Stone Aerospace
Stone Aerospace, a privately held Austin, Texas company founded in 2004, designs autonomous underwater vehicles and cryobots — including DEPTHX, SUNFISH, ARTEMIS, VALKYRIE, ARCHIMEDES, and THOR — for NASA and partner research institutions to explore extreme environments on Earth and Ocean Worlds like Europa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Stone Aerospace does
Stone Aerospace, Inc. is a privately held Texas corporation founded in 2004 and headquartered in Austin that designs and field-deploys autonomous exploration systems for extreme environments on Earth and for planetary science applications. The company's core technology centers on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), cryobots, and fiber-tethered robotic platforms capable of operating without GPS in GPS-denied, hazardous, or extraterrestrial settings — including subglacial lakes, deep underwater caves, and the icy shells of Jupiter's moon Europa and other Ocean Worlds. Product platforms include DEPTHX (first 3D-SLAM AUV), ENDURANCE (sub-glacial Antarctic AUV), ARTEMIS (sub-ice AUV), VALKYRIE and ARCHIMEDES (laser-powered cryobots), THOR (Ice-Ocean Penetrator combining closed-cycle hot-water drilling with an actively spooled sonde), and SUNFISH (person-portable hovering AUV for cave and harbor exploration). Differentiated technical components include real-time 3D-SLAM navigation, acoustic multibeam mapping, autonomous biological-sample collection, a variable buoyancy engine, and high-voltage surface-powered hot-water heating emulating Kilopower-class power density.
The business is a government contractor and applied R&D services provider: revenue is generated primarily through NASA-funded research and development contracts (DEPTHX 2007, ENDURANCE 2008, VALKYRIE Phase 2 2014, SIMPLE/ARTEMIS 2016, ARCHIMEDES 2018) awarded on a project basis, with secondary revenue from strategic R&D partnerships such as the 2024 alliance with The IPA Group covering spacecraft, reentry vehicles, and astronaut EVA life-support technology. Go-to-market is direct contracting with NASA and partner research institutions (Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, UT Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, Southwest Research Institute), supplemented by earned media, academic conferences, and content/web presence rather than traditional commercial marketing. The customer base is narrow and concentrated — principally NASA and selected government space agencies and planetary-science research institutions — and the company has no disclosed commercial product distribution, pricing, or recurring software revenue stream.
Stone Aerospace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stone Aerospace
- Legal name
- Stone Aerospace, Inc.
- Website
- https://stoneaerospace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stone Aerospace, a privately held Austin, Texas company founded in 2004, designs autonomous underwater vehicles and cryobots — including DEPTHX, SUNFISH, ARTEMIS, VALKYRIE, ARCHIMEDES, and THOR — for NASA and partner research institutions to explore extreme environments on Earth and Ocean Worlds like Europa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stone Aerospace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Space Research and Technology (92711)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs) (HDAAAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI), Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control (IMABACAF), Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD)
Keywords
Where Stone Aerospace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stone Aerospace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- NASA Government Contracts: Primary revenue source from NASA-funded research and development contracts for planetary exploration technology. Projects include DEPTHX, ARTEMIS, VALKYRIE, ENDURANCE, and ARCHIMEDES.
- Strategic R&D Partnerships: Partnership revenue with organizations like The IPA Group for spacecraft and life support systems development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Stone Aerospace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stone Aerospace develops and manufactures autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and cryobots designed to explore extreme environments on Earth and other planetary bodies. Core products include the SUNFISH AUV, DEPTHX, ENDURANCE, ARTEMIS, VALKYRIE, THOR, and ARCHIMEDES systems, which are deployed for NASA-funded missions targeting subglacial lakes, deep underwater caves, and Ocean Worlds such as Europa.
