Advanced Space
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Advanced Space firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Advanced Space
- Legal name
- Advanced Space, LLC
- Website
- https://advancedspace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Advanced Space industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Space Mission Services and Cislunar Navigation Software
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH), Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) for Space Systems (IMABACAG)
Keywords
Where Advanced Space is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Advanced Space business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government Mission Contracts: Prime and subcontract work with NASA, DoD, and other U.S. government agencies for mission design, operations, and technology development. Includes SBIR/STTR contracts.
- Commercial Mission Solutions: Turn-key missions, data and capabilities purchases, and demonstrated cislunar and Martian success for commercial customers.
- Mission Enabling Services: Mission and flight optimization, mission design, mission systems engineering, navigation, and trajectory planning services.
- Technology Solutions Licensing: Trusted AI/ML autonomy expertise, flight-demonstrated applications, and analysis at scale solutions provided to customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | NASA CAPSTONE Contract |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Advanced Space product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Advanced Space develops and sells proprietary cislunar navigation and AI/ML autonomy software (CAPS, BLT, SigmaZero, SCRAM, CALM, NNEP, SINTRA) and delivers mission enabling services including mission and flight optimization, mission design, and mission systems engineering for civil, commercial, and national security space customers. The company also provides turn-key mission solutions, operating the CAPSTONE spacecraft as prime contractor for NASA and the Oracle mission as prime contractor for AFRL.
Product overview
Advanced Space delivers a portfolio of software products and mission services spanning three core areas: Mission Enabling Services (mission design, flight optimization, systems engineering), Technology Solutions (AI/ML autonomy, flight-demonstrated applications, analysis at scale), and Turn-key Mission Solutions (end-to-end mission delivery). Key proprietary products include CAPS (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System) — a peer-to-peer spacecraft navigation technology — and BLT (Ballistic Lunar Transfers) — a low-energy trajectory design framework reducing propellant requirements for lunar transfers. The company operates its flagship CAPSTONE mission (12U CubeSat demonstrating CAPS and NRHO operations for NASA's Gateway), serves as prime contractor for AFRL's Oracle cislunar tracking mission, and supports NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission. AI/ML offerings include SigmaZero (anomaly detection), SCRAM (collision risk assessment), CALM (low-thrust contingency planning), and NNEP (autonomous onboard maneuver design). These products are supported by mission design, navigation, GNC, proximity operations, and space domain awareness services across LEO, cislunar, and interplanetary regimes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CAPS (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System): A peer-to-peer navigation technology incorporating relative tracking data between two or more vehicles for autonomous space navigation.
- CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment)
- BLT (Ballistic Lunar Transfers)
- SigmaZero
Products and services
- CAPS (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System) Peer-to-peer spacecraft navigation technology that enables vehicles to determine their absolute position autonomously using relative crosslink tracking data between two or more spacecraft, reducing reliance on ground-based Deep Space Network tracking. Developed under NASA SBIR Phase III and validated on the CAPSTONE mission in cislunar space. Target customers are civil, commercial, and national security space operators needing autonomous cislunar navigation.
- BLT (Ballistic Lunar Transfers) Low-energy ballistic lunar transfer trajectory design framework reducing spacecraft ΔV requirements by 50–150 m/s compared to 350–550 m/s for direct transfers, enabling increased mass delivery to Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit. The transfer is ballistic (zero deterministic ΔV) after launch when designed with proper geometry. Target customers are mission planners designing Earth-to-Moon trajectories.
- CAPSTONE Mission 12U CubeSat mission owned and operated by Advanced Space as NASA prime contractor, demonstrating the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS) and serving as a pathfinder for the NRHO targeted by NASA's Gateway program. Performs autonomous navigation, CAPS crosslink experiments with LRO, and extended cislunar operations. Customer is NASA and downstream Artemis stakeholders.
