BlackStar Orbital Technologies Corporation

What BlackStar Orbital Technologies Corporation does

BlackStar Orbital Technologies Corporation (DBA BlackStar Orbital and BlackStar), founded in 2023 and headquartered in Titusville, Florida, develops a reusable smallsat-class spaceplane marketed under the SpaceDrone brand (variants include BlackStar-C, BlackStar-LEO/M, BlackStar-X, and BX-100). The lifting-body platform is designed to launch as an ESPA-class payload, deploy customer CubeSats or sensors in orbit, and return to Earth for runway landing on any of the roughly 14,000 runways worldwide that exceed 5,000 feet. The architecture is built around a common core with a modular payload bay (SpaceBox) supporting roughly 40-60 kg of reconfigurable payload, a 15K S2200 High Performance Orbital Maneuvering System (solid propellant, static-fire tested in 2021 at US Rockets' Mojave facility), a High-Performance Green Propulsion (HPGP) system for refueling and extended missions, and OrbitsEdge-sourced edge computing modules (ProxOps plus 100W EdgeCompute) that enable onboard autonomous processing and CubeSat swarm mothership operations.

The company's revenue model spans three streams: mission services sold as multi-year contracts (basic cubesat carrier priced at $500,000 up to advanced packages at $5 million), direct hardware sales (BlackStar-C at $1.25M, BlackStar-LEO/M at $5M, BlackStar-X at $7M), and a Downmass-as-a-Service (DMAAS) offering for rapid return of perishable biological materials from orbit. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting U.S. defense and intelligence buyers (U.S. Space Force, NRO, SDA, Space Rapid Capabilities Office) and government-funded civilian customers (NASA), complemented by event-led business development at Space Symposium, SATSHOWWEEK, and Arizona Space Summit. Pricing is quote-based on missions; the company maintains an e-commerce store for branded apparel ($11.30-$49.03 accessories, $20.32-$39.87 t-shirts, $45.73-$59.83 hoodies). As of the input data, revenue is not publicly disclosed; funding consists of an undisclosed seed-round convertible note from CT Holdings Inc. (February 2024, board seat granted), a $75,000 SpaceWERX SBIR Phase I award (June 2024), and a NASA SBIR grant, with a stated end-of-decade projection of $400 million to $650 million in annual revenue at a production rate of 10-100 vehicles per year. Geographic footprint is dual-coast U.S. (Titusville, FL and a planned 30,000 sq ft Sierra Vista, AZ facility at Sierra Vista Municipal Airport, March 2025 LOI) plus Ecuador via the Leviathan Space Industries Project Latitude partnership targeting a first South American landing by 2029.

Name

BlackStar Orbital Technologies Corporation

Legal name

BlackStar Orbital Technologies Corporation

Website

https://spacedrone.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BlackStar Orbital develops reusable smallsat-class SpaceDrone spaceplanes that launch as payloads and return via runway landing, serving U.S. defense, intelligence, and space research customers with modular payload, propulsion, and edge-compute capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Titusville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. SpaceDrone Mission Services: Reusable spacecraft services providing satellite deployment, Earth observation, ISR, and return-to-Earth capabilities. Customers pay for mission access rather than purchasing hardware outright. Cost structure ranges from $500,000 for basic cubesat carrier to $5 million for advanced packages.
2. Spacecraft Manufacturing Sales: Direct sales of SpaceDrone vehicles. BlackStar-C at $1,250,000 (200kg payload), BlackStar-LEO/M at $5,000,000 (500 lbs payload), BlackStar-X at $7,000,000 (10,000 lbs payload).
3. Downmass-as-a-Service (DMAAS): Service offering rapid retrieval and return of materials from orbit, particularly valuable for pharmaceutical and biomedical research requiring quick turnaround of perishable biological materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

No source-backed information about core offerings was provided in the input. The unlabeled thinking block in the input contained no statements tied to a verifiable source ID (WX...), so no factual description can be attributed and emitted per extraction rules.

Product overview

BlackStar Orbital Technologies Corporation develops a family of reusable smallsat class spaceplanes called SpaceDrones. The core product line includes the BlackStar-C SpaceDrone (approximately 300kg, 40-60kg payload), the BlackStar LEO/M for VLEO ISR operations, and larger variants. The spacecraft are built around a common core architecture with a modular payload bay (SpaceBox) that enables rapid reconfiguration for different mission types. The 15K S2200 High Performance Orbital Maneuvering System provides propulsion capabilities. The company also integrates OrbitsEdge ProxOps and EdgeCompute modules for onboard data processing. BlackStar spacecraft launch as traditional payloads and return to Earth like spaceplanes, landing on any of 14,000 runways worldwide over 5,000 feet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SpaceDrone: Reusable hypersonic satellite platform that launches as a traditional payload and returns to Earth like a spaceplane. Available in multiple variants including BlackStar-C, BlackStar-LEO, BlackStar-LEO/M, BlackStar-X, and BX-100.

