Bridgit Mendler explains how space startups aim to slash satellite data costs

In a recent conversation, Bridgit Mendler, who co-founded Northwood Space in 2022 after graduating from Harvard and MIT, outlined the company’s mission to lower the cost of satellite-to-ground data transmission. Northwood’s current clientele include the Space Development Agency and a division of the U.S. Space Force, reflecting growing government interest. Mendler highlighted the bullish outlook driven by expanding budgets, commercial demand, and consumer appetite demonstrated by Starlink’s 12 million-plus users.

She also cautioned that space operations remain fraught with risk, citing the difficulty of recovering tumbling spacecraft and the high stakes of launch failures. According to Mendler, the emerging space economy will favor a limited number of firms that can scale efficiently while keeping costs competitive with terrestrial alternatives.