Late last month, Portal Space Systems, a Seattle-based space startup, announced the acquisition of more than $3 million in funding from the Department of Defense (DoD) and United States Space Force (USSF) to support the development and launch of its revolutionary Supernova satellite bus.
Led by industry veteran Jeff Thornburg, architect of SpaceX’s Raptor engine, former head of Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing at Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and former Chief of Engineering at Commonwealth Fusion, Portal Space Systems will empower the next generation of space operators to maintain space superiority.
Portal Space Systems was founded by industry leader Jeff Thornburg, with COO Ian Vorbach and VP of Engineering Prashaanth Ravindran, and is dedicated to solving the emerging need for rapid and long-range mobility in space. Their flagship product, the Supernova satellite bus, is engineered from the ground up for maneuverability and features a novel solar-thermal propulsion system. With a payload-agnostic design and 500 kg mass, Supernova boasts a remarkable 6 km/s delta-v, setting a new standard for in-space mobility with 50 times the range of existing products on the market.
That means that the system can perform currently impossible mission needs, such as moving from LEO to GEO in hours, or even the moon, in just days.
Portal Space Systems has garnered significant support from the United States Space Force, positioning the company as a key partner in advancing national interests in space. The company is targeting the first launch of its Supernova system in late 2025.
“The space industry hasn’t fundamentally improved satellite bus technology in decades. Our nation is developing 6th-generation fighter aircraft technology but still uses 1st-generation satellite buses. Portal’s Supernova is designed around the customer need for unparalleled mobility and extended mission life,” said Jeff Thornburg, CEO of Portal Space Systems. “Our novel solar-thermal propulsion system and bus design, combined with our compatibility to support any customer payload, sets us apart. We provide an over 50x improvement in current spacecraft mobility. For our customers, that means the ability to have spacecraft on orbit that are able to respond in real-time to events in any orbital regime.”
“We are proud to develop solutions that enhance our nation’s space capabilities by building in constant collaboration with our government partners,” said Ian Vorbach, COO of Portal Space Systems.
About Portal Space Systems
Portal Space Systems is a Seattle-based space start-up founded in 2021. It is led by space technology leader Jeff Thornburg and supported by COO Ian Vorbach and Vice President of Engineering Prashaanth Ravindran. Portal Space Systems is a full-service space maneuverability solution that offers tactical responsiveness and dynamic space operations via its flagship product, the Supernova satellite bus. Supernova is payload-agnostic with 500 kg of payload capacity and is powered by a novel solar-thermal propulsion system providing industry-leading 6 km/s delta-v. Portal Space Systems is launching the first Supernova in late 2025.
