Tyvak
Tyvak is a United States space company associated with the design, manufacture, and delivery of small satellites, CubeSats, and related spacecraft systems.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems was an American space company established in 2011 by Jordi Puig-Suari, a co-inventor of the CubeSat design, and Scott MacGillivray, a former manager of nanosatellite programs at Boeing Phantom Works. The company was founded in San Luis Obispo, California, initially to commercialize miniature avionics packages for small spacecraft. Its early proposition was to make more internal spacecraft volume available for payloads by using compact, purpose-built avionics and related systems. Tyvak developed from a specialist nanosatellite supplier into a designer, builder, and provider of complete nanosatellite and CubeSat products and services. Its customers and partners included government organizations, commercial space companies, and other users of small spacecraft. The company's work covered spacecraft platforms, satellite integration, mission support, and the delivery of flight-ready small satellites. Tyvak's role was particularly relevant to the growth of rideshare launches, in which multiple small spacecraft are deployed on a single launch vehicle. The company became associated with several operational spacecraft and technology demonstrations. Tyvak-0172 flew as a rideshare payload on SpaceX's Falcon 9 SAOCOM 1B mission on 30 August 2020. Tyvak-0171 flew on the sixteenth launch of Europe's Vega rocket on 3 September 2020. The company also built OSM-1 Cicero, a 6U remote-sensing CubeSat for Orbital Solutions, which launched on the same Vega mission. Tyvak-0130 was launched as a rideshare payload on the Starlink V1.0 L26 mission on 15 May 2021. Tyvak also participated in the development of LunIR, a lunar infrared-observation small spacecraft built with Lockheed Martin and launched as a secondary payload on NASA's Artemis I mission. On 18 November 2019, Tyvak was one of five companies selected to be eligible to bid under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. This selection reflected the growing role of small-spacecraft specialists in government lunar and deep-space procurement, although eligibility to bid did not itself constitute an awarded mission contract. Tyvak became a subsidiary of Terran Orbital Corporation. In 2022, Terran Orbital entered the public market through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company. Around the same period, the owner announced that Tyvak's activities would transition toward larger satellites and that the Tyvak name would be phased out in favor of the Terran Orbital name. The change represented a repositioning from a distinct nanosatellite and CubeSat brand toward a broader spacecraft-manufacturing identity. At the end of October 2024, Lockheed Martin acquired Terran Orbital, making Lockheed Martin the parent owner of the business. The operation continued as part of Lockheed Martin under the Terran Orbital identity, described as Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin Company, and continued producing small satellites. Tyvak is therefore best understood as a historically significant small-spacecraft brand and operating business whose activities became integrated into Terran Orbital and subsequently Lockheed Martin.
History
Tyvak was founded in 2011 in San Luis Obispo, California, by Jordi Puig-Suari and Scott MacGillivray. Puig-Suari was recognized as a co-inventor of the CubeSat design, while MacGillivray had managed nanosatellite programs for Boeing Phantom Works. Their initial objective was to commercialize compact avionics packages for small satellites. By reducing the space occupied by spacecraft electronics, these packages were intended to leave more room for mission payloads. The business subsequently broadened its activities beyond component supply. Tyvak became a designer and manufacturer of nanosatellites and CubeSats, offering spacecraft products and services to government and commercial customers. Its business model aligned with the expansion of small-spacecraft missions, lower-cost rideshare launches, and the use of standardized CubeSat form factors for technology demonstrations, Earth observation, communications, and scientific missions. On 18 November 2019, Tyvak was among five organizations selected as eligible bidders for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The selection placed the company within a NASA procurement framework for commercial delivery of payloads to the lunar surface, although the reference material does not identify a specific CLPS award to Tyvak. Tyvak's spacecraft appeared on multiple rideshare missions in 2020 and 2021. Tyvak-0172 flew on SpaceX's Falcon 9 SAOCOM 1B mission on 30 August 2020. Tyvak-0171 launched on the sixteenth Vega mission on 3 September 2020, together with OSM-1 Cicero, a 6U remote-sensing CubeSat that Tyvak built for Orbital Solutions. Tyvak-0130 later launched on the Starlink V1.0 L26 mission on 15 May 2021. The company also participated with Lockheed Martin in the construction of LunIR, a small spacecraft designed to study the Moon using an infrared sensor and cryocooler. LunIR launched as a secondary payload on NASA's Artemis I mission. Tyvak became a subsidiary of Terran Orbital Corporation. In 2022, Terran Orbital became a publicly traded company through a special-purpose acquisition company merger. During that period, the company announced a strategic transition toward larger satellites and said the Tyvak name would be phased out in favor of Terran Orbital. This marked a shift from operating primarily as a distinct nanosatellite and CubeSat identity toward being part of a larger spacecraft-manufacturing platform. At the end of October 2024, Lockheed Martin acquired Terran Orbital. The business continued under the Terran Orbital identity as Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin Company, and continued producing small satellites. Tyvak consequently remains relevant as the legacy name of a small-spacecraft business, while its corporate and market identity is now tied to Terran Orbital and Lockheed Martin.
