Techin' Geek

Militaries frequently deploy satellites to observe competing vehicles and evaluate their abilities, but expanding this type of reconnaissance is increasingly recognized by the U.S. military as a task better suited for the private sector.

This is why two space startups, True Anomaly and Rocket Lab, successfully executed a rendezvous mission for the U.S. Space Force last week so intricate, it felt reminiscent of “Top Gun.” Their two opposing satellites converged in orbit, positioned close enough for one to take images of the other.

The operation, labeled Victus Haze, illustrated the meticulous examination of a space vehicle immediately after it entered orbit, an essential requirement in a context where the U.S., Russia, and China are launching cutting-edge space weapons.

“China and Russia consistently deploy capabilities into space, and part of the Space Force’s responsibility is to comprehend what those capabilities entail,” stated True Anomaly CEO Even Rogers, who has experience in the U.S. military’s space endeavors, in an interview with TechCrunch. “At present, we have shortcomings in our collection abilities.”

During the June mission, Rocket Lab, a competitor to SpaceX and recently announcing its acquisition of Iridium, launched a spacecraft named Puma just 16 hours and 42 minutes after receiving the signal, a remarkable feat considering that most rocket launches are coordinated months beforehand.

A Jackal spacecraft from True Anomaly was positioned in orbit to intercept it. In the course of the exercise, the company was unaware of Puma’s arrival location in space but employed onboard sensors to locate and identify its target from 2,000 kilometers away. The Jackal then approached the target — the specifics of the proximity are classified — and orbited it, capturing images of various segments of the vehicle, before returning to its initial orbital position.

True Anomaly’s CEO remarked that, aside from NASA and Space Force manned space missions, “this is probably the most intricate rendezvous and proximity operation between two spacecraft in contemporary history.”

Bringing together two spacecraft in orbit, where both are traveling at speeds nearing 17,500 mph, is a formidable challenge. Prior private demonstrations, such as those by Northrop Grumman’s maintenance satellites or Astroscale’s orbital debris retrieval missions, function on significantly slower timelines.

And now the situation becomes intriguing: The two companies are set to execute new exercises in the upcoming weeks with escalating complexity, which may involve Rocket Lab’s Puma attempting to evade True Anomaly’s Jackal and conducting its own inspection maneuvers.

Established in 2022 by Rogers and a group of former military space specialists, True Anomaly’s objective has been to develop both the hardware and software necessary to carry out the new assignments given to the U.S. Space Force upon its inception in 2019. Following several years of developmental missions, last month’s demonstration has begun to fulfill that ambition.

“That’s the unique advantage of this company,” expressed Seth Winterroth, a partner at Eclipse Ventures who is on True Anomaly’s board. “It’s not a single spacecraft design or a solitary piece of software or specific payloads — it’s a profound understanding of how tactics and doctrine function in this arena.”

True Anomaly has secured just over $1 billion in funding, including a $650 million round in March. The company is now aiming to compete for various task orders, particularly within the Space Force’s $6.2 billion Andromeda program, which seeks support from the private sector for this exact type of dynamic reconnaissance.

“Flight heritage is crucial, and demonstrated capability is what resonates most with these opportunities,” Rogers stated.

This week, Etched, a rival to Nvidia, revealed that TSMC produced its inaugural chip earlier this year. As the four-year-old startup, valued at $5 billion, prepares to deliver systems powered by this chip to clients later this summer, scaling up production could be difficult. Similar to other chip designers, Etched is vying for limited capacity at TSMC’s facilities in Taiwan.

Copper Sky Capital, an early backer of Etched, is optimistic that the chip manufacturer will overcome its production limitations by eventually creating chips at TSMC’s facility in Arizona. When the four-year-old VC firm invested in Etched’s $120 million Series A two years back, founder Jack Selby ensured an allocation in part by pledging to assist the startup in eventually relocating its chip production to Arizona.

Selby, a former executive at PayPal and longtime managing director for Peter Thiel’s family office, Thiel Capital, established Copper Sky, based in Phoenix, in 2021 (previously known as AZ-VC). The firm’s inaugural $115 million fund concentrated mainly on startups situated in Arizona and the Southwest. Selby believed that many coastal startups, especially those in California, Massachusetts, and New York, are excessively valued compared to enterprises emerging in his area. Nonetheless, Selby identified an opportunity to reverse this trend by assisting hardware startups from California in relocating their production to Arizona.

Selby attributes Copper Sky’s investment in Etched — an otherwise hard-to-access startup — to his significant influence in Arizona’s economy. As a board member of the Arizona Commerce Authority, Selby is actively engaged in attracting out-of-state businesses to establish manufacturing operations in the area.

“When Copper Sky invested in Etched, the company clearly recognized our connection to the Arizona semiconductor industry, particularly the local TSMC GIGAFAB,” Selby stated to TechCrunch.

Although Copper Sky has recently broadened its focus beyond the Southwest to embrace nontraditional venture hubs across the nation, Selby remarked that the firm is also interested in supporting hardware companies, including those in the defense sector, that can establish manufacturing in Arizona. 

The firm is anticipated to soon secure more capital to invest in those higher-priced coastal firms, as well as others throughout the United States. Copper Sky is currently in the process of raising a $300 million second fund, according to a regulatory filing.