Voyager Space Holdings to acquire majority stake in Space Micro

Voyager Space Holdings is continuing its trend of snapping up space companies by moving to acquire a majority stake in Space Micro, a manufacturer of orbital communications and digital subsystems for satellites.

This is Voyager’s sixth acquisition since its founding in October 2019, as the company seeks to become a full-service space firm offering everything from robotics to launch support to communications tech.

Previous acquisitions include X.O. Markets, the parent of commercial space service venture Nanoracks; Pioneer Astronautics, a company that conducts research into supporting human life in outer space; robotics startup Altius Space Machines; and The Launch Company, a launch support company.

The acquisition strategy has turned Voyager Space into something of a powerhouse; despite being scarcely two years old, the company has already set its sights on launching a commercial space station in 2027. The plans, which were announced as part of a joint project with Nanoracks and Lockheed Martin, position Voyager to oversee financing and capital allocation for the project.

Whether Space Micro’s tech will be used on that station isn’t clear, but the investment will no doubt provide support for the subsystems manufacturer to scale operations and its product output.

“Today marks a huge step in our growth trajectory,” Space Micro co-founder and chair David Strobel said in a statement. “The satellite constellation market stands at the tipping point of explosive expansion and now, with the Voyager team and operational functions by our side, we will be prepared to scale our technologies to meet these market needs.”

Space Micro has built out a large portfolio of customers since its founding in 2002, including NASA, the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. Air Force and the German Space Agency. The company currently has more than 100 subsystems in orbit and has collectively racked up 2.7 million hours of spaceflight time.

The company has provided tech for NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere Dust and Environment Explorer mission and its Transiting Explanet Survey Satellite. Space Micro also works with commercial companies, and was selected by Masten Space Systems earlier this year to provide transponders for the company’s XL-1 lunar lander.