Mantis Space Emerges From Stealth With Seed Funding to Build Orbital Power Infrastructure

Mantis Space has formally launched from stealth with more than 10 million dollars in seed funding to develop orbital energy infrastructure intended to remove one of the most persistent constraints in space operations, the loss of sunlight during eclipse. The Albuquerque‑based startup is designing a constellation of spacecraft that remain in near‑continuous sunlight and transmit power to satellites operating in shadow, enabling uninterrupted energy delivery through existing solar arrays.

Addressing a Core Limitation in Satellite Operations

Today, satellites spend roughly one‑third of their operational life in Earth’s shadow, forcing them to rely on batteries, reduce performance, and accept mission constraints driven by orbital lighting conditions. Many spacecraft are placed in orbits optimized for sunlight rather than mission productivity, limiting revenue generation and operational flexibility.

Mantis Space aims to change this dynamic by providing power wherever satellites operate. The company argues that continuous access to energy could increase mission utilization, extend spacecraft lifetimes, and improve the economic return of satellite systems by a factor of two to three. As satellites become more compute‑intensive and support increasingly critical commercial and national security missions, the cost of energy constraints continues to grow.

Funding and Strategic Positioning

The seed round was led by Rule 1 Ventures with participation from Montauk Capital, which incubated Mantis Space through its venture studio. The company plans to expand hiring and build out go‑to‑market operations from its new headquarters in Albuquerque.

Investors describe orbital power infrastructure as a foundational layer for the next phase of the space economy, which is shifting from traditional communications and Earth observation toward orbital data centers, edge compute platforms, and persistent intelligence systems that require uninterrupted, high‑density power.

Leadership With Deep Aerospace and National Security Experience

Mantis Space’s founding team brings a mix of aerospace, defense, and precision engineering backgrounds. CEO Eric Truitt previously co‑founded PredaSAR and Terran Orbital and played a key role in BlueHalo’s acquisition by AeroVironment. Chairman Hugh Wyman Howard III served more than three decades in Naval Special Warfare and later as Director of Operations at the National Geospatial‑Intelligence Agency. COO Jeremy Scheerer has led major defense and intelligence programs at MapLarge and the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

The technical leadership includes veterans of Sandia National Laboratories, Apple’s advanced optics programs, Google’s MicroLED development, and broadband transmitter innovation at Eridan Communications. Admiral James A. Winnefeld Jr., former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also supports the company through Rule 1 Ventures.

Building the Power Layer for the Next Orbital Era

Mantis Space positions its technology as a missing layer of orbital infrastructure, one that becomes increasingly important as space systems evolve toward higher power demands and more complex missions. The company argues that as launch and manufacturing have scaled, the next bottleneck is in‑orbit performance, and that shared energy infrastructure will be essential for commercial and defense expansion in space.

The company’s emergence reflects a broader shift in the space sector toward enabling technologies that support long‑duration, high‑duty‑cycle operations. As orbital compute and AI workloads grow, Mantis Space sees continuous power as a prerequisite for the next generation of space‑based capabilities.