Products and services

• No source-backed product or service information was provided in the input.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cost reduction of at least 50% per mission compared to traditional single-use satellites
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Starfighters SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Technical Interchange Agreement for integration and flight testing of BlackStar SpaceDrone BX-02C.2 on Starfighters' F-104 aircraft platform. Includes captive carry operations at Kennedy Space Center in Q4 FY26, progressing to supersonic release testing off Florida Atlantic Coast. Starfighters developed BL75 pylon as structural interface.
• Leviathan Space IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2024Partnership to develop Ecuador's first private spaceport supporting horizontal and vertical launches and reentry. Project Latitude - BlackStar plans first South American landing by 2029.
• SpaceWERXcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2024SBIR Phase I award of $75,000 to study tactical applications and economic impacts of SpaceDrone platform for national security and defense. Innovation arm of U.S. Space Force under AFWERX.
• Kall-Morris Incorporated (KMI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Partnership for Active Debris Removal mission targeting committed satellite retrieval by 2027. Combines KMI's debris mitigation solutions with BlackStar Orbital's mission capabilities.
• Phantom Space CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2023MOU for series of launches including BlackStar-C targeting Q4 2025 from Cape Canaveral. Follow-up missions in Q2 2026 from Vandenberg using Daytona launch vehicle for high inclination orbits.
• High Frontier Mining CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement to transport specialty products mined from near-Earth asteroids and lunar materials for in-space and Earth-based customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab operates the Photon satellite bus and is developing reusable variants with reentry capability, directly competing for smallsat-class orbital delivery and in-space transportation budgets that BlackStar targets. Both serve commercial and defense customers with reconfigurable smallsat platforms.
• D-Orbit: D-Orbit provides in-orbit transportation, satellite deployment, and hosted services via its ION Satellite Carrier, directly comparable to BlackStar's planned last-mile cubesat delivery, mothership, and orbital maneuvering services for smallsat operators.
• Sierra Space: Sierra Space is developing the Dream Chaser reusable lifting-body spaceplane for cargo return from the ISS and commercial missions, the closest direct analog to BlackStar's SpaceDrone reusable smallsat-class spaceplane concept. Both target runway-landing, reusable orbital transport for government and commercial customers.
• Momentus Space: Momentus offers orbital transfer and hosted payload services for smallsats, overlapping directly with BlackStar's SpaceDrone high-delta-v delivery and modular payload bay services for both government and commercial constellations.
• Varda Space Industries: Varda builds autonomous reentry capsules to manufacture and return materials from orbit, directly competing with BlackStar's Downmass-as-a-Service offering for pharmaceutical, biomedical, and in-space-manufactured payloads.

Emerging players

• Phantom Space Corporation: Phantom is a peer-stage launch startup and BlackStar's launch partner for both the BlackStar-C maiden flight and follow-on high-inclination missions; both companies are early-stage space-transport startups targeting responsive access for defense and smallsat customers.
• Impulse Space: Impulse Space provides in-space transportation (Mira and Helios vehicles) and last-mile orbital delivery, an emerging-player analog to BlackStar's high-delta-v and mothership services, though focused on kick stages rather than full reusable spaceplanes.
• Kall-Morris Incorporated (KMI): KMI provides active debris removal and orbital services and is BlackStar's named partner for a 2027 ADR mission, making it a relevant emerging player in the in-space servicing and debris-removal vertical that BlackStar's reusable spaceplane aims to address.

Broad incumbents

• Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman's Cygnus and ESPAStar programs, plus its work with the Space Development Agency, make it a broad incumbent competing for the same DoD responsive-space and smallsat-deployment dollars BlackStar is pursuing.
• SpaceX: SpaceX's Dragon and Starship define the reusable spaceplane benchmark and offer both crew/cargo return and rideshare smallsat deployment. As the dominant DoD launch provider, SpaceX is the broad incumbent whose pricing and cadence set the competitive floor BlackStar must beat in responsive space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackstarorbital/?viewAsMember=true

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about BlackStar Orbital Technologies Corporation