August's Space Dirt 🚀 (month-end)

Greetings! In this issue, we have:

• 11 real estate highlights

• 5 companies emerging from stealth

• 12 fundings

• 11 agreements, partnerships & contracts

• 6 pieces of content I think you might enjoy…

And a whole lot more.

Enjoy!

REAL ESTATE HIGHLIGHTS

First Resonance leased 10,091 SF at 2030 E Maple Ave, El Segundo, CA. (source: Me!)

Matter Intelligence leased 3,600 SF at 113 Main St, El Segundo, CA. This is Picogrid’s former home. (source: Me!)

Salient Motion leased 11,145 SF at 2255 Dominguez Way, Torrance, CA. (source: Me!)

Pinto Robotics leased 1,358 SF at 5855 Green Valley Cir, Culver City, CA. (source: Me!)

Nox Metals leased 7,500 SF at 2703 23^rd Street, Detroit, MI. (source: Me! and LinkedIn)

Archer Aviation leased 56,793 SF at 15400 Graham Street, Huntington Beach, CA. (source: Me!)

PDW (Performance Drone Works) has officially opened Drone Factory 01, its new 90,000 SF manufacturing facility in Huntsville, AL. Located in close proximity to the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, PDW’s new facility will house the team delivering drones designed, engineered, and manufactured in America. (source: PDW)

Badland Batteries leased 80,000 SF for a battery cell manufacturing plant at 1330 N 39th St, Fargo, ND. The plant is expected to begin manufacturing battery cells for customers in early 2026. (source: Packet Digital)

Anduril has opened a new 150,000 SF manufacturing facility in Quonset Point, RI, for the large-scale production of its autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). (source: Providence Business First)

Epirus announced today the opening of a 5,300 SF immersive innovation facility within Lawton, OK’s Fort Sill’s Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator (FISTA) Innovation Park, a leading center for technological advancement and home to the Joint C-sUAS University. (source: Epirus)

The State of New Mexico is funding a quantum computing campus across multiple blocks in Albuquerque. Roadrunner Venture Studios will lead the campus and venture studio project, which totals $25 million. (source: Atoms Not Bits)

STEALTH NO MORE

Y Combinator company Normal Factory emerged from stealth with one of the best launch videos I’ve seen (above). Normal automates hardware certification: from drones to robots. Cutting compliance hours for teams 50x. Anson Yu and Hudhayfa Nazoordeen are the Co-founders. Anson Yu is also the CEO.

CEO Arthur Dubios announced Grid Aero on his LinkedIn. Grid Aero’s mission is to build the world’s most resilient air cargo network. Lifter-Lite is its autonomous, flying pickup truck: simple, rugged, and built to carry thousands of pounds over thousands of miles. For the military, it offers a mass, attritable platform deployable at scale. For commercial operators, it delivers low-cost middle-mile logistics and enables distributed network operations. Grid Aero raised a $6 million seed round led by Calibrate Ventures and Ubiquity Ventures with participation from Commonweal Ventures, Boost VC and Calm Ventures.

Founder, Matt Leanse, announced the launch of Paradox, a product from his personal side project, Singularity Industries. From Matt, “Paradox is the first in-ear to exclusively utilize a monolithic MEMS microspeaker, created by the geniuses at xMEMS. These incredible silicon micromachine speakers are capable of 150x the acceleration of traditional drivers, lending to unbelievable clarity, detail and immersion.” Paradox is made in Silicon Valley, with help from a network of incredibly talented local craftsmen and technicians, and the exotic and specialized machine tools that they command.

Co-founder, Rohan Joshi, announced Stellon Labs on LinkedIn. Stellon Labs launched out of Y Combinator. The startup is an AI research lab building powerful, tiny models for edge applications. Divam Gupta is the other Co-founder.

DeepSat, an LA-based startup spearheading real-time Earth intelligence from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), has emerged from stealth with an announcement on LinkedIn. Nerses Ohanyan is a Co-founder & CEO.

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REAL ESTATE CORNER

JOB BOARD

Not a job, but a cohort. Discipulus Ventures is seeking Founders “in the early stages of building something that truly matters” for a two-week residency in El Segundo with 10 other early-stage, value-aligned founders building hard tech and software for the national interest. Apply here.

