blackwing space
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
blackwing space firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- blackwing space
- Legal name
- Blackwing Space
- Website
- https://blackwingspace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
blackwing space industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nanosatellite Platforms
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI)
Keywords
Where blackwing space is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
blackwing space business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Satellite Platform Hardware Sales: Sale of complete satellite bus platforms (Sparrow, Kestrel, Osprey) and individual components including chassis, avionics boards (Rook), and development kits. Platforms sold as COTS systems with consistent, transparent pricing.
- Managed Services (Everything-as-a-Service): Supporting functions delivered as modular managed services including FCC-as-a-Service (licensing/regulatory compliance), Ground Station-as-a-Service (global ground station network access), Mission Control-as-a-Service, and Data-as-a-Service. Launch Integration and mission operations support provided as a service.
- Launch as a Service: Coordinating satellite launch through network of launch providers, handling all logistics, integration, and deployment activities from satellite delivery to on-orbit separation.
- Insurance Services: Comprehensive satellite insurance coverage including launch, in-orbit operations, and third-party liability through preferred insurance partners.
- Developer/Services Revenue: Hardware Development Kit (HDK) for benchtop payload development ($2,500), Rook avionics board ($500), and related development tools.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Sparrow 1U Chassis - CubeSat compliant structure |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Sparrow 1U XL Chassis - Extended platform |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Kestrel 3U XL Chassis - Mid-size platform |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Osprey 6U XL Chassis - Large platform |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Rook v1.2 Avionics Board - Flight avionics |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Hardware Development Kit (HDK) - Benchtop development platform |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
blackwing space product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blackwing Space designs, manufactures, and sells commercial, American-made nanosatellite (CubeSat) platforms—Sparrow 1U/1.5U XL, Kestrel 3U XL, and Osprey 6U XL—with a proprietary Rook avionics board and standardized modular payload interfaces. The company complements hardware sales with Everything-as-a-Service bundles covering launch integration, FCC regulatory licensing, ground station access, mission control, and data delivery, sold primarily to startups, universities, research institutions, corporate R&D programs, and government customers through an online configurator and direct enterprise sales.
Product overview
Blackwing Space is a nanosatellite manufacturer offering three modular CubeSat platform tiers—Sparrow (1U/1.5U XL), Kestrel (3U XL), and Osprey (6U XL)—alongside complementary hardware products and managed services. The Sparrow and Kestrel platforms provide 1-2U and 2U of payload volume respectively, while Osprey delivers 4U for demanding missions. Supporting products include the Rook v1.2 avionics board (integrated OBC/C&DH/EPS), the Hardware Development Kit for payload development, and the Raspberry Pi CM5 compute payload module. The company bundles these with managed services including Launch Integration-as-a-Service, Ground Station-as-a-Service, FCC-as-a-Service, Mission Control-as-a-Service, and Data-as-a-Service, enabling customers to purchase complete systems, kits, or subsystems tailored to mission needs. Platforms are sold as commercial off-the-shelf systems with consistent, transparent, and affordable pricing backed by modular architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sparrow 1U Nanosatellite Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- 50-80% cost reduction compared to traditional smallsat platforms
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use blackwing space
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
blackwing space technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
blackwing space partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Manifest SpacecoreCommercial payload agreement to fly optical beacon payload aboard Blackwing's Sparrow 1U platform as part of 'Baby Bird' demonstration mission targeting SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare launch in Q4 2026. Payload supports spacecraft identification and space traffic coordination.
- TNSpacecoreTennessee Space ecosystem partner connecting Blackwing with the growing Tennessee space community. Blackwing participates in TNSpace programs and collaborates on state-level space initiatives.
- NVIDIA InceptionminorMember of NVIDIA Inception program for startups, providing access to NVIDIA resources, technology, and community for AI/ML development in space applications.
- Space EdgecoreSelected for Space-Edge 2025-26 cohort, a national commercialization program. Collaborates with research and industry partners through Vanderbilt University to accelerate on-orbit experimentation in advanced materials and manufacturing.
- SEOPScoreLaunch integration provider offering Equalizer Flex deployer for SpaceX Rideshare missions. Provides end-to-end integration services including capacity procurement, payload processing, fit checks, and mission management. Heritage of 400+ satellite deployments including NASA, NRO, and U.S. Space Force missions.
- Maverick Space SystemscoreProvider of NLAS ruggedized 6U dispenser with NASA Ames heritage. Accommodates 6U and dual 3U configurations. Also offers Mercury-series deployers (3U, 6U, 12U, 16U) qualified to SpaceX Rideshare levels. Provides mission engineering, hardware development, and launch brokering services.
- ExolaunchcoreProvider of EXOpod Nova advanced deployer expanding CubeSat Design Specification limits with 400% lateral protrusion volume increase and 30% mass increase vs standard. Heritage of 400+ deployments. Also offers EXOpod AIR, the lightest cubesat deployer on the market at 6.5kg.
