New megaconstellation startup Eclipse Space, built by a group of SpaceX alums, recently emerged from stealth mode with the aim of making constellation ownership possible for sovereign governments and enterprises.
Eclipse Space is founded by a number of SpaceX alums, led by CEO Derek Huerta, formerly senior manager of satellite payload engineering for SpaceX. Other SpaceX alums include former business development executive Barry Matsumori as chief commercial officer, and former Starlink development lead Celena Byers, and lead supply chain engineer Dante Tay. It’s co-founded by Kyle Leveque, formerly of Astro Digital and Cambrian Works.
Eclipse Space is backed by Space Capital, Tectonic Ventures, and Ubiquity Ventures.
The company compared its approach to Apple and smartphones — where Apple owns the architecture and builds the software while working with a network of manufacturing and integration partners. Its aim is to offer constellations at a “speed, scale, and level of flexibility that legacy providers cannot match.”
“Until now, building a megaconstellation has required either enormous capital investment or dependence on someone else’s infrastructure, with all the strategic vulnerability that comes with it. Eclipse was founded to change that by giving sovereign and commercial customers constellation infrastructure built to their requirements, operated on their terms, and aligned with their strategic interests,” co-founder Huerta said in a release.
The company also announced it is acquiring the engineering team behind Rendered.ai’s Agent Studio, with an exclusive license to develop the platform and an option to acquire its underlying technology.
