Dauntless launch vehicle
A small-satellite launch vehicle in initial design development.
Maturity not rated
Startup · United States
Vaya Space
HQ United States
Hybrid propulsion for US defense and space. Active Army CRADA, USAF SBIR Phase II, DARPA contract, and Lockheed Martin co-engineering. Cocoa, Florida.
Funding7 rounds · $37.5M
- Equity raised
- $37.5M
- Latest
- $819KStage undisclosed · Apr 5, 2024
Aug 19, 2011Apr 5, 2024
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2024 | Undisclosed | $819K | — | — | — | Confirmed |
| Jan 10, 2023 | Undisclosed | $17.1M | — | — | — | Confirmed |
| Aug 23, 2021 | Undisclosed | $12.0M | — | — | — | Confirmed |
| Dec 10, 2019 | Undisclosed | $7.1M | — | — | — | Confirmed |
| Oct 31, 2017 | Undisclosed | $100K | — | — | — | Confirmed |
| Apr 7, 2014 | Undisclosed | $250K | — | — | — | Confirmed |
| Aug 19, 2011 | Undisclosed | $160K | — | — | — | Confirmed |
- UndisclosedConfirmed$819KApr 5, 2024
- UndisclosedConfirmed$17.1MJan 10, 2023
- UndisclosedConfirmed$12.0MAug 23, 2021
- UndisclosedConfirmed$7.1MDec 10, 2019
- UndisclosedConfirmed$100KOct 31, 2017
- UndisclosedConfirmed$250KApr 7, 2014
- UndisclosedConfirmed$160KAug 19, 2011
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.
Systems2
Newest unveiled first. Open a system for its milestone timeline, components and sources.
Capabilities2
| Technology | Role | Maturity | TRL | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space, launch and counterspace | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Hybrid propulsion for US defense and space, citing Army CRADA, USAF SBIR, DARPA contract and Lockheed Martin co-engineering. | Reported |
| Strike and munitions | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Hybrid propulsion for US defense and space, citing Army CRADA, USAF SBIR, DARPA contract and Lockheed Martin co-engineering. | Reported |
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Hybrid propulsion for US defense and space, citing Army CRADA, USAF SBIR, DARPA contract and Lockheed Martin co-engineering.—Reported
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Hybrid propulsion for US defense and space, citing Army CRADA, USAF SBIR, DARPA contract and Lockheed Martin co-engineering.—Reported
Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.
People2
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Sid Gutierrez | Founder |
| Kevin Lowdermilk | CEO |
Sources12
Show all 12 sources and supporting evidence
Profile1
- 1
Sixth-Domain · Supports Organization · country, Organization · kind
“{"country": "USA", "hq_iso2": "US", "id": "f9a4811a-6ebd-482d-bd2d-1ad414bf0565"}”
Systems2
- 2
Vaya Space · Supports Organization · description, Organization · name, Organization · website, System
“Hybrid propulsion for US defense and space. Active Army CRADA, USAF SBIR Phase II, DARPA contract, and Lockheed Martin co-engineering. Cocoa, Florida.”
- 3
Vaya Space · Supports System
“Dauntless launch vehicle** ## Designed for *low earth orbit launch.* Scaling our existing technologies for launch. Designed for small-sat launch from Cape Canaveral LC-13”
Funding7
- 4Regulatory filingVaya Space, Inc. - SEC Form D (0001720294-24-000002)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Apr 15, 2024 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Total Amount Sold $ 819,000 USD”
- 5Regulatory filingVaya Space, Inc. - SEC Form D/A (0001720294-24-000001)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Apr 11, 2024 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Total Amount Sold $ 17,100,000 USD”
- 6Regulatory filingVaya Space, Inc. - SEC Form D/A (0001720294-23-000002)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Jan 18, 2023 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Total Amount Sold $ 12,000,000 USD”
- 7Regulatory filingRocket Crafters, Inc. - SEC Form D/A (0001720294-21-000002)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Mar 11, 2021 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Total Amount Sold $ 7,066,772 USD”
- 8Regulatory filingRocket Crafters, Inc. - SEC Form D (0001720294-17-000004)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Nov 21, 2017 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Total Amount Sold $ 100,000 USD”
- 9Regulatory filingRocket Crafters, Inc. - SEC Form D (0001720294-17-000002)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Nov 1, 2017 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Total Amount Sold $ 250,000 USD”
- 10Regulatory filingRocket Crafters, Inc. - SEC Form D (0001720294-17-000001)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Oct 25, 2017 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Total Amount Sold $ 159,828 USD”
People2
- 11NewsVaya Space |
lesechos-comfi.lesechos.fr · Supports Role
“He brings decades of experience in strategic and financial matters and has a long track record of success," said Vaya Space CEO Kevin Lowdermilk.”
- 12CompanyAbout
Vaya Space · Supports Role
“Sid Gutierrez founded Vaya Space in 2017 to create a safer way to space — drawing on his experience as a Space Shuttle Commander to build propulsion technology that is non-explosive, non-toxic, and simpler than anything that came before.”
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.