Portal’s Starburst-1 reaches orbit, carrying first in-space test of Space Armor tiles
Portal Space Systems’ first free-flying spacecraft, Starburst-1, reached orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. Portal said the craft established communications, stabilised itself and deployed its solar array within hours; it also carries Atomic-6’s Space Armor tiles for their first flight demonstration.
Bottom line — Starburst-1’s planned one-year mission will build flight experience for Portal and test how Space Armor integrates with future spacecraft.
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GeekWire reports the spacecraft separated about 57 minutes after liftoff; SpaceX gave the more precise figure of 56 minutes and 52 seconds.
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Portal says it self-funded Starburst-1 to gain flight experience and demonstrate its hardware to prospective customers.
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Atomic-6 says its tiles stopped projectiles travelling faster than 7 kilometres per second in ground tests without producing harmful secondary debris.
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The spacecraft also carries Zenno Astronautics’ Supertorquer attitude-control system and TRL11’s Fovea M1 camera, according to GeekWire.
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Portal says Starburst shares core systems and manufacturing processes with its larger Supernova spacecraft, which is planned to debut in 2028.
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GeekWire reports Portal has raised $75 million (€69 million), including a $50 million (€46 million) round in April.