Solstar
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Space technology, Telecommunications |
| Founded | March 2017 |
| Founder | M. Brian Barnett |
| Headquarters | Santa Fe , United States |
Key people | M. Brian Barnett (Founder) |
| Products | Wireless internet solutions for space travelers and IoT in space |
Solstar Space Co., commonly known as Solstar, is a United States-based enterprise specializing in commercial wireless internet solutions tailored for space travelers and Internet of Things systems operating in space. The company facilitates bidirectional internet communication between Earth and orbital technologies. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Solstar was established in March 2017.
History
Solstar was launched by M. Brian Barnett in March 2017, with co-founders Michael Potter and Mark Matossian joining the initiative. Prior to the company's inception, Barnett pioneered a communication system that achieved the first-ever commercial text message transmission from Earth to space in November 2013, when students from Albuquerque sent sixteen messages to a device aboard a UP Aerospace rocket launched from Spaceport America.
In 2017, Solstar obtained a Phase I SBIR contract from NASA aimed at designing a commercial router intended for use on the International Space Station, focusing on connectivity within low Earth orbit. This device, called the Slayton Space Communicator (SC-Slayton) in honor of astronaut Deke Slayton, was developed under a Space Act Agreement with NASA to evaluate WiFi capabilities in the space environment.
April 2018 saw Solstar conduct a test of the Schmitt Space Communicator SC-1x—a lightweight, three-pound unit—aboard a Blue Origin capsule launched via a New Shepard rocket near Van Horn, Texas. The mission reached an altitude of 66 miles, during which founder Barnett utilized onboard internet access to post a tweet. This $2 million initiative received partial funding through NASA's Flight Opportunities program. Named after Apollo astronaut Harrison Schmitt, who serves as an advisor to Solstar, the device successfully completed a second flight test in July 2018, ascending to 73.8 miles. The SC-1x is now part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's collection.
Video footage from the April 2018 mission was included in The Digital Nomad and the Scientist, a documentary chronicling the debut of commercial WiFi service in space. Directed by Maclovia Martel and Kristina Korsholm with Michael Potter as executive producer, this film was featured at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase in Los Angeles (May 2019) and was shortlisted at Ekko Shortlist in Denmark (2020).
Funding
In June 2018, Solstar initiated a request for SEC authorization to obtain funding through the crowdfunding site Wefunder. Astronaut Charles D. Walker, who has flown on the Space Shuttle three times, came on board as an advisor. By November of the same year, the company had raised more than $200,000 via Wefunder, alongside an additional $300,000 from other sources. The fundraising campaign on Wefunder concluded in January 2019, successfully gathering $331,460 from a total of 519 backers.