Slingshot Aerospace has acquired Numerica’s global network of proprietary sensors and software comprising more than 150 sensors and 30 telescope. Photo: Slingshot Aerospace

Space simulation software company Slingshot Aerospace has acquired two companies — Numerica’s Space Domain Awareness (SDA) division and Seradata — to increase its space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities. 

The company said these acquisitions will benefit its Slingshot Digital Space Twin product, which virutalizes the space environment by combining multiple types of data including real-time mapping and space weather data with physics-based simulations. Slingshot aims to be the authoritative SSA and space traffic coordination solution.

By acquiring Numerica’s SDA division, Slingshot acquires what it says is the only commercial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) daytime and nighttime optical sensor network for satellite tracking. It is an autonomous global network of proprietary sensors and software with more than 150 sensors and 30 telescopes across 20 locations around the globe. These sensors can track satellites and debris as small as 10 cm in size.

The department acquisition includes research scientists, orbital analysts, software engineers, and applied mathematicians, and offices in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins, Colorado.

The Seradata acquisition includes SpaceTrak, a ​​database and analytical system that covers all launches and satellites since Sputnik in 1957, plus future launches. It also expands Slingshot’s presence to the United Kingdom, and includes researchers and analysts who will continue to develop the product. 

“We are constantly improving our customers’ abilities to monitor, simulate, and optimize their space flight operations,” said Melanie Stricklan, Co-founder and CEO, Slingshot Aerospace. “By merging the unique capabilities of Numerica and Seradata with those of Slingshot, we are creating a first-of-its-kind, unified platform — providing our customers with the most holistic and robust insights available.” 

Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Earlier this year, Slingshot Aerospace closed a $25 million Series A-1 funding round. The company also recently received a $25.2 million contract from the SpaceWERX arm of the U.S. Space Force to develop the Digital Twin product.