{"id":17032,"date":"2026-04-09T21:57:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/portal-space-systems-raises-50m-as-it-gets-set-to-launch-its-first-orbital-vehicle-made-for-rapid-maneuvers\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T21:57:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:57:03","slug":"portal-space-systems-raises-50m-as-it-gets-set-to-launch-its-first-orbital-vehicle-made-for-rapid-maneuvers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/portal-space-systems-raises-50m-as-it-gets-set-to-launch-its-first-orbital-vehicle-made-for-rapid-maneuvers\/","title":{"rendered":"Portal Space Systems raises $50M as it gets set to launch its first orbital vehicle made for rapid maneuvers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An artist\u2019s conception shows Portal\u2019s Starburst spacecraft in the foreground with its Supernova space vehicle and three more Starbursts (plus Earth) in the background. (Portal Space Systems Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems has raised $50 million in a funding round aimed at speeding up development of the Seattle-area startup\u2019s highly maneuverable space vehicles.<\/p>\n

The first such vehicle, Starburst-1, is due for launch as early as this fall as a payload on SpaceX\u2019s Transporter-18 satellite rideshare mission. Portal is also getting ready to move into a 52,000-square-foot manufacturing facility where future Starburst spacecraft and even more capable Supernova space vehicles will be built.<\/p>\n

Portal CEO Jeff Thornburg \u2014 who co-founded the company in 2021 following stints at tech ventures including SpaceX and Stratolaunch Systems \u2014 characterized the newly announced Series A funding round as closer to a giant leap than a small step.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that\u2019s exciting me the most, and really the company at large, is that it helps us move faster,\u201d he told GeekWire. \u201cWe\u2019re obviously focused on getting Starburst and Supernova capabilities demonstrated and available to our customers as quickly as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The round was led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33, with participation by Booz Allen Ventures, AlleyCorp and FUSE. It builds on a $17.5 million seed round that was announced last year.<\/p>\n

Portal is developing a solar thermal propulsion system that will use focused sunlight to heat the ammonia-based propellant for its Supernova space vehicle. The system is designed to allow for rapid adjustments in Supernova\u2019s orbit. Orbital maneuvers that would typically take weeks or months to execute using traditional propulsion systems could be done in hours or days.<\/p>\n

Starburst would use a more traditional thruster system, but would take advantage of many of the technologies being developed for Supernova. \u201cEighty-one percent of the components are shared between Starburst and Supernova,\u201d Thornburg said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of delta-v packed in the Starburst, even though it\u2019s a smaller platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starburst-1, which is being readied for a potential October launch, will be equipped with TRL11\u2019s video camera and edge processing system plus Zenno Space\u2019s superconducting magnetic actuator for a yearlong test mission in sun-synchronous orbit.<\/p>\n

An experimental payload nicknamed \u201cMini-Nova\u201d was sent into orbit last month to test the control software and power systems for Starburst as well as for Supernova. \u201cMini-Nova is healthy \u2026 and so I think we\u2019re in good shape for what\u2019s to come,\u201d Thornburg said.<\/p>\n

The first Supernova is due to be launched next year, thanks in part to $45 million in funding from the U.S. Space Force\u2019s SpaceWERX program. Thornburg said Supernova-1 could take on any of a variety of missions that \u201csupport the Defense Department\u2019s needs where it comes down to rapid maneuverability.\u201d<\/p>\n

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