# General Galactic

> General Galactic is an El Segundo, California deep-tech startup building water-based propulsion and propellant-generation systems for spacecraft. Its Genesis platform splits water via electrolysis into hydrogen and oxygen, powering a multimode engine that pairs high-thrust chemical burns with efficient electric maneuvering. Founded in 2023 by Stanford-trained, ex-SpaceX and ex-Varda engineers, the company frames itself as the future 'energy and logistics company' of the solar system - and is applying the same electrolysis reactor tech on Earth to turn waste CO2 into fossil-free natural gas.

- **Founded:** 2023
- **Headquarters:** El Segundo, California, United States
- **Founders:** Halen Mattison (CEO & Co-Founder (former SpaceX engineer)), Luke Neise (CTO & Co-Founder (former Varda Space Industries engineer))
- **Team size:** ~15 employees
- **Products:** Genesis (space propulsion), Space-rated electrolysis cells, Genesis reactor (terrestrial), Trinity demonstration mission
- **Notable:** Raised $8M seed in November 2024 (total ~$10M) led by Harpoon Ventures and Refactor Capital., Spun out of Stanford, founded by former SpaceX and Varda Space Industries engineers., Developed the Genesis multimode water-electrolysis propulsion architecture combining chemical and electric thrust.

## Products & services

- **Genesis (space propulsion)** — A multimode propulsion system that uses water electrolysis to produce hydrogen and oxygen, pairing high-thrust chemical burns with efficient electric/plasma maneuvering in a single architecture.
- **Space-rated electrolysis cells** — Water-splitting cells designed to survive the orbital environment and serve as building blocks for future lunar and Martian propellant factories.
- **Genesis reactor (terrestrial)** — A modular reactor that combines water, renewable electricity, CO2 and hydrogen to produce fossil-free natural gas; a pilot system is described as producing roughly 2,000 liters of methane per day with oxygen as a byproduct.
- **Trinity demonstration mission** — A planned ~500 kg (1,200 lb) satellite that carries only water as propellant, slated to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare to demonstrate the water-based propulsion system in orbit.

## Achievements

- Raised $8M seed in November 2024 (total ~$10M) led by Harpoon Ventures and Refactor Capital.
- Spun out of Stanford, founded by former SpaceX and Varda Space Industries engineers.
- Developed the Genesis multimode water-electrolysis propulsion architecture combining chemical and electric thrust.
- Announced the Trinity mission - a ~500 kg satellite designed to fly on water alone.
- Extended the electrolysis reactor to a terrestrial pilot producing fossil-free natural gas from waste CO2.

## Latest updates

- **2024-11** — Closed an $8M seed round led by Harpoon Ventures and Refactor Capital, bringing total funding to about $10M.
- **2026-02** — Detailed the Trinity mission: a ~500 kg satellite running only on water, targeting a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare launch.
- **2026** — Positioned the Genesis platform for missions beyond LEO - to medium-Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit, cis-lunar space and eventually the Moon and Mars.

## Links

- Website: https://gengalactic.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/general-galactic-technologies
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/gengalactic

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/general-galactic
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-05