Rendezvous Robotics Gets US$3 Million for Self-Assembling Systems

Rendezvous Robotics has emerged from stealth with US$3 million in pre-seed funding to develop modular, autonomous systems that self-assemble in orbit. The round was led by Aurelia Foundry and 8090 Industries, with participation from ATX Venture Partners, Mana Ventures, and several angel investors. The funding will support new hires and the transition from demonstrations to full-scale orbital applications.

The company was founded by MIT researcher Dr. Ariel Ekblaw, telecom executive Phil Frank, and space industry veteran Joe Landon, with headquarters outside Denver. The team is commercializing TESSERAE—short for Tessellated Electromagnetic Space Structures for the Exploration of Reconfigurable, Adaptive Environments—a technology based on flat, modular tiles that dock, self-correct, and reconfigure using electromagnetic forces.

“The International Space Station is about the size of a four-bedroom house, costing over US$100 billion to build. It’s a remarkable achievement, but if we’re truly going to scale in space, we need a better way to build,” says Phil Frank, co-founder and CEO.

Traditional space construction is constrained by hardware size, foldability, and compatibility with satellite buses, limiting design and driving up costs.

“Missions increasingly need more scale—larger antennas, higher power, and with higher power, larger radiators,” said Joe Landon, co-founder and president.

Rendezvous Robotics envisions autonomous swarms of tiles assembling large structures in orbit. Each tile is roughly the size of a dinner plate, about an inch thick, and equipped with processors, sensors, and a battery.

“They find each other, communicate, arrange themselves using magnetic docking, and then latch together,” Landon explained.

The TESSERAE system has already been demonstrated. Tile prototypes flew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard and completed two orbital tests aboard the International Space Station, validating docking, self-correction, and reconfiguration. A third ISS demonstration is planned for early 2026, followed by a mission outside the station in late 2026 or early 2027. The company’s first operational mission is expected to focus on constructing a large antenna aperture in space.