Portfolio Spotlight: HEO Robotics
Co-founders CTO Hiranya Jayakody and CEO William Crowe
We’re shining a light on UNSW Founders alumni and portfolio company High Earth Orbit Robotics (HEO Robotics). The Sydney startup combines satellite-to-satellite imagery with analytics to empower decision-makers to act confidently on space objects. Or, as aptly described by John Davidson in the AFR last year, HEO Robotics “uses 33 cameras orbiting the planet to photograph and identify space junk before it crashes into something or someone”.
HEO Robotics was founded in 2016 by CEO Dr. William Crowe while completing his Ph.D. in astrodynamics at UNSW and was later joined by co-founder and CTO Dr. Hiranya Jayakody. HEO Robotics was one of the 10 startups to be selected in the first-ever UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator program alongside fellow alumni such as Forage and Weel. The trailblazing venture then went on to be accepted into Y Combinator, the world’s top accelerator program famous for supporting the likes of AirBnb, Reddit, Stripe, Dropbox, and DoorDash.
Pssst…APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN for our 10x Accelerator programs. This year we have five streams: All Industries, Health, SynBio, Defence, and Foundry. You can find out more information here.
HEO Robotics co-founder and CEO William Crowe pitching at 10x Demo Day in 2018
HEO Robotics was born from Will’s Ph.D. research focused on the dynamics of spacecraft swarms around asteroids which included a prize-winning paper on satellite missions to asteroids passing through Earth's orbit. After earning his Ph.D. in 2018, Will began applying the principles developed during his research to HEO Robotics. He quickly found that there were urgent applications to space debris and inspecting damaged satellites. Today, Will leads a team to help satellite operators and governments monitor their assets to help them prevent accidents and optimise their satellite life.
Meanwhile, Hiranya has a Ph.D. in mechatronics engineering from UNSW Sydney and a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Prior to HEO Robotics, he worked as a researcher at UNSW Sydney focusing on computer vision and machine learning for agriculture as well as robust control of aerial vehicles and space robots.
CTO Hiranya Jayakody networking at 10x Demo Day in 2018
Space has become an increasingly critical asset for our daily lives, and the need to protect and monitor the numerous satellites orbiting the Earth has never been more crucial. This is where HEO Robotics comes in, providing in-orbit satellite inspection and monitoring services through proprietary software by acquiring satellite imagery from space-based sensors. The company's goal is to create a transparent space environment and provide actionable insights to satellite operators and governments, enabling them to act with confidence in space and on Earth.
HEO Robotics is the first company to offer commercial in-orbit satellite inspection services. The company creates satellite-to-satellite imagery and provides analytics that enables assessment of the status, operation, and anomalous behavior of objects in orbit, empowering decision-makers to act with confidence in space and on Earth and protect critical space infrastructure. HEO Robotics currently serves government, defense, and commercial customers in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The satellite industry faces complex and challenging tasks in managing and operating satellites in space. HEO Robotics believes that intelligence on their assets should be easily accessible and actionable. Through their proprietary software, HEO Inspect, customers can access information that was previously unavailable to them.
HEO Robotics is committed to maintaining a safe orbital environment, protecting essential space infrastructure, and ensuring that the environment is kept sustainable for future missions to Earth orbit and beyond. The company is software-first and partners with companies to access existing space-based sensors when they are not in use rather than launching their hardware. HEO Robotics also shares intelligence with governments and other satellite operators to ensure accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information related to space safety and situational awareness is easily accessible.
Currently, HEO Robotics leverages 38 Earth Observation satellites to conduct in-orbit inspections in LEO, with plans to extend its coverage in GEO. The company's technology has already proven its effectiveness in preventing accidents and optimising satellite life. With the increasing demand for reliable and transparent satellite inspection and monitoring services, HEO Robotics is well-positioned to lead the way in the space industry.