Space Kinetic

Electrifying space mobility. Space Kinetic is building more resilient in-space supply lines.

Created: 2022-12-20

Updated: 2024-03-02

Company - Space Kinetic

Founded
Country: 2022; USA

Funding: Yes, ?

Website: SpaceKinetic

Social

Product/Service - Longbow

Classification: In-Space Transportation

Category: Space Tug
In-Space Logistics
Mass Driver

Fields: Transport Service (In-Space)
In-Space Transportation

Status: Early stage

First launch: Not announced

Under contract for a Phase I SBIR as part of the 2023 Department of the Air Force Open Topic solicitation. Through this effort, we are building sophisticated models for our distributed in-space logistics architecture and are collaborating with stakeholders at both AFRL and Space Systems Command to articulate a broader system-of-systems. This is a key milestone for our product roadmap and complements our ongoing hardware development efforts.

Longbow

We’re building a platform that can electro-mechanically accelerate and propel various payloads without firing a thruster, enabling Space Kinetic to move things through space without directly using consumable propellant.

We are rethinking some of the fundamental assumptions about in-space maneuver, and we believe that our unique approach can enable game-changing dynamic space operations.

We’re calling this system “the Longbow.” At its core, the Longbow is a rotary system that cradles a payload, accelerates it to a predetermined RPM, and then deploys it on a new trajectory. As the payload leaves the rotary arm, it is imparted with an instantaneous velocity change.

The Longbow can be integrated onto a dedicated satellite or other spacecraft and can transport a broad range of payloads based on the kind of mission we’re supporting. The key differentiating factor is that unlike every other in-space mobility solution, we don’t need to fire a thruster and we don’t need to directly use any consumable fuel to impart this velocity change.

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