@Matt_Croce
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Joined June 2014
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Matt Croce retweeted
K2 Space was honored to host @USSpaceForce @SpaceForceCSO Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman – along with his wife, Mrs. Jennifer Saltzman, and his team – at our factory this week for a firsthand look at how we build large, high power satellites at speed and scale to support our Guardians and their national security missions.
Matt Croce retweeted
K2 Space has been confirmed as a satellite bus provider for the @USSpaceForce Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global (PTS-G) initiative, which will launch to GEO in 2028. This announcement is a milestone for K2 as our first participation in a Pentagon program of record.
Under the award announced by @USSF_SSC earlier this week, K2 will supply a satellite to our partners at @SESSpaceDefense, one of two primes on the contract. K2’s large, resilient satellites are built with the power and mass to deploy the anti-jam capabilities and consistent communications that the PTS-G constellation requires.
Read more here: spacenews.com/k2-space-rocke…
Matt Croce retweeted
I'm very proud to share that the team @K2SpaceCo has achieved Tier 2 Mission Success for Gravitas!
Over the past week, we've:
• Powered on our payloads
• Activated our high power propulsion system and fired the thruster
• Completed testing of our software system, including a software update
With all of the satellite bus systems demonstrated and checked out, we will be transitioning to sustaining operations for the rest of the mission.
This includes continuing our payload demonstrations while pushing the satellite bus systems to the limit to learn as much as possible for future missions.
(And yes, this photo is real. Our thruster firing on orbit.)
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Matt Croce retweeted
I'm excited to announce we have achieved our Tier 1 mission success criteria and have begun gathering a tremendous amount of data on how this brand new spacecraft performs.
On March 30th, 13:17:08Z, the Gravitas spacecraft separated from the SpaceX Transporter-16 stack to begin its mission as one of the highest power free-flying satellites ever launched.
Immediately after separation, the spacecraft autonomously:
- Executed detumbling maneuvers
- Established two-way communications with the ground (on our very first ground station pass)
- Deployed its 20kW solar arrays
- Slewed to a safe and stable attitude to await further ground commands
These actions alone are a testament to the incredible work of our in-house engineering, software, and GNC teams to build a robust spacecraft.
Since then, our operations team completed all initial system activations and checkouts, confirming the vehicle is in a power positive and thermally stable state with no major anomalies observed at this time.
We completed this phase of the mission ahead of schedule. Next up we will be powering up and downlinking data for all payloads aboard the Gravitas spacecraft in support of our customers and partners while continuing to put the spacecraft through its paces.
As we noted ahead of launch: The goal of this mission is to experiment and push our systems to the limit to inform future missions. I look forward to sharing more on our successes and challenges as the mission proceeds.
Video of our satellite below; link to full T-16 webcast: nitter.cf/SpaceX/status/20368739…
Matt Croce retweeted
I’m excited to share that @K2SpaceCo is on contract to deliver 28 satellites to @SES_Satellites for meoSphere, SES’s next-generation MEO network.
This program reflects a shift we’ve believed in from the beginning: that satellite networks of the future will require significantly more power, flexibility, and scalability than legacy architectures were designed to support.
The initial batch of 28 K2 high-power satellites will effectively double SES’s networks capacity. Over time, we will continue to build on this foundation together, to deliver new levels of performance to MEO and support the growing demands for sovereign, secure, and high-throughput connectivity.
We’re proud to support SES as they push forward a truly multi-orbit, multi-mission network.
Thanks to @adel_al_saleh for helping to share the news!
Matt Croce retweeted
We have shipped our 20kW satellite - Gravitas - to the launch site.
Given the supply chain to operate at this power regime doesn’t exist, we had to build 85% of the satellite in-house. This includes building our own large solar arrays, high power propulsion system, large batteries, large reaction wheels and much more.
This launch will represent the first time all of these systems are test on orbit together.
Internally at @K2SpaceCo, we’ve thought about a few levels of success for this mission - we expect mission success to fall somewhere along this spectrum:
- Tier 1 (Baseline mission success): Deploy solar arrays, establish comms, operate the satellite —> we’ve now got an operational 20kW satellite on orbit
- Tier 2: Power on the payloads, activate the 20kW propulsion system —> we’re completing payload missions and have fired the highest power hall thruster ever flown on orbit
- Tier 3: Orbit raise the satellite, test performance in high radiation environments (like 2,000km) —> we’ve collected massive amounts of data on the performance of the platform in very very difficult environments
More than anything, Gravitas represents the start of an iterative journey, where we will take the data we receive from this first satellite and incorporate it into the next wave of satellites launching next year.
