Space News by Caleb Henry — August 30, 2019
Orbion aims to eventually build and ship thrusters in six to eight days from receiving an order. Credit: Orbion.
Orbion Space Technology announced Aug. 28 it raised a $9.2 million Series A round to develop and mass produce Hall-effect plasma thrusters for small satellites.
Material Impact, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments, led the round, with Invest Michigan, Invest Detroit, Wakestream Ventures, Ann Arbor Spark, and Boomerang Catapult also participating.
Orbion, a Houghton, Michigan-based company founded in 2016, joins a list of firms that have secured investor dollars for electric smallsat propulsion systems over the past two years, including Accion Systems in Boston, Indian startup Bellatrix Aerospace, and French startups ExoTrail and ThrustMe.
Orbion’s distinction is in its approach to manufacturing, CEO Brad King said in an interview. The company is modelling its Aurora thruster production after the approach defense contractors use to build tactical missiles, he said.
“Tactical missiles are built a few hundred per year, they cost a few hundreds of thousands of dollars each, they have to operate in space, and they have to be incredibly reliable,†King said. “We modelled our manufacturing on the tactical missile strategy, and in so doing, the infrastructure and design that allows us to develop these products in days rather than many, many months.â€
More:
https://spacenews.com/electric-propulsion-startup-orbion-raises-9-2-million-series-a/
