Turion Space Corp¶
Irvine, CA. Founded ~2021. Builds autonomous spacecraft for space domain awareness (SDA), orbital debris removal, and in-orbit servicing. Product line: DROID satellites for ISR imaging, micro-DROID with grappler arms for debris capture.
Last updated: 2026-04-14 (session 27 — Andromeda IDIQ award, updated federal footprint)
SST projects (1 + 2 SBIRs)¶
| projectId | Title | Status | Period | TRL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 155353 | Turion SSPICY Mission Concept Study | Completed | 2023-08 → 2023-11 | 3→4 |
| 125382 | SBIR Phase I — debris removal CubeSat | Completed | — | 3 |
| 154517 | SBIR Phase II Ignite — debris removal mothership | Completed | — | 3 |
PI: Jackson Parker on projects 125382 and 155353.
Turion was one of 4 companies selected for the SSPICY parallel concept study. Did not win the Phase III flight downselect (Starfish Space won). See SSPICY mission studies.
Spacecraft flown¶
| Spacecraft | Launch | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DROID.001 | June 2023 | First SDA imaging satellite |
| DROID.002 | March 15, 2025 (SpaceX Transporter-13, VSFB) | Enhanced SDA imaging, 3 payloads + long-range imager |
| DROID.003 + micro-DROID | Planned 2026–2027 | Debris capture demo (NASA co-funded) |
Scaling target: 7 DROID Alphas in 2026, 45 satellites/year by 2027.
Federal funding (USASpending — ~$26M across 17 awards)¶
NASA — ~$1.2M¶
| Award | $ | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80NSSC23CA182 | $850K | 2023 | SBIR Phase II Ignite — debris removal mothership |
| 80NSSC23CA202 | $200K | 2023 | SSPICY concept study (155353) |
| 80NSSC23PA198 | $150K | 2023 | SBIR Phase I — debris CubeSat |
DoD — ~$24.8M¶
| Award | $ | Period | Agency | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA880925CB004 | $16.0M | 2024–2027 | USAF | SBIR Phase II (likely initial tranche of $32.6M Space Force contract) |
| FA254124CB002 | $1.9M | 2024 | SpaceWERX | Autonomous docking system |
| FA864924P0387 | $1.7M | 2024 | USAF | High-res sensor payload |
| FA864923P0566 | $1.7M | 2023 | USAF | AI mission planning for on-orbit servicing |
| FA864923P1240 | $1.5M | 2023 | USAF | Biomimetic autonomous capture system |
| FA864923P1105 | $1.25M | 2023 | USAF | Space-based SDA |
| HQ085926FE939 | — | 2025 | MDA | SHIELD order |
| + smaller | ~$750K | 2020–2023 | USAF | Multiple SBIR Phase I awards |
Web sources report a $32.6M Space Force contract (Dec 2024) for 3 satellites (2 LEO + 1 GEO, completion Oct 2028) — awarded through SpaceWERX's STRATFI program. Includes $15M STRATFI + $1.9M TACFI (SpaceWERX) for autonomous docking systems. Each STRATFI satellite carries 3 SDA payloads + optical communication terminals for real-time C2. The $16M USASpending line reflects the initial funding tranche.
Venture funding¶
- $20M Series A closed Dec 2024, oversubscribed. Investor: Veteran Ventures Capital.
- SEC Form D filed Aug 2021 (seed), amendments through Nov 2023.
- Total raised: ~$37.5M per aggregator data.
- ~70+ employees.
Andromeda IDIQ — April 2026¶
Turion won a position on the $1.843B Andromeda firm-fixed-price IDIQ contract (Space Systems Command, April 9, 2026). One of 14 awardees selected to develop space-based SDA satellites for the Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance Constellation (RG-XX), succeeding Northrop Grumman's GSSAP system. Completion by April 2036.
The 14 awardees include defense giants (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, Boeing/Millennium, BAE) alongside newer companies (Anduril, True Anomaly, Quantum Space, Intuitive Machines, Sierra Space, Redwire, General Atomics, Astranis, Turion). Turion is the youngest/smallest company in this group — a remarkable trajectory for a company founded ~2021.
Notable: Starfish Space (SSPICY winner) was NOT among Andromeda awardees, suggesting market segmentation — Starfish focuses on servicing/life-extension while Turion targets SDA/surveillance. Both emerged from the same SSPICY study pool but diverged into different DoD market segments.
Confidence: confirmed (Via Satellite Apr 9, 2026; Military Aerospace).
SSPICY outcome: "lost the study, won a different market"¶
Turion did not win the SSPICY flight mission — Starfish Space did. But Turion's downstream momentum exceeds most SSPICY participants: - 2 spacecraft flown (DROID.001 Jun 2023, DROID.002 Mar 2025) - $32.6M Space Force STRATFI contract (Dec 2024) - $1.84B Andromeda IDIQ position (Apr 2026) — competing with defense primes - MDA SHIELD involvement (missile defense) - Series A funding secured ($20M, Dec 2024)
The SSPICY study was one small piece of a broader trajectory. Turion's primary growth engine is DoD/Space Force SDA demand, not NASA SST. Confidence: suggestive (funding and launch data confirmed; causal link to SSPICY study is minimal).
Outcome reclassification (session 11): Changed from no-visible-outcome to commercialized. With 2 spacecraft flown, $32.6M Space Force production contract, $20M Series A, and 70+ employees, Turion clearly commercialized orbital debris/SDA technology even though the SSPICY study was not the primary driver. The parallel-climber archetype applies — DoD was the growth engine, not SST.
NTRS publications¶
No NTRS publications found for Turion Space.
Archetype¶
"Parallel climber" — Company that participated in an SST study but drew most of its downstream success from parallel DoD programs, not from the SST pathway. The SST study may have provided credibility/visibility, but the commercial trajectory was DoD-driven.
See also: Starfish Space (SSPICY winner), SSPICY mission studies.
Sources: TechPort projects 155353/125382/154517; USASpending awards under "Turion Space"; web search (Space Force contract, Series A). Session 27: Via Satellite Apr 9, 2026 (Andromeda IDIQ), Military Aerospace (Andromeda $1.8B).