Rhea Space Activity, a Washington, D.C.-based startup, has secured $6 million in a Series A funding round to advance navigation software that doesn't require GPS. The company announced this financial boost, which included investors like Boston Global Space Tech Investors, Iron Prairie Ventures, Blackbird Capital Group, Purdue Research Foundation, New Mexico Vintage Fund, and SpaceFund.
The funding will accelerate development of software designed to guide spacecraft where GPS signals are unavailable, such as during atmospheric reentry or in deep space. The system, called AutoNav, is a visual-based navigation tool that uses onboard optical sensors instead of satellite-based positioning. According to the company, "It navigates by taking pictures of moving space objects such as satellites, moons, planets, asteroids and comets."
AutoNav was originally developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to allow spacecraft to determine their position and trajectory without continuous guidance from Earth. The method involves capturing images of celestial objects and comparing them against known positions to calculate location and movement.
Rhea Space Activity plans to test the system on a reentry capsule developed by Varda Space Industries, which launched to orbit on March 30. This push for GPS alternatives comes as governments and commercial operators seek to reduce reliance on satellite navigation systems that can be disrupted or degraded. Optical navigation offers a potential path to greater autonomy for spacecraft in contested or communication-limited environments.