- NPC SpacemindcoreProvider of SMPOD family deployers (3U, 12U, 16U) with maximum handling flexibility. Features redundant fail-safe NEA actuation with telemetry feedback for deployment confirmation. SMPOD16-CASPIAN variant supports up to 16U with configurable slots for up to 4 CubeSats in standard or XL dimensions.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
blackwing space competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Swarm Technologies (SpaceX): Swarm (now owned by SpaceX) operates a commercial IoT nanosatellite constellation using its own smallsat platform. Comparable as a nanosatellite operator that vertically integrated bus design with constellation operations, illustrating the long-term path Blackwing could pursue via its managed-services stack.
- Blue Canyon Technologies: Blue Canyon Technologies (now part of RTX) is an established supplier of smallsat components, attitude control systems, and complete buses for institutional and government missions. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping capabilities at higher price points and longer lifetimes than Blackwing.
Direct peers
- ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space: ISIS supplies CubeSat structures, deployers, and full smallsat platforms with broad heritage in academic and commercial missions. Directly comparable to Blackwing in offering modular CubeSat platforms and ride-along launch services to universities and emerging-space operators.
- AAC Clyde Space: AAC Clyde Space designs and manufactures CubeSat platforms, subsystems, and complete missions for institutional and commercial operators. Directly comparable to Blackwing in modular platform offerings and managed mission services for smallsat constellations.
- GomSpace: GomSpace is a publicly listed European nanosatellite manufacturer offering platforms, subsystems, and mission services to commercial and institutional customers. Comparable as a peer in the same CubeSat platform and mission-services space, though with deeper institutional heritage than Blackwing.
- NanoAvionics: NanoAvionics builds smallsat buses (including 1U–16U platforms) and offers mission integration services for commercial constellation customers. Directly comparable to Blackwing's Kestrel/Osprey tier offerings and end-to-end mission services approach.
- Pumpkin Space Systems: Pumpkin is one of the most established CubeSat structure and bus suppliers, offering 1U–6U kits and COTS components to universities and commercial customers. Highly comparable to Blackwing as a platform-agnostic CubeSat hardware vendor targeting the same education/research buyer base.
- EnduroSat: EnduroSat provides CubeSat platforms, payload hosting, and ground services for universities, startups, and commercial customers. Directly comparable to Blackwing with an explicit focus on democratizing access to space and configurable COTS platforms.
Others
- Leaf Space: Leaf Space operates a global ground station network offering Ground Station-as-a-Service to smallsat operators. Blackwing already integrates Leaf Space as a preferred ground station provider, making it an ecosystem partner and adjacent comparable in the nanosatellite services stack.
Emerging players
- Astranis: Astranis builds small geostationary communications satellites with a horizontally-integrated, cost-disruptive approach. Comparable as an emerging Space 3.0 player challenging traditional satellite economics, though in a different (GEO comsat) segment than Blackwing's LEO CubeSat focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
blackwing space social profiles
Digital presenceblackwing space financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
blackwing space leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
blackwing space funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
blackwing 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 blackwing space
What does blackwing space do?
Blackwing Space designs, manufactures, and sells commercial, American-made nanosatellite (CubeSat) platforms—Sparrow 1U/1.5U XL, Kestrel 3U XL, and Osprey 6U XL—with a proprietary Rook avionics board and standardized modular payload interfaces. The company complements hardware sales with Everything-as-a-Service bundles covering launch integration, FCC regulatory licensing, ground station access, mission control, and data delivery, sold primarily to startups, universities, research institutions, corporate R&D programs, and government customers through an online configurator and direct enterprise sales.
Is blackwing space a public or private company?
blackwing space is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was blackwing space founded?
blackwing space was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is blackwing space based?
blackwing space is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does blackwing space make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Satellite Platform Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are managed Services (Everything-as-a-Service), launch as a Service, insurance Services and developer/Services Revenue.
Who are blackwing space's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Swarm Technologies (SpaceX) and Blue Canyon Technologies. Direct peers are ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space, AAC Clyde Space, GomSpace, NanoAvionics, Pumpkin Space Systems and EnduroSat. Leaf Space is listed as an others. Astranis is listed as an emerging player.
Does blackwing space have an API?
Yes. Blackwing Space offers open APIs and SDKs for telemetry, control, and integration with third-party systems. The Sparrow developer platform includes software development kits and payload simulators for firmware development and testing. Payload software interface specifications are documented. The platforms are designed with open data support enabling partner and developer-friendly integration. Developer documentation is at blackwingspace.com/developer.
What industry is blackwing space in?
blackwing space's product category is Nanosatellite Platforms. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAB, Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial), with a secondary code of IMABACAI, Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software. Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.