Orbion Space Technology
Orbion Space Technology is an electric propulsion manufacturer headquartered in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 2016 as a spinout from Michigan Technological University by Dr.
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Houghton, Michigan, United States
- Ownership
- Private
- Last round
- Undisclosed round · $500K2025-10
Quick Facts
About Orbion Space Technology
Orbion Space Technology is an electric propulsion manufacturer headquartered in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 2016 as a spinout from Michigan Technological University by Dr. Brad King and Lyon Brad King. The company designs and produces Hall-effect thrusters — the Aurora HET — for small satellites in the 100–1,000 kg class, where efficient low-thrust electric propulsion is increasingly required for orbit maintenance, collision avoidance, and orbit raising.
Orbion's Aurora thruster is designed for high production rates and has been selected by multiple commercial smallsat customers, including constellation operators and government programs. The company has announced manufacturing scale-up to hundreds of units per year and has raised Series B and C rounds from investors including Material Impact, Invest Michigan, and Wake Capital.
Orbion competes in a growing electric-propulsion market alongside Busek, ENPULSION, ThrustMe, Phase Four, Morpheus Space, and Exotrail, each targeting different thrust ranges and power classes. Orbion's focus on North American supply-chain independence has attracted particular interest from U.S. national-security customers.
Funding history
5 events| Date | Round | Amount | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-23 | Undisclosed round | $500K | —Form D filed 2025-10-29 by ORBION SPACE TECHNOLOGY, INC.: $500K sold of a $3.0M offering (first sale 2025-10-23). | sec.gov |
| 2019-07-02 | Undisclosed round | $200K | —Form D filed 2019-07-17 by ORBION SPACE TECHNOLOGY, INC.: $200K sold of a $200K offering (first sale 2019-07-02). | sec.gov |
| 2018-02-14 | Undisclosed round | $1.1M | —Form D amendment filed 2018-05-11 by ORBION SPACE TECHNOLOGY, INC.: $1.1M sold of a $1.1M offering (first sale 2018-02-14). | sec.gov |
| 2018-02-14 | Undisclosed round | $750K | —Form D filed 2018-02-28 by ORBION SPACE TECHNOLOGY, INC.: $750K sold of a $1.1M offering (first sale 2018-02-14). | sec.gov |
| 2017-06-22 | Undisclosed round | $1.4M | —Form D filed 2017-07-10 by ORBION SPACE TECHNOLOGY, INC.: $1.4M sold of a $1.5M offering (first sale 2017-06-22). | sec.gov |
Signals
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-05
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Frequently asked about Orbion Space Technology
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was Orbion Space Technology founded?
- Orbion Space Technology was founded in 2016 in United States.
- Where is Orbion Space Technology headquartered?
- Orbion Space Technology is headquartered in Houghton, Michigan, United States.
- What does Orbion Space Technology do?
- Orbion Space Technology is an electric propulsion manufacturer headquartered in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 2016 as a spinout from Michigan Technological University by Dr. Brad King and Lyon Brad King. The company designs and produces Hall-effect thrusters — the Aurora HET — for small satellites in the 100–1,000 kg …
- Is Orbion Space Technology a public or private company?
- Orbion Space Technology is a privately held company and is not listed on any stock exchange.
- What sector does Orbion Space Technology operate in?
- Orbion Space Technology works in propulsion, Electric propulsion and Spacecraft components, plus 1 other space-industry sectors.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (orbionspace.com)
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-05
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-05
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-05
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-05
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-05
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about Orbion Space Technology is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.