Amazon Web Services announced the launch of Space Accelerator, a four-week business support programme to assist space startups to grow, AWS vice president of partners and program Sandy Carter wrote in a blog post.
The tech giant partnering with U.K.-based venture firm Seraphim Capital on the project.
AWS and Seraphim will select a cohort of space startups to participate in an intensive, four-week programme with AWS Cloud and technical training to help them accelerate research, development, and growth using AWS.
Applications are already open and proposals are due by April 21, AWS said.
The accelerator will select 10 companies to participate, with startups receiving as much as $100,000 in “AWS Activate credit” – essentially funds to use for various parts of Amazon’s cloud service.
Startups will also receive mentoring during the accelerator, “from space domain and technical subject matter experts with deep experience working on AWS,” the company said.
“Startups provide a catalyst for bold new experimentation in the space industry,” Clint Crosier, Director of Aerospace and Satellite at AWS, said in a statement.
“We are proud to announce the AWS Space Accelerator as part of our ongoing commitment to help startups succeed and to shape the future of aerospace. We look forward to helping the first cohort of companies launch and grow through this new programme.”
AWS and Seraphim are accepting applications from innovative startups at all stages of maturity working with space technology or space-derived data that have a clearly defined and unique mission.
Qualifying missions can include but are not limited to, earth observation, electronics and robotics, spacecraft launch and delivery, spacecraft hardware and software, launch manufacturing and launch operations, and more, AWS said.