Applied Atomics emerges from stealth, sets up U.S. presence in Fairfax

United Kingdom aerospace and defense company Applied Atomics emerged from stealth on Wednesday and announced plans to establish a U.S. presence in Fairfax County, backed by more than $500 million in letters of intent and memoranda of understanding for its proposed in-space mobility network.

In a joint announcement with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, Applied Atomics said it has raised a $4 million oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Oxford Science Enterprises and secured more than $500 million in letters of intent and memoranda of understanding to build the Star Reacher Network. The company describes the Star Reacher Network as a mobility infrastructure for post-launch space operations that combines propulsion, artificial intelligence and orbital logistics.

Since its founding in 2019, Applied Atomics has been selected, backed and supported by several organizations focused on advancing commercial and national security space technologies.

According to its website, the company will be based at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in McLean. Applied Atomics said that by entering the U.S. market from Fairfax County, it places the company at the center of one of the world’s most influential aerospace, defense, intelligence and government ecosystems, including more than 150 space-related companies and thousands of technology firms.

“The region offers unmatched access to federal decision-makers, aerospace leaders, investment capital and world-class talent,” Fairfax County EDA President and CEO Victor Hoskins said in a statement. “For companies building the technologies that will define the future of space, this proximity matters, and Fairfax County sits at the center of that ecosystem. It continues to be our privilege to support cutting-edge innovators like Applied Atomics to scale globally from Northern Virginia.”

The company believes it will be useful as governments and commercial operators invest heavily in space security, orbital logistics, lunar exploration and next-generation infrastructure.

“The biggest constraint in space is no longer getting there, it’s how we move once we’re there,” Applied Atomics founder and CEO Ashley Modeste Johnson said in a statement. “The future space economy, from national security missions and orbital logistics to satellite servicing and infrastructure deployment, depends on mobility. We believe that the freedom of movement in space will become one of the defining infrastructure challenges of the century, and Applied Atomics is being built to solve it.”

Applied Atomics said it has received support from NATO DIANA, Airbus Defence and Space, the U.K. Space Agency and the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre. Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, former U.K. Space Agency CEO David Parker and former U.S. Air Force Deputy Assistant Secretary Shawn Barnes are advising the company.

The company did not immediately return requests for comment seeking more information. However, it said it plans to announce additional developments in coming months, including a second orbital demonstration, strategic partnerships and expanded mobility capabilities.