内容来源：https://www.geekwire.com/2026/portal-space-systems-50m-starburst/

内容总结：

美国航天初创企业Portal Space Systems完成5000万美元融资，加速研发高机动性航天器

总部位于华盛顿州博塞尔的航天科技初创公司Portal Space Systems近日宣布，已完成5000万美元的A轮融资。本轮融资由Geodesic Capital和Mach33领投，将用于加速其高机动性航天飞行器的研发与部署进程。

公司首款航天器“星爆-1号”计划最早于今年秋季，作为有效载荷搭载SpaceX的Transporter-18共享卫星任务发射升空。同时，Portal正准备迁入一座面积达5.2万平方英尺的新制造工厂，用于未来“星爆”系列及性能更强大的“超新星”航天器的生产。

公司首席执行官杰夫·索恩伯格表示，此轮融资对于公司而言是“一次巨大的飞跃而非一小步”，将有力推动研发进程，目标是尽快向客户展示并交付“星爆”与“超新星”的能力。

Portal的核心技术亮点在于其正在为“超新星”航天器开发的太阳能热推进系统。该系统利用聚焦的太阳光加热氨基推进剂，可实现航天器轨道的快速调整，将传统推进系统需要数周或数月的轨道机动时间缩短至数小时或数天。而“星爆”航天器虽采用更传统的推进系统，但其81%的组件与“超新星”通用，继承了后者的多项先进技术。

根据规划，“星爆-1号”将于10月发射，在太阳同步轨道执行为期一年的测试任务。“超新星-1号”则计划于明年发射，其部分资金来源于美国太空军SpaceWERX项目提供的4500万美元资助，旨在满足国防领域对快速轨道机动能力的迫切需求。

公司业务前景广阔，已获得来自政府及商业客户的浓厚兴趣。应用场景涵盖国防领域的空间态势感知、在轨保护，以及商业领域的轨道碎片跟踪与清除等。Portal已与澳大利亚Paladin Space公司建立合作，计划最早于明年推出轨道碎片跟踪清除服务，并获得了商业空间站联盟Starlab Space的合作意向。此外，“超新星”航天器凭借其卓越的机动性能，未来也有潜力在NASA的“阿尔忒弥斯”月球计划中发挥作用，服务于地月空间之间的物流、实验与通信任务。

为支撑雄心勃勃的发展计划，Portal正积极扩大团队规模，预计今年员工人数将翻倍，并计划到2027年底实现每月最多生产四艘航天器的产能。

领投方对Portal的战略充满信心。Mach33集团首席执行官亚伦·伯内特表示，相信Portal将在不久的将来成为“空间机动领域的首要力量”。Geodesic Capital合伙人Rayfe Gaspar-Asaoka则认为，空间的未来是动态变化的，而Portal正将深厚的推进技术专长与为机动性、可靠性和规模化建造的先进航天器开发相结合。

中文翻译：

总部位于华盛顿州博塞尔的Portal航天系统公司近日完成了5000万美元的融资，这笔资金将加速这家西雅图地区初创企业研发高机动性航天器的进程。

首款航天器"星爆一号"最早将于今年秋季搭载SpaceX公司的"运输者-18号"卫星拼车任务发射升空。同时，Portal公司正准备迁入5.2万平方英尺（约4831平方米）的新制造基地，未来将在此生产星爆系列航天器及性能更强大的超新星系列航天器。

公司首席执行官杰夫·索恩伯格将此次A轮融资比作"飞跃而非小步前进"。这位曾任职于SpaceX和同温层发射系统公司的资深人士于2021年联合创立了Portal，他表示："最令我和整个公司振奋的是，这笔资金将推动我们加速前进。我们正全力推进星爆与超新星系列的能力验证，力求尽快为客户提供服务。"

本轮融资由测地线资本和Mach33领投，博思艾伦创投、AlleyCorp及FUSE跟投。此前该公司在去年已完成1750万美元的种子轮融资。

Portal正在研发的太阳能热推进系统，将通过聚焦太阳光加热超新星航天器的氨基推进剂。该系统可使超新星在数小时或数天内完成传统推进系统需数周乃至数月的轨道机动。星爆系列虽采用更传统的推进系统，但将共享超新星81%的组件技术。索恩伯格指出："即便星爆是小型平台，我们也为其配备了充足的变轨能力。"

计划最早于10月发射的星爆一号将搭载TRL11公司的摄像边缘处理系统及Zenno太空公司的超导磁力执行器，在太阳同步轨道开展为期一年的测试任务。上月发射的"迷你新星"实验载荷已成功验证星爆与超新星的控制软件和动力系统，索恩伯格表示该设备"运行状况良好"。

得益于美国太空军SpaceWERX项目4500万美元的资金支持，首艘超新星航天器将于明年发射。索恩伯格透露，超新星一号可执行"满足国防部快速机动需求"的多样化任务。目前公司已收到来自政府机构及商业公司的广泛合作意向，正同步推进第二代星爆的研制工作，新制造基地将首先用于超新星一号的组装。

按照发展规划，Portal计划到2027年底实现每月生产四艘航天器的目标，这意味着公司规模需要扩张。索恩伯格表示："目前团队约40人，预计今年内将实现人员翻倍。"

关于应用场景，索恩伯格指出国防领域主要聚焦太空态势感知与轨道防护，商业应用则涵盖轨道碎片追踪清理业务。近期星链卫星解体事件凸显了处理太空碎片的商业价值。Portal已与澳大利亚Paladin太空公司建立合作，计划最早明年推出轨道碎片管理服务，太空实验室联盟已签署意向书拟将该服务纳入未来空间站运营体系。