UNION is hiring for a bunch of different roles. Check out all the opportunities here. Get psyched up here.

NOTABLE FUNDINGS

Not a funding, but a new VC, Vashon, formed by two former Partners at New Founding.

FieldAI, an Irvine, CA-based robotics startup, has raised $405 million across multiple previously undisclosed rounds to develop what it calls “foundational embodied AI models” — essentially robot brains designed to help everything from humanoids to quadrupeds to self-driving cars adapt to new environments. The most recent round raised $314 million in August and was co-led by Bezos Expeditions, Prysm, and Temasek. FieldAI’s other backers include Khosla Ventures, Intel Capital, and Canaan Partners, among others. The funding will support research and development while helping the company ramp up production to deploy its models to its customers and to further expand its reach abroad. (source: TechCrunch)

Aalo has closed a $100 million Series B financing led by Valor Equity Partners, with participation from new and existing investors including Fine Structure Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, Crosscut, NRG Energy, Vamos Ventures, Tishman Speyer, Kindred Ventures, 50Y, Harpoon Ventures, Crescent Enterprises, Alumni Ventures, MCJ, Gaingels, Perpetual VC, and Nucleation Capital, among others. The capital will be used to build its first nuclear power plant, the Aalo-X, which they aim to bring to zero-power criticality by next summer. (source: Aalo)

Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab has closed a $109.3 million Series B funding round to scale up its manufacturing capabilities and remain competitive for larger constellation contracts in Europe and beyond. New and existing investors participated in the round. It brings the company’s total funds raised to $155.6 million, according to an Aerospacelab spokesperson. Aerospacelab is already using the new funds to continue building its Megafactory, a 215,000 SF facility that aims to produce up to 500 satellites annually. Aerospacelab expects the Megafactory to begin churning out satellites in 2026, and reach full production capacity by 2027. (source: Payload)

Matic Robots is rumored to be closing $50 million in funding at a $650 million valuation for its advanced floor cleaning robot. The startup claims strong traction: 80%+ cleaning retention after 12 weeks, and 12% of customers already purchasing a second unit. Positioned as a high-end alternative to iRobot, their platform uses advanced lidar and computer vision to navigate homes and handle on-demand spot cleaning. Investors SHV and Abstract Ventures are said to be leading the round. (source: HardwareFYI)

Blue Water has raised $50 million in Series A funding, led by GV. Eclipse Ventures, Riot, and Impatient Ventures, all existing investors, participated in the round, bringing the company’s total capital raised so far to $64 million. “If you were to ask ‘Where will the greatest amount of defense spending in the U.S. happen over the next decade?’—it’s investment in open ocean capabilities in the Pacific region,” said Dave Munichiello, GV managing partner and himself an Air Force veteran, citing the recently passed Big Beautiful Bill, as well as conversations with former and current military folks. (source: Fortune)

Squint announced it has raised $40 million in Series B funding, bringing total funding to more than $59 million. This round was led by The Westly Group and TCV, with repeat investors Sequoia Capital and Menlo Ventures. With this latest investment, Squint will advance its AI capabilities to lead the Agentic Manufacturing revolution, deepen integration across manufacturing workflows, and expand to new sectors including energy, logistics, and field services. (source: PR Newswire)

SpinLaunch, a pioneer of disruptive space solutions, today announced it has closed $30 million in funding to accelerate the development and commercialization of Meridian Space, its highly differentiated low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband constellation. The funding includes new investment from existing investors, including lead investor ATW Partners, as well as the previously announced strategic investment from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. With this latest capital infusion, SpinLaunch is advancing toward its first customer link in the second half of 2026 and accelerating go-to-market efforts. (source: BusinessWire)

Reframe Systems announced that it raised $20 million in a Series A round of funding led by Eclipse and VoLo Earth Ventures. Reframe is a startup that’s using software and robotic microfactories to drive down the cost of building housing. (source: Fast Company)

Nauta, a logistics orchestration startup, raised $7 million in seed funding led by Construct Capital and Predictive. (source: Construct Capital)

