Satlyt, a startup founded by former Google and SpaceX product manager Rama Afullo, has raised $8 million in a seed funding round to develop software that enables AI models to run on satellites. The company, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and Nairobi, plans to launch its software on a SpaceX rocket alongside Google's Project Suncatcher prototype this week, according to techcrunch.com.
Afullo's vision for Satlyt emerged from his experience at Google and SpaceX, where he pitched the idea of orbital data centers but was turned down. After leaving SpaceX, he co-founded Satlyt to build software that allows multiple satellites to share large computing tasks in orbit. Unlike companies such as SpaceX and Google, Satlyt focuses solely on software rather than building spacecraft, positioning itself as a platform provider similar to VMware and Snowflake, techcrunch.com reports.
The development comes amid growing interest in orbital data centers, with SpaceX committing heavily to this area. Satlyt's approach could enable more efficient use of satellite networks by distributing AI workloads across multiple satellites. This model contrasts with companies building physical infrastructure in space, highlighting a software-centric strategy in the emerging space computing market, according to techcrunch.com.
Satlyt's software is scheduled to launch this Thursday on a SpaceX rocket, marking the company's first deployment in orbit. This event coincides with the launch of Google's Project Suncatcher prototype, signaling increased momentum for AI and data center capabilities in space, as detailed by techcrunch.com.