索恩伯格还透露，超新星航天器可在地球静止轨道与地月空间自由机动，有望在NASA阿尔忒弥斯月球基地计划中承担物流运输、实验支持、数据通信等任务。测地线资本合伙人雷夫·加斯帕-浅冈表示："太空的未来是动态发展的，Portal将深厚推进技术专长与面向机动性、可靠性及规模化的先进航天器研发相结合，正在拓展太空探索的边界。"Mach33集团首席执行官亚伦·伯内特则断言："我们坚信Portal将在不久的将来成为太空机动领域的领军者。"

英文来源：

Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems has raised $50 million in a funding round aimed at speeding up development of the Seattle-area startup’s highly maneuverable space vehicles.
The first such vehicle, Starburst-1, is due for launch as early as this fall as a payload on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 satellite rideshare mission. Portal is also getting ready to move into a 52,000-square-foot manufacturing facility where future Starburst spacecraft and even more capable Supernova space vehicles will be built.
Portal CEO Jeff Thornburg — who co-founded the company in 2021 following stints at tech ventures including SpaceX and Stratolaunch Systems — characterized the newly announced Series A funding round as closer to a giant leap than a small step.
“The thing that’s exciting me the most, and really the company at large, is that it helps us move faster,” he told GeekWire. “We’re obviously focused on getting Starburst and Supernova capabilities demonstrated and available to our customers as quickly as we can.”
The round was led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33, with participation by Booz Allen Ventures, AlleyCorp and FUSE. It builds on a $17.5 million seed round that was announced last year.
Portal is developing a solar thermal propulsion system that will use focused sunlight to heat the ammonia-based propellant for its Supernova space vehicle. The system is designed to allow for rapid adjustments in Supernova’s orbit. Orbital maneuvers that would typically take weeks or months to execute using traditional propulsion systems could be done in hours or days.
Starburst would use a more traditional thruster system, but would take advantage of many of the technologies being developed for Supernova. “Eighty-one percent of the components are shared between Starburst and Supernova,” Thornburg said. “We’ve got a lot of delta-v packed in the Starburst, even though it’s a smaller platform.”
Starburst-1, which is being readied for a potential October launch, will be equipped with TRL11’s video camera and edge processing system plus Zenno Space’s superconducting magnetic actuator for a yearlong test mission in sun-synchronous orbit.
An experimental payload nicknamed “Mini-Nova” was sent into orbit last month to test the control software and power systems for Starburst as well as for Supernova. “Mini-Nova is healthy … and so I think we’re in good shape for what’s to come,” Thornburg said.
The first Supernova is due to be launched next year, thanks in part to $45 million in funding from the U.S. Space Force’s SpaceWERX program. Thornburg said Supernova-1 could take on any of a variety of missions that “support the Defense Department’s needs where it comes down to rapid maneuverability.”
Portal’s team is already looking further out on the mission timeline.
“We have a lot of interest from a lot of different customers, including the government just by itself, as well as commercial companies in the service of defense or commercial missions,” Thornburg said. “So, we’re leaning forward on the second Starburst build. And then, in parallel, one of the first uses of the new building will be assembly work for Supernova-1. … We can continue to build Starburst in our existing facility if we want to, for a certain amount of time.”
Portal is aiming to build as many as four spacecraft per month by the end of 2027 — which means the company is going to need a bigger workforce. “We’re at about 40 people at the company,” Thornburg said. “We’ll probably double in size throughout the rest of this year.”
How would Starburst and Supernova be used? “For defense, what we’re really targeting is areas I would describe as space domain awareness, or being able to observe things that sometimes can be difficult to observe,” Thornburg said. “And then I think the second application in the defense category is to protect and defend. We have adversaries on orbit doing things that are very confrontational, and I don’t know that we always have equivalent capabilities or deterrence in kind.”
On the commercial side, Thornburg points to orbital debris tracking and removal. “Recently you had a Starlink satellite breaking up,” he said. “That creates a problem for SpaceX and other people. Having to move around this stuff costs money and time. So, you’re seeing a profit motive for dealing with orbital debris on the commercial side, as well as their own surveillance.”
Portal and an Australian venture called Paladin Space recently announced a partnership to create an orbital debris tracking and removal service that could go into business as early as next year. Starlab Space, an industry consortium that has been laying the groundwork for a commercial space station, has already signed a letter of intent to integrate the Portal-Paladin service into future station operations.
Thornburg said Supernova could also play a role in NASA’s Artemis moon program, which recently set its sights on building a permanent lunar base. “We have the performance to be able to easily move between GEO [geostationary Earth orbit] and cislunar domains in a way that could be helpful for logistics, experiments, communications, data and other things. We don’t have a lot of spacecraft that can do that without the aid of a rocket right now,” he said.
In all these cases, Portal aims to capitalize on its ability to offer rapid mobility in space — a strategy that received strong backing from the company’s leading investors. “We are confident that Portal will become the Space Mobility Prime in the near future,” said Aaron Burnett, group CEO of Mach33.
“The future of space is dynamic, and that shift is being recognized globally,” said Rayfe Gaspar-Asaoka, partner at Geodesic Capital. “Portal Space is pairing deep propulsion expertise with advanced spacecraft development built for mobility, reliability and scale. Geodesic is thrilled to co-lead Portal’s Series A and work alongside Jeff and the team as they continue to expand what’s possible in space.”