. Open Cosmos raises €300M for four European factories rated at one satellite a day. Impulse adds $308M as its 2028 Helios rideshares sell out. Foothold 2 counts how much has to land on the Moon, and what has to be refueled before anything does.

Issue 007 · 29 September 2026

In-space economy · Policy & capital

Booked through 2029

$1B more for Stoke to fly Nova Pathfinder in early 2027 and build a 15-ton Block 2 for 2029. BAE clears design review on the $1.2B MEO missile-warning program; 10 satellites move toward production. True Anomaly and Northrop win GHOST-R prototypes for GEO reconnaissance, with a path into RG-XX. NOAA buys $28.4M of PlanetiQ radio occultation data, up to $47.3M with options by the company's count. Foothold opens on what the Station's exit frees and what it cannot prove.

Issue 006 · 22 September 2026

Earth observation · Connectivity · In-space economy · Policy & capital

Making orbit usable

A $187M DeepSky weather book on York M-CLASS. $114M more Lockheed GPS ground. $205M to scale EnduroSat FRAME plants. NASA $946M for three more crew seats (Crew-15-17). Anduril $65M TITAN production hardware. Mining closes on who pays once mass leaves the body.

Issue 005 · 15 September 2026

Connectivity · In-space economy · Earth observation · Policy & capital

What the slot actually buys

A €760M Nyx cargo service under ALADDIN. €2.4B for 264 IRIS² LEO platforms. $161M to path a space reactor. Exclusive Gen-3 EO inside a $1B / 50-sat Altair build. Two Alpha flights from Esrange NET 2028. The mine still has to move the mass.

Issue 004 · 8 September 2026

Connectivity · In-space economy · Policy & capital

What installation actually buys

A commercial Mars pipe on a 2028 clock. Eighteen MEO buses for IRIS². €544M gated on European orbit. A Lightning bus into protected GEO. Two more Mira for TacRS. A 3-ton stage booked for removal. The mine still needs a place.

Issue 003 · 1 September 2026

In-space economy · Policy & capital · Connectivity · Earth observation

Where volume actually lives

A $100 billion Starship site on the Louisiana coast. Tracking sats on a 2028 clock. A $1.5 billion Firefly book. Terminals you cannot rip out. Arrays ahead of coverage. HawkEye RF out of eval. The mine still needs power and a working face.

Issue 002 · 25 August 2026

In-space economy · Policy & capital · Connectivity · Earth observation

What scale actually requires

SpaceX stands up a gas desk. Starcloud and Muon raise at compute- and factory-scale. Rocket Lab and Intuitive Machines take spacecraft production. The Space Force splits AMTI. The first useful mine products are water and oxygen.

Issue 001 · 18 August 2026

Policy & capital · In-space economy · Connectivity

What the contracts are actually buying

SpaceX takes a sensing-and-launch stack. K2 and Rocket Lab convert demand into backlog. Interlune has helium-3 buyers. Direct-to-cell hits a carrier calendar. A spent Falcon stage leaves an 18-meter mark on the Moon.