C

Cowboy Space

Designs orbital power, compute, and launches

Head of Marketing and Communications

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/17/2026
$185.9k - $204.5k/yr+ Equity + Relocation assistance
Senior
Bachelor's
San Carlos, CA, USA+1 moreMore locations: Kent, WA, USA
In Person
Growth & MarketingMarketing Generalist & Management
No H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 7 years of experience in marketing, brand strategy, corporate communications, product marketing, or a related field.
  • At least 2 years of experience directly managing and developing communications, marketing, or creative professionals.
  • Hands-on experience leading media and public relations, including building relationships with the press and securing earned coverage.
  • Ability to set clear expectations, provide actionable feedback, and support strong performance.
  • Experience defining market positioning and messaging for a technical, growing, or mission-driven company.
  • Ability to translate company strategy into integrated marketing plans and campaigns.
  • Strong writing, editing, presentation, and narrative development skills.
  • Experience leading website strategy, digital content, social media, events, and external creative work.
  • Experience developing materials for investors, business partners, customers, or other strategic audiences.
  • Strong understanding of marketing performance measures, audience engagement, and brand sentiment.
  • Experience managing budgets, agencies, vendors, and contractors.
  • Ability to work closely with senior executives and influence decisions across multiple teams.
  • Sound judgment and ability to help a team operate effectively as priorities evolve.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
  • Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Responsibilities
  • Define the company’s market narrative, competitive positioning, and core messaging pillars.
  • Ensure the company’s brand and messaging remain consistent across presentations, digital properties, campaigns, events, and external communications.
  • Develop marketing strategies for company milestones, technical achievements, partnerships, and major announcements.
  • Plan and oversee campaigns supporting fundraising, recruiting, partnerships, and thought leadership.
  • Lead media and public relations by building relationships with reporters and editors across space, technology, and business press, and drive earned-media coverage of milestones and major announcements.
  • Partner with leadership to prepare for and manage issues and crisis communications, including launch, demonstration, and mission-risk scenarios.
  • Ensure digital content reflects current positioning, remains current with company milestones, and presents a consistent brand across channels.
  • Develop the company’s event strategy, including conferences, speaking opportunities, sponsorships, and hosted events.
  • Directly lead and develop the Executive & Corporate Communications Partner.
  • Manage the Partner day to day by setting clear goals and priorities, providing regular coaching and actionable feedback, and investing in their professional development and growth.
  • Ensure the Partner has the access, context, and resources needed to advise and represent senior leaders effectively.
  • Keep executive, corporate, and internal communications aligned with the overall marketing narrative, and build collaborative working relationships across communications, leadership, and teams company-wide.
  • Track marketing effectiveness, audience engagement, and brand sentiment.
  • Establish meaningful performance measures, evaluate return on investment, and adjust strategy based on results.
  • Manage the marketing budget and external vendor relationships.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience building or expanding a marketing or communications function.
  • Experience marketing a new technical category or business model.
  • Experience with executive communications or ghostwriting on behalf of senior leaders.
  • Familiarity with fundraising, investor communications, and business development.
  • Experience supporting major technical milestones, demonstrations, partnerships, or company announcements.
  • A strong network of creative, media, event, or production partners.
  • Curiosity about spacecraft, computing infrastructure, and the emerging orbital economy.

About the company

Cowboy Space Corporation builds orbital infrastructure for an AI-powered economy by designing and manufacturing its own rockets and orbital hardware to provide continuous energy and compute in orbit. Its upper-stage rocket and compute payload are treated as a single unit, turning each stage into a one-megawatt orbital data center once in position. The company is expanding from space-based power transmission to space-to-space and space-to-Earth power delivery to support autonomous AI reasoning and data fusion in vacuum. By combining vertical integration with end-to-end orbital infrastructure, Cowboy Space aims to offer a scalable, persistent alternative to ground-based data centers constrained by power grids and regulations.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$335M

Headquarters

San Carlos, California

Founded

2024

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Cowboy closed $275 million Series B in May 2026 at a $2 billion valuation.
  • Reason-1's October 2026 launch gives concrete flight data before Reason-2 in 2027.
  • OECIF funding subsidized early hires, custom components, and mission-critical payload development.

What critics are saying

  • TechCrunch said Cowboy still lacks rocket test, manufacturing, and launch facilities in May 2026.
  • Bhatt targets no earlier than 2028 for the first rocket, delaying revenue for years.
  • SpaceX and Blue Origin dominate launch access; failure here kills the orbital-data-center thesis.

What makes Cowboy Space unique

  • Baiju Bhatt's Cowboy Space vertically integrates rockets, orbital power, and compute under one platform.
  • Reason-1 launched October 1, 2026, validating in-house laser power-beaming hardware.
  • NVIDIA collaboration and upper-stage-as-data-center design create a distinct AI-orbit stack.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Company Equity
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Holidays
  • Parental Leave
  • Relocation Assistance

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

2%

1 year growth

-5%

2 year growth

-9%
Business Wire
Oct 1st, 2026
Cowboy Space launches satellite to demonstrate first laser power beaming from orbit to Earth

Cowboy Space Corporation, founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, has launched Reason-1, its first satellite, to demonstrate laser power beaming from orbit to Earth. The satellite will collect solar energy in space and transmit it to a ground receiver using a kilowatt-class laser. The mission will test optical and thermal technologies for Cowboy's planned orbital data centres. The company designed and built Reason-1's laser systems, optical telescope, and beam-steering architecture in-house. Cowboy is developing a rocket whose upper stage will function as a 1-megawatt data centre in orbit. The company is also collaborating with NVIDIA to deploy computing modules in low Earth orbit. A follow-up mission, Reason-2, is scheduled for launch in 2027. The San Carlos-based company is backed by Index Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and other investors.

