Israeli Startup Moonshot Space Raises $12 Million, Reveals Electric Launcher for Hypersonic and Orbital Missions
After operating with nearly complete secrecy for more than eighteen months, Israeli startup Moonshot Space is stepping into the spotlight with ambitions rarely found outside government labs. The company is pioneering a high-powered electromagnetic launcher that propels objects to hypersonic speeds using electricity instead of chemical fuel, a technology they believe could revolutionize orbital logistics and transform the global race for hypersonic innovation.
To date, Moonshot has secured $12 million in funding, led by Angular Ventures and including a $1 million grant from the Israel Innovation Authority. Established in 2024, its leadership team encompasses experienced professionals from industry, defense, and government: Hilla Haddad Chmelnik, former Director-General of Israel’s Ministry of Science and an Iron Dome developer; Fred Simon, co-founder of JFrog; and Shahar Bahiri, co-founder of Valerann. Additional executives include Gil Eilam, previously chief system engineer for David’s Sling; Ran Livne, former CEO of the Ramon Foundation and head of Israel’s second astronaut mission; and Alon Ushpiz, former Director-General of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to India. Most of Moonshot’s 32-member staff work in Caesarea, where their first accelerator facility is currently being built.
The core of Moonshot’s innovation is an electromagnetic acceleration system capable of launching payloads at speeds up to 8 kilometers per second. They envision two main uses for this platform. Within the space sector, Moonshot’s method replaces traditional chemical propulsion, allowing them to increase the payload fraction from about 4%, common in current rockets, to over 45%. This advancement may enable rapid and affordable resupply missions to satellites, private space stations, and orbital manufacturing sites.
Instead of directly competing with launch leaders like SpaceX, Moonshot aims to serve as a logistics backbone for heavy-lift rockets already operating in orbit. Their cargo launcher is designed to deliver everything from fuel to materials directly to spacecraft. Early agreements have been reached with Italy’s D-Orbit and U.S.-based Orbit Fab for in-orbit servicing.
Simultaneously, Moonshot is working on a smaller accelerator for hypersonic testing at speeds up to Mach 6. This development addresses a major obstacle for global defense programs: realistic hypersonic trials are slow, expensive, and hampered by limited infrastructure. Currently, testing depends on simulations, wind tunnels, or costly missile launches. Moonshot hopes to shift from conducting one test per week to several daily, drastically cutting costs. As initiatives like the U.S. GOLDEN DOME and Israel’s Arrow 3 and David’s Sling evolve, Moonshot contends that faster, more economical tests could significantly speed up progress in these areas.