Eight Startups Selected for ISS National Lab’s Orbital Edge Accelerator

The program, now in its second year, pairs these innovators with a coalition of investment firms including E2MC, Stellar Ventures, and Draper Associates. The cohort is divided into two tracks: Sentinel, focused on satellite tech and space domain awareness, and Disrupt, which targets in-space manufacturing and bio-engineering.

In the Sentinel track, Aspect Aerospace leads with mass-producible satellite swarms, while Mithril Space introduces lightweight, reshaping reflectors for radar. Polaris Semiconductor and Vaxon Space round out the group with innovations in power regulation and fuel-efficient, air-breathing propulsion systems. The Disrupt track features Astrileux, which is working on EUV photomasks for AI-powered chips, alongside Aura Life Science, Micro-gRx, and Tensr, which are exploring biomanufacturing and autonomous robotics in microgravity.

Beyond direct investment, participants gain access to mentorship and potential non-dilutive funding through the Boeing-funded Technology in Space Prize. According to Ray Lugo, CEO of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the initiative is designed to bridge the gap between bold concepts and scalable space-based solutions. The startups will participate in a series of events across the U.S. before presenting their final projects at a Demo Day in San Francisco this December.