Startup Raises $250M for “Giga” Satellite Design
▼ Summary
– K2, a three-year-old startup, has raised $250 million to increase production of high-power satellites at its California factory.
– The company has now raised over $400 million total and plans its first major demonstration mission, named Gravitas, for launch in March 2026.
– K2 is developing two satellite classes (Mega and Giga) to leverage the growing availability of heavy-lift rockets from companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.
– Its first satellite, Gravitas, will test key systems including a record-breaking 20-kilowatt Hall-effect thruster and large solar arrays.
– The company’s strategy reverses the trend toward smaller satellites to serve emerging markets like in-space computing and data processing.
A California-based startup has secured a quarter-billion dollars in new funding to accelerate production of its innovative, high-power satellite platforms. The company, K2, announced the completion of its $250 million Series C financing round, bringing its total capital raised to over $400 million since its inception in 2022. This significant investment, led by Redpoint Ventures with participation from firms across the U.S., U.K., and Germany, will fuel the expansion of its manufacturing operations in Torrance as it prepares for a pivotal demonstration mission next year.
The company’s strategy is built on a clear vision: the satellite industry is poised for a major shift toward larger, more capable spacecraft. K2’s founders argue that the coming wave of heavy-lift rockets, including SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s New Glenn, will create new opportunities that smaller satellites cannot address. This emerging launch capacity, complemented by vehicles like Vulcan and new entrants from Rocket Lab and others, allows for a reversal of the miniaturization trend. K2 is positioning itself to serve future markets requiring substantial in-space power and computing resources, such as advanced data processing and manufacturing.
To capitalize on this, K2 is developing two distinct satellite classes, dubbed “Mega” and “Giga,” at its 180,000-square-foot Southern California facility. The first of these, the “Mega Class” satellite named Gravitas, is scheduled for a March 2026 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This mission is critical for validating the company’s core technologies in orbit. Gravitas will feature a groundbreaking 20-kilowatt Hall-effect thruster, which K2 claims will be four times more powerful than any similar thruster previously flown. The satellite will also unfurl twin solar arrays designed to generate 20 kilowatts of electrical power.
Karan Kunjur, K2’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized the importance of this initial flight. He stated that Gravitas represents the first full integration of the company’s technological stack, providing a real-world testbed for its high-voltage power systems, large solar arrays, guidance software, and pioneering electric propulsion. The data collected from this mission will directly inform the scaling and refinement of their designs for future, even larger “Giga” class satellites. The successful deployment of these powerful platforms could redefine the economics and capabilities of satellites operating in Earth orbit and beyond.
(Source: Ars Technica)
