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Space Kinetic, an sa国际传媒官网网页入口-based startup focused on space superiority and missile defense, has raised over $12 million in funding to develop a 鈥渃ompletely new paradigm鈥� for maneuvering through space.

Space Kinetic CEO and Co-founder Ryan Sullivan said when most people think about moving through space, they imagine a satellite with limited fuel, whether through chemical or electrical propulsion. The finite fuel reserve limits movement and, once it runs out, the technology becomes useless.

鈥淚nstead of using any kind of consumable fuel, we鈥檝e developed this electromechanical system which integrates onto a number of different host satellites and rapidly deploys smaller payloads,鈥� Sullivan said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 important because we鈥檙e essentially able to take something that鈥檚 really cheap in space, angular momentum or spinning, and turn it into something that鈥檚 really precious.鈥�

In a way, he said Space Kinetic is building something 鈥渧ery simple.鈥� But Sullivan believes it can be the springboard to creating a new way to use space for national security, science and commercial applications.

Funding was led by Balerion Space Ventures and supported by Industrious Ventures, Marque Ventures, UP.Abundance, Backswing Ventures, the New Mexico Vintage Fund, Abo Empire and CerraCap Ventures.

Founded in 2022, Sullivan said the tech startup has been 鈥渆xtremely scrappy鈥� from the beginning, having built its propellant-free electromechanical payload deployment system prototype in a garage. The company also secured a partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory early on through the New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program, a two-year fellowship pairing entrepreneurs with LANL talent and technology.

鈥淚n the last three years, we鈥檝e evolved from this garage-built prototype and literal back-of-the-napkin sketches to a venture-backed startup that is cleared to work on many of our nation鈥檚 most urgent security priorities,鈥� Sullivan said.

The investments were raised as part of the company鈥檚 seed funding round, and Sullivan said it did so because the startup sees 鈥渦rgent signals鈥� from the federal government that new capabilities are needed in space to even the playing field. He said funds will be used to expedite the research and development process and deliver its first flight-qualified system.

鈥淥ur adversaries have spent the last 25 years focusing on disrupting a rules-based order in the space domain,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he United States and our allies need new ways to ensure that we can continue to use space in a way that鈥檚 prosperous, peaceful and rules-based for everyone.鈥�

CerraCap Ventures, a California-based venture capital firm, was one of many investors in the seed funding round, usually the initial capital early-stage startups raise. Operating Partner Abhi Mukherjee said he 鈥渓oved鈥� the passion that Sullivan and Co-founder Scott Ziegler brought to the table. He did not disclose how much money the company invested.

Mukherjee said CerraCap often looks to invest in technologies in the interest of national security and defense, but very recently began looking into space technology. Space Kinetic checked all the boxes, he said.

鈥淎t the end of the day, our mantra has been, 鈥楬ealthier, secure planet. Whoever controls space dominates the Earth,鈥欌�� Mukherjee said. 鈥淩yan and Scott are on a trajectory that aligns with our mission, our vision, our mantra and our investment thesis.鈥