LOGAN, Utah – Space weather startup Perceptive Space has raised $2.8 million in a pre-seed funding round announced Aug. 6.
Toronto-based Perceptive Space promises “space weather predictions that are more accurate and have better turnaround times than what NOAA and other government agencies provide today,” said Padmashri Suresh, founder and CEO of Perceptive. Space news. “We are using AI to extract more signals from the same data.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitors solar activity and provides space weather forecasts and warnings. Perceptive Space models incorporate data from NOAA, NASA and private partners. “We are leveraging decades of space weather data and operational data to predict space weather and its impact,” Suresh said.
Since Perceptive Space went into stealth mode in 2022, the company has developed “lightweight” AI models to run onboard satellite edge processors. “They will be able to seamlessly integrate our models and predictions into the systems,” Suresh said.
Specific forecasts
Perceptive Space is also known for tailoring forecasts to the needs of its clients. The impact of a geomagnetic storm on a satellite operating at an altitude of 200 kilometers, for example, will be different from the impact on a satellite operating at 400 kilometers.
“Perceptive’s data products tell us how space weather will impact the health of our particular mission and different subsystems,” Suresh said. “We provide that kind of tailored information and intelligence for decision making on the impact of space weather.”
Investment round
Investors participating in Perceptive Space’s funding round include Panache Ventures, Metaplanet, 7Percent Ventures, Mythos Ventures and AIN Ventures.
With the money, Perceptive Space plans to introduce its space weather platform to space and defense organizations in the United States and allied countries. Perceptive Space has “secured early commitments from several satellite operators and launch providers, including a pilot,” according to the press release. Suresh declined to name the first customers. Perceptive Space’s first product is scheduled to launch in 2025.
In addition, Perceptive Space will hire “more engineers and scientists to help us get our products out there and attract early adopters,” Suresh said.
The background story
Before founding Perceptive, Safe He has worked in data science, space engineering and technology policy.
“All of these experiences helped me understand the different ways space weather affects our sensors, operations or launches, which led me to explore the idea of using machine learning to better predict space weather for my PhD,” Suresh said. Suresh earned his PhD from Utah State University, the site of this week’s SmallSat Conference, in 2016.
Ultimately, Suresh founded Perceptive Space “because I believe that humanity is going to be a multi-planetary civilization. To ensure that our systems and all of us don’t burn out on the way to that goal, we need better space weather information with better lead times.”
To date, space-related startups have tended to focus on terrestrial rather than space weather. Suresh was already building Perceptive Space when SpaceX lost 49 satellites in a geomagnetic storm in 2022.
“That was the catalyst I was looking for, because everyone in the industry realized that, yes, we need better space weather forecasts,” Suresh said. “People are seeing the impact of space weather on their bottom line.”
