Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems says it has raised $17.5 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of its Supernova space vehicle, which aims to harness the heat of the sun to power rapid-response maneuvers in orbit.
The oversubscribed investment round was led by AlleyCorp, with participation from Mach33, FUSE, First In, TFX, Offline Ventures. Atypical and other strategic investors. Portal said the funding will support the first full-scale demonstration of Supernova, with launch scheduled for mid-2026.
“Our vision is to provide next-gen spacecraft that today’s space operations demand and our nation deserves,” Portal CEO Jeff Thornburg said today in a news release. “This funding is a testament to the increasing recognition that maneuverability at will is the critical need in both defense and commercial space operations.”
Supernova will make use of a solar thermal propulsion system, with large, lightweight reflectors that focus the sun’s rays on a heat exchanger. When an ammonia-based propellant passes through the heat exchanger, it rapidly builds up pressure and produces thrust.
Thornburg said Supernova can “deliver the performance of nuclear thermal propulsion without the burden of launching a reactor.” The system is designed to push Supernova and its payloads from, say, low Earth orbit to a geostationary orbit in a matter of hours. In contrast, it might take a traditional space propulsion system weeks or months to execute a similar set of maneuvers, according to Portal.
