Startup · United States
Space Kinetic
HQ El Segundo, CaliforniaFounded 202211-50 employeesUpdated
Space technology company developing Whirlwind, a system that deploys micro-payloads from a host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.
Federal Obligations by Year (All USAspending, as Reported at the Time)
| Fiscal year | Direct: contracts |
|---|---|
| FY2026 (partial) | $950K |
| FY2023 | $72K |
Direct is the company's own reviewed UEIs. Reported by USAspending is subsidiaries as reported by USAspending: recipients that name this company as their parent, not yet reviewed ownership.
Directly matched recipients (up to 12)
UEIs matched to this organization, largest obligations first. Subsidiary recipients are not included in this list; their attributed obligations can appear in the company totals above.
- SPACE KINETIC CORP. · HCULLT3MG9L8 · $1.0M
Each action is credited by the ownership basis shown in its column. Reported-parent rows count for Space Kinetic only for the period a subsidiary reported Space Kinetic as its parent; reviewed links follow their reviewed dates. Net of de-obligations; these are obligations, not ceilings. They come from the whole USAspending baseline (every recipient size, contracts and assistance) and are a separate view from the curated contract totals on this page. FY2026 and later are partial, as on Markets.
Funding3 rounds · $12.2M
- Equity raised
- $12.2M
- Latest
- $12.0MSeed · Aug 13, 2025
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2025 | Seed | $12.0M | — | — | — | Reported |
| Jul 16, 2024 | Seed | $100K | — | — | — | Reported |
| Jun 1, 2023 | Pre-Seed | $75K | — | — | — | Reported |
- Seed$12.0MAug 13, 2025
- Seed$100KJul 16, 2024
- Pre-Seed$75KJun 1, 2023
Raised counts equity rounds; debt, secondary sales and grants are totaled separately. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the announcement month's average rate. A ~ marks an estimated or converted amount.
Systems1
- WhirlwindA space platform designed to deploy micro-payloads from a host spacecraft.
Newest unveiled first. Systems that belong to a government program link to the program page, where variants, costs and contracts are.
Capabilities1
| Technology | Role | Maturity | TRL | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space, launch and counterspace | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Develops a spacecraft micro-payload deployment system; the text states no defense or security use. | Reported |
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Develops a spacecraft micro-payload deployment system; the text states no defense or security use.—Reported
Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.
People2
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Ryan Sullivan | co-founder |
| Scott Ziegler | co-founder |
Sources5
Profile2
- 1
Space Kinetic (PR Newswire) · Aug 13, 2026 · Supports Organization
“Space Kinetic has been awarded a $50 million contract award from the United States Space Force for technology development, the largest award in the company's history.”
- 2
Sixth-Domain · Supports Organization · kind
“{"group": "startups", "id": "c4858318-1c6e-404f-af4c-f22a3f17bb9d", "name": "Space Kinetic"}”
Systems1
- 3CompanySpace Kinetic
Space Kinetic · Supports Organization · description, Organization · name, Organization · website, System
“The Whirlwind deploys micro-payloads from a host spacecraft at high velocities — without firing a thruster. By decoupling the propulsion system from the payload, Space Kinetic cuts through the tyranny of the rocket equation.”
Funding1
- 4CompanySpace Kinetic | LinkedIn
LinkedIn · Supports Funding round, Organization · country, Organization · employee range, Organization · founded year, Organization · hq city, Organization · hq region, Organization · ownership
“funding round: Pre Seed Round, 2023-06-01, USD 75,000”
People1
- 5
Space Kinetic · Supports Role
“Space Kinetic co-founder Ryan Sullivan was invited to attend the 2025 Goddard Memorial Dinner.”
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.