A startup called Aquarian Space has announced that it has just received $650,000 in seed funding to work on developing a high-speed Internet connection between Earth, the Moon and possibly even Mars.
The company announced Thursday, March 17, that it had secured funding from Draper Associates. The company's goal is to have its first lunar system up and running by 2024.
Aquarian Space explains on its website that while people spend billions to launch space missions for science, the "limited communication capabilities in interplanetary space" mean that "only a small portion of that scientific data can be transferred to the vital data we collect from existing satellites." We can do better."
Aquarian intends to develop a system called Solnet, which uses satellite networks for high-speed transmission at speeds of 100 megabits per second. The company revealed few specifications, but said it is technicals with U.S. partners owned by NASA.
Aquarian is obviously not the only company building a communications infrastructure for space. SpaceX is also engaged in a wild ride and was recently praised for using its Starlink Internet satellites to help people in Ukraine.
However, despite these laudable achievements, NASA has also warned that Starlink's massive constellation could make it difficult for astronomers to detect a potentially catastrophic asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
In contrast, Aquarian Space says on its website that its satellites will provide data on planetary defense, including asteroid detection, as well as Space Condition Awareness (SSA) for lunar defense.
Aquarian Space will have to work hard to distinguish itself from Starlink and SpaceX, NASA's biggest partner in recent years, and to prevent the destruction of civilization on Earth.