K2 Space prepares to launch its high-powered Gravitas satellite

K2 Space, a satellite manufacturer founded by Karan and Neel Kunjur, is preparing to launch its first satellite, Gravitas. The spacecraft is expected to launch in the weeks ahead on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Gravitas is designed to demonstrate the technology required for orbital compute—which refers to data processing performed in orbit.

The technical specifications of the Gravitas satellite include:

• Mass: Two metric tons
• Wingspan: 40 meters when its solar panels unfold
• Power generation: 20 kW of electricity

The company, which was valued at $3 billion in December 2025, has raised $450 million in funding. Gravitas represents the company’s first step into space operations. Karan Kunjur, the CEO and founder of K2 Space, described the upcoming mission as “the start of our iterative journey” to prove his thesis that the future of space infrastructure requires significantly more electrical power. For comparison, ViaSat-3 can generate more than 25 kW of power, and Starlink V3 generates 20 kW, but most spacecraft generate only a few kilowatts. To support this development, K2 Space has designed 85% of the satellite’s components in-house.

The Gravitas mission will test 12 payload modules—the equipment carried by a satellite—for several customers, including the US Department of Defense. It will also test a 20 kW electric thruster, which is used for propulsion in space. If the initial power generation and payload tests succeed, K2 Space plans to use the thruster to raise the spacecraft into a higher orbit.

Looking ahead, K2 Space plans to launch 11 satellites in the next two years, mixing demonstration and commercial missions. The company is positioning its $15 million spacecraft to capture demand from communications networks like Starlink and Amazon LEO, hyperscalers—or large-scale cloud computing providers—and the Pentagon’s planned $185 billion missile defense system.

While launching on a Falcon 9 rocket costs roughly $7.2 million at customer rates, K2 Space is designing its technology to leverage upcoming launch vehicles. The company already has designs ready for a 100 kW satellite, aiming to act as a first mover when SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicles become available. Launching via Starship could eventually reduce launch costs to $600,000, compared to the current Falcon 9 pricing.

Why it matters

K2 Space is launching its first high-powered satellite, Gravitas, to demonstrate the technology required for orbital data centers and to test its 20 kW electric thruster. The mission aims to prove that high-power satellites can deliver the electrical capacity needed for orbital data processing and communications.