About Psionic
Psionic designs navigation sensors for vehicles that must operate without GPS. Its customers include spacecraft, aircraft, and ground vehicles used in defense and commercial missions. The company's core technology is a laser-based Doppler lidar licensed from NASA. It measures a vehicle's motion directly against the ground to supply real-time velocity, position, and attitude without satellite or radio signals. One product, the Space Navigation Doppler Lidar, supports lunar and Mars landings, docking, and surface operations. A second product, SurePath™, serves defense and commercial ground platforms and can be retrofitted onto existing navigation systems.
Psionic is based in Hampton, Virginia, at 1100 Exploration Way. It has worked with DARPA's LASSO program and partnered with defense primes Northrop Grumman and Collins Aerospace, along with commercial space companies ispace and Astrobotic. Steve Sandford, a former NASA engineer, is founder and chief executive officer. Diego Pierrottet, also a former NASA engineer, is founder and chief engineer. Sean McCormack is senior vice president for SurePath™. Psionic is developing a full end-to-end navigation system, expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
Funding Rounds (SEC Form D)
| First sale | Filed with SEC | Amount sold | Investors | Avg. check | Terms | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2026 | Apr 15, 2026 | $200,000of $15.0M target | 1 | $200K | Debt, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Mar 3, 2026 | Mar 17, 2026amended Nov 4, 2026 | $0of $3.4M target | 4 | $0 | Options, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D/A ↗2 earlier filings |
| May 23, 2025 | May 29, 2025 | $509,041of $10.0M target | 1 | $509K | Debt, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Aug 2, 2024 | Aug 8, 2024 | $0of $418K target | 4 | $0 | Options, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Jun 11, 2024amended Apr 10, 2025 | $16,522,868of $17.5M target | 19 | $869K | Equity, OptionsRule 506(b) | Form D/A ↗1 earlier filing |
| Aug 16, 2023 | Aug 31, 2023 | $4,150,000of $6.0M target | 3 | $1.3M | Debt, Options, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Nov 19, 2021 | Dec 1, 2021 | $700,000of $2.0M target | 3 | $233K | Debt, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Nov 16, 2021 | Nov 29, 2021 | $1,000,000of $2.5M target | 2 | $500K | EquityRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Aug 26, 2021 | Sep 2, 2021 | $250,000fully sold | 1 | $250K | Debt, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Nov 25, 2020 | Dec 1, 2020 | $500,000of $2.0M target | 1 | $500K | Debt, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Sep 1, 2020 | Sep 9, 2020 | $1,000,000fully sold | 2 | $500K | Debt, Options, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Jun 9, 2020 | Jun 24, 2020 | $500,000of $1.0M target | 2 | $250K | Debt, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Jan 17, 2020 | Jan 29, 2020 | $675,000of $1.2M target | 5 | $135K | Debt, Options, Securities on exerciseRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Apr 30, 2019 | May 14, 2019 | $100,000of $2.5M target | 1 | $100K | DebtRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Sep 4, 2018 | Sep 7, 2018 | $1,550,000of $3.0M target | 4 | $387K | EquityRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Feb 9, 2018 | Feb 14, 2018 | $100,000of $3.0M target | 2 | $50,000 | DebtRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Total, 16 offerings | $27,756,909 | |||||
First sale is the date the first investor in the offering committed to invest. Companies must file Form D within 15 days of that date, so filing dates run later.
Why Investors Backed Psionic
Psionic builds laser-based navigation sensors for vehicles that lose GPS signal, including spacecraft, aircraft, and ground vehicles. Its core sensor technology was originally developed at NASA for lunar landings and has since been adapted for defense and commercial use. The company has partnered with major aerospace and defense firms and built a board that includes former General Motors, Carlyle Group, and Navy veterans. It is now extending that technology from space missions into aviation and ground navigation markets.
The problem it targets
Psionic's case is that GPS signals fail in environments such as deep space, lunar surfaces, and jammed or spoofed battlefields. Vehicles that rely on GPS or GNSS satellites cannot operate reliably once those signals are degraded or blocked. Radar-based alternatives add weight and still depend on time-of-flight measurements that Psionic argues are slower and less precise. Its optics-based sensors are built to supply velocity and position data without needing any satellite or network signal.
Progress so far
Psionic has worked with DARPA's LASSO program and partnered with defense primes Northrop Grumman and Collins Aerospace. It has also supplied navigation technology for commercial space missions with ispace and Astrobotic. In February 2026, Psionic and iMetalx announced a strategic collaboration. Silicon Sensing Systems has agreed to supply Psionic with a tactical-grade gyroscope for its SurePath navigation system. Psionic is also developing a full end-to-end navigation system, expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
Who backs it
Psionic's board includes executives with deep automotive, defense, and maritime backgrounds. Jerry Miller owns The Miller Group LLC and Fairlead Integrated and has more than 30 years of experience in Navy ship repair and maintenance. Dan Akerson is the former chairman and chief executive officer of General Motors and was previously a managing director at The Carlyle Group. Steve Girsky is managing partner of VectoIQ, an investment and advisory firm focused on automotive, industrial technology, and mobility. He previously served as vice chairman of General Motors.
We wrote this summary from public statements by Psionic and its investors. It is not investment advice.
Psionic in the News
Leadership Team
Executive officers and directors listed on Psionic's Form D filed Apr 15, 2026.
Earlier filings also listed Robert Fleishauer (executive officer, last listed Apr 2026), Sean Kish (executive officer and director, last listed May 2025), Michael Gilbert (executive officer, last listed May 2025), Dennis Muilenburg (director, last listed Apr 2025), Mark Christman (executive officer, last listed Aug 2024), Clifford Cummings (executive officer, last listed Aug 2023), Robin Loeffler (executive officer, last listed Dec 2021) and Lee Wright (executive officer, last listed Dec 2021).