Founded in 2017 by Erik Franks, Jeff Gibson, and Jake Teufert, this California-based aerospace startup (headquartered in Livermore/Los Angeles, CA) specializes in green, non-toxic chemical propulsion systems for small satellites (CubeSats to ESPA class) and orbital transfer vehicles.
The company’s philosophy emphasizes safer, low-toxicity propulsion, modern manufacturing for cost efficiency, and high reliability of flight hardware.
In August 2020, Tesseract entered into a permanent licensing and integration partnership with Benchmark Space Systems, transferring IP, assets, and staff. Benchmark incorporated Tesseract’s technologies to bolster their green propulsion solutions for small-satellite rideshare markets. Tesseract co-founder Erik Franks joined Benchmark’s leadership team as part of the collaboration.
According to PitchBook (2024), Tesseract Space Inc. remains a private company with around 6 employees and ~$2.1–2.3 million in funding raised (2018–2022 rounds). It is generating revenue and remains active in aerospace & defense sectors.
The partnership with Benchmark continues, and Benchmark itself is now deploying Tesseract‑derived thrusters like the Halcyon and Starling on upcoming small satellite missions (e.g., SpaceX Falcon 9, Firefly Alpha).