Northwood CEO says ground networks are key to space growth
Bridgit Mendler said satellite growth is pushing the space business into a new phase centered on Earth-to-orbit infrastructure.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Northwood Space CEO Bridgit Mendler said the rapid rise in satellites has shifted the space business toward building the systems that connect spacecraft with Earth. Speaking Tuesday at Fortune Brainstorm Tech in Aspen, Colorado, she said launch and spacecraft production gains are creating demand for ground networks that can move data at scale.
Mendler described the current period as an “infrastructure building era,” according to Fortune. Her company focuses on the ground segment: the Earth-based communications layer that allows satellites to send, receive and route information.
Without that link, Mendler said, satellites have little practical value despite the cost of putting them in orbit. She said the economics of space are changing as the sector expands beyond specialized missions and into larger commercial markets, including telecommunications.
Satellites need more than rockets
Mendler said satellites have moved from one-off scientific projects to constellations with thousands of spacecraft. Those constellations require networking capacity, she said, and Northwood is trying to supply part of that backbone.
Fortune reported that SpaceX’s Starlink has more than 10,000 operational satellites in low-Earth orbit and that Amazon’s Project Kuiper is working to deploy its own constellation. Fortune also reported that SpaceX and other companies want to develop orbital compute data centers, while companies are signing multibillion-dollar agreements tied to AI compute services using space infrastructure.
Northwood recently raised $100 million in a Series B round led by Washington Harbour Partners and Andreessen Horowitz, according to Fortune. The company’s main product, Portal, relies on many smaller antennas operating together as one system, rather than the larger parabolic dishes commonly used for satellite communications.
Mendler compared her vision for space networking to cloud infrastructure, Fortune reported. She said shared ground infrastructure could help new space companies build faster, arguing that work that took companies such as SpaceX two decades could eventually be done in five years.
SpaceX listing looms over sector
The broader space business is also drawing attention from public markets. Fortune reported that SpaceX is expected to make its public market debut this week under the ticker SPCX at a valuation of $1.75 trillion.
The offering is expected to raise $75 billion, which would make it the largest IPO on record and exceed Saudi Aramco’s 2019 listing, according to Fortune. The expected debut comes as private and public investors assess companies tied to satellite networks, launch services and data infrastructure.
Mendler also pointed to space-based energy as a promising application, according to Fortune. She said space has abundant energy that could help address energy supply problems on Earth.
Before founding Northwood, Mendler worked as a Disney Channel actress, including roles in “Good Luck Charlie” and “Wizards of Waverly Place.” She told the Fortune conference that she sees that background as fitting for a space CEO because entertainment and space both require comfort with risk and long odds.
Mendler said data is central to the value of the space economy. In her view, Fortune reported, the more information that can move through space networks, the more the sector can grow.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.