Draper Names Space Kinetic Corp. the Newest DraperSPARX Partner
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Draper today announced that Space Kinetic Corp. is the newest partner in its DraperSPARX™ program. DraperSPARX is designed to accelerate the adoption of emergent technologies for the national security mission developed by startups and small businesses.
Space Kinetic, which recently announced over $12 million in venture capital funding, is developing new solutions for key national security priorities like space superiority and missile defense. Their core technology innovation is a proprietary electromechanical system which deploys smaller payloads from a host satellite without firing a thruster or directly using consumable fuel. Deployable payloads are customized for a wide range of national security and commercial missions.
“Like Draper, Space Kinetic is focused on our nation’s most urgent national security priorities,” said Ryan Sullivan, Co-founder and CEO at Space Kinetic. “Our goal is to rethink space operations down to first principles to deliver game-changing capabilities for missile defense and space superiority. DraperSPARX offers access to expertise and technologies that will help our platform reach its full potential.”
“We are excited to work with Space Kinetic and recognize some Draper-like qualities in their mission-focused approach and commitment to solving hard technical problems,” said Jerry Wohletz, Ph.D., President and CEO at Draper. “When we created DraperSPARX, we wanted to drive ongoing technological advancements and foster innovation in the defense sector. Partnering with Space Kinetic presents an opportunity to meet these objectives.”
Established in 2024, DraperSPARX enables partner companies to work with its deep bench of engineers, secure labs, and technical infrastructure. Partners also benefit from Draper’s industry connections and knowledge of government contracting requirements. The goal of DraperSPARX is to rapidly evolve early-stage technology into field-tested prototypes that meet government and military specifications.
About Draper
Draper is a non-profit research, development, and manufacturing company that solves some of the nation’s most important challenges. With more than 2,400 employees working in collaboration across 12 locations, Draper delivers transformative, mission-driven solutions that successfully meet our customers’ requirements. These efforts focus on four critical mission areas: Strategic Systems, Space Systems, Electronic Systems, and Biotechnology Systems. To extend our legacy into the future, the Draper Scholars program engages with the next generation of innovators while DraperSPARX™ seeks to partner with startups and small businesses that can further our mission. To learn more about Draper, visit www.draper.com.
About Space Kinetic
Space Kinetic is a venture-backed startup focused on dual use space technology development. Founded in 2022, our goal is to deliver asymmetric space-based capabilities to support key national security priorities. In a contested space domain and proliferated threat environment, the United States needs architectures that move beyond ‘one-to-one’ and enable ‘one-to-many’ — and Space Kinetic is committed to building that new architecture. From Golden Dome to xGEO operations, our foundational technology is designed to knock down the long-standing economic and operational barriers that have held back our most urgent national security priorities.
Released August 28, 2025
