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7h ago

Portal Space Systems Raises $50 Million to Accelerate Maneuverable Spacecraft

The raise signals investor bets on rapid in‑orbit maneuvering using solar‑heated propulsion.

Portal Space Systems is developing the Supernova vehicle for moving rapidly between orbits and the Starburst maneuverable spacecraft bus.
Prototypes of Portal Space Systems' Hex thruster.
An artist’s conception shows Portal’s Starburst spacecraft in the foreground with its Supernova space vehicle and three more Starbursts (plus Earth) in the background. (Portal Space Systems Illustration)

Overview

  • Portal Space Systems, which announced a $50 million Series A on Thursday, said the round was led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33 with Booz Allen Ventures, ARK Invest, AlleyCorp and FUSE participating.
  • The company will open a 52,000‑square‑foot factory in Bothell in June to scale output to as many as 12 Supernova and 16 Starburst vehicles per year and to expand its team from about 40 people to roughly 100 by early next year.
  • Its Mini Nova test payload, launched March 30 on Momentus’ Vigoride‑7 via a SpaceX rideshare, is healthy as the team targets the first Starburst flight late this year on the Transporter‑18 mission and a Supernova demo in 2027.
  • Supernova is designed to focus sunlight to heat propellant for fast, high‑delta‑v orbit changes, while the Starburst bus uses conventional thrusters and shares 81% of Supernova’s parts to gain flight heritage sooner.
  • Portal says defense demand is strongest, citing roughly $45 million in U.S. Space Force SpaceWERX support, while it also pursues commercial services such as debris tracking and seeks customers in Japan, Australia and Europe.