space propulsion developer sleeping space Today launched its first software product, a mission simulation and design platform called Journey.
Morpheus product manager Jim Gianakopoulos said in a recent interview (and a recent product walkthrough) that the product has been in development for nearly two years. This stems from the typical thruster sales process: Customers come to Morpheus to ask if the startup’s lineup of electric propulsion systems can meet their mission requirements, but the process is highly technical, fragmented, and manual.
“We realize that this is a disincentive,” Gianakopoulos said. “Giving our users a control point to actually simulate the entire mission themselves, analyze and refine it, and see what requirements the propulsion system meets, allows them to be empowered. .” [their] need. “
Journey aggregates all data typically distributed in Excel spreadsheets, Python, and other systems and quickly generates tasks and system designs. In the software, customers can enter custom system measurements, operations, start-up dates and other requirements. The software is user-friendly even for non-technical users, with templates featuring common attributes such as satellite size.
It is worth noting that the Journey platform not only matches customers with Morpheus’ own propulsion system, but also may recommend third-party chemical propulsion systems, as well as attitude determination and control systems, communications and other different subsystems based on mission requirements.
The first product on the platform is called Preliminary Mission Design (PMD), and the company also plans to launch a higher-fidelity Advanced Mission Design (AMD). The platform is designed to help customers all the way from conception to derailed operations all the way to scrap.
Morpheus has five to six early customers using PMD products to inform their early missions and system designs; AMD will launch a closed beta within the next two weeks. Founded in 2018, Morpheus has offices in Germany and El Segundo, California. Last September, the startup closed a $28 million Series A round led by Alpine Space Ventures.