K2 Space to Launch First Satellite This Year Amid Growing Interest For Satellite Bus

K2 Space, a two-year-old startup focused on developing large spacecraft buses, is gearing up for a significant milestone. The company's first spacecraft is set to launch this October on SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rideshare mission.

This launch marks a major step for K2 Space as it aims to showcase its innovative technology to potential government and commercial customers.

The initial spacecraft, designed as a technology demonstration mission, will test numerous in-house developed components of K2 Space’s Mega Class spacecraft bus.

“The goal for the mission is to basically buy down a significant amount of the technical risk for the satellite,” - Karan Kunjur, CEO and co-founder.

Among the components to be tested are reaction wheels, computers, and flight software, many of which were developed by K2 Space due to a lack of suitable supply chains for such a large and powerful satellite bus.

“We have to build that supply chain from scratch for a satellite of our class, in terms of power and size...It’s absolutely critical to get that hardware up in space early in our company’s trajectory.” - Neel Kunjur, CTO

K2 Space’s strategy focuses on larger, cost-effective satellites that leverage low-cost launch options like SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Notably, a single Falcon 9 can carry ten Mega Class spacecraft.

“We saw an opportunity to deliver at the price point and the speed of small constellation-class satellites, without sacrificing capability,...You have to go in the opposite direction of the market and go bigger, so that’s what we’ve done.” - Karan Kunjur, CEO and co-founder.

Interest in the Mega Class spacecraft bus is growing among both commercial entities and government agencies. K2 Space recently secured a $3.8 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) award from the Space Development Agency and Space System Command’s Space Domain Awareness & Combat Power program executive office. This award will allow K2 Space to fly several Defense Department payloads on the first Mega Class spacecraft.

The company is also working under a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the Air Force Research Lab, focusing on cybersecurity topics such as “cyber-hardening” and encryption. Additionally, K2 Space has signed its first commercial contract with an undisclosed “large telecommunications operator” to explore developing a next-generation satellite constellation.

K2 Space is not only advancing in-space testing of key technologies but is also developing new ones, such as a Hall effect thruster using krypton propellant. This thruster, which recently achieved its first successful test in the lab, can operate at up to 20 kilowatts of power, significantly higher than any current Hall effect thrusters.

Looking ahead, K2 Space, which raised $50 million in February, is expanding its team and facilities. Currently employing 50 people, the company plans to grow to 90 employees by the end of the year and 130 by next year. They have also signed a lease for a 180,000-square-foot mass production facility in Torrance, California, aiming to produce 50 satellites annually by the third quarter of next year.

In the future, K2 Space envisions developing even larger spacecraft, including a Giga Class optimized for SpaceX’s Starship; while also planning for starlink like stacks of up to 50 Mega class aboard starships.