Portal Space Systems has raised $17.5 million in one of the largest seed rounds for a space startup in the past decade to develop its Supernova spacecraft. Supernova is designed for rapid transorbital travel, capable of reaching MEO in minutes, GEO in hours, and cislunar space in days from LEO. The company has completed the first print of its proprietary thermal propulsion system, which mimics nuclear performance without requiring a fission reactor. It also opened a new 8,000-square-foot headquarters and testing facility near Seattle. With a team of industry veterans, Portal aims for Supernova to surpass current space transport technologies.
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