WASHINGTON \u2014 Satellite servicing startup Katalyst Space Technologies has raised $12 million for a geosynchronous orbit demonstration as its mission to boost the orbit of a NASA observatory nears launch.<\/p>\n
Katalyst announced June 16 that it closed a funding round led by Geodesic Capital with participation from Fortitude Ventures and other investors.<\/p>\n
The company said the funding will support development of its first Nexus spacecraft for servicing satellites in geostationary orbit. That mission is scheduled to launch in 2027 on an Ariane 6<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nexus-1 will initially approach a U.S. Space Force satellite and install a space domain awareness sensor on it, the company said earlier this year. It will also conduct additional rendezvous and proximity operations with national security spacecraft before providing services to commercial customers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re going to build an enduring presence beyond Earth, we need the ability to manipulate the environment. Katalyst is building the robotic spacecraft that will make that possible,\u201d Ghonhee Lee, chief executive of Katalyst, said in a statement.<\/p>\n Nexus-1 will come after the upcoming launch of its Link spacecraft, which is designed to approach NASA\u2019s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, an astrophysics spacecraft whose low Earth orbit is decaying because of atmospheric drag. Link will attach itself to Swift and raise its orbit, preventing Swift from reentering as soon as late this year.<\/p>\n The Link spacecraft is complete and was recently integrated with its launch vehicle, a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL. That launch is scheduled for as soon as June 27, with the air-launched Pegasus flying out of Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific.<\/p>\n