ExoAnalytic Solutions on Thursday said it has agreed to acquire United Kingdom-based startup 3S Northumbria
in a deal that will enhance the company’s commercial space situational awareness capabilities.
Terms of the deal, which is expected to close in June pending regulatory approvals, were not disclosed.
ExoAnalytic, which is based in California and has about 130 employees, operates a global network of more than 300 consumer grade autonomous telescopes that provide low-cost, real-time data on Earth-orbiting satellites and debris. The company’s secret sauce in the space domain awareness market is its software and analytics applied to the telescope imagery.
The acquisition will allow ExoAnalytic to provide expanded space situational services to meet the needs of customers in the U.K. and Europe. 3S Northumbria says its believes that the benefits of space need to be preserved for everyone.
“Their mission to ensure the safe and sustainable use of space perfectly complements our unparalleled space domain awareness capabilities,” Douglas Hendrix, CEO of ExoAnalytic, said of 3S Northumbria. “This acquisition will allow us to better serve the U.K. government and other partners with enhanced SSA services, ensuring more comprehensive monitoring and protection of space assets.”
Ralph Dinsley, founder and managing director of 3S Northumbria, said the” U.K. government is increasingly focused on securing its interests in space. Becoming part of ExoAnalytic Solutions provides us with the opportunity to leverage their global infrastructure and experience, significantly boosting our ability to deliver high-quality SSA data and services to the U.K. and our other clients.”
In addition to its space domain awareness business, ExoAnalytic also has a mission systems sector that develops algorithms for missile defense interceptors to discriminate between decoys and missiles and engage and hit a target. The company also has a national security space business that does space systems analysis, force design support, and wargaming analysis.
ExoAnalytic was one of six companies awarded small study contracts by the Space Force in May aimed at providing the Space Training and Readiness Command with an improved National Space Test and Training Complex (Defense Daily, May 23).
ExoAnalytic’s customers include the U.S. Defense Department, intelligence community, and spacecraft operators.