Saudi company funds space tech start-up

Space technology start-up Metakosmos has announced raising pre-seed funding of $2 million from a Saudi Arabian company.

The Sydney-based start-up said the strategic investment will enable it to accelerate its innovation pipeline in advanced spacesuit technology and launch spin-off applications for multiple industries.

The investment is being provided by Saudi extreme conditions engineering technology company Alzadhar Al-Sanai.

Metakosmos chief executive Kiriti Rambhatla said he and his team were thrilled to have the support of investors who shared their vision for enabling new markets for human space flight services.

Co-founder Renkuka Rambhatla added: “This funding will enable us to deliver on critical milestones such as scaling the proprietary Kosmosuit platform (hardware, software and services) which is currently under development.”

Alzadhar Al-Sanai chief executive Aziz Al Othman said: “We are excited to support Metakosmos’ journey through this investment and help them expand their capabilities in markets such as Australia, the US, India and emerging space economies like Saudi Arabia. Their visionary approach and cutting-edge solutions have the potential to make a significant impact on the future of human space flight across the globe.”

Metakosmos says it has received several Australian government grants and has won global awards for its work to date.

Alzadhar Al-Sanai describes itself as a global leader in developing extreme environment monitoring platforms and applications. The company’s engineering services have been used by global businesses including Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Mitsubishi, GE, Honeywell, AutoCAD, Microsoft and SAP MII.   

Image: The Metakosmos space suit.