We’re excited to start this journey, we’ll report back as we get more data.
Thanks to Tim for covering our story on TechCrunch
techcrunch.com/2026/03/19/k2…
Matt Croce retweeted
At K2 Space, we're Building Bigger to deploy the largest satellites ever on orbit.
Our GNC team, led by Nicholas Rahaim, is responsible for guiding and controlling the spacecraft, and writing the algorithms it needs to operate on its own from space.
Gravitas will give the full system flight heritage, and validate how we control the spacecraft through the dynamic challenges introduced by its massive, 18m flexible solar arrays. It will also serve as a testbed for our orbit raise capability, where we begin validating the propulsion system and the algorithms that command it to take the spacecraft from A to B.
Matt Croce retweeted
At K2 Space, we're Building Bigger to deploy the largest satellites ever on orbit.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting some of the technical challenges behind our upcoming Gravitas mission, and the people leading the solutions.
To start the series, we sat down with our CTO, @neelkunjur, to talk about what it takes to build and fly a spacecraft of this size and power for the first time.
As Neel puts it, building at this scale is "an enormous engineering challenge… not only are there 50 new systems you have to invent, but the physics are extremely unforgiving."
From the gigantic solar arrays to the 20 kW Hall thruster, this mission puts the technologies K2 has developed into their operational environment. Moving from ground test to flight will give our team the data to advance our Mega Class satellite into its next stage.
As Neel says, “We believe our job doesn’t stop when we deliver hardware for integration. It ends when the hardware and software are operating reliably in space.”
Matt Croce retweeted
At K2 Space, we're Building Bigger to deploy the largest satellites ever on orbit.
Our Head of Structures and Mechanisms, Drew Miller, leads everything mechanical on the spacecraft, from the primary structure to the large deployable systems that generate the power behind the 20 kW spacecraft.
Each satellite carries two very large solar arrays designed in-house here at K2, "they are huge", generating roughly 10 kW each. Seeing them go from a stowed launch configuration to their full deployed span on orbit will be one of the most exciting moments of the mission.
Matt Croce retweeted
At K2 Space, we're Building Bigger to deploy the largest satellites ever on orbit.
Our Head of Software, Michael Saqr, leads the team responsible for the systems that allow our spacecraft to operate autonomously in space.
In the earliest phase of a mission, the vehicle must stabilize itself and execute critical operations without commands, and even data, from the ground. That first period of flight is critical to bringing the spacecraft into a safe, stable state and setting the foundation for the rest of the mission.
Matt Croce retweeted
At K2 Space, we're Building Bigger to deploy the largest satellites ever on orbit.
Our Head of Thermal, Stefano Gulli, puts it simply: his team ensures that the spacecraft stays "not too hot, and not too cold." In practice, that means maintaining defined temperature ranges across changing orbital environments, mission phases, and payload configurations.
The size and power of K2's satellites introduces new complexity to a familiar problem: as vehicle mass and onboard power scale, so does the problem of transporting and rejecting heat across the structure. It's a challenge the thermal team here has taken head on for Gravitas, our first full vehicle test mission. Their work culminated last year with a successful TVAC campaign, which cycled the Gravitas satellite through the temperature extremes it will experience on orbit.
With the ground tests complete, the next step is flight this year, collecting real on-orbit environmental data to inform the next stage of our satellite development.
Matt Croce retweeted
In December, we closed a $110M Series B, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Altimeter Capital. In January we had our first successful in-space demo, proving out the performance of a number of critical components we built in-house. Now, we’re preparing for our next mission ("Gravitas"), where we will send the full satellite to one of the hardest orbits to operate in - Medium Earth Orbit.
@neelkunjur and I started @K2SpaceCo to go explore every moon and planet in the solar system. Over time we realized the platform we envisioned would significantly change how we do National Security and Commercial constellations.
