For founders pursuing commercial opportunities that exploit the recent drop in the cost of accessing space and enable humanity to benefit from space-based technologies.
Kayhan Space has built an autonomous satellite collision avoidance system that reduces the response time to potential collision events by 95 percent. The system also reduces the risk of collision by eliminating delays and human error from the critical path of the response. Its collision avoidance system will be used to notify satellite operators of potential collisions with a recommended maneuver that the satellite will receive within minutes to conduct.
Leanspace has developed ground and mission control software for spacecraft based on a cloud-based, modular infrastructure that enables customers to easily build fully-integrated and collaborative software systems across the entire mission lifecycle. Leanspace’s software infrastructure provides all the common building blocks as an ecosystem of web services in a unified platform that standardizes all data, reduces development time by 5x, and cuts costs in half.
Lunar Outpost is developing spacecraft and cislunar infrastructure as a service with their beachhead market being lunar surface mobility. The venture provides cost-effective autonomous rovers for space and extreme environments that provide customers with ample power, mobility, data services, and a constrained thermal environment. The rovers will be used to host scientific, commercial, and technical payloads, thereby enabling a sustainable presence in cislunar space.
NewOrbit is developing a propulsion system that uses atmospheric particles as a propellant, which enables satellites to provide better services by operating efficiently at very low Earth orbits (VLEO). Customers will be able to operate satellites at an altitude of 200 kilometers, resulting in three times better image resolution for Earth observation, three times higher capacity for satellite internet, and 10x better weather imagery.
Novo Space is developing high-performance, radiation-tolerant, modular computers for data-intensive processing technologies in space, such as autonomous systems and machine learning. Novo Space’s hardware and associated software will reduce time-to-orbit, risk, and cost for applications requiring greater computing power and reliability than CubeSat electronics.
Obruta Space Solutions is developing fully autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking capabilities for in-orbit assets. Obruta will provide these capabilities to satellite servicing and logistics companies to enable the delivery of on-orbit services such as refueling, life-extension, deorbiting, and hardware upgrades.
Prewitt Ridge has developed software for engineering collaboration using modern workflows that enable automation with improved traceability, a four-fold reduction in development cycle time, and will prevent failure in engineering systems. The software will be used by system engineers to streamline standard systems engineering work through advanced workflows, analyses, and models.
Lunar Outpost is an industry leader in commercial space robotics, lunar surface mobility, and in-situ resource utilization. From its terrestrial product lines revolutionizing the air quality sector to the creation of oxygen on Mars, the company’s impact spans the solar system. Its flagship rover, the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform, will be the first commercial rover to reach the lunar South Pole in 2023.
Pre-CDL, Lunar Outpost was practically a bootstrapped venture for five years. It had raised just one small round of angel funding. CEO Justin Cyrus entered CDL-Toronto’s Space stream with a list of investors he wanted to get on board. The program gave Cyrus direct access to some of those investors — who were CDL mentors themselves — and gave the investors a chance to get to know his company. CDL also taught Cyrus how to tell a story that other investors would respond to. The company previously told disparate stories about its Canary line of products — which are air quality monitors here on Earth — and its space robots. Now, Cyrus said, Lunar Outpost has one simple message: “We want to end scarcity by providing access to the infinite amount of resources in space. … We’re going to develop advanced technologies. And if there are ways we can apply those to markets here on Earth that have positive impact, that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
“It hit home with investors — a lot more than showing the two as separate disparate technologies.” Lunar Outpost rounded off its time at CDL with a big announcement: the company closed a USD $12-million seed round of funding in May. Cyrus is thrilled to be working with his “dream team” of investors, including Explorer 1 Fund, Promus Ventures, Space Capital, Type 1 Ventures and Cathexis Ventures.
We talked about embracing what the customers wanted and expected from you, as well as your own people. It should be part of a living document with milestones, pitch, culture, etc that's like a living document.
Andra Keay • Associate, CDL-Toronto Apr 26, 2022 @ 3:21 PM ET