Washington Harbour Partners buys stake in debris-tracking satellite firm
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By
Nick Wakeman
The investment is the second announced within a week for Turion Space, which also builds satellites that can improve space-domain awareness.
Turion Space has announced its second investor in a week by adding private equity firm Washington Harbour Partners to its stable of backers.
Washington Harbour's entry into Turion was announced Wednesday and follows Critical Software's investment that was revealed on March 26.
Turion, a startup that specializes in space situational awareness and the tracking of space debris, won a Space Force contract in late December to build three satellites that can conduct satellite-to-satellite imagery for detailed inspections of other objects in orbit.
Washington Harbour and Turion did not disclose the size of their investments, but they were part of a broader funding round with venture capital firms Y Combinator and Forward Deployed VC.
Critical Software develops solutions for civil and defense space applications. The investment in Turion creates a partnership for both companies to work together solutions related to space domain awareness, close-proximity maneuvers, inspections, in-orbit servicing and debris removal.
Washington Harbour's investment is part of its increased focus on space as the federal government turns to greater usage of commercial satellite capabilities.
"The funding aims to expand Turion’s capabilities in space domain awareness, missile warning and tracking, orbital debris management, and collision avoidance — technologies critical to both U.S. national security and the global space economy," Turion’s co-founder and CEO Ryan Westerdahl said in a release.