Katalyst Space Technologies

Katalyst Space Technologies designs and builds robotic spacecraft, modular payloads, and software for in-space servicing and satellite upgrades. The company focuses on rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) to attach new hardware — such as space domain awareness sensors and close-range inspection units — to satellites already in orbit, including those not originally designed for servicing.

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Flagstaff, Arizona, Katalyst acquired Atomos Space in April 2025, gaining the Quark orbital transfer vehicle platform and a spacecraft manufacturing facility in Broomfield, Colorado. The combined entity serves both U.S. Department of Defense and commercial satellite operators.

In September 2025, NASA awarded Katalyst a $30 million contract for a first-of-its-kind robotic rescue of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, an operational space telescope facing uncontrolled reentry. The mission, launching on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL in 2026, will demonstrate autonomous capture and orbit-raising of an unprepared satellite. Katalyst's NEXUS multi-mission servicer, planned for geostationary orbit in 2027, will extend these capabilities to ongoing defense and commercial servicing operations.