The Satellite Startup Redefining Space Weather
When satellites fail, the cause isn’t always faulty hardware or human error. Often, it’s space weather. Solar storms and geomagnetic disturbances that can disrupt communications, GPS signals and satellite operations. Despite how critical these events are, space weather has long been difficult to measure with precision. Aspect Aerospace is working to change that.
Founded in Mobile, Alabama, Aspect Aerospace is building a new approach to satellite design and space weather monitoring — one that makes space-based data more accurate, affordable and actionable. At the center of the company is co-founder and CEO Drew Russ, an engineer whose work blends advanced aerospace innovation with a strong connection to his hometown.
Russ grew up in Mobile and later left Alabama to pursue an engineering career in Seattle. Time away gave him perspective, and when he returned, he saw an opportunity to build meaningful technology in a place that offered strong talent, trusted partners and room to grow.
That opportunity took shape through JagSat-1, a custom-built satellite developed in partnership with the University of South Alabama. Leveraging university research and proprietary sensor development, Russ and his team designed and built the entire satellite from the ground up, everything from computers and power systems to solar panels. When JagSat-1 successfully launched, it became Mobile’s first satellite in space and validated the team’s end-to-end capabilities.
From there, Aspect Aerospace set out to rethink how satellites are built and deployed. Rather than refining traditional CubeSat designs, the team began developing a “single-board satellite,” a fully functional satellite built on a single printed circuit board. Small enough to fit inside a CubeSat-sized deployer and designed for mass production at U.S.-based assembly houses, the architecture significantly lowers cost while maintaining flight-proven performance.
This breakthrough enables what Aspect Aerospace calls a “constellation in a box”: dozens of satellites (sometimes 20, sometimes 100) deployed from a single CubeSat for less than the cost of launching one traditional satellite. By reducing per-satellite costs to hundreds of dollars, the company is expanding access to space-based sensing at scale.
That scale is especially impactful for space weather monitoring. Aspect Aerospace’s proprietary sensors can measure space weather thousands of times more accurately than existing methods, creating something akin to radar for space, providing earlier, more actionable warnings for satellite operators.
As the company evolved from a university spinout into a commercial venture, Russ sought support to help translate technical breakthroughs into a scalable business. Through gBETA Gulf Coast at Innovation Portal, powered by gener8tor, the team received mentorship and guidance as they refined strategy, clarified customer needs and prepared for growth.
Today, Aspect Aerospace continues to design, build and launch advanced satellite systems from Mobile, proving that durable space innovation can grow from places with deep expertise and committed founders. In 2026, the company’s progress earned it recognition as a SXSW Pitch Competition finalist in the “Innovative World Tech” category, the only Alabama company in the competition this year, a clear signal that the world is taking note of what Aspect is building.