We've developed a platform that has 10x the power, stacks 10 per launch vehicle, and has the highest power electric propulsion system ever flown (by 4x). The platform is designed to be survivable, orbit agnostic and mission agnostic. It is intended to be the platform for all future space development.
The latest round brings our total capital raised to $180M - we're using that capital to scale up mass production in our 180k sq ft factory in Torrance. At full rate, this factory will produce 100 satellites per year. We envision a future where 40 of those satellites are used for National Security missions, 40 are used for commercial constellations and 20 are used to explore the solar system and beyond.
Our goal - make previously impossible missions possible.
Matt Croce retweeted
Thanks to @jeff_foust and @SpaceNews_Inc for sharing the latest on K2.
We're excited to share details on our first in-space mission, first thruster hot fire, DoD traction and much more.
K2 Space plans first launch as company wins customers for its large satellite bus spacenews.com/k2-space-plans…
Nice job, @SouthwestAir for being the only major airline to NOT join this lawsuit. No thanks to @americaair, @Delta, @united, @JetBlue, @HawaiianAir, @AlaskaAir for wasting our time, money, and tax dollars because you want to continue to obfuscate.
apnews.com/article/airlines-…
Matt Croce retweeted
Not too many of my investment memos have started off like this: “Building a spacecraft is literal rocket science.” To celebrate @K2SpaceCo's massive Series A news today, I’m revisiting my notes on the pre-seed bet @firstround made on this stellar team in 2022 — from the pitch that made me want to invest, to the progress I’ve seen since.
Exclusive: @K2SpaceCo raised $50 million in an equity round led by @altcap, as the developer of monster satellites prepares for its first demonstration mission later this year.
cnbc.com/2024/02/13/startup-…
Matt Croce retweeted
Over the past five years I’ve noticed many in the industry misinterpret “The Moore’s Law of Space”.
The interpretation has been too literal: with electronics/chips becoming more capable we should strive to do what we were doing before with less - less mass and smaller satellites to achieve the same capabilities of the larger, more expensive satellites we used to launch.
The truth is: The Moore’s Law of Space was never about chips, it was about mass to orbit.
@SpaceX has been the driving force behind this new Moore’s Law with the exponential increase in mass to orbit. @K2SpaceCo is harnessing this mass effect - not to do what we were doing before with less - but rather to create an explosion of capability well beyond anything we’ve ever had before.
We’re excited to partner with @ekriessmann / @altcap and our existing investors to build out the future of high-powered spacecraft across all orbits. If you’re interested in joining a small team of hyper talented people hell bent on making this future a reality, join us: k2space.com/careers
Exclusive: @K2SpaceCo raised $50 million in an equity round led by @altcap, as the developer of monster satellites prepares for its first demonstration mission later this year.
cnbc.com/2024/02/13/startup-…
Matt Croce retweeted
We're incredibly excited to announce our $50M Series A, led by @altcap and @ekriessmann at Altimeter Capital, bringing total capital raised to $66M.
With this new round of financing we'll de-risk the K2 bus with its first in-space mission, scale up mass production and continue to build out new capabilities.
Send us a note if you want to come help build the platform for the next generation of space development.
Exclusive: @K2SpaceCo raised $50 million in an equity round led by @altcap, as the developer of monster satellites prepares for its first demonstration mission later this year.
cnbc.com/2024/02/13/startup-…
Matt Croce retweeted
Exclusive: @K2SpaceCo raised $50 million in an equity round led by @altcap, as the developer of monster satellites prepares for its first demonstration mission later this year.
cnbc.com/2024/02/13/startup-…
Matt Croce retweeted
Cost-per-kilogram of mass informs everything from spacecraft design to scientific mission planning. With next-gen launch vehicles like Starship coming online, @K2SpaceCo sees a different future on the horizon.
techcrunch.com/2023/10/17/k2…
Matt Croce retweeted
Since its the perfect time to announce we're coming out of stealth, hello world!
We're K2 Space - We're building large satellites for a post-Starship future.
Learn a bit more about what we're working here:
nitter.cf/thesheetztweetz/status…
Exclusive – Meet K2 Space, the startup led by brothers Karan & Neel Kunjur, designing and building massive spacecraft:
“With the new launch capabilities of vehicles like Starship, there's actually an interesting opportunity to go the opposite direction.”
cnbc.com/2023/03/10/k2-space…
