AWS, venture capital firm finalize selections for space startup accelerator

After nearly two months of evaluations, Amazon Web Services and its venture capital partner have selected 10 startup space companies to participate in a four-week accelerator program focused on cloud computing and analytics technologies.

The cloud computing segment of Amazon and U.K.-headquartered Seraphim Capital received more than 190 proposals from 44 countries, Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels wrote in a June 10 blog post.

Chosen companies are Cognitive Space, D-Orbit, Descartes Labs, Edgybees, HawkEye 360, LeoLabs, Lunar Outpost, Orbital Sidekick, Satellite VU and Ursa Space.

“It’s clear to me that opportunities are ripe to expand what’s possible in space with capabilities such as remote satellite command and control, autonomous capabilities on-orbit, and better solutions for data transfer,” Vogels wrote.

“I view space start-ups as essential to delivering on that potential, and I’m excited to watch our first cohort continue to experiment and grow in the cloud.”

Submissions were evaluated on the innovative and unique nature of the project, overall value a solution can bring to industry, how the AWS cloud offering is applied and a team’s ability to deliver on an identified opportunity.

Participants will receive up to $100,000 in AWS technical services through that business’ Activate program.

AWS is supporting the accelerator program through its aerospace and satellite solutions business, which was formed last year to work with government agencies and other companies in the space market.

“The newer space industry players face similar challenges to their public sector counterparts. As we know, data is at the center of everything, and the best insights are delivered in near-real time,” Vogels wrote.

“To get there, commercial satellite operators are adopting technologies like machine learning that help automate enrichment and analysis of vast amounts of data.”