NewOrbit Space builds very low Earth orbit satellites at 180-250 km, using its AURA electric propulsion system to counter atmospheric drag for imaging, connectivity and weather applications.
NewOrbit Space designs and builds satellites intended to operate in very low Earth orbit (VLEO), between 180 and 250 km above the Earth. At that altitude a spacecraft sits roughly three times closer to the planet than a conventional satellite, with consequences for imaging resolution, signal strength and revisit time. The company targets high-resolution imagery, direct-to-device internet connectivity and weather prediction as the applications of that proximity.
Two technologies carry the work. AURA is an electric propulsion system that compensates for atmospheric drag, which at VLEO is strong enough to bring an unpowered satellite down quickly, allowing sustained flight at altitudes previously thought unreachable. NEO-1 is the flagship satellite built around it, combining tailor-made attitude control systems with materials chosen to withstand the VLEO environment; the company describes it as the world's lowest-orbiting satellite.
The company was founded in 2019 by two engineers who built much of the propulsion technology in-house when no suitable options existed. Its first thruster was tested in an Airbnb kitchen. Its technical domains span electric and spacecraft propulsion, VLEO operations, attitude control, advanced materials, atmospheric drag compensation, satellite imaging and Earth observation, and space sustainability, including debris mitigation and the aim of a fully sustainable, debris-free orbit.
