Beneath the event horizon

Our journey truly took shape when Sara (whose dual background in aerospace and space engineering had already driven breakthroughs in satellite technologies) shared her ambitious vision with Triyan, her collaborator on the world’s first autonomous in-orbit robotic assembler. 

Recognising the transformative potential of air-breathing propulsion at very low Earth orbits, they reached back into their professional networks and brought together a core group of colleagues who had worked alongside them on space sustainability initiatives, hybrid-electric propulsion research, and advanced satellite autonomy.

This initial team, united around a singular goal: to prove that sustained, drag-compensated flight below 150 km was not just feasible, but commercially game-changing. In just under two years, they designed and ground-tested multiple thruster prototypes, secured two launches and secured vital in-kind support from test-bed facilities, all before securing their initial raise! 

 Their combined resilience, relentless problem-solving and cross-disciplinary ethos have propelled Stars Edge from a bold idea into a fully operational R&D venture, one poised to spotlight air-breathing VLEO propulsion as the next frontier in Earth observation.