Technologies developed for use in space and on other planets may well find application on Earth. The startup General Galactic, which originally planned to offer SpaceX reactors for use on Mars that could convert carbon dioxide into methane, is now planning to use them to replace natural gas produced from deposits on Earth.
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The startup General Galactic, which emerged from stealth mode in April of this year, was created by SpaceX alumnus Halen Mattison and Luke Neise, who previously worked at Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory and Varda Space Industries.
General Galactic has created a pilot system capable of producing 2,000 liters of methane per day. General Galactic CTO Luke Neise told TechCrunch that the installation’s performance will increase by replacing the off-the-shelf components used with parts of our own design.
At commercial scale, the company’s reactors will be assembled using mass production methods, which differs from the way most petrochemical and energy plants are built, which rely on custom designs.
At the same time, Mattison, who heads General Galactic, noted that the company does not seek to displace natural gas from the energy sector. It will offer methane to companies that use it as an ingredient or to power processes, such as in chemical or plastic production. He also said that General Galactic is working to develop the production of other hydrocarbons that could be used, for example, as jet fuel.
The first modules for methane production will be assembled in 2025. To that end, the startup recently raised $8 million in a seed round co-led by Harpoon Ventures and Refactor Capital, with participation from BoxGroup, Climate Capital, Impact First, Pathbreaker, Plug and Play, and Seraphim. These modules will be able to connect to existing infrastructure, allowing for faster adoption of the technology compared to the deployment of other fuels such as hydrogen.