Business Wire
May 11th, 2026
Cowboy Space Corporation Raises $275M Series B For Vertically-Integrated Orbital Data Centers and Rockets

Cowboy Space Corporation, the orbital infrastructure company founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, today announced $275M in Series B financing at a $2...

SpaceNews
May 11th, 2026
Cowboy raises $275M to build rockets with orbital data center upper stages

Cowboy Space has raised $275 million at a $2 billion valuation to develop rockets with upper stages that function as data centres in low Earth orbit. The company emerged from stealth less than two years ago under the name Aetherflux, initially focusing on space-based solar power. The funding will support development of the orbital data centre technology integrated into rocket upper stages.

Business Wire
Apr 15th, 2026
Aetherflux appoints Brad Koenig to advisory board ahead of Q1 2027 orbital data centre launch

Aetherflux, the orbital energy infrastructure company founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, has appointed Brad Koenig to its advisory board. Koenig will provide strategic guidance on commercial strategy as the company prepares for its first orbital data centre project launch, targeted for Q1 2027. Koenig brings over 20 years of experience in investment banking and consulting. He recently served as senior relationship director for the US Department of Commerce's NIST-CHIPS programme office, working with major tech companies including Intel, Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia. He previously spent two decades as a partner at Goldman Sachs and founded FoodyDirect.com, which was acquired by Goldbelly. Founded in 2024, Aetherflux is building an orbital compute network backed by Index Ventures and NEA.

MLQ AI
Mar 28th, 2026
Aetherflux in talks for $250-350M Series B at $2B valuation led by Index Ventures.

Aetherflux in talks for $250-350M Series B at $2B valuation led by Index Ventures. March 28, 2026 at 11:40 AM - by MLQ Agent Key points. * Aetherflux is in talks for a Series B round of $250 million to $350 million at a $2 billion valuation, led by Index Ventures14. * The company, co-founded by Robinhood's Baiju Bhatt, has raised about $80 million since 2024, following a $50 million Series A in April 2025 that brought total funding to $60 million124. * Aetherflux is pivoting from laser-based Earth power transmission to space-based data centers to address AI energy demands, with its first satellite targeted for 20272. * Previous investors include Index Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and NEA; the company has U.S. Department of Defense support123. Aetherflux, the space solar power startup co-founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, is negotiating a Series B funding round of $250 million to $350 million at a $2 billion valuation, led by Index Ventures. The company, which has raised about $80 million since its 2024 founding, is shifting focus to orbital data centers for AI computing needs. Company background and prior funding. Aetherflux, headquartered in San Carlos, California, was founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood. The startup emerged from stealth in late 2024 and raised $50 million in a Series A round in April 2025, led by Index Ventures and Interlagos, with participation from Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others. This brought total funding to $60 million, including Bhatt's $10 million personal investment 124. The funds supported hiring engineers and developing technology for initial missions. Technology pivot and development plans. Initially focused on space-based solar power using infrared lasers to transmit energy to Earth ground stations, Aetherflux aimed for a low Earth orbit demonstration in 2026. The company received funding from the U.S. Department of Defense's Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund for military applications 123. It is now pivoting to 'Galactic Brain,' a constellation of satellites serving as orbital data centers powered by space solar energy to meet AI computing demands. The first commercial data center node is slated for launch in 2027 2. Investor interest and strategic expansion. The potential Series B would mark a significant jump from prior rounds, reflecting investor appetite for orbital infrastructure amid AI energy challenges. Index Ventures, an existing backer, is leading the talks. Aetherflux has expanded with a new hub in Seattle for satellite development and employs talent from SpaceX, NASA, Robinhood, and the U.S. Navy 2. Valuation jump drivers. The proposed $2 billion valuation for Aetherflux's Series B represents a more than 33-fold increase from its post-money valuation after the $50 million Series A, which totaled around $60 million raised 14. This surge aligns with heightened venture capital flows into space infrastructure, driven by AI's escalating power requirements that terrestrial grids struggle to meet. Aetherflux's pivot from general space solar to AI-specific orbital data centers positions it to tap into a market where hyperscalers like those backed by Andreessen Horowitz face energy bottlenecks 2. Existing DoD funding validates the laser transmission tech for remote and military use, potentially de-risking commercial scalability 13 . Index Ventures' repeat leadership signals confidence in execution, given their early Series A involvement and public endorsement of the energy-to-Earth vision 5. However, the shift from 2026 power demos to 2027 data centers introduces execution risks, as satellite constellations demand reliable power beaming over vast distances. Competition from entities like Caltech, Virtus Solis, and state-backed projects in the UK and China adds pressure, though Aetherflux's AI focus and Bhatt's track record differentiate it 3. Satellite launch timeline. Aetherflux's first orbital data center satellite in 2027 will serve as a critical proof-of-concept for the Galactic Brain constellation, potentially unlocking follow-on funding if it demonstrates reliable solar-powered AI computing 2. Success could accelerate deployments, with the Seattle hub enabling faster iteration amid the regional space talent pool. Regulatory approvals for orbital operations and spectrum allocation for laser transmission remain key hurdles, especially with DoD ties possibly expediting military validations 13 . Broader market adoption hinges on cost reductions in launches and power efficiency, areas where SpaceX alumni on the team may provide edges. If the Series B closes at the high end, Aetherflux could expand its 10-person team significantly, targeting hyperscale AI providers strained by Earth-bound energy limits 24. Investor momentum from this round may spur parallel investments in space-AI infrastructure, reshaping orbital economics by 2030. Further sources. Written with AI assistance, verified and edited by its team. Questions? Contact MLQ.ai.