Blue Skies Space, a UK space startup, is preparing to launch its first satellite as part of SpaceX’s rideshare program. The satellite, named Mauve, is set to be launched in October 2025 and will focus on stellar spectroscopy. This data will provide valuable information about stars, including their composition, temperature, density, mass, distance, and luminosity. Blue Skies Space aims to gather this data about space from space itself, differentiating itself from other companies that collect space data from ground-based telescopes or satellites observing Earth. The company plans to make this data easily accessible through a subscription-based membership model.
Blue Skies Space has already attracted researchers from Boston University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan to join its program. These researchers will help shape the program design and determine where the Mauve satellite should focus its observations. Blue Skies Space CEO Marcell Tessenyi believes that no other private company is currently providing astronomy data as a service, making Blue Skies Space the first in this field. Tessenyi believes that their approach will give the science community greater agility and complement the capabilities of government agencies.
Since its inception in 2014, Blue Skies Space has raised approximately $6.5 million in funding. The company has received equity investments from investors such as U.K. seed fund SFC Capital and Japan’s Sparx Group, as well as grants from Europe’s Horizon R&D program. Blue Skies Space is led by a team of academics, including CEO Marcell Tessenyi, who holds a doctorate in astrophysics from University College London.
Rather than building its own satellites, Blue Skies Space has outsourced the engineering work to experienced manufacturers. The company is also developing a second satellite called Twinkle, which will focus on spectroscopic measurements of distant exoplanets’ atmospheres. Twinkle will be built by Airbus and will feature a larger telescope and visible-IR spectrometer.
Despite its small team of just 12 employees based in the UK and Italy, Blue Skies Space is making significant strides in the commercialization of space research. With the rise of the “new space” industry, private companies like Blue Skies Space have found new opportunities to contribute to the space ecosystem. By launching Mauve and offering astronomy data as a service, Blue Skies Space aims to revolutionize space research and provide valuable insights to the scientific community.
