Northwood Space, a startup based 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. The company builds ground stations that connect satellites to Earth. These deals come less than a year after its previous funding raise. They show how demand for better space connections is growing fast as more satellites launch.
Background
Northwood Space started in 2022. Bridgit Mendler serves as CEO. Griffin Cleverly is the chief technology officer. Shaurya Luthra is the other co-founder. The team has experience in aerospace, defense, cloud systems, and manufacturing. They saw a problem: satellites are everywhere now, handling GPS, weather data, missile alerts, and internet. But the ground stations that talk to them are old. Most were made for small science projects, not today's huge fleets of satellites.
The company set out to fix that. They build what they call 'Portal' ground stations. These use phased array antennas. That means they can track multiple satellites at once without moving parts. Northwood designs them for mass production, like factory-made items. This lets them deploy quickly anywhere in the world. Right now, they make eight Portals a month. Sites are up and running on two continents. One recent install took just 12 hours to set up, with operations starting the next day.
Last year, Northwood raised $30 million in a Series A round. That money helped them build their first systems and prove they work. Investors saw potential because satellite numbers are exploding. Companies like SpaceX and Amazon plan thousands of satellites for internet. Smaller operators need help too. They often rent ground time, but spots fill up fast.
Key Details
The Series B round closed this week. Washington Harbour Partners led it. The firm, based in Washington D.C., invests heavily in space. They back companies tracking space junk and running ground services. Andreessen Horowitz co-led the round. Other backers include Alpine Space Ventures.
This cash arrives fast after the Series A. It will fund more production. Northwood plans to strengthen its supply chain and buy land for new sites. The goal is to meet customer demand without delays. Customers keep asking for help with ground connections as they grow their satellite groups.
Space Force Contract
Alongside the funding, Northwood won a three-year, $49.8 million deal with the U.S. Space Force. The contract targets the Satellite Control Network, or SCN. This system tracks and controls key defense satellites, including GPS ones. It handles missions like guiding satellites after launch or finding lost ones.
The SCN has issues. A government report from 2023 noted limits since 2011. Demand outpaces supply. As low-Earth orbit fills with megaconstellations, the network needs to react faster. Northwood showed its tech in a demo with Planet Labs in October 2024. The Space Force then picked them to boost capacity.
"Yes, this is happening faster than we thought — you know, two fundraises in the same year and large sums of capital. But that's really what we're ready for from a production standpoint." – Bridgit Mendler, CEO of Northwood Space
CTO Griffin Cleverly said current Portals handle eight satellite links each. By late 2027, new versions will manage 10 to 12. The full network will connect to hundreds of satellites.
"We get customers coming to us all the time requiring a ground solution… we don't want there to be a resource constraint that blocks us from being able to support that mission." – Bridgit Mendler
Northwood's stations focus on three traits: easy to manufacture at scale, able to add capacity as needed, and tough against failures. They use software to define how they work, making changes quick.
What This Means
These wins put Northwood at the center of space growth. Ground stations are like the internet's backbone for space. Without them, satellite data stays stuck in orbit. Big players build their own, but others rely on networks like Northwood's. The funding lets the company scale to serve operators moving from a few satellites to dozens.
The Space Force deal adds trust from the government. It proves Northwood's tech works for high-stakes jobs. The military needs reliable control as threats grow in space. Capacity limits could risk missions. Northwood's faster, scalable systems help fix that.
For the wider space industry, this points to a shift. Ground infrastructure must match orbit's pace. Shared networks could cut costs and speed data flow, much like cloud computing did for apps. Northwood bets on handling the full ground problem under one roof. That means designing, building, deploying, and running stations.
Investors see space as hot now. Defense tech, hard tech, and satellites draw big money. Washington Harbour's space bets pay off here. Andreessen Horowitz joins firms chasing the next big infrastructure wave.
Northwood's progress shows execution matters. From startup to production in a few years takes skill. They hire builders who deploy fast worldwide. As satellites multiply, companies like this will keep Earth linked to space. The $150 million total from funding and contract sets them up to lead.
