Solstar Space Company

We flew our Schmitt Space Communicator SC-1x prototype onboard Blue Origin’s rocket ‘New Shepard’ on April 29th, and again on July 18, 2018. On the rocket's ascent, a Tweet sent via the onboard Solstar WiFi equipment connected to our satellites and became the first commercial Tweet posted from space.

Both times we were able to demonstrate our WiFi hot spot service inside the crew capsule that can be used by WiFi-enabled payloads and payload specialists. We made history, and our Schmitt Space Communicator was accepted into the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s collection.  It is tentatively scheduled to be displayed in the new Living in the Space Age exhibit in 2025.

There is no commercial Internet Service in space.

Private researchers and companies on earth can’t communicate with space
assets in a modern, convenient manner (like with their smartphones, tablets
or laptops).

Solstar is the first commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP)
for outer space.

Solstar’s high-speed, reliable, and easy-to-use space communications platform leverages the latest commercial satellite networks. The company's routers, WiFi hotspots, and satellite space communicators deliver internet to your desktop with 24/7 customer care.

We flew twice with Blue Origin's spaceship.

Our three successful spaceflights have positioned Solstar as the market leader.

The opportunity 

The only place in space with Internet is on the International Space Station and can only
be used by a few people using government-owned satellites (TDRSS). NASA is retiring its own satellites and wants to purchase commercial satellite communications services. Solstar is in the prime position to provide these services to NASA.

Our team

Space WiFi is Extremely Complicated

There's a reason why none of the new commercial space companies have developed their own onboard WiFi yet - the technology is really complex. It's not just the functionality of the equipment, but also the calibrations necessary to connect a rapidly-moving rocket to satellites.

No company has the billion-dollar infrastructure of NASA that allows them to easily communicate with Earth. But this technology is massively important for the future of commercial space travel. It will make experiments, planning, and basic travel infinitely easier. As space travel becomes more popular, this communication will be vital to safe, widespread interstellar trips.

This is where our founder, Brian Barnett, comes in. As a 30-year veteran of the commercial space industry who started his career at NASA, he's one of the few people on the planet qualified to lead the charge on this ambitious technology.  This photo is of Brian on the Space Shuttle in 1991.

Because there are only a few commercial space companies in the U.S., this experience is crucial to our success. Brian has built the relationships necessary to get in the door with these companies -- plus the technical expertise to deliver on those relationships.

Let's Connect Earth to Space Together

Dear Investors,

We are thrilled for your interest in Solstar Space Company. Because of popular demand, Solstar decided to offer this opportunity to invest in our planet-changing commercial space company! We have been quite successful on our previous two crowdfunding rounds, and we have raised $2M in outside funding. Recently, we have had an overwhelming number of requests from people like you who share our vision and want to be a part of our journey to build a Space Wide Web. So, we have decided to pursue another raise. 

Solstar is the company that demonstrated the first WiFi hotspot inside of a spaceship, when we accomplished that twice aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard crew capsule. And we posted the first commercial Tweet from space that day to prove our hotspot was working. That accomplishment was very historic and took around ten years to make happen. It was so historic that our Schmitt Space Communicator is planned to be displayed at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in 2025! Those are huge milestones in our history, but we have many, many more ideas for the future.

We are at an inflection point in the history of commercial space industry. Billions of dollars of private investment are flowing into the commercial space industry because of the vast opportunities to develop space resources. To do this, communication is key. That is why Solstar is leading the effort to provide commercial space communications, and there is no other company with the experience, know-how, and international network to make this happen.

I, like probably many of you, have dreamed of being an astronaut since I was a boy watching the Apollo moon landings on black and white TV with my Mom and Dad. Well, I have done my best to follow my dream. I began my adventure to land a job at NASA starting in college. This was during the space shuttle days in the 1980s, and I wanted to be a commercial astronaut when this idea was just happening. During spring break my senior year, I went to see Deke Slayton, one of the original Mercury astronauts (The Right Stuff) who had his own rocket company at that time. His small company was not needing people, but he was so gracious and made some calls to his comrades at NASA Houston that day. I did not land a space job in Houston on that trip, but I had made this great contact in legendary astronaut, Deke Slayton.

Then I decided to move to Huntsville, Alabama, (Rocket City USA) the place where the Saturn engines propelling astronauts to the moon were developed. I did not know anyone in Huntsville, but I had a graduate scholarship in hand and the unquenchable will to find a NASA job. But it was taking longer than I expected it should to find a job at NASA. I was really feeling discouraged-- I needed to somehow get on base to interview at NASA but I knew nobody there. So, one day, I called Deke Slayton back in Houston from a payphone in the university library. First, I asked him if he remembered who I was, and he said yes! Then I asked him if he had any friends at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC) that I could call to at least get on base and start a dialogue. He gave me a couple of managers' names, so I got on the phone and called them and was able to score some interviews. Five months later, I received that most beautiful call from Jim Downey at the Payload Projects Office welcoming me aboard at NASA. That was one of the best days of my life! I am forever grateful to Deke Slayton and my first manager at NASA, Mr Jim Downey! Rest in peace, both of you.

My first day at NASA was January 5, 1987, and I will always remember that day. I finally was given my big break. After NASA, I moved to the private space business sector. Solstar Space Company represents a culmination of my 30-year career at NASA, the mobile satellite services (MSS) industry, and in the commercial space industry. Solstar Space is my 3rd satellite communications start-up. Because of that experience, I think I am the most qualified person on the planet to make the Solstar vision happen.

Thank you for taking the time to evaluate the Solstar investment opportunity and for having the confidence in me and the Solstar Team. I can assure you that if you invest, this will be an exciting ride as we help create commercial communications for the commercial space industry of the future together.

Very Truly Yours,

M. Brian Barnett

President and CEO

Our Progress So Far

We have proven our technology on three successful spaceflights. With a successful Wefunder raise, we'll dedicate most of the investment dollars to the product development of our software app, small satellite space communicators, flight communicators, and routers for space agencies and commercial space stations and spacecraft. We'll also be able to increase our sales and marketing efforts, allowing us to open more accounts with more commercial space companies.

 

We're at a Unique Time in Commercial Space Travel

Solstar wouldn't have been possible even 10 years ago. But with the rise of private commercial space companies like Blue Origin, Space X, and Virgin Galactic, there's a new need for specialized services within space travel. As a service company, our revenue model will be either wholesale contracts or charging by usage, similar to the WiFi services provided on airplanes. This way, we'll be able to work with multiple contracts and bring in consistent recurring revenue.