OutThere Astronautics

OutThere Astronautics is a satellite communications company spun out of the Auckland Program for Space Systems at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The company was founded in 2020 with a mission of "connecting space" by making satellite communications simpler, faster, and more accessible through plug-and-play optical mesh networking hardware.

As the number of satellites in orbit grows past tens of thousands, ground-based radio communication is becoming a bottleneck — limited by ground station coverage, licensing, and RF spectrum congestion. OutThere Astronautics addresses this with its Messenger Module, an optical inter-satellite communication terminal designed for attitude-independent operation, allowing spacecraft to form mesh networks and relay data between each other regardless of whether they are in view of a ground station.

The company's approach targets scalable, low-latency connectivity for the growing population of small satellites and constellations, aiming to reduce reliance on traditional RF ground infrastructure while improving coverage and throughput for operators. OutThere Astronautics has been recognized through university innovation programs including the Velocity Challenge and VentureLab showcase at the University of Auckland's Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Building on its academic origins in space systems research, the company continues to develop its optical mesh networking technology for commercial and research satellite operators seeking more resilient, ground-independent communication architectures.