Boston Global, Iron Prairie Ventures, Abo Ventures, Blackbird Capital Group, and SpaceFund are among the backers of deep space optical navigation software
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Rhea Space Activity (RSA), a leader in deep space GPS-denied navigation with the optical software “AutoNav,” announced the close of its ~$6 million Series A round to accelerate its growth and respond to demand for its GPS-independent navigation software from the U.S. and allied partner military/intelligence customers.
Funding from Boston Global (BG) Space Tech Investors, Iron Prairie Ventures, Blackbird Capital Group, Purdue Research Foundation, New Mexico Vintage Fund, SpaceFund, and others provides a strong foundation for RSA to expand AutoNav’s deployment across AUKUS, Five Eyes nations, NATO, and other U.S. allies. These funds also enable Rhea Space Activity to scale resilient PNT capabilities for hyperscale defense manufacturing and operations in GPS-denied environments, accelerating hiring, production, system validation, and supply chain resilience to meet urgent U.S. and allied mission needs across contested domains.
“It is quite rare for a technology to continually demonstrate widespread utility across a variety of markets, and RSA’s product does just that. As pure investors, we look for great tech with global scalable rollout,” said David Columbro, Director of BG Space Tech Investors.
All modern defense systems rely on GPS for accurate position and navigation, yet GPS is the first casualty in modern conflicts. RSA’s optical navigation software, AutoNav, is an unjammable/unspoofable solution that navigates by taking pictures of moving space objects such as satellites, moons, planets, asteroids, and comets.
“Rhea Space Activity (RSA) is solving one of the most critical gaps in modern infrastructure — what happens when GPS goes dark,” said Iron Prairie Ventures Founder Maggie Kenefake. “RSA has matured from a compelling idea into a company with commercial traction and growing institutional backing. This is exactly the kind of dual-use, critical infrastructure enabler company Iron Prairie wants to back; A founder and team solving a hard, consequential problem that touches national security and commercial applications all at once, doing it in a way that makes the systems we all depend on more resilient.”
“We aim to invest in mission-critical tech enablers at growth inflection points,” said Matthew Porat, a Partner at Blackbird Capital Group. “RSA exemplifies this approach, proliferating its proven platform-agnostic technology to both attritable and exquisite systems, delivering overmatch capabilities to the U.S. and our allies. We are excited that AutoNav is ready to meet urgent real-world alt-PNT needs today and is uniquely differentiated to sustain that advantage across domains long term.”
Developed for deep space, AutoNav was originally flown on several NASA missions. RSA engineers have now innovatively adapted the software to military and intelligence operations in GPS-denied environments.
“Rhea’s space navigation system delivers a significant long-term strategic competitive advantage through proven flight heritage and by solving many of the inherent limitations of Earth-based GPS technology. We believe that solving critical problems like these creates lasting value for both customers and investors alike,” said former SpaceFund CEO Dan Schatzman.
Ensuring navigation resilience in contested environments is essential to maintaining U.S. and allied technological and operational leadership. Rhea Space Activity will continue to scale, productize, and adapt its technologies for U.S. and allied partner operations.
“As a former U.S. intelligence official, I am grateful that our Series A investors have a shared conviction to ensure U.S. and allied operational superiority in GPS-denied environments. RSA’s AutoNav software will eventually be on all devices that receive a GPS signal,” said RSA CEO Dr. Shawn Usman.
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Rhea Space Activity, Inc. (RSA) is a team of brilliant minds applying advanced and disruptive tech to solve the world’s security challenges. RSA specializes in innovative solutions for secure communication and reliable navigation in challenging environments. The company is headquartered in Washington, DC, with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Australia.
For more information, please visit www.rheaspaceactivity.com.
Elliott M. Sanders
Rhea Space Activity, Inc.
+1 703-268-6931
elliott.sanders@rheaspaceactivity.com
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