eSpace Helps Aerospace Start-Ups Blast Off

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (TheStreet) - For inventors looking to bring new aerospace technology to the market, many are often flummoxed by the realization that the business world isn't rocket science. Great ideas can fail if they don't get the right funding or marketing attention.

When you think of aerospace, you typically think of giants such as Raytheon(RTN Quote), Rockwell Collins(COL Quote) and Northrop Grumman(NOC Quote). But there are plenty of start-ups and small businesses that hope to make their mark in space technology.

Coming to their aid is eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship, a nonprofit incubator for space companies that launched in January. On July 14, it announced the first three companies that will participate in its unique program.

Zybek Advanced Products will produce synthetic moon rock, based on specifications supplied by NASA. Initially, the material could be used to test the performance of rovers and other equipment bound for the moon. In the future, it could be used to make synthetic gems or in ground water remediation and other green technologies.

Space Awareness Services uses commercial telescopes and specialized software to track orbiting objects and provide data to satellite organizations. Its systems would help locate the movements of space debris to prevent collisions with satellites and rockets. The importance of this information became apparent earlier this year, when for the first time in history, two spacecraft collided, destroying both and creating thousands of pieces of space junk.

NDP Group, whose name is short for Net-Centric Design Professionals, aims to bring cybersecurity into space. The firm designs computer networks that help spacecraft communicate with organizations on Earth.