About

What is SpaceOrbitals?

SpaceOrbitals is an independent publication for people who care about space — from the orbital mechanics to the gear. We cover three perspectives, often in the same week:

Who writes for us?

We have a small team of self-taught enthusiasts and amateur specialists. None of us hold industry positions in aerospace; our writing comes from years of independent reading, formal coursework, simulator work, and (for the gear side) hands-on use of the equipment we review. We disclose this clearly on every author page. Meet the team on the Authors page.

Why these three voices?

Because space is a big topic. A reader who has spent a decade working through orbital mechanics textbooks reads it differently from someone setting up a backyard telescope, and both benefit from a news desk that filters the signal from the noise. We don't pretend to be all things to all readers — we just publish the kinds of pieces we'd want to read ourselves.

How is this site built?

SpaceOrbitals is a small, independently run publication. The site is built with a custom static-site generator that converts Markdown content into a fast, mobile-friendly site hosted on a global CDN. No JavaScript frameworks, no tracking beyond standard analytics, no popups.

How can I contact you?

Tips, corrections, partnership inquiries, or just to say hi: [email protected]

Press & partnerships

For press inquiries or partnership opportunities, reach us at [email protected]. We do not currently accept guest posts or sponsored content; we may revisit this in the future.

Author transparency

Every author page carries a clear disclosure of each contributor's actual background (self-taught, formal coursework, hobbyist practice). If you spot a claim on the site that sounds like a professional credential we can't actually back up, please let us know at [email protected] — we want to fix it.

Editorial mission

SpaceOrbitals exists to make space legible. The launch industry is moving fast, the academic literature is decades deep, and the gear market has more SKUs than ever — most coverage either oversimplifies (and loses the technical reader) or overcomplicates (and loses everyone else). We try to occupy the middle: pieces that explain the physics, the engineering, and the economics without talking down or padding.

The publication launched in early 2024 as a side project by a small group of space-followers who had been emailing each other long-form links and analyses for years. The first pieces were long newsletter essays. The current format — articles, news, reviews, gear, and a daily tracker — emerged in late 2024 after feedback from early subscribers who wanted both depth and a steady news cadence.

Editorial standards

Every published piece goes through a three-step process: drafting by the assigned editor, technical or editorial review by a second desk member, and a final pass by the editor-in-chief before publication. We do not publish pieces we have not fact-checked against primary sources — NASA blog posts, FCC filings, peer-reviewed papers, mission press kits, manufacturer spec sheets, or direct statements from named engineers.

We disclose expertise transparently. None of our authors hold industry positions in aerospace. Each author page states the contributor's actual background — self-taught, formal coursework, hobbyist practice, or independent research — and the areas where they have hands-on experience versus the areas where they are reporting based on reading and interviews. If we cite a statistic, we link the source. If we name an expert, we link the publication or affiliation where their credentials are verifiable.

Corrections policy

If you spot a factual error, a broken link, or a claim that does not match its source, please email [email protected]. Verified corrections are appended to the bottom of the affected article with a dated correction note. Substantive corrections are also noted in the next Orbital Daily Tracker. We aim to respond within two business days.

What we will not do

We do not accept sponsored content or paid placements. We do not accept guest posts from companies or PR firms. We do not publish pieces based on tips from publicists, embargoed announcements beyond what is already public, or sample chapters from forthcoming books. Our gear reviews are based on hands-on use; we buy what we review, borrow from the community, or rent from manufacturers with a clear disclosure when applicable.

We do not run popups, modals, or autoplay video. We do not track visitors beyond standard analytics (page views, referrers, approximate geography). We do not sell or share subscriber data. The contextual advertising served through Google's AdSense program (disclosed in our privacy policy) is the only third-party monetization on the site.

Contact

Tips, corrections, and general inquiries: [email protected]. Press and partnerships: [email protected] with "press" in the subject line. We are not currently accepting guest posts, sponsored content, or paid placements.