Rethink Space—
Transform the World.
Space-based solutions that empower discovery and inspire innovation.
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Our VISION
Emerging Technologies
To enable vital and emerging diversification of space-based applications through rapidly accessible suborbital & satellite technologies.
About Us

What we do

StarSpec Technologies bridges the gap between innovation and application for state-of-the-art space-based technologies. StarSpec is fundamentally enabling technology developers, science leaders, and industry innovators endeavoring to rapidly push the frontiers of emerging suborbital and satellite-based applications.


We believe that increasing ease of access to space is both inevitable—as a result of the growing economy and diversification of space-based applications—as well as essential to rapid technology development for space that is well-paced with the constantly accelerating state-of-the-art. StarSpec is at the forefront of this revolution in space, providing the necessary agility and continuous innovation required to meet the increasing demand in the new space supply chain.

Our vision is a world in which accessing the uncapped research, development, and commercial potential of space and near-space environments is limited only by the imaginations of those who endeavor to Rethink Space.

News

What's the latest

November 2022

StarSpec Technologies, Inc., and Litepulse, Inc.,
are pleased to announce the signing of a Letter of Intent. The transaction involves the
integration and/or mutual collaboration between Litepulse’s mesh network and
StarSpec ADCS InspireSAT sub-arcsecond ADCS products. StarSpec ADCS
InspireSAT’s unique design and capabilities will enable the sub-arcsecond Low-Earth
Orbit platform stability at a level suitable for Litepulse’s development. The techniques
and methodologies utilized for StarSpec’s InspireSAT are of particular interest for
Litepulse power distribution components and subsystems. This includes hardening off
the self-components for radiation, thermal vacuum, and dynamic vibration.

About Litepulse, Inc.
Litepulse is a Remote Power as a Service company for Space. Focused on providing
the power vehicles need to expand into orbit and beyond, the company is building a
mesh energy grid powered by the Sun. By providing more efficient power to satellites,
space stations, and additive manufacturing in LEO, GEO, and the cis-lunar space,
Litepulse will help unlock the potential of space.

More about Litpulse at:
www.litepulse.com

“Litepulse’s vision is to build, space’s first remote power grid and this agreement with StarSpec is instrumental to making that vision a reality. We are excited to work with StarSpec to make space more accessible for everyone,” said Karl Stedman Litepulse’s
Founder and CEO.
September 2022

StarSpec is proud to announce the commissioning of our new space technology site: Canada's first fully commercial suborbital and space-based assembly, manufacturing, and testing facility. Located in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, this facility will serve as a primary base for integration and real-time operations of StarSpec's large NASA-contracted suborbital payloads, as well as technology development and manufacturing of space-based imaging hardware for LEO SmallSats. From this facility, StarSpec also looks forward to the launch of its InspireSat product line, which will enable fast and at-scale access to critical components used for high-res Earth-imaging satellites in support of emerging critical infrastructure, surveillance, and climate monitoring application.

More updates on tooling up our new facility coming soon - stay tuned!

May 2022

StarSpec is pleased to announce the successful completion of Year 1 for NASA's EXCITE project! This state-of-the-art payload is designed to have the same imaging stability as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in order to be able to perform detailed analyses of exoplanet atmospheres that could possibly be very similar to Earth. Set to for integration to begin at NASA in Spring of 2023, EXCITE will launch it's first Test Flight in Fall 2023 with the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) from Ft. Sumner, NM. After successful recovery, EXCITE is queued to launch from McMurdo, Antarctica in Winter 2024 on a football-stadium sized balloon capable of lifting all 3000 lbs of scientific hardware into the stratosphere at three times higher than a typical jet (40 km altitude), during which StarSpec systems will allow EXCITE to collect highly precise exoplanet data.

Click below, to get a sneak peak at some of operational behind-the-scenes capabilities:

Sub-Arcsecond Balloon-borne Payload First-look Technology Demonstration
More About Us

Where we fit in

(click icons below for more info)
Consultation
Satellite Consultation
Fabrication
Satellite Fabrication & Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Satellite Fabrication & Manufacturing
Certification
Certification
Support
Payload & Flight Integration
Operations
Design studies, trades, and consultation for a wide range of emerging space-based technologies
Fabrication & prototyping of standardized and semi-custom suborbital and satellite systems
Advanced manufacturing processes to leverage COTS for at-scale production
Standardized operational testing & certification for space and near-space environments
Hardware & software integration support with suborbital and satellite launch providers
At-float & on-orbit operational support and team training services
(hover icons above for more info)
Precision-Spec
PRECISION-Spec
Sub-arcsecond Stabilized Suborbital Platform

StarSpec's approach to rapid development for space adds value at every critical link in the suborbital and satellite supply chain. We have modularized and standardized our approach to space-based hardware & software, providing unprecedented development times from concept to launch while continually keeping pace with the state-of-the-art.

