You may not have known that space needs tugs, but now it does. Atomos Space has completed his $16.2 million Series A investment. The company manufactures a series of Orbital Transfer Vehicles (OTVs) that enable the repositioning of satellites in space. In theory, allowing the flying object to travel to different trajectories should make the spacecraft much cheaper to operate, without the need for full navigation capabilities on the flying object itself. The company claims its presence effectively halves launch costs for satellite operators.
The company is starting with high-power electric propulsion systems and wants to share that it sees these propulsion methods as a stepping stone for nuclear OTV options. The company is also positioning itself so that these technologies can be used to deflect asteroids, effectively putting Harry Stamper out of work.
“I worked on rocket design, then spacecraft propulsion system design, and some advanced technology for moving through space, but I realized that the way logistics were done in space was suboptimal. I quickly realized, the best analogy we use is an aircraft, if you have a disposable plane and you are the only passenger and you can’t shop on the way and you have everything. So if you want to drive to your final destination, you need to take your car and gas with you,” explains Vanessa Clark, CEO and co-founder of Atomos Space. increase. “Ultimately, it is very expensive and limited. What we really need is a hub-and-spoke logistics model for the universe. We can do very good commercial missions such as , but we can also take the next step as a species and do more in deep space where it makes sense from an economic and scientific standpoint. ”
This is the company’s third VC funding round, and so far it has been built and tested on the ground, including the docking and propulsion systems. The next big step is to fly your first vehicle.
“THe has a lot of autonomy. We are working on developing self-driving satellites that can detect, navigate and safely grab clients. Unlike rockets, which must be designed for launch, we have the ability to optimize propulsion systems to operate only in space. into the space,” Clark emphasizes the company’s competitive advantage. “This means we can use less propellant and go farther. This new funding round completes production of our first two vehicles, with a launch booked in less than 12 months. It will be a really exciting mission to fly two full-size commercial vehicles.”
The first use case for this technology is to carry the launched satellite to its final destination and reposition the satellite mid-mission. When a vehicle leaves service, it can move to a graveyard orbit or an abandoned orbit and burn up in the atmosphere.
“Our goal as a company is to be able to access any orbit, like Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It’s as easy as just going to the post office, and I hope that’s possible in space,” explains Clark. “We want to operate a fleet of orbital transport vehicles in Earth orbit that can offer a vast array of missions to a range of clients, spacecraft operators, space station operators, as well as companies and institutions that want to explore beyond the atmosphere. increase.”
The company is particularly excited about nuclear propulsion in space, and says it is investing heavily on that front, with significant gains in speed and payload capabilities.
With the current funding round, the company says it plans to double the size of its team and launch its first two OTVs in early 2024. The investment was led by Kantos Ventures and Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office, the family that founded Nintendo. ), Upheaval Investments, Dolby Family Ventures, Arden Road Investments, Elefund and Techstars.
