What the business is
Helsinki space tech startup building satellite flight software (Muon) and a satellite platform (Gluon)
The bet
Satellites run by software, networked in orbit with optical links, can make space data delivery more modular and efficient
Starting capital
$7.4 million oversubscribed seed in 2023
How it started
ReOrbit, founded in Helsinki in 2019 by Sethu Saveda Suvanam, aims to turn satellites into intelligent, interconnected platforms that relay data from space to space as well as to Earth. The European Space Agency's UKKO programme works with it to develop next-generation Earth observation technology.
What happened
ReOrbit is building two products: Muon, a flight software stack that works like a satellite operating system and includes a digital twin of Gluon, and Gluon, a satellite platform with optical communications terminals for space-to-space and space-to-ground links. In 2023 it raised a $7.4M seed round, and it secured KaleidEO of India as its first customer for the UKKO technology.
How it ended up
As of April 2024 the first in-orbit demonstration satellite was scheduled for launch in Q2 2025, a test of the avionics and software stack. KaleidEO's plan to combine the software with its AI models was contingent on the demo's success.
What has to be true
Earth observation operators wanted more modular and interconnected missions
Satellites networking in orbit could deliver space data more efficiently
ESA's UKKO programme backed development and testing of the technology
A software stack that fits existing satellite bodies is easier for customers to adopt
What can be applied
Selling a software layer that fits existing satellite bodies lowers a customer's risk, but until the in-orbit demo flies, the claims remain unproven.
Aftermath
As of 2024-04-09, ReOrbit had a $7.4M seed, one customer contingent on the demo and an in-orbit demonstration satellite scheduled for Q2 2025; no flight results existed yet.
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