Product overview
Stone Aerospace develops a portfolio of autonomous exploration systems for terrestrial and planetary applications. The core offerings include DEPTHX (first autonomous AUV with 3D-SLAM navigation), ARTEMIS (sub-ice AUV for Antarctica), VALKYRIE (laser-powered cryobot for Europa), ENDURANCE (sub-glacial lake explorer), THOR (Ice-Ocean Penetrator combining cryobot and water profiling capabilities), ARCHIMEDES (laser-based cryobot), and SUNFISH (person-portable AUV for cave exploration). These systems are designed for exploring extreme environments on Earth and Ocean Worlds, featuring advanced autonomous navigation, 3D mapping, and biological sampling capabilities. The company specializes in mobile robotics, fiber-tethered vehicles, cryogenic systems, and precision navigation for frontier exploration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SUNFISH: Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed for remote exploration in complex 3D environments including caves, cenotes, and harbors. Person-portable hovering vehicle with precision navigation, multibeam sonar mapping, imaging, and CTD capabilities.
Products and services
- DEPTHX (DEep Phreatic THermal eXplorer) First-generation autonomous underwater vehicle designed to autonomously explore and map 3D subterranean environments with no external navigation aiding. First mobile robotic system to implement 3D-SLAM for real-time navigation and the first robotic system to autonomously decide where, when, and how to collect a biological sample. Built for NASA planetary exploration programs.
- ARTEMIS Autonomous underwater vehicle designed for sub-ice exploration in Antarctica's McMurdo Sound as part of the NASA SIMPLE project. Features fiber-tethered operation with data uplink capability and supports sea ice and ice shelf exploration missions.
- VALKYRIE Laser-powered cryobot prototype designed for ice-penetrating missions to Europa and other Ocean Worlds. Uses a novel architecture combining hot-water drilling with fiber optics and laser power delivery systems for deep ice penetration.
- ENDURANCE (Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer) Autonomous underwater vehicle for sub-glacial lake exploration in Antarctica. Designed to operate under ice in Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, and gather oceanographic data for Europa analog studies.
- THOR (Thermal High-voltage Ocean-penetrator Research platform) Ice-Ocean Penetrator (IOP) prototype combining a Closed-Cycle Hot Water Drill (CCHWD) cryobot able to penetrate up to 500m of ice with an actively spooled sonde for water exploration. Designed for Ocean Worlds exploration with surface power via high-voltage electrical tether.
- ARCHIMEDES Cryobot project using laser-based technology to melt through ice for subsurface exploration on Europa. NASA-supported research into high-impact methods for exploring subsurface oceans of icy moons.
- SUNFISH Person-portable hovering autonomous underwater vehicle with precision navigation, multibeam sonar mapping, imaging, and CTD capabilities. Supports simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), autonomous exploration, path planning, and precision docking for cave and complex underwater environment exploration.
- BEAGLE Autonomous underwater vehicle project listed in the Stone Aerospace project portfolio.
- PARTI-Pucks Autonomous underwater vehicle project listed in the Stone Aerospace project portfolio.
- PROMETHEUS Autonomous underwater vehicle project listed in the Stone Aerospace project portfolio.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3D-SLAM accuracy of approximately 1 meter anywhere within a 500-meter cube
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Stone Aerospace
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stone Aerospace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature6 records
Stone Aerospace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and secondary.
- The IPA GroupmajorStrategic partnership to advance novel spacecraft, reentry vehicles, and astronaut EVA life support systems technology. Stone Aerospace develops robotic systems, reentry systems, and life support technology. IPA advances human spaceflight training, certification, mission preparation, management, and operation support for NASA, commercial, and international clients including Orion spacecraft and Commercial Crew Program.
- Shackleton Energy CompanymajorCommercial enterprise formed by Bill Stone to establish a lunar mining operation and LEO refueling station. SEC plans to mine water ice at Shackleton Crater on the Moon's South Pole and process fuels for sale to space missions. Stone Aerospace serves as the technology development arm for SEC's robotic systems.
- Carnegie Mellon University Robotics InstitutecoreCollaborative partner on DEPTHX project contributing navigation systems, SLAM algorithms, and autonomous control systems. CMU team members including Dave Wettergreen, George Kantor, Nathaniel Fairfield, and Dom Jonak worked on vehicle navigation and autonomous behaviors.
