The past 20 years in the emerging space economy has been nothing short of inspiring. A sector that had seemed stagnant for decades is experiencing a resurgence that harkens back to the first great space race when President John F. Kennedy famously said going to the moon was a “challenge that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” The combination of several enabling technologies, increasing commercial opportunity, and the ability of small, entrepreneurial teams to quickly build differentiated solutions is translating into an exciting and burgeoning space economy that will continue to accelerate over the years to come. 

However, this new space economy lacks the security infrastructure to ensure the safety and economic prosperity the Western world has enjoyed over the last century or more. Today, I am excited to announce Eclipse’s partnership with True Anomaly to accelerate its mission of  enhancing space security, stability, and sustainability. We are pleased to lead the company’s $17M Series A round in partnership with Riot Ventures, Champion Hill Ventures, Space.VC, and Narya. 

Over the last two decades we have seen private sector advancements across microsatellites (telecommunications, observation, navigation, etc.) and categories like manufacturing that have become driving forces of modern society. From street lamps timed to global positioning systems (GPS), to observation data that informs business practices across numerous industries, to the 650,000 emergency 911 calls made daily, the orbital technologies are increasingly integrated into our daily lives. While the meaningful contributions of space-based technologies to the public sector over the past decade are clear, less obvious is that America’s military advantage as a global superpower can be attributed to its superior capability in space. For example, the tactical efficacy of the U.S. military in the Desert Storm engagement, the war in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom would not have been possible without superior space-based observation, communication, and global positioning. A more recent example is the Ukrainian utilization of Starlink to ward off Russian troops.

However, these efficiencies also alerted opponents to the strategic advantage provided by American assets. Consequently, an “under the radar” arms race has accelerated over the last 15 years with bad actors pursuing development efforts to neutralize the American military advantage enabled by these in-orbit capabilities. Evidence shows that U.S. adversaries are rapidly developing capabilities, including ground-to-space missiles, ground-based laser and communications jamming systems, and even training manned units for in-space activities. In response to these activities, the U.S. Space Force, a new U.S. military branch created in 2019, and United States Space Command have been tasked with securing our economic and military interests in this rapidly evolving domain. However, it has become increasingly clear that despite a stated objective to partner with the private sector, significant challenges remain to developing new capabilities fast enough to compete. This is due in large part to the U.S. public-private partnership model, wherein traditional defense primes operate on “cost plus” procurement and 12-year development to deployment cycles versus our adversaries who are designing, developing, and deploying new capabilities every 4-5 years. Without a radical change, the U.S. will lose its advantage in space, its position as the global military superpower, and fundamentally, its ability to protect the values that its citizens — and our allies around the world — hold dear. 

As the urgency around this problem ratcheted up over the past several years, a team of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force veterans, industry leaders, and technology experts recognized the massive  threat at hand and the opportunity to build a company focused on mitigating the threat. Even Rogers, Dan Brunski, Tom Nichols, and Kyle Zakrzewski also understood that the industrial base and government were not equipped to develop the effective space systems needed to overcome this threat at scale and on time. Even, Dan, Tom, and Kyle — who combined possess unrivaled experience in high-performing space hardware, software engineering, security mission strategies, and novel AI capabilities — stepped up to solve this challenge and True Anomaly was born.

Introducing True Anomaly

True Anomaly was founded in early 2022 and has created a fully-integrated platform with seamless satellite, navigation, and data-capture technologies designed specifically to provide unparalleled security and domain awareness for the rapidly evolving space market. As the team began validating product designs, the company won initial research contracts from the Space Force and other key stakeholders. In under a year, the company has designed its first spacecraft, the Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle, the mission control software to operate it, and developed state-of-the art space range and training software. True Anomaly has also opened a 35,000 square foot advanced spacecraft manufacturing facility in Denver designed to support rapid design, development, and production of the capabilities our military needs to keep ahead of our adversaries and secure economic interests in space while competing responsibly. With this most recent round of funding, True Anomaly will validate the technical and operational capabilities of the Jackal, make the necessary investments to scale production later this year, and invest in the development of additional capabilities required by Guardians and their Joint partners. 

The world today faces both intense geopolitical conflicts and rapidly accelerating commercial development in space. This complex environment requires technology systems capable of securing these interests in order to ensure economic prosperity and global security. The private and public sectors must join forces to enact meaningful, pivotal, and decisive change to overcome intense national security challenges. The Eclipse team is proud to partner with True Anomaly — a team purpose-built with the tactical, technology, and defense procurement expertise — to develop the capabilities needed to regain our military advantages in space and secure a brighter economic future. Ultimately, protecting space is synonymous with protecting freedom and True Anomaly is leading the way. 

Congratulations Even, Dan, Tom, Kyle, and the entire True Anomaly team!

Read more on True Anomaly’s Series A in TechCrunch

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