AURELIA INSTITUTE SPINOUTS
Translating Long-term Vision to Near-term Impact
As part of Aurelia’s mission to scale human presence in space and prepare humanity’s transition to becoming a spacefaring species, we apply a venture studio-like model for translating breakthrough space research into real-world technologies.
Within our long horizon technology development work and R&D collaborations with leading academic institutions, Aurelia matures key technologies until a viable near-term application exists. Once we identify a compelling commercial pathway, the technology is spun out into an independent entity for fast, for-profit scaling towards real-world impact. In this way, we’re able to continue our long-term research while producing near-term results along the way.
Rendezvous Robotics
Our first spinout, Rendezvous Robotics, represents a critical leap forward in self-assembling space structures. Specifically, their work applies AI and autonomous systems to transform how we build and operate in space. This advances Aurelia’s mission to scale human presence beyond Earth through the development of novel space architecture.
Hive Robotics
Our second spinout emerged from a multi-year research effort inspired by science fiction and biomimicry, where robotic swarms interact in symbiosis with spacecraft. Autonomous mini-robots are designed for diagnostic sensing and repair tasks, offering a new paradigm for in-space servicing and monitoring. Developed and tested by the MIT Space Exploration Initiative in collaboration with NASA, the AstroAnt technology flew on four parabolic research campaigns, including flights simulating microgravity and lunar gravity. In March 2025, the AstroAnt was launched to the surface of the moon. Building on this technology development roadmap, we launched Hive Robotics to bring AstroAnt’s unique capabilities to Earth-based markets and advance Aurelia’s mission through space technology for the benefit of life on Earth.
