Raytheon acquires the space analytics business

Last week, the defense company Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX) announced its intention to enter a new segment of the special services market through the purchase. The company plans to get a good asset in space analytics. Raytheon intends to acquire the British startup NORSS (Northern Space and Security), which specializes in analyzing spacecraft orbits, space surveillance, satellite tracking, and other services. In the future, NORSS services may become more in demand, not only in the military industry but also in the civilian one. The graph below shows that the number of active satellites in near-Earth space has increased fivefold over the past decade.

Continuous tracking of orbits and predicting trajectories is becoming increasingly relevant to avoid satellite collisions and clogging of near-Earth space and to plan the deployment of new satellites. With the purchase of NORSS, Raytheon will have the opportunity to participate in the struggle for a share of this fast-growing market. The deal is also beneficial for NORSS, as it opens up access to the US market, and Raytheon’s support can help to obtain long-term government contracts. 

NORS was founded in 2017 and already has experience working with government orders. The company has about two dozen employees, four offices, one observatory, and more than 20 partners. Thus, Raytheon can get a ready-to-scale asset. NORS can provide consulting services and train specialists, for example, in the field of space debris control and de-orbiting operations of spent spacecraft.