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Aerospace and Defense Review

Voyager Space Holdings Acquires Denver Based Altius Space Machines

Altius was founded by Jon Goff, engineer and space entrepreneur, in 2010. Jon earlier served as lead propulsion engineer for Masten Space Systems when it emerged as the winner of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program, in 2009. Since its founding, Altius has worked on several spacecraft technologies

Fremont, CA: Newly established Voyager Space Holdings acquired its first company Altius Space Machines, a space technology firm. Voyager Space Holdings was recently established to serve as a holding company and long term capital source for space startups. The company acquired Altius Space Machines on October 23, in a deal that is subject to customary closing conditions. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Altius was founded by Jon Goff, engineer and space entrepreneur, in 2010. Jon earlier served as lead propulsion engineer for Masten Space Systems when it emerged as the winner of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program, in 2009. Since its founding, Altius has worked on several spacecraft technologies.

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“As an entrepreneur in a leading-edge portion of the space market, it’s been challenging to secure the financial resources we’ve needed to deliver on our vision,” said Goff, chief executive of Altius. "When the Voyager team explained their vision, I knew it was an amazing opportunity to not only accelerate bringing our Bulldog servicing vehicle to market but also to make a bigger difference in the entrepreneurial space industry."

Over the last few years, Altius has been focused on satellite servicing systems, including technologies for grappling spacecraft and propellant transfer. The company has proposed its own satellite servicing system, called Bulldog, a project that would require Altius to raise significant additional funding. “Altius is a market leader, blazing the trail for on-orbit servicing technology in our industry,” said Matthew Kuta, president, and chief operating officer of Voyager.

Space industry investor Dylan Taylor founded Voyager Space Holdings to serve the large variety of space startups emerging with innovative ideas, with the concept of supporting them over time horizons longer than traditional venture capitalists. The company's board includes retired Air Force Gen. William Shelton and former NASA associate administrator for science Alan Stern. Apart from capital, the company also provides shared services such as human resources to its portfolio companies. Voyager is looking for companies beyond the seeding stage, with a revenue production in the range of a few million. The company's areas of interest are on-orbit servicing and analytics.

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