- 2024
Lockheed Martin becomes owner through Terran Orbital acquisition
[1]Lockheed Martin acquired Terran Orbital at the end of October, bringing the Tyvak-associated business into the Lockheed Martin group.
- 2022
Terran Orbital public-market transaction and Tyvak brand phase-out
[1]Terran Orbital entered the public market through a SPAC merger and announced a transition toward larger satellites, with the Tyvak name expected to be phased out.
- 2021
Tyvak-0130 launched
[1]Tyvak-0130 launched as a rideshare payload on the Starlink V1.0 L26 mission.
- 2020
Tyvak spacecraft fly on rideshare missions
[1]Tyvak-0172 launched on Falcon 9's SAOCOM 1B mission, while Tyvak-0171 and Tyvak-built OSM-1 Cicero launched on the sixteenth Vega mission.
- 2019
Selected for NASA CLPS bidding eligibility
[1]NASA selected Tyvak as one of five companies eligible to bid for Commercial Lunar Payload Services opportunities.
- 2011
Tyvak founded
[1]Jordi Puig-Suari and Scott MacGillivray established Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems in San Luis Obispo, California, initially focusing on miniature avionics for small spacecraft.
Products and positioning
A specialist small-spacecraft manufacturer focused on compact avionics, CubeSats, nanosatellites, spacecraft integration, and government and commercial missions. The brand was later folded into Terran Orbital's broader spacecraft business as the company expanded toward larger satellites.
Small spacecraft
CubeSat and nanosatellite platforms
Tyvak designed and built compact spacecraft platforms for government and commercial missions. These platforms supported the CubeSat and nanosatellite market, where standardized dimensions, rideshare compatibility, and relatively compact systems are important to mission cost and schedule. The company supplied both spacecraft hardware and related design, integration, and mission services.
Spacecraft avionics · 2011
Miniature avionics packages
Tyvak was originally established to sell miniature avionics packages for small satellites. The compact electronics were intended to reduce the volume taken up by spacecraft subsystems and increase the volume available for payloads. This early product focus formed the technical basis for the company's later spacecraft-platform activities.
Remote-sensing CubeSat · 2020
OSM-1 Cicero
OSM-1 Cicero was a 6U remote-sensing CubeSat built by Tyvak for Orbital Solutions. It flew as a payload on the sixteenth Vega rocket mission in September 2020, illustrating Tyvak's role as a spacecraft builder for commercial remote-sensing missions.
Lunar small spacecraft · 2022
LunIR
LunIR was developed by Lockheed Martin and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems as a secondary payload for NASA's Artemis I mission. The spacecraft was designed to study the Moon using an infrared sensor and a cryocooler, extending the small-spacecraft approach into a lunar science and exploration context.
Brand decisions
2024
Lockheed Martin acquisition of Terran OrbitalM&ABackground
Tyvak's parent company, Terran Orbital, operated in the small-satellite and spacecraft-manufacturing sector.
Action taken
Lockheed Martin acquired Terran Orbital at the end of October 2024.
Aftermath
The business continued as Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin Company, and continued producing small satellites.
2022
Shift toward larger satellites and phase-out of the Tyvak nameStrategyBackground
Terran Orbital owned Tyvak while expanding its spacecraft business beyond nanosatellites and CubeSats.
Action taken
The company announced that its focus would transition toward larger satellites and that the Tyvak name would be phased out in favor of Terran Orbital.
Aftermath
Tyvak became a legacy or integrated brand within Terran Orbital's broader spacecraft operation, which later became part of Lockheed Martin.
Recent events
Lockheed Martin launches Pony Express 1 mission[2]
Reported:
Lockheed Martin launched the Pony Express 1 mission as a hosted payload on a Tyvak-0129 spacecraft. The mission is testing in-orbit computing and satellite networking technologies.
- Unconfirmed
Lockheed Martin launches Pony Express 1 mission[3]
Reported:
Lockheed Martin launched its Pony Express 1 mission as a hosted payload on the Tyvak-0129 spacecraft; the mission is testing space-based computing and mesh networking technologies in orbit.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/tyvak · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled