HOBOKEN, N.J. — Rocket One in Hoboken, N.J., has signed a patent license agreement with NASA to build an AI platform for spacecraft engineering using NASA's Affordable Vehicle Avionics (AVA) technology.
The agreement gives Rocket One the rights to develop software focused on spacecraft mission planning, launch readiness assessments, avionics modeling, simulation, and engineering workflows. The company plans to combine the technologies to simplify technical analysis for commercial and government space programs.
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What is AVA?
AVA is a NASA-developed technology that supports spacecraft engineering before launch. Engineers can use it to model avionics, evaluate different scenarios, and prepare for testing and mission planning. Instead of flying the spacecraft itself, AVA helps engineers better understand how onboard systems are expected to perform during development.
Rocket One licensed the technology as the starting point for its planned commercial software platform.
Engineering generates more than flight hardware
Spacecraft development produces enormous amounts of technical data before a vehicle ever launches. Engineers run simulations, evaluate avionics performance, review test results, document design decisions, and prepare mission plans. Many of those tasks rely on specialized software that helps teams look at different scenarios before the spacecraft ever reaches the launch pad.
Rocket One will use NASA's AVA technology as the foundation for that software while adding AI tools to organize data, assist with technical analysis, and support planning activities across the board.
The agreement also includes a phased commercialization plan that begins with product architecture and prototype development before moving into pilot programs and commercial deployment.
Space software continues to evolve
The NASA agreement expands Rocket One's broader strategy of building AI and space-related technologies for the commercial aerospace and defense markets.
Modern spacecraft programs involve thousands of engineering decisions before launch. As satellites become more capable and missions grow more complex, companies are looking for software that can organize technical information, speed up analysis, and minimize repetitive engineering work without replacing human decision-making.
Rocket One said it also plans to pursue collaborations with commercial space companies, universities, government organizations, and aerospace partners as development of the platform continues.
