The Kenyan American engineer Rama Afullo has co-founded Satlyt, a company focused on developing software for satellites, after his experiences at Google and SpaceX convinced him of the untapped potential for computers in space. The company has successfully raised $8 million in a seed round, as Afullo exclusively shared with TechCrunch.
Background
Afullo previously worked in Google’s cloud computing division and briefly at SpaceX’s Starlink communications network in 2024. Despite his efforts to pitch the concept of orbital data centers internally at both companies, he faced rejection. This led him to leave SpaceX and establish Satlyt, which is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and Nairobi.
Company Vision
Satlyt aims to create software that enables multiple satellites to collaborate on large computing tasks in space. Afullo compares his approach to that of VMWare and Snowflake, which allow users to run complex software without needing to manage the underlying infrastructure. He stated:
“"The folks like SpaceX who are doing orbital data centers—if they are the iPhone, we’ll build Android as a horizontally integrated, open ecosystem."
This means Satlyt intends to provide software that operates across various companies’ satellites.
Recent Developments
The timing of Satlyt's launch appears favorable, as SpaceX has recently committed to orbital data centers. Satlyt’s software is set to be deployed on a SpaceX rocket, coinciding with the launch of the first prototype for Google’s space data center initiative, Project Suncatcher.