StarSpec provides flight-proven technology and flight-critical expertise interfacing with international launch providers, including the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) through the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES —Centre National d'Études Spatiales) as well as with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The StarSpec team has demonstrated unparalleled flight capabilities for an unprecedented number of successful state-of-the-art suborbital payloads launched and operated from sites across North America and worldwide.

More on StarSpec & New Space
View Our Brochure
Project Dashboard

Our work

Precision-Spec
EXCITE

The EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE) is a state-of-the-art, high precision spectrometer-based instrument built and developed out of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA-GSFC). StarSpec provides EXCITE with a three-axis stabilized balloon-borne platform with the necessary precision for near-space characterization of exoplanet atmospheres, a critical component of potentially life-bearing planets beyond our solar system. Scheduled to launch from McMurdo, Antarctica in 2025, EXCITE will be carried to the stratospheric environment via a football-stadium-sized balloon as part of NASA's Long Duration Balloon (LDB) program.

Latest News here!

The TARDIGRADE Project

The Targeted Advancements in Robustly Designed Instrumentation for Generic RADiation Environments (TARDIGRADE) project explores a potentially revolutionary approach to radiation tolerance of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) based electronics for space-based applications. Working hand-in-hand with Canada's TRIUMF radiation test facility in Vancouver, StarSpec's main goals for the TARDIGRADE project are to not only demonstrate suitability of our Modified-COTS approach for modern applications in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), but to both standardize and streamline the space technology development process with a target 1-3 month timeline from concept to qualification.

TAURUS-CMB
TAURUS

TAURUS is a balloon-borne platform designed to make highly precise measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the echo of the Big Bang and the creation of the early Universe. With expertise in stratospheric and near-space instrumentation, StarSpec provides TAURUS with rapidly fabricated and flight-vetted components, including star cameras, flight computers, mechanical structure, and power systems, all of which have heritage with NASA. Utilizing NASA's state-of-the-art Super-pressure Balloon (SPB) platform, TAURUS is scheduled to launch from Wanaka, New Zealand in 2027, with StarSpec providing technical and consulting support from concept through to operations.

StarSpec Plug-and-Play Satellites
Space Telescope Module
STM-Spec
Space Telescope Module
Earth Observation Module
EOM-Spec
Earth Observation Module
Space Certification Module
SCM-Spec
Space Certification Module
Future Projects

Work with us!

StarSpec is excited to work with you on your next project! From prototyping instrumentation on balloon-borne platforms operating at the edge of space to production line manufacturing for next-gen satellite constellation applications, StarSpec's technology development approach defines the new standard in accelerated concept-to-launch timescales. Our approach is engineered for continuous innovation, maintaining pace with the state-of-the-art while affording high versatility in customer-centered space-based applications.

Work with us!

StarSpec's goal is to meet the needs of new space applications at every scale—from individual components and modular flight software to partnerships on fully-integrated payloads from concept to launch. Our team has earned decades of experience designing, building, integrating, and operating space-based technologies with demanding engineering and operational requirements. We have demonstrated the high-impact success of the StarSpec approach for a growing number of rapidly developed suborbital and technology development endeavors—and this is only the beginning!

Astronomy
SAR / InSAR
Critical Infrastructure
High-res Imaging
Location

Accelerating in the innovation hub

StarSpec Technologies is at the epicenter of Canadian technological innovation. We are based in Cambridge, Canada, one of the foremost technological hubs within the Toronto-region and across Canada with access to technology leaders and innovators from the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Guelph, the Perimeter Institute, the University of Toronto, and a number of exceptional technical institutes. StarSpec's advantageous proximity to world-class academic and technical institutions is enhanced by the strong presence of leading-edge technology manufacturing and distributors in and around the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area, right at StarSpec’s doorstep. With these resources and ample space to grow, StarSpec looks to continue breaking new ground in satellite and suborbital technology, contracting and collaborating with institutions, agencies, and industries in Canada, the United States, and around the world.