Space Technology Special Report - Version B. July 2023 - 6

10 Space Startups
3. ASTRANIS
Year Founded: 2015
Location: San Francisco, CA
CEO: John Gedmark
A
stranis is build ing small, low-cost
telecommunications satellites to connect
the four billion people who currently
do not have access to the Internet. Each
spacecraft operates from geostationary
orbit (GEO) with a next-generation design
of only 400 kg, utilizing a proprietary
software-defined radio payload. This
digital payload technology allows frequency
and coverage flexibility, as well
as maximum use of valuable spectrum.
By owning and operating its satellites and
offering them to customers as a turnkey solution, Astranis can provide
bandwidth-as-a-service and unlock previously unreachable markets.
This allows Astranis to launch small, dedicated satellites for small and
medium-sized countries, Fortune 1000 companies, telcos, and other
customers. Astranis has successfully launched a test satellite into
orbit and is now underway with its first commercial program - a
satellite to provide broadband Internet for Alaska that will more
than triple the available bandwidth across the state.
For more information visit www.astranis.com.
4. GRAVITICS
Year Founded: 2021
Location: Seattle, WA
CEO: Colin Doughan
A
next-generation hardware
company that designs and
manufactures large space structures
for human life in space, bringing
high-quality shipyard-style fabrication
to the aerospace industry.
Gravitics emerged from stealth
with $20 million in seed funding
in November 2022 and plans to
build space station modules. Its
main offering will be a super-sized
module known as StarMax. The general-purpose module
would provide up to 400 cubic meters (14,000 cubic feet)
of usable habitable volume - which represents nearly half of
the pressurized volume of the International Space Station. To
support development and early production, Gravitics opened
a new 42,000-square-foot facility north of Seattle in 2022.
The company has already begun assembly of its first StarMax
prototype and is preparing to conduct module pressure tests
in early 2023 with plans for an upcoming orbital test mission
to be announced soon.
For more information visit www.gravitics.com.
6 JULY 2023
5. THINK ORBITAL
Year Founded: 2021
Location: Lafayette, CO
CEO: Sebastian Asprella
A
space infrastructure developer,
building large, scalable, and
cost-efficient space platforms.
These platforms are built through
autonomous in-space welding,
robotics, and large metal panel
manu facturing. The spherical
ThinkPlatform pro vides a large volume,
protected from orbital debris
and thermal effects, to accommodate
ISAM activities, habitation for
astronaut missions, and tourism. These platforms, which are configured
for a single launch and assembled autonomously in orbit,
can support multiple space missions. The platforms can scale up
to deliver 4,000 cubic meters of internal volume in space through
a single launch - that's four times the volume of the International
Space Station - able to support Active Debris Remediation (ADR)
missions, among other use cases. The company also plans to use
a combination of the robotic arm and an electron beam welding
gun for universal space assembly.
For more information visit www.thinkorbital.com.
6. LEOLABS
Year Founded: 2016
Location: Menlo Park, CA
CEO: Daniel Ceperley
L
eoLabs provides critical mapping and space situational awareness
services to help secure safe and sustainable operations in
LEO. It uses proprietary radars to remotely detect and track orbital
debris in LEO. It's globe-spanning network of ground-based, phased
array radars keeps track of the thousands of operational satellites,
defunct satellites, spent rocket bodies, and pieces of debris in orbit
around the Earth. The radars are steered electronically with no
moving parts, making them reliable with multi-decade operational
lifetimes. LeoLabs' tracking system can detect debris as small as
2-cm across, as opposed to the much larger 10-cm objects tracked
by legacy detection systems. It has two radars housed at each site
in Alaska, Texas, Costa Rica, the Azores, New Zealand, and Australia.
The company recently selected a site in Argentina for its next
ground radar for remotely identifying and tracking objects in space.
For more information visit www.leolabs.space.
SPACE TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT
http://www.astranis.com http://www.thinkorbital.com http://www.gravitics.com http://www.leolabs.space
Space Technology Special Report - Version B. July 2023

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