Orbital Operations
Orbital Operations is a YC Winter 2025 (W25) company. Team of 2.
About Orbital Operations
Summary
Orbital Operations builds high-thrust, reusable space vehicles designed to protect critical satellites, including GPS and military communications assets, from adversarial threats. Its flagship platform, Astraeus, uses cryogenic propulsion systems drawn from proven launch vehicle technology to deliver over 100 times the thrust of current in-space propulsion. The vehicles replace the absence of any rapid-response, high-maneuverability option for satellite defense in orbit.
Go-to-market
Primary customers are defense organizations requiring responsive orbital mobility. The company targets both defense and commercial infrastructure operators, with an operational vehicle planned for 2027.
From the Y Combinator listing
High Thrust Space Vehicles for Satellite Defense
Orbital Operations is developing a high thrust, reusable space vehicle for satellite defense. We protect critical satellites, like GPS and Military communication satellites, from adversarial threats, like China and Russia. Our vehicle will use the exact same propulsion systems that launch vehicles have used for decades by implementing a cryogenic management system. This will give us over 100x the thrust or current in-space propulsion. Ross and I have over 15 years of combined aerospace experience across NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Relativity Space. We’ve worked side by side for more than 3.5 years developing propulsion systems, turbomachinery, and building our own respective engineering teams. We are currently working on the first demo of our unique cryo management system and intend to launch an operational vehicle by 2027.
Facts
- Industrials / Industrials -> Aviation and Space
- 2
- Active
- Early
Founders (2)
- Ben Schleuniger
- Ross Doherty
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