Astro Digital
Astro Digital is a U.S. space infrastructure company that designs, builds, and operates modular spacecraft bus platforms (6U CubeSats to ESPA Class) and end-to-end mission services for government, commercial, and research customers, with 35+ satellites delivered.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSanta Clara, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Astro Digital does
Astro Digital is a U.S.-based space infrastructure company founded in 2014 that designs, manufactures, and operates modular spacecraft bus platforms and supporting mission services for government and commercial customers. Its core product line centers on the Corvus Micro Bus (a 6U CubeSat platform) and the Corvus 16U Bus, with the underlying bus architecture described as scalable from 6U CubeSats through ESPA Class missions supporting orbits from LEO to GEO. The platform integrates flight-proven avionics subsystems covering high-voltage power storage and generation, configurable S/X/Ka-band communications, high-performance computing, and precision ADCS control, complemented by a scalable mission control center and a global ground station network with operations based in Sydney, Australia.
The company sells turnkey satellite bus platforms, end-to-end mission design and engineering services, and ongoing mission operations support on a quote-based, multi-year mission-specific contract model. Production and spacecraft assembly are concentrated in San Jose, California, while engineering and administration are headquartered in Littleton, Colorado. Customer logos span U.S. government and defense (NASA, SDA, MITRE), large commercial aerospace and communications (Boeing, Sony Space Communications, EchoStar), and space startups and research institutes (Starfish Space, Tomorrow.io, Orbital Sidekick, Southwest Research Institute, Vestigo Aerospace, Star Catcher Industries), with 35+ satellites delivered and 10 missions currently in operation. Recent awards include the NASA FFR mission, the SDA HALO Pool, the Boeing Q4S quantum demonstration, and a power purchase agreement with Star Catcher Industries for orbital power-beaming services.
Astro Digital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Astro Digital
- Legal name
- Astro Digital US
- Website
- https://astrodigital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Astro Digital is a U.S. space infrastructure company that designs, builds, and operates modular spacecraft bus platforms (6U CubeSats to ESPA Class) and end-to-end mission services for government, commercial, and research customers, with 35+ satellites delivered.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Astro Digital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Satellite Bus Platform Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ground Segment Systems (Ground Stations, TT&C, Mission Ops) (IMABACAJ)
Keywords
Where Astro Digital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Clara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Astro Digital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Satellite Bus Platforms and Spacecraft Manufacturing: Astro Digital manufactures and sells modular spacecraft bus platforms (Corvus Micro and larger variants) to customers for custom mission payloads. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales tied to specific mission requirements.
- End-to-End Mission Design and Engineering Services: Provides mission planning, payload technology development, mission architecture, program management, and constellation design services as a recurring professional services engagement.
- Mission Operations and Ground Infrastructure Services: Ongoing mission operations support including scalable mission control center and global ground station network for active satellite management.
- Power Purchase Agreements (as customer): Astro Digital has signed power purchase agreements with Star Catcher Industries for orbital power-beaming services, indicating demand for innovative power solutions to support satellite operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Mission-specific custom pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Astro Digital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Astro Digital designs, manufactures, and operates modular spacecraft bus platforms ranging from 6U CubeSats (Corvus Micro) to 16U buses and ESPA Class missions, and delivers end-to-end mission services including mission design, payload integration, constellation architecture, and ongoing mission operations. The buses serve as flight-proven host platforms for customer payloads across LEO to GEO, paired with a proprietary avionics portfolio and a global ground station network.
Product overview
Astro Digital provides a comprehensive satellite technology infrastructure platform with modular spacecraft bus products and end-to-end mission services. The product portfolio centers on the Corvus Micro Bus (6U CubeSat) and Corvus 16U Bus platforms, which offer scalable and cost-effective solutions from 6U CubeSats to ESPA Class missions operating in LEO to GEO. These bus platforms are complemented by avionics subsystems (power, communications, computing, ADCS), mission design services (planning, architecture, constellation design), and mission operations (control center, ground station network). Together, these building blocks enable customers to achieve mission goals from proof-of-concept to full constellation deployment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Corvus Micro Bus: A modular 6U CubeSat platform offered by Astro Digital for various mission profiles.
