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Monthly deep dives

Four times a month, we publish a deep dive—a long-form, research-heavy article that zooms way in on a specific sector or company. These are our most ambitious pieces: 2,000–3,500 words, multiple sources, historical context, and forward-looking analysis.

Each monthly deep dive targets a different vertical, and each one publishes during a specific week of the month. This prevents all four from piling up the same day and ensures consistent rhythm across the month.

The four deep dives

Canadian space activity, companies, and policy.

Publishes: First Wednesday of the month

Coverage area

  • Canadian Space Agency (CSA) programs and announcements
  • Canadian companies in space (MDA, Axiom, etc.)
  • Canadian astronauts and international partnerships
  • Canadian Earth observation and climate missions
  • Regulatory and policy developments
  • Economic impact of space spending in Canada

Sources

  • Canadian Space Agency RSS and news releases
  • SpaceFlightNews API (Canada-tagged stories)
  • Crawl4AI scrapers for Canadian space companies and research institutions
  • Canadian government announcements (innovation, infrastructure, trade)
  • Industry publications (SpaceNews, Via Satellite, etc.)

Length & voice

2,000–2,500 words. Proud but analytical. We celebrate Canadian accomplishments without hype. Heavy on economic and industrial context. Aimed at Canadian readers and international readers curious about Canadian space policy.

Sample angle

"Canada's ISS presence just expanded with a new Canadarm3 contract extension. But here's the bigger story: how CSA's robotics program became a crucial leverage point in international negotiations—and why that matters as space politics get tenser."

Rocket Lab's missions, roadmap, and place in the commercial launch market.

Publishes: Mid-month Wednesday (typically week 2–3, gates on specific dates)

Coverage area

  • Electron rocket launches and manifest
  • Neutron development and testing
  • Customer acquisition and partnerships
  • Orbital debris and constellation services
  • New Zealand and international operations
  • Market position vs. competitors

Sources

  • SpaceFlightNews API (Rocket Lab-tagged)
  • Launch Library 2 (Rocket Lab manifest)
  • Rocket Lab official updates and investor calls
  • Crawl4AI for industry analysis and competitive positioning
  • Customer announcements (satellite operators, government agencies)

Length & voice

2,000–2,500 words. Technical and business-focused. Rocket Lab is small and scrappy compared to SpaceX, so the narrative emphasizes efficiency, niche market strategy, and how a smaller player carves out space in a crowded industry.

Sample angle

"Rocket Lab's Neutron development just hit a milestone, but the economics are the real story. Here's the math on how small/medium launch vehicles stay profitable when SpaceX's Falcon 9 costs keep dropping."

Blue Origin's space vehicles, infrastructure, and commercial plans.

Publishes: Third Wednesday of the month

Coverage area

  • New Glenn and New Shepard development
  • Blue Moon lunar lander program
  • ULA partnership and launch services
  • Suborbital tourism and point-to-point flights
  • Infrastructure investments (launch pads, manufacturing)
  • Bezos's influence and funding

Sources

  • SpaceFlightNews API (Blue Origin-tagged)
  • Launch Library 2 (New Shepard and future launches)
  • Blue Origin press releases and investor updates
  • ULA announcements and shared projects
  • Industry analysis on Blue Origin's market strategy

Length & voice

2,000–2,500 words. Analytical and critical. Blue Origin operates at scale (unlike Rocket Lab) but is less transparent than SpaceX, so our coverage emphasizes what we know, what we're guessing, and what we're waiting to see. Heavy on timeline skepticism and technical risk assessment.

Sample angle

"Blue Origin just pushed New Glenn's maiden flight to 2026. For the third time. Here's why the delays make sense—and why this heavy-lift vehicle might still be the dark horse in the commercial market."

Industry-wide trends, startups, and commercial space economics.

Publishes: Fourth Wednesday of the month

Coverage area

  • Space debris removal (Astroscale, Clearspace, etc.)
  • Space tourism and suborbital flights
  • In-orbit refueling and on-orbit services
  • Commercial space stations (Axiom, Orbital Reef, etc.)
  • Satellite constellation economics (Kuiper, OneWeb, etc.)
  • Space venture capital and funding trends
  • Export control and regulatory news
  • International commercial competition

Sources

  • SpaceFlightNews API (broad coverage)
  • SpaceNews and Via Satellite (trade publications)
  • Crawl4AI for startup blogs and investor announcements
  • LinkedIn and company press releases
  • Patent filings and regulatory submissions

Length & voice

2,500–3,500 words. Highest ceiling of all deep dives. Commercial Space is the broadest category, so we use the extra room to explore a theme or trend in depth. Might focus on one month's mega-trends (e.g., "the race to deorbit") or zoom into a specific startup ecosystem.

Sample angle

"Five companies just announced in-orbit refueling test missions. None of them have flown yet. Here's why the technology is suddenly plausible—and which company has the best shot at going first."

The publishing schedule

gantt
    title Monthly Deep Dive Schedule
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD

    section Week-of-Month Gates
    Canada From Orbit    :canada, 2026-01-01, 1d
    Rocket Lab Roundup   :rl, 2026-01-15, 1d
    Blue Origin          :bo, 2026-01-15, 1d
    Commercial Space     :cs, 2026-01-22, 1d

    section Repeat (Next Month)
    Canada From Orbit    :canada2, 2026-02-05, 1d
    Rocket Lab Roundup   :rl2, 2026-02-12, 1d
    Blue Origin          :bo2, 2026-02-18, 1d
    Commercial Space     :cs2, 2026-02-26, 1d

Week-of-month gates explained

Each deep dive workflow checks: "Is today in the right week of the month?"

  • Canada From Orbit fires only on Week 1 Wednesdays
  • Rocket Lab fires on a mid-month Wednesday (typically Week 2–3, but gates prevent Week 1 and 4)
  • Blue Origin fires only on Week 3 Wednesdays
  • Commercial Space fires only on Week 4 Wednesdays

This ensures we publish one deep dive per week, never two on the same day.

How deep dives are researched

All monthly deep dives follow the same editorial pipeline, but with a longer timeline:

  1. Curation (Week before publication) — Robo Chris ranks stories relevant to this month's vertical
  2. Research & Drafting (2–3 days before) — the LLM author gets more source material and a longer prompt to synthesize
  3. Editing & Fact-Checking (1 day before) — extra scrutiny for longer articles and more complex claims
  4. Human Review (morning of) — Chris reviews, fact-checks complex statements, and approves
  5. Publishing (afternoon) — scheduled for consistent time
  6. Distribution — social posts and RSS

The research phase is longer because deep dives require more context and more sources. We don't just string together daily news; we analyze trends and connect dots.

All set! You now understand the full TCS publishing ecosystem. Questions? Check out How It Works → for the editorial pipeline and quality standards.