The next wave of space companies is moving away from the vertically integrated "SpaceX model" where everything is built in-house. Instead, a new ecosystem is emerging where companies specialize in specific parts of the stack, such as satellite buses or ground stations. This unbundling creates efficiency and lowers barriers to entry for new players.

Even with advanced simulations, Starfish Space needs real in-orbit photos to train its autonomous docking AI. Factors like harsh sunlight and thermal effects on camera lenses can't be perfectly modeled, proving the necessity of in-space demo missions to refine and validate software for critical operations.

Skepticism around orbital data centers mirrors early doubts about Starlink, which was initially deemed economically unfeasible. However, SpaceX drastically reduced satellite launch costs by 20x, turning a "pipe dream" into a valuable business. This precedent suggests a similar path to viability exists for space-based AI compute.

Gecko Robotics' strategy extends beyond its own hardware. The company is creating a "nervous system" – a data and application layer – to manage fleets of industrial robots from various manufacturers, aiming to orchestrate them to solve high-ROI problems like refinery maintenance.

A key trend, exemplified by Starfish Space, is the rise of businesses serving other space assets rather than just ground-based consumers. Starfish provides services *to* satellites, indicating the development of a self-sustaining, in-orbit economic ecosystem with its own B2B market.

Starfish Space will own and operate its fleet of "Otter" space tugs, selling services like de-orbiting rather than the hardware itself. This model allows them to continuously improve their software across the entire fleet, capture more value, and align their business with customer outcomes.

To achieve scalable autonomy, Flywheel AI avoids expensive, site-specific setups. Instead, they offer a valuable teleoperation service today. This service allows them to profitably collect the vast, diverse datasets required to train a generalizable autonomous system, mirroring Tesla's data collection strategy.

Northwood Space offers an end-to-end ground station service, handling everything from hardware and land leases to software APIs and network backhaul. This "ground-as-a-service" model frees satellite operators from the complex, time-consuming, and non-core task of building and managing their own global communications infrastructure.

Founders in computer vision often worry about the cost of required hardware like cameras. For high-value industrial applications, this cost is a commodity. The focus should be on delivering an ROI so compelling that the minor, one-time hardware expense is an afterthought for the customer.