- Corvus 16U Bus
- Bus Platform
Products and services
- Corvus Micro Bus A compact 6U CubeSat bus platform for hosting customer payloads, used in missions including Starfish Space Otter Pup, MITRE's experimentation platform, Boeing's quantum demonstration, and Sony's optical communications demo.
- Corvus 16U Bus A larger 16U CubeSat bus platform that expands the Corvus family to accommodate more substantial payloads and mission requirements, used for missions such as SwRI's CUBIXSS.
- Spacecraft Bus Platforms A modular and scalable collection of satellite subsystems spanning from 6U CubeSats to ESPA Class missions, providing flexible and cost-effective solutions for LEO to GEO applications.
- End-to-End Mission Design Comprehensive mission planning services including mission architecture, payload technology development, program management, and constellation design for government and commercial customers.
- Mission Operations Scalable mission control center and global ground station network for servicing multiple concurrent satellite operations across the customer fleet.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 4 decades of combined on-orbit heritage with 35+ satellites delivered and 10 missions currently in operation
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Astro Digital
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Astro Digital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Astro Digital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Star Catcher IndustriescoreAstro Digital signed a power purchase agreement with Star Catcher Industries, a Jacksonville, Florida-based startup that raised $65 million in Series A funding to build the first power grid in space using optical power beaming technology. Star Catcher plans its first space-based optical power-beaming demonstration later in 2026.
- PickNik RoboticsminorPickNik Robotics partnered with Motiv Space Systems to support software development for NASA's FFR mission. The collaboration includes integration support involving orbital platform provider Astro Digital, with PickNik providing motion planning and arm control software based on its MoveIt Pro platform.
- BoeingcoreBoeing selected the Astro Digital Corvus satellite platform for its Q4S quantum entanglement swapping demonstration satellite, scheduled for launch in 2026. The mission will operate in sun-synchronous orbit, demonstrating quantum teleportation between photon pairs using two entangled-photon pair sources and precision optics to establish groundwork for a global quantum internet.
- Motiv Space SystemscoreNASA's Fly Foundational Robotics (FFR) mission will demonstrate a commercial robotic arm built by Motiv Space Systems in low Earth orbit, hosted on an Astro Digital spacecraft. Astro Digital serves as the orbital platform provider for the demonstration, contributing to NASA's In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) objectives.
- Sony Space Communications CorporationcoreSony selected Astro Digital to design, manufacture, and launch two satellites to demonstrate optical communications technology. The agreement represents a significant customer win for Astro Digital's bus platform and mission services.
- Space Development Agency (SDA)coreThe Space Development Agency selected Astro Digital for the HALO Pool to rapidly compete future prototype demonstrations, advancing SDA's goals for proliferated low Earth orbit architecture.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Astro Digital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Customer concentration
Astro Digital social profiles
Digital presenceAstro Digital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Astro Digital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Astro Digital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Astro Digital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Astro Digital
What does Astro Digital do?
Astro Digital designs, manufactures, and operates modular spacecraft bus platforms ranging from 6U CubeSats (Corvus Micro) to 16U buses and ESPA Class missions, and delivers end-to-end mission services including mission design, payload integration, constellation architecture, and ongoing mission operations. The buses serve as flight-proven host platforms for customer payloads across LEO to GEO, paired with a proprietary avionics portfolio and a global ground station network.
Is Astro Digital a public or private company?
Astro Digital is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Astro Digital founded?
Astro Digital was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Astro Digital based?
Astro Digital is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States, in the North America region.
How does Astro Digital make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Satellite Bus Platforms and Spacecraft Manufacturing is the primary driver. The others are end-to-End Mission Design and Engineering Services, mission Operations and Ground Infrastructure Services and power Purchase Agreements (as customer).
Does Astro Digital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Astro Digital.
What industry is Astro Digital in?
Astro Digital's product category is Satellite Bus Platform Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAB, Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial), with a secondary code of IMABACAJ, Ground Segment Systems (Ground Stations, TT&C, Mission Ops). Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.