The start of the two spaces has been merged to create the next -generation telescope

In a clear spring night in Michigan, the stars are aligned-just the expectations of Nick Kim, the early venture capital partner, Nick Kim.

He just brought 9.5 million US dollars to OURSKY, which is a software platform for space observation data, and is eager to see what his telescope partner Planewave Instruments can do.

However, when they launch a telescope at Planewave's manufacturing factory that night, he was trapped waiting.

“It took them a long time to get the first image. I was talking about it for many hours. These are those who make a telescope! They are using all these, such as ready -made open source software, they are put together.” Jin Zai In an interview with TechCrunch.

However, gold is not frustrated. He was excited. “This is why our Sky needs existence, right? This is a problem.” He remembered thinking. “What perfect match.”

This is a good match. Now, OURSKY and Planewave are merging and creating a new company called “Observed Space”.

OURSky founder Dan Roelker and Planewave founder Richard Hedrick said this will make the telescope easier to use. They also believe that stricter integration will open a new market, especially when they use their position as the only telescope manufacturer in the United States. They have regarded NASA, American Space Forces and Georgia State University High -angle Resolution Astronomy Center as customers.

In an interview, Hedric said: “My dream is to integrate all components on the telescope (even part of the part we do not sell), and then integrate the control of the telescope.” “For us, it is obvious that it is obvious that it is obvious that “” “

Roelker is the vice president of SpaceX from 2015 to 2019. He said that telescope users must handle his so -called “integrated bull market”. He said that Planewave's vertical strategy and OURSky's software will eliminate these headaches.

Roelker said that solving the problem is an opportunity to observe the space development market. (OURSky's platform will continue to continue with the name, and the telescope will continue to be sold with the Planewave brand.)

This may involve many things, such as allowing users to click on multiple telescopes at a world to imitate the function of larger telescopes, or reduce costs through laser through laser through laser, and reduce costs.

More telescopes were squeezed out of his high -quality telescope. For enthusiasts and institutions, this will make technology more approachable and affordable.

Hedric said that one of the institutions recently designed some one -meter telescope and customized them by others. He said, “They are like, 'God, if you exist, we will never do this.'

New business

Roelker said that with the cost of reaching the Orbit, more and more companies send things to space. This means that people have increased demand for positioning and tracking the earth, communicating with spacecraft and realizing the objects of defense and intelligence applications.

Mislav Tolusic, a management partner of Dual-Use Venture Filinspike, said that the space that can be observed may be the key participant of the new economy, which has invested in the observed space.

In an interview, Tulucic said: “You rely on space every day.” “If you take out the GPS constellation, we will encounter trouble in economics. This is a big and big event. Many systems stop running. Guess it is to guess it is What will it depend more on the infrastructure in the future? “

TOLUSIC praised Planewave's quality and pointed out that Hedrick founded the company when all telescope manufacturing was basically overseas-he thought this was an advantage.

“If you want to copy (in the United States), you must figure out how to make those exquisite lenses, how to make gimballs, not just how to design them, but also how to spit them out of them,” he said.

The ordinary partner of Embedded Ventures Jordan Noone explained his fund's investment in specific examples to explain what we can do as a merging company with Planewave.

Shortly before the merger, no one demonstrated the joint work of the company's products on the Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles.

He told TechCrunch that the team extracted a queue observation request on the OURSky platform: satellite operators lost the radio contact with the spacecraft. OURSKY and Planewave team quickly found it.

He describes a smoother experience than Jin's demonstration in Michigan, and in his opinion, the space that can be observed is a good choice.

NOONE said: “Many of the most valuable companies in the world, such as Apple, NVIDIA, are combinations of hardware/software platforms.” “Companies close to one of these two can have great inherent value, but the two in the world today The combination is very powerful. “

Star Wars or Star Trek?

There are about 100 employees that can be observed. In the remaining manufacturing business in Michigan, some projects in Los Angeles, California, and the Observatory outside Washington Special Administrative Region

It has generated income. So far, the company has raised $ 11 million, including funds from the non-profit strategic investment department of the Central Intelligence Bureau.

Hedrick and Roelker said that both companies are easy to integrate together because they are focusing on such different businesses and there are no large background business.

Roelker said: “The merger itself is actually very valuable, because when you experience it, many problems pop up.” “In fact, you have a good feeling for how to work together. They all feel very good, because during the merger period, we actually experienced some very difficult things. ”

When asked, the two did not describe those “difficult things”, and Hedrics joked: “We must decide whether (company) is the Star Wars or Star Trek.”

Answer?

“Space Fortress Callata,” Ruerk said.