# K2 Space **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/k2-space **Vertical:** Defense & Aerospace **Subcategory:** Space Compute & Satellites **Tier:** Challenger **Website:** k2space.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Extra-large satellite company raised $250M Series C at $3B valuation with $500M+ in signed contracts; first Gravitas satellite with 40-meter wingspan and 20kW power launched March 2026; founded by ex-SpaceX engineers targeting defense and commercial markets. ## Company Overview K2 Space is a Torrance, California-based company building extra-large, high-powered satellites for orbital computing, communications, and defense. Founded by brothers Karan and Neel Kunjur, both former SpaceX engineers, K2 raised $250 million at a $3 billion valuation in its Series C round and has signed over $500 million in commercial and government contracts. The company's first satellite, Gravitas, has a mass of two metric tons with a 40-meter wingspan when solar panels are deployed, producing 20 kW of electricity for payloads. The Gravitas mission carries 12 payloads from Department of Defense and commercial customers, backed by a $60 million U.S. Space Force contract, and was packed into a SpaceX Falcon 9 for a March 2026 launch. K2 plans to launch 11 satellites in the next two years across demonstration and commercial missions, representing a new class of mega-capability satellites that can serve as orbital computing platforms, enabling AI inference, secure communications, and sensor processing directly in space. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does K2 Space build? Extra-large, high-powered satellites for orbital computing, communications, and defense. ### How much funding? $250M Series C at $3B valuation. Over $500M in signed contracts. ### Who founded K2? Brothers Karan and Neel Kunjur, both former SpaceX engineers. ### What is the Gravitas satellite? 2-metric-ton satellite with 40m wingspan producing 20kW for payloads. First launch March 2026. ### How many launches planned? 11 satellites in the next two years. ### What is K2 Space's Gravitas satellite and what makes it different from conventional satellites? Gravitas is K2 Space's first operational satellite, weighing approximately two metric tons with a 40-meter wingspan when solar panels are deployed and generating 20 kilowatts of electrical power for payloads — far exceeding the power generation of conventional small satellites (which typically produce 100-500 watts). This extra-large power envelope enables computationally intensive payloads like GPU-based on-orbit AI inference, high-bandwidth communications, and persistent wide-area surveillance that are impractical on conventional small satellites. The Gravitas mission launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in March 2026 carrying 12 payloads from DoD and commercial customers. ### What types of customers does K2 Space serve and what contracts has it secured? K2 Space serves both US government and defense customers (Department of Defense, US Space Force, intelligence community) and commercial customers requiring high-powered orbital computing or communications capacity. The company has secured over $500 million in combined commercial and government contracts, including a $60 million US Space Force contract for the Gravitas demonstration mission. K2's orbital computing use case — running large AI models in space to process sensor data on orbit rather than downlinking raw data — is attracting interest from intelligence and defense customers who need persistent global surveillance without latency constraints. ### How does K2 Space's funding compare to other new space companies and what is its growth trajectory? K2 Space raised $250 million in a Series C at a $3 billion valuation, making it one of the most well-capitalized new space hardware companies. Total funding exceeds $300 million since founding by brothers Karan and Neel Kunjur, both former SpaceX engineers. The company plans to launch 11 satellites over the next two years, scaling from the single Gravitas demonstration to a constellation that can provide persistent coverage. At $3 billion valuation with $500M+ contracted, K2 is building toward the large satellite market alongside companies like Maxar (now part of MDA Space) and Terran Orbital, but with a distinct focus on high-power orbital platforms rather than imaging or broadband. ## Tags hardware, manufacturing, b2b --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*