FUNDING · STARTUPS · #1350
Satlyt raises $8M seed to run AI on satellites; software flying on SpaceX launch
Satlyt, co-founded by former Google and SpaceX product manager Rama Afullo, raised an $8 million seed round led by Non Sibi Ventures to build software that runs AI models on satellites and enables shared in‑orbit computing. The company’s software is scheduled to fly on a SpaceX launch alongside Google’s Project Suncatcher prototype; Satlyt has already demoed its stack twice, including deploying DeepMind’s Gemma on a Momentus spacecraft (cutting an onboard error-report transmission by more than 60%).
KEY POINTS
- Satlyt, co-founded by former Google and SpaceX product manager Rama Afullo, raised an $8 million seed round led by Non Sibi Ventures to build software that runs AI models on satellites and enables shared in‑orbit computing.
- The company’s software is scheduled to fly on a SpaceX launch alongside Google’s Project Suncatcher prototype; Satlyt has already demoed its stack twice, including deploying DeepMind’s Gemma on a Momentus spacecraft (cutting an onboard error-report transmission by more than 60%).
- Running AI onboard satellites can cut expensive downlinks, speed anomaly resolution, and enable third‑party shared compute clouds in orbit, making in‑space data processing practical and commercially viable.
WHY IT MATTERS
Running AI onboard satellites can cut expensive downlinks, speed anomaly resolution, and enable third‑party shared compute clouds in orbit, making in‑space data processing practical and commercially viable.