- University of Texas at AustincoreCollaborative partner on DEPTHX project with Marcus Gary from Jackson School of Geosciences leading site logistics and hydrogeology research. University provided geological expertise and field support for Zacaton cenote exploration.
- Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)secondaryTechnical partner contributing science payload hardware and software for DEPTHX, including sulfide sensor development and water chemistry analysis systems. Team members Ernest Franke and Ian Meinzen worked on science package calibration.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Stone Aerospace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Teledyne Marine: Teledyne Marine supplies a broad portfolio of oceanographic sensors, sonars, AUVs, and instrumentation that overlap with Stone Aerospace's multibeam sonar and CTD sensor payloads.
- Northrop Grumman: Through the acquisition of Orbital ATK and ongoing autonomous systems work, Northrop Grumman is a prime defense/aerospace contractor with active AUV and space exploration programs. Competes for the same NASA and DoD program dollars.
- Lockheed Martin: Lockheed Martin develops deep-sea autonomous systems and is a NASA prime for planetary exploration. Comparable as a large aerospace prime competing for Ocean Worlds mission contracts.
- Oceaneering International: Oceaneering is a global subsea robotics operator and manufacturer with work-class ROVs and emerging AUV capabilities. Comparable in deploying autonomous underwater systems in commercial offshore and government programs.
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): JPL is the lead NASA center for Europa Clipper and a long-standing developer of autonomous planetary exploration systems. A potential prime contractor customer/competitor on any Europa surface or sub-ice mission.
Direct peers
- Saab Seaeye: Saab Seaeye manufactures electric underwater robotic vehicles (Falcon, Sabertooth) used for inspection, intervention, and survey tasks. Comparable in deploying hovering, tethered underwater robots into complex 3D environments.
- Bluefin Robotics (General Dynamics Mission Systems): Bluefin Robotics, now part of GD Mission Systems, builds the Bluefin family of AUVs for defense, commercial, and scientific customers. Direct competitor in the small/mid-size AUV space for autonomous survey and inspection missions.
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): WHOI is the originator of REMUS AUV technology and continues to develop autonomous underwater systems for ocean science. Like Stone Aerospace, it operates at the intersection of NASA-funded science and oceanographic AUV development.
- Honeybee Robotics: Honeybee Robotics builds planetary exploration hardware including ice-penetrating drills, sampling systems, and instrument mechanisms for NASA and commercial space missions. The closest direct peer to Stone Aerospace's ARCHIMEDES and THOR cryobot programs.
- Hydroid (Kongsberg Maritime): Acquired by Kongsberg in 2019, Hydroid produces the REMUS family of autonomous underwater vehicles used extensively for oceanographic, hydrographic, and defense surveys. It is one of the closest commercial AUV analogues to Stone Aerospace's SUNFISH and DEPTHX platforms.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stone Aerospace social profiles
Digital presenceStone Aerospace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stone Aerospace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Stone Aerospace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Stone Aerospace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Stone Aerospace
What does Stone Aerospace do?
Stone Aerospace develops and manufactures autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and cryobots designed to explore extreme environments on Earth and other planetary bodies. Core products include the SUNFISH AUV, DEPTHX, ENDURANCE, ARTEMIS, VALKYRIE, THOR, and ARCHIMEDES systems, which are deployed for NASA-funded missions targeting subglacial lakes, deep underwater caves, and Ocean Worlds such as Europa.
Is Stone Aerospace a public or private company?
Stone Aerospace is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Stone Aerospace founded?
Stone Aerospace was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stone Aerospace based?
Stone Aerospace is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stone Aerospace make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. NASA Government Contracts are the primary driver. The others are strategic R&D Partnerships.
Who are Stone Aerospace's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Teledyne Marine, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Oceaneering International and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Direct peers are Saab Seaeye, Bluefin Robotics (General Dynamics Mission Systems), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Honeybee Robotics and Hydroid (Kongsberg Maritime).
Does Stone Aerospace have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stone Aerospace.
What industry is Stone Aerospace in?
Stone Aerospace's product category is Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAH, Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs), with a secondary code of IMABACAI, Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software. Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.