VC firm Veteran Ventures Capital, which focuses on veteran-run dual-use startups, announced it has closed an oversubscribed $60 million Fund II, tripling the size of its first fund. (source: Tectonic)

Merlin Labs, an autonomous aviation startup based in Boston, is preparing to enter the public markets through a merger agreement with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) managed by New York-based Inflection Point. The transaction, expected to close early next year, values Merlin Labs at $800 million, preceding a planned private share purchase. Under the leadership of CEO Matt George, Merlin Labs is developing technology designed to enable commercial and military aircraft to operate with a single pilot, with the ultimate goal of achieving fully autonomous flight. The capital raised from the public listing will be directed towards expanding the company’s workforce, currently numbering 170 employees, and supporting potential acquisitions. Additionally, Merlin is close to finalizing a lease agreement for a substantial portion of a former Navy hangar at Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA. This facility, previously occupied by RTX, could accommodate up to 200 employees, marking a significant step in Merlin’s operational growth. (source: ePlane AI) 

Dirac, a NYC-based leader in assembly automation software, raised $10.7 million in funding. Backers included Founders Fund and Coatue. The company also partnered with Siemens to accelerate digital transformation for manufacturers around the world. (source: FINSMES)

United Airlines' venture capital arm said it has invested in aerospace startup Astro Mechanica, which develops airframe designs and propulsion systems for supersonic aircraft, signaling renewed industry interest in ultra-fast jets. United Airlines had previously backed the prospect of supersonic flights, having placed an order for 15 of Boom Supersonic's "Overture" aircraft in 2021. United Airlines Ventures did not disclose the size of its investment in Astro Mechanica. (source: Reuters)

AGREEMENTS, PARTNERSHIPS, & CONTRACTS

Rocket Lab announced it has completed the acquisition of the parent holding company of Geost, a leading developer of electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensor systems for national security space missions, from Lightridge Solutions, a portfolio company of ATL Partners. The acquisition was completed for $275 million before closing adjustments, comprising approximately $125 million in cash and 3,057,588 shares of Rocket Lab common stock, with an additional potential earnout of up to $50 million tied to future revenue targets of Geost’s business. (source: Rocket Lab)

Scale AI announced it has been awarded a $99 million contract to advance research and development aimed at accelerating the U.S. Army’s adoption of AI. (source: LinkedIn)

The U.S. Army has given Lockheed Martin-subsidiary Sikorsky a $43 million contract to modernize the service’s UH-60 Black Hawks with capabilities that will enable the helicopters to carry and launch unmanned aerial systems. Under the contract, Sikorsky will integrate a digital backbone capability to support the integration of Army drones known as launched effects that can be deployed from larger airborne or ground-based platforms. The award will also be used to upgrade the helicopter’s airframe and main fuel capabilities, according to the firm. (source: LinkedIn)

X-Bow Systems, the leading non-traditional producer of advanced solid rocket motors (SRMs) and defense technologies, and the U.S. Army, with support from the Department of Defense Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), have announced a $13.9 million joint investment. This collaboration aims to design, prototype, and test an advanced manufactured SRM for the standard-range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS). This joint investment, facilitated by OSC, is a strategic effort to address constraints in the nation's production capacity for missiles, munitions, and SRMs, which are currently limited by older manufacturing processes. The initiative seeks to establish an alternative supply source and strengthen the solid rocket motor industrial base, using X-Bow's patented advanced-manufactured solid-propellant (AMSP) processes for SRMs.(source: PR Newswire)

Zeo Energy, a leading Florida-based provider of residential solar and energy efficiency solutions, has announced the completion of its acquisition of Heliogen, a provider of on-demand clean energy technology solutions. The transaction is expected to create a robust clean energy platform spanning residential, commercial, and utility-scale markets, supported by internal financing capabilities and domain expertise. The consideration paid by Zeo Energy in the Heliogen transaction consisted entirely of shares of Class A common stock of Zeo Energy (and in the event of any fractional shares, cash instead of any fractional shares). In addition to the foregoing expected benefits of the Heliogen transaction, Zeo Energy received approximately $13.6 million in net cash from Heliogen upon its closing. (source: Globe Newswire)

