Space Kinetic joins DraperSPARX partnership to advance national security technologies

Space Kinetic recently secured more than $12 million in venture funding to expand its work in space superiority and missile defense. Its proprietary electromechanical system can deploy smaller payloads from satellites without thrusters or fuel, enabling a range of defense and commercial missions.

"Like Draper, Space Kinetic is focused on our nation's most urgent national security priorities," said Ryan Sullivan, Co-founder and CEO at Space Kinetic. "Our goal is to rethink space operations down to first principles to deliver game-changing capabilities for missile defense and space superiority. DraperSPARX offers access to expertise and technologies that will help our platform reach its full potential."

Jerry Wohletz, Ph.D., President and CEO at Draper, emphasized the alignment of missions between the organizations. "We are excited to work with Space Kinetic and recognize some Draper-like qualities in their mission-focused approach and commitment to solving hard technical problems," he said. "When we created DraperSPARX, we wanted to drive ongoing technological advancements and foster innovation in the defense sector. Partnering with Space Kinetic presents an opportunity to meet these objectives."

Launched in 2024, DraperSPARX provides participating companies access to Draper engineers, secure labs, technical resources, and industry expertise. The program is designed to help startups mature technologies into prototypes that meet government and military needs.