Northwood Space Raises $100M and Lands $50M Space Force Deal

Northwood Space, a startup in El Segundo, California, closed a $100 million Series B funding round and secured a $49.8 million contract from the U.S. Space Force this week. The company builds ground stations that connect satellites to Earth, helping with missions from GPS tracking to broadband internet as space gets more crowded with new satellites.

Background

Northwood Space started in 2022. Founders Bridgit Mendler, Griffin Cleverly, and Shaurya Luthra set up the company to fix problems with old ground systems for satellites. These systems handle key jobs like GPS signals, weather data, missile alerts, and internet from space. But most were made years ago for smaller tasks, not today's rush of satellites.

Space has changed fast. Companies like SpaceX and Amazon plan huge groups of satellites, called constellations, for global internet. Governments run satellites for defense and navigation. All these need reliable links to ground stations to send data back. Old networks struggle with the load. A government report from 2023 noted limits on the military's satellite control network since 2011, which could affect missions.

Northwood saw the gap. They build software-defined ground stations called Portals. These use phased array tech, which means they track satellites electronically without moving parts. The stations work fast and can handle many links at once. The company now makes eight Portals a month. They have sites on two continents, with one turned on in 12 hours after install.

This is Northwood's second big raise in under a year. Last year, they got $30 million in a Series A round. The quick growth matches rising demand from satellite operators who need more ground capacity but can't always build their own.

Key Details

The Series B round came together quickly. Washington Harbour Partners, a firm in Washington D.C. that invests in space companies, led the round. Andreessen Horowitz co-led it. Other backers include Alpine Space Ventures. The money will help Northwood build more stations, strengthen supply chains, and add sites worldwide.

"Yes, this is happening faster than we thought — you know, two fundraises in the same year and large sums of capital," said Bridgit Mendler, founder and CEO of Northwood Space. "But that's really what we're ready for from a production standpoint."

The Space Force contract runs three years. It targets upgrades to the satellite control network, or SCN. This network tracks and guides satellites, including GPS ones and others for defense. It handles satellites right after launch, even if they spin or go off course. Northwood's tech will add capacity as low-Earth orbit fills with megaconstellations.

After a demo with Planet Labs in October 2024, the Space Force picked Northwood. Their Portals now manage eight satellite links each. By late 2027, new versions should handle 10 to 12. The full network will connect to hundreds of satellites.

Company Growth and Operations

Northwood's team comes from aerospace, defense, cloud tech, and manufacturing. They focus on making stations that scale like cloud data centers. Current customers include those scaling from a few satellites to dozens. Big players like SpaceX build their own stations, but smaller operators rent space and face shortages.

The startup deploys fast. Portals are built for mass production, with software that adjusts capacity on demand. They avoid weak points by design, handling glitches or weather issues.

Mendler said the funding meets customer needs.

"We get customers coming to us all the time requiring a ground solution… and we don't want there to be a resource constraint that blocks us from being able to support that mission," Mendler said.

CTO Griffin Cleverly noted the value for growing fleets: "scaling into large constellations, so that may be going from like one or two satellites to dozens or more."

What This Means

These deals put Northwood at the center of space growth. More satellites mean more need for ground links. Commercial companies want quick data from Earth observation or internet. Militaries need secure control over assets. Northwood's approach lets operators share infrastructure like cloud services, cutting costs and wait times.

The Space Force pick shows trust in Northwood's tech for national security. Upgrading the SCN could prevent mission failures as satellite numbers rise. Commercial side, it helps startups and mid-size firms compete without huge upfront builds.

Funding lets Northwood expand production. They plan more sites and better supply lines. This could speed satellite projects overall. Investors see ground stations as key infrastructure, like fiber optics for the internet age.

For the space industry, shared ground networks might change how missions work. Operators focus on satellites while Northwood handles Earth links. As constellations grow, companies without strong ground options will lean on providers like this.

Northwood hires for roles in engineering, business development, and operations. Their push shows confidence in handling big contracts while growing the team.

The wins come amid investor interest in space, defense, and hardware tech. Washington Harbour's space bets and Andreessen Horowitz's involvement signal broad backing. Northwood now has cash to match its pace to market needs.