We read the press release. Then we read the contract.
Trailblazers explains the space economy to people who have to make decisions about it. We read the fine print, follow the money, and stay honest about the hype. Each issue tells you what happened, what most coverage missed, who wins and who pays, and what to watch next. It is written with a lawyer's eye and a sense of humour.
Founders and executives in space and the industries around it. Investors and analysts. Strategy, policy, legal and insurance people. Anyone who has been handed a space story and asked, “Does this matter to us?”
You don't need to be a rocket engineer. You need to be able to explain the story to your boss on Monday. That is the job of every issue.
#EVENTHORIZONFour questions: what happened, what most coverage missed, who wins and who pays, and what to watch. It ends with a verdict: SIGNAL, NOISE or TOO EARLY.
#NEWSThe week’s news in short items, each one sorted.
#MARKETWATCHSpace stocks and funds, and whether the move means anything.
#STARGRAPHA chart that explains how something works, not just how big it is.
ROTATINGA jargon decoder, letters to the lawyer, the launch-slip scoreboard, or a look back at whether last year’s big promise came true.
Manifesto
- Space is a business now.
It deserves business journalism: numbers checked, contracts read, claims tested.
- A press release is a claim.
We treat it like one, politely, and then we check.
- Follow the money, then the rules.
Most space stories turn out to be about who pays, who is liable, and who is allowed.
- Renders are not rockets.
Until it flies, it gets a caption: (artist’s impression).
- We translate.
“Strategic partnership” often means a memorandum nobody has to honour. “No earlier than” is the most honest phrase in the industry. We tell you which is which.
- Every number has a source. Every opinion is labelled as one.
When we get something wrong, we correct it where you can see it, and twice a year we score our own predictions.
- Funny is allowed.
The jokes aim at claims, incentives and the industry’s habits, ours included. Never at readers, and never at who someone is.
- Newcomers are guests. Insiders are fair game.
- Machines help. A human checks and signs.
We use AI tools for research and drafting. Every fact is checked and every line is approved by the editor before it reaches you.
- Your ten minutes are the budget.
If a sentence doesn’t earn its place, it goes.
Newsletters like this one are part of the hype machine. We try to be the part that checks the brakes.
- Sponsors buy space, not coverage. Sponsored content is always labelled, and a sponsor’s industry gets the same scrutiny as everyone else’s.
- Not legal advice. We explain the law so the business makes sense. If you need advice on your own situation, ask your own lawyer.
- Corrections are made in the web version of the issue, with a note saying what changed.
- Tips, questions and complaints: reply to any issue, or write to francois@jointrailblazers.space.
Trailblazers is written and edited by Francois Lambert, a space lawyer who helps space companies get permission to exist: licences, spectrum, market access. Guest writers from across the industry contribute opinion pieces. TeeBee, the crew's spider, handles morale and spins the threads.