Portal Space Systems says it’s setting up its 50,000-square-foot spacecraft manufacturing facility just 3 miles away from its existing design and testing hub in Bothell, Wash. By the end of 2026, the ...

Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems says it has successfully tested its solar thermal propulsion system at operational temperatures inside a vacuum chamber, marking a first for the commercial ...

When President Donald Trump signed the Space Force into existence, he hailed space as the “world’s newest warfighting domain.” Five years later, the Space Force is fully embracing its role as ...

Portal Space Systems, a 4-year-old Bothell startup, wants to make it easier for spacecraft to move between orbits. To make that happen, it had to dust off decades-old research on an unorthodox ...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The Space Force’s main acquisition arm is looking to see which of its major programs could be scaled back or replaced with a commercial alternative. “Nobody got a pass.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman speaks at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference at National Harbor, Md. Sept 23, 2025. Credit: U.S. Air Force NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The U.S. Space Force ...

Portal CEO Jeff Thornburg says the company is expanding its footprint in Bothell, Wash. (Portal Space Systems Photo) Portal Space Systems says it’s setting up its 50,000-square-foot spacecraft ...

Portal’s heat exchanger thruster, known as Flare, fires up during a test in a vacuum chamber. (Portal Space Systems Photo) Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems says it has successfully tested its ...