Rogue Space Systems signs agreement to launch robot into orbit

LACONIA — Rogue Space Systems Corporation, a Laconia-based company hoping to put robots into orbit, has signed an agreement with Firefly Aerospace, a company from Austin, Texas, that is intending to build rockets for various missions.

Under a launch service agreement announced Tuesday, one of these missions from Cape Canaveral, slated for the fall of 2023, would include a payload from Rogue, which is designing orbital robots, or Orbots, which could observe and in some cases assist other satellites.

Rogue Space CEO Jeromy Grimmett declined to disclose financial details of the agreement. His start-up company, which is in a fundraising mode, is based on Union Avenue in an old mill building across the Winnipesaukee River from downtown.

“Right now we’re privately funded,” he said. “We’ve invested our own money and have a couple of primary investors.”

Initial plans are in place to raise upwards of $8 million.

Grimmett, who worked on missile guidance systems in the U.S. Army and has also worked in information technology, said he has assembled a team of top scientists, including people with expertise in artificial intelligence, who can execute the company’s plans.

Rogue has about 20 employees, a mix of full-time and part-time, some of whom are working on salary but most of whom are laboring in exchange for equity in the company.

Grimmett described the launch services agreement as “a massive, huge step.”

More such agreements are planned.

“This is just one step in a larger program we’ll be putting together,” Grimmett said.

No actual rockets would be launched from Laconia and the equipment would not be built here. Design work would be done in town and a rocket telemetry center to monitor the flights would also take shape in the mill, he said.

“Space operations will be done right here,” he said. “The second floor of the mill will be dedicated just for that.

“Just like you see in a space movie where you have a wall-sized display and people watching stuff. That will be happening right here.”

Florida, Texas and California are home to many companies with plans for conducting business in space, but Grimmett said there’s no reason this can’t also be done locally.

“Why not Laconia,” said Grimmett. “You can start a company anywhere. I live in Alton Bay. I love Laconia. I don’t know why it’s necessary to be anywhere else really. A lot of people work remotely anyway.”