Terminal Eleven

What Terminal Eleven does

Terminal Eleven is a privately held mobile application developer founded in 2009 in Albuquerque, New Mexico by engineers Colin Cochran, Maurizio Leo, and Joe Rakolta. The company specializes in consumer-facing augmented reality stargazing and satellite-tracking apps, with its flagship product SkyView - Explore the Universe available on iOS, Android, Apple Watch, and Amazon Appstore, plus a companion app SkyView Satellite Guide for real-time tracking of 14,000+ Earth-orbiting objects. The core technology is a proprietary AR engine that overlays stars, planets, constellations, and satellites on the device camera view, paired with a Sightings Engine that predicts visibility of celestial objects; this engine is supplemented by a database of over 20,000 space objects and features such as night mode with red/green filters, time-travel sky view, and interactive 3D world view.

The business model is consumer app-store distribution with a freemium funnel: SkyView Free offers a limited subset of constellations and objects to drive top-of-funnel adoption, while the paid SkyView upgrade and a satellite-tracking in-app purchase unlock the full catalog. Pricing is a one-time perpetual license (historically $2), with no subscription or advertising revenue disclosed and no B2B or enterprise customers named. Marketing is content-led through the company blog and organic social, amplified by press coverage and Apple App Store editorial featuring (App Store Best of 2011 and 2012, App of the Week in 100+ countries). The company has no disclosed institutional funding, operates with a small founder-led team, and most recent disclosed operating data (download milestones, product launches) dates to 2013–2015.

Name

Terminal Eleven

Legal name

Terminal Eleven LLC

Website

https://terminaleleven.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Terminal Eleven is a privately held, founder-led mobile app developer (founded 2009, Albuquerque) best known for SkyView, an augmented reality stargazing app, and SkyView Satellite Guide, serving individual consumers on iOS, Android, Apple Watch, and Amazon Appstore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Astronomy Applications

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577)

akta.pro primary industry

XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF)

Keywords

• Augmented reality stargazing
• Satellite tracking apps
• Mobile astronomy applications
• Celestial object visualization
• Space exploration software

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. App Sales (iOS/Android/Amazon): Revenue generated from paid app purchases through Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon Appstore. Users can purchase the full SkyView app or upgrade from the free version.
2. In-App Purchases: Satellite tracking functionality became an in-app purchase in version 3.0 due to ongoing server costs for updating satellite trajectories. Users can unlock satellites and space junk as premium add-on.
3. Freemium Upgrade: SkyView Free provides limited functionality with subset of stars, 15 constellations, 2 satellites, Sun and Moon. Users can upgrade to premium version for full access to all 88 constellations, planets including Pluto, and all satellites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Terminal Eleven develops and distributes consumer-facing mobile applications that use proprietary augmented reality technology to identify and track celestial objects and Earth-orbiting satellites. Its flagship product SkyView - Explore the Universe overlays stars, planets, constellations and satellites onto the device camera view, while the companion SkyView Satellite Guide delivers real-time 3D and AR tracking of over 14,000 satellites and space debris. The apps are sold as one-time purchases and in-app upgrades through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore.

Product overview

Terminal Eleven is a mobile application developer specializing in space exploration and astronomy apps. Their product portfolio centers on two main applications: SkyView (the core augmented reality stargazing app) and SkyView Satellite Guide (a dedicated satellite tracking companion). SkyView comes in a free tier (SkyView Free) and a full paid version, with both iOS and Android support including Apple Watch integration. The company also developed Celeste, an earlier space-themed app that earned recognition in Google's Android Developer Challenge. All products share a proprietary augmented reality engine developed in-house and focus on bringing interactive space experiences to mobile devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SkyView - Explore the Universe Augmented reality mobile stargazing application that lets users identify stars, planets, satellites, and constellations in the sky by pointing their device camera, with offline-capable trajectory caching, night mode filters, and the Sightings Engine for visibility predictions. Available on iOS and Android for individual consumers.
• SkyView Satellite Guide Dedicated satellite tracking mobile application that displays over 14,000 Earth-orbiting objects including weather, communication, navigation satellites and space debris in real-time 3D and augmented reality views, with interactive world view, ground track projections, and visibility predictions for individual consumers.
• SkyView Free Limited free version of SkyView offering a subset of features including 15 popular constellations, 2 satellites (ISS and Hubble), the Sun and Moon, and basic fun facts. Intended to give users a taste of the full experience before upgrading to the paid version.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ million app downloads as of January 2013
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Niantic: Developer of Pokémon GO and Ingress, the dominant consumer AR app developer on mobile. Comparable as a benchmark for consumer AR engagement, scale, and monetization, though in gaming rather than astronomy.
• Google (Sky Map): Google Sky Map is a free Android AR stargazing app with global reach and platform-level distribution advantages. It overlaps SkyView's core use case on Android and is a broad incumbent threat given its free pricing and OEM preinstall potential.

Direct peers

• Star Chart (Escapist Games): Developer of Star Chart, a consumer-facing AR stargazing app on iOS and Android with similar object-identification and AR camera overlay features. Directly comparable product category and monetization approach.
• Simulation Curriculum: Developer of SkySafari, a long-running planetarium and stargazing app for iOS and Android. Comparable consumer/prosumer astronomy use case with object databases and AR features, with a slightly more enthusiast/scientific tilt.
• Vito Technology: Developer of Star Walk and Star Walk 2, the most direct competitor to SkyView in the consumer AR stargazing app category on iOS and Android. Same target customer (casual stargazers), same AR-based identification mechanic, and similar freemium monetization model.
• iCandi Apps: Developer of Night Sky, an Apple Design Award-winning AR astronomy app for iOS, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Directly comparable product offering with AR-driven celestial object identification and a premium/subscription monetization model.

Emerging players

• PhotoPills: Photography planning app with celestial event overlays (sun, moon, Milky Way, star trails). Comparable AR use case for outdoor enthusiasts, addressing the same real-world AR overlay niche on iOS and Android with a paid model.
• Stellarium (open-source project): Open-source planetarium software with mobile versions providing detailed celestial object visualization. Relevant as a free, community-driven alternative that competes on accuracy and depth for hobbyist users who might otherwise use SkyView.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/terminaleleven
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terminal-eleven

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Terminal Eleven