- Oracle Mission AFRL Oracle-Prime cislunar space object detection and tracking mission with Advanced Space as prime contractor, focused on detecting and tracking objects near the Moon for national security space domain awareness. Customer is the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
- ESCAPADE Mission Support Mission design and trajectory support for NASA's ESCAPADE twin-spacecraft Mars mission, led by UC Berkeley, to study solar wind interactions with the Martian magnetosphere. Advanced Space supported the mission through multiple design cycles. Customer is NASA with UC Berkeley as principal investigator institution.
- Mission Enabling Services Professional services spanning mission and flight optimization, mission design, and mission systems engineering for civil, commercial, and national security space customers across LEO, cislunar, and interplanetary regimes. Includes orbit determination, navigation, GNC, proximity operations, and space domain awareness support. Delivered on a project or contract basis to NASA, DoD, and commercial operators.
- AI/ML Technology Solutions Trusted AI/ML autonomy, flight-demonstrated applications, and analysis-at-scale services for mission planning, onboard autonomy, space situational awareness, collision avoidance, and navigation. Encompasses SigmaZero (anomaly detection), SCRAM (collision risk assessment via Recurrent and Transformer neural networks), CALM (low-thrust contingency recovery), NNEP (onboard maneuver design), and SINTRA (sub-10cm orbital debris detection). Delivered to civil, commercial, and national security space customers.
- Turn-Key Mission Solutions End-to-end mission delivery service for commercial and government customers, including data and capabilities purchases, with demonstrated cislunar and Martian success. Advanced Space acts as owner/operator (CAPSTONE) and prime contractor (Oracle) under this line, providing full mission lifecycle support from design through operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- BLT trajectories reduce spacecraft ΔV requirements by 50-150 m/s compared to 350-550 m/s for direct transfers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Advanced Space
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Advanced Space technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature7 records
Advanced Space partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- NASAcoreNASA awarded $13.7M contract for CAPSTONE mission and multiple subsequent contracts including SBIR Phase II awards. Advanced Space is prime contractor for CAPSTONE and Oracle missions, and supports ESCAPADE mission design. NASA provides launch services, Deep Space Network support, and mission operations collaboration.
- Terran Orbital CorporationcoreDesigned and built the CAPSTONE spacecraft. Terran Orbital produced hardware, assembled and tested the spacecraft, and integrated the satellite for launch. Ongoing partnership for mission operations support.
- Stellar ExplorationcorePropulsion subsystem provider for CAPSTONE mission. Contributed to spacecraft design and implementation.
- Rocket Lab USA, Inc.coreLaunch provider for CAPSTONE mission on three-stage Electron launch vehicle. Enabled delivery to lunar orbit.
- Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL)coreIris radio and navigation firmware provider for CAPSTONE mission, enabling communication and navigation capabilities.
- Orion Space SolutionsmajorChip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) hardware provider for CAPSTONE necessary for 1-way ranging experiment. Also received follow-on subcontract from Advanced Space for IARPA SINTRA Phase 2.
- Tethers Unlimited, Inc.coreCross Link radio provider for CAPSTONE mission enabling spacecraft-to-spacecraft communication capabilities.
- Morehead State UniversitymajorOperates newest affiliated node on NASA Deep Space Network. Provides telemetry, tracking and control services for CAPSTONE and other missions while engaging students in deep space operations.
- IARPAcoreAwarded Phase II contract for SINTRA space debris detection and tracking program. Advanced Space developing AI/ML approaches for detecting and tracking orbital debris smaller than 10cm.
- AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory)corePrime contractor for Oracle-Prime mission for space object detection and tracking near the Moon. Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for cislunar activities data sharing.
- Q StationminorNew Mexico coworking ecosystem partnership enhancing Oracle project success and aerospace industry engagement.
- Inflection Space StrategiesminorPartnership with Michael Dickey focusing on national security and U.S. space sector solutions.
- Mike BeavinminorExperienced space policy advisor engaged to elevate presence in Washington D.C. and craft communications with government stakeholders.