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has obligated $12.5 million under IperionX’s previously announced $47.1 million award to strengthen the U.S. Defense Industrial Base by accelerating the scale-up of a resilient, low-cost, and fully-integrated U.S. mineral-to-metal titanium supply chain. The $12.5 million will be applied to purchase orders for long-lead, major capital equipment required for the next stage of capacity scale-up to over 1,000 metric tons per year at the Virginia Titanium Manufacturing Campus. (source: LinkedIn)

Greensea IQ has landed a $9 million contract with the United States Marine Corps focused on delivering Bayonet 250 systems, which are amphibious unmanned ground vehicles for mine warfare and more. (source: Atoms Not Bits)

NUVIEW has been awarded $5 million from National Security Innovation Capital to advance its LiDAR imagery technology for dual-use applications. (source: Atoms Not Bits)

DeepSat has been selected for a Direct to Phase II, AFWERX, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The award enables DeepSat to rapidly develop and prototype its dual-use satellite constellation for persistent, real-time monitoring—addressing urgent national security and environmental gaps, especially in the Maritime domain in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The Direct to Phase II SBIR award bypasses traditional Phase I trials, signaling confidence in DeepSat's technical maturity, operational readiness, and potential for mission-critical impact. (source: DeepSat)

The U.S. Air Force awarded Urban Sky a contract for its STRATFI program to develop high-altitude balloon technology that can act as a flexible, lower-cost alternative or supplement to traditional satellites for defense applications. The contract, which is part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III program, could ultimately be worth up to $99 million and allows Urban Sky to provide its small, low-cost, and rapidly deployable stratospheric balloons for enhanced communication and reconnaissance capabilities. (source: SpaceNews)

Picogrid announced a new partnership with Skydio, a leading American drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight. Skydio is the newest member to join Picogrid’s partner ecosystem, a fast-growing group of leading defense, aerospace, and dual-use companies committed to joint interoperability. The partnership combines Skydio’s battle-tested, high-performance drones with Legion, Picogrid’s open integration platform. Together, the companies are enabling government and commercial users to unlock new mission capabilities for emergency response, perimeter security, overhead surveillance, and coordinated multi-drone operations. (source: Picogrid)

WHAT I’M CONSUMING (AND ENJOYING!) 

🎈 I always learn something new from Henry Kwan’s Substack. His latest article takes us behind the infamous China’s “weather balloon” and what it really means for China, the U.S., and the stratosphere.

🕹 Sam Scanlon, a former Army explosive ordnance disposal officer and Co-founder of Vyryn Technologies, shared why he believes Trump’s drone deal with Ukraine is a path to U.S. military reindustrialization in his op-ed for The Hill.

👨‍🏫 Smack Technologies is building an AI stack to revolutionize decision-making in modern warfare. Here’s how they’re doing it.

📝 Generational Partner’s Van Espahbodi shares some advice for VCs, LPs, and Founders in this LinkedIn post. Hint: build trust every day.

⤴️ El Segundo’s General Galactic changes course. Its CEO & Co-founder, Halen Mattison, shares what’s next in his Substack.

🏭 From Bloom’s President & Co-founder, Chris Nolte’s YouTube channel, Future in the Making: Why U.S. manufacturing is coming back.

HOW I CAN HELP YOU

Some people only know me as “that Space Dirt newsletter guy.” Although I love that moniker, here are 3* ways I can help with your hard tech real estate when the time is right.

1. A new home for your growing business. The good news - you’re growing! The bad news - you need to move, and you don’t know the hard tech real estate market. I can help. And I come with strong references.

2. Sublease your space. You’ve outgrown your space and need to move but don’t want to pay two rents? I got you.

3. Time to renew your lease? Want to make sure you’re getting a fair deal from your Landlord? In my experience, you can never be too certain. (BTW, I recommend starting the lease renewal process 12 months out at a minimum.)

*Not an exhaustive list 💪

Thanks for reading.

If you’d like your office and/or manufacturing space or business profiled - or even your city! - let me know. It’s always fun to explore and share the different components of the hard tech industry.

Erik Stiebel
Founder and Vice President
CA DRE License #02080746
424.241.4795 | [email protected] 
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