Zenno

SeedSpaceChristchurch, New ZealandHybrid & on-site
See 4 open roles

Overview

Developing superconducting electromagnetic systems for spacecraft control, radiation shielding, and space-based launch.

Zenno Astronautics, also identified on the page as Space Superconductor Corporation, develops superconducting magnetic technologies for space applications. Its systems are intended to support spacecraft positioning, radiation shielding, and electromagnetic acceleration. The Supertorquer is designed for spacecraft attitude control, with the Z01 aimed at spacecraft weighing 50 kilograms and up and the Z01 CREW intended for space-station attitude control. The company says these magnetic systems can provide alternatives to conventional torque rods, reaction wheels, and control-moment gyroscopes. Its Rad Shield targets crewed missions and sensitive payloads, while its space-based electromagnetic launch technology is described as in development. The intended customers include satellite operators and manufacturers, crewed-space programs, and organizations pursuing defense, transportation, or industrial activity in space.

Open roles
4
Teams hiring
2

Engineering · 2

Other · 2

What they’re building

The problem

Spacecraft and space infrastructure need ways to control orientation, protect crews and sensitive equipment from radiation, and support transportation or other activities without relying solely on conventional systems and supplies.

Their answer

Develops superconducting electromagnetic systems for space, including magnetic spacecraft attitude-control devices, radiation shielding, and electromagnetic launch technology. Its Supertorquer product provides magnetic control authority, while the company describes its launch system as in development.

Built for Satellite manufacturers and operators, space-station and crewed-mission programs, and organizations developing defense, transportation, or industrial infrastructure in space.

Why we invested

Satellites have relied on the same attitude control technology for decades: heavy, failure-prone reaction wheels and weak magnetic torquers that scale poorly. Zenno's Supertorquer uses superconducting wire and a space-tested cryocooler to generate 4 to 8 times more torque per kilogram than anything currently on the market, with no moving parts, no saturation, and a fraction of the size. The technology is proven on Earth, third-party validated by SpaceBase, and one in-space test away from commercial readiness, with Airbus, D-Orbit, and Arkisys already in advanced conversations. Max Arshovsky invented something that even esteemed researchers in the field had dismissed as impossible, and that is exactly the kind of founding insight that creates a category.

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