Founded by former Relativity engineers Ben Schleuniger and Ross Doherty, Orbital Operations, an early-stage aerospace company developing a high-performance orbital transfer vehicle, has closed an $8.8 million seed round led by Initialized Capital with participation from Harpoon Ventures, DTX Ventures, Rebel Fund, TRAC VC, Karman Ventures, Immad Akhund and other strategic backers. The funding will accelerate development of Astraeus, the company’s cryogenic, high-thrust vehicle intended to enable rapid on-orbit maneuverability and persistent on-station capability.

Solving a hard systems problem: loitering with cryogenics

Astraeus is designed around a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen propulsion system paired with an advanced Cryogenic Propellant Management System (CPMS) that actively cools and preserves cryogens in space. This combination addresses a critical limitation in orbital mobility - propellant boil-off - which has historically forced operators to choose between endurance and speed. With a ~10,000-lbf LH₂/LOX engine and the ability to station for extended durations before executing rapid maneuvers, Astraeus opens mission possibilities from responsive defense to satellite repositioning and on-orbit logistics.

Investor conviction in a loitering orbital responder

For investors, the appeal is in more than just the engineering. Today’s orbital maneuvering options tend to be either long-endurance but slow, or fast but short-lived. Astraeus promises both, which redefines how operators can think about deterrence, recovery, and rapid asset repositioning. The seed capital will fuel engine testing, cryogenic demonstrators, facility expansion in Long Beach, and early integration discussions with both national security and commercial partners.

What’s notable is how Orbital Operations framed their case to investors: not by selling the vehicle as a marginally better thruster, but as a platform that creates new operational categories altogether. That kind of framing is powerful because it shifts investor analysis from “can this be built?” to “what new mission sets will exist because of this?” - an entirely different conversation that elevates perceived strategic value. In early-stage fundraising, especially in capital-intensive sectors, making that leap in investor imagination can be the difference between a polite pass and a lead check. Many founders underestimate this; the most convincing pitches don’t just promise a product, they promise a shift in the way the market must operate once the product exists.

Industry implications and market pathways

If Orbital Operations successfully validates its cryogenic endurance tech, Astraeus could alter the strategic calculus for both military and commercial operators. Persistent, high-thrust vehicles could safeguard constellations, deliver rapid orbital servicing, or reposition assets far faster than existing methods. For defense, that could mean reducing reaction time from days to minutes; for commercial operators, it could translate into faster deployment, collision avoidance, and repair capabilities without costly ground-launched replacements.

These capabilities intersect with major industry trends: the rise of space domain awareness, on-orbit servicing infrastructure, and the push for more resilient satellite constellations. By positioning Astraeus at the convergence of these needs, Orbital Operations builds multiple commercialization pathways - each with its own set of willing, well-funded customers.

Team execution and near-term milestones

The founding team brings deep propulsion and systems experience from leading aerospace programs, enabling an execution plan that focuses on two critical technical gates: proving long-duration cryogenic storage with active cooling, and demonstrating the reliability of their LH₂/LOX engine under orbital-like conditions. The next 12 months will see extensive ground testing, subsystem validation, and a roadmap toward a small-scale orbital demo.

Looking ahead

With this seed funding, Orbital Operations has bought itself the runway to not only advance a technically ambitious program but also to stake an early claim in what could become a decisive capability in the next phase of orbital infrastructure. Investors, industry watchers, and potential customers will be watching closely for test results and early partnerships - the markers that will determine whether Astraeus remains a promising blueprint or becomes a new standard in rapid, persistent space mobility.