NorthStar Earth & Space

NorthStar Earth & Space

Mapping space for sustainable usage for government and industry clients.

Overview

Company
Headquarters Montréal, Quebec
Founded 2015
Founder(s) Stewart Bain and Denny Brisley
Ownership Private
Media
Website Twitter LinkedIn

Description

NorthStar Earth & Space contributes the world-wide space program by providing space situational awareness (SSA). Knowing what's in space is hard, in part because there is so much of it. Yet, in the near future, the sector is likely to become a $2.7 trillion industry with many mega-constellations of satellites. So, knowing where everything is will become increasingly important.

To that end, NorthStar has raised millions and designed and created three satellites that will scan the skies for objects, helping create a up-to-date map. The company expects to launch its first satellite in mid-2023.

NorthStar's leadership team has worked hard to create partnerships, a crucial element of future success. In December they announced a contract with the US National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which means that they will be playing at the very highest levels once launched.

Importance to Canadian Space

If sustainability means that something can continue functioning for a very long time, space is not sustainable. In 1978, Donald Kessler hypothesized a worst-case scenario where space debris starts hitting spacecraft, creating more debris, in an expanding cycle of chaos.

The predicted result (named the Kessler Syndrome) was space would become unusable for generations to come as the debris field would prove lethal to anyone trying to leave Earth. While this apocalyptic scenario has yet to materialize, we are putting an increasing number of satellites into orbit, which improves the odds of something going wrong.

The modern world's increased reliance on satellites makes the importance of solving the problem of avoiding collisions larger every year. This is a problem facing launch, satellites and anything trying to get to the Moon or deep space.

Recent News & Updates

January 11, 2023

Not only is NorthStar producing its own satellites, they are also gaining access to other satellites and data that can augment the information they draw on. Massive and complex environments like space will require truly huge amounts of data to be analyzed and turned into actionable intelligence.

One other important take-away from this announcement is the use of a previously wasted resource. Axelspace cannot use their satellites over the dark side of the Earth. Turning them around and mapping the space domain situation improves satellite productivity by a factor of at least 2.

January 6, 2011

Crunchbase has this and the last round of funding from Cartesian Capital Group, LLC. This should provide an excellent runway for the company to demonstrate its product and prove its business case.

December 8, 2022

Working with NOAA is the big time. To be working with a client like this will make respectability much easier, which in turn makes selling into other markets much easier.

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