- ExoAnalytic SolutionsmajorPartnered with Advanced Space on IARPA SINTRA Phase II program for space debris tracking using AI/ML approaches.
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)coreNASA JPL supported CAPSTONE communication, tracking, and telemetry via Deep Space Network. Iris radio design and 1-way navigation algorithms developed in collaboration with JPL.
- Tyvak Nano-Satellite SystemscoreSpacecraft operations partner for CAPSTONE extended mission, operating jointly with Advanced Space on mission monitoring and data processing.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Advanced Space competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ExoAnalytic Solutions: Space domain awareness and deep-space object tracking company; partnered with Advanced Space on IARPA SINTRA Phase II and competes in cislunar tracking alongside Advanced Space's Oracle-Prime work for AFRL.
- COMSPOC: Space situational awareness software and space traffic management services for commercial and government operators; competes with Advanced Space's space traffic coordination and SDA software offerings.
- True Anomaly: Space domain awareness and rendezvous/proximity operations company serving USSF; competes head-to-head with Advanced Space's cislunar SDA pursuits and is a known competitor per Advanced Space BD leadership background.
- LeoLabs: Commercial provider of space situational awareness and orbital debris tracking; competes with Advanced Space's SINTRA/SCRAM debris-detection capability in the SSA market serving government and commercial operators.
- Slingshot Aerospace: AI-driven space situational awareness and space domain awareness platform for DoD and commercial operators; competes in the same ML-for-SDA category as Advanced Space's SigmaZero and SCRAM products.
- a.i. solutions: Aerospace engineering services firm providing mission design, flight dynamics, and GNC support to NASA and DoD — directly overlapping Advanced Space's Mission Enabling Services line and similar customer base.
- Odyssey Systems Consulting: Aerospace engineering and mission support services firm supporting DoD and intelligence community space programs; comparable to Advanced Space's mission-enabling services business with similar customer overlap.
Broad incumbents
- Parsons Corporation: Diversified defense and space engineering services provider with space domain awareness, mission integration, and NASA program support work that overlaps Advanced Space's mission design and SDA offerings.
- Ball Aerospace: Large Colorado-based space prime building spacecraft, instruments, and missions for NASA/DoD; competes for broader cislunar and SDA mission work and is part of the same Colorado aerospace ecosystem cited in Advanced Space's data.
- KBR (Space/Mission Solutions): Provides mission operations, spaceflight engineering, and NASA/DoD program support (incl. legacy SGT work); competes with Advanced Space on civil and national-security mission services at significantly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Advanced Space social profiles
Digital presenceAdvanced Space financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Advanced Space leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Advanced Space funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Advanced Space 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 Advanced Space
What does Advanced Space do?
Advanced Space develops and sells proprietary cislunar navigation and AI/ML autonomy software (CAPS, BLT, SigmaZero, SCRAM, CALM, NNEP, SINTRA) and delivers mission enabling services including mission and flight optimization, mission design, and mission systems engineering for civil, commercial, and national security space customers. The company also provides turn-key mission solutions, operating the CAPSTONE spacecraft as prime contractor for NASA and the Oracle mission as prime contractor for AFRL.
Is Advanced Space a public or private company?
Advanced Space is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Advanced Space founded?
Advanced Space was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Advanced Space based?
Advanced Space is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Advanced Space make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Mission Contracts are the primary driver. The others are commercial Mission Solutions, mission Enabling Services and technology Solutions Licensing.
Who are Advanced Space's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ExoAnalytic Solutions, COMSPOC, True Anomaly, LeoLabs, Slingshot Aerospace, a.i. solutions and Odyssey Systems Consulting. Broad incumbents are Parsons Corporation, Ball Aerospace and KBR (Space/Mission Solutions).
Does Advanced Space have an API?
No public API is recorded for Advanced Space.
What industry is Advanced Space in?
Advanced Space's product category is Space Mission Services and Cislunar Navigation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAI, Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software, with a secondary code of IMABAIAH, Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 7372.