A St. Petersburg-based startup has developed an offshore semi-submersible launch platform for rockets.
Seagate Space is building a single module prototype, in collaboration with Tampa Ship, at Port Tampa Bay. A steel plate cutting ceremony for the initiative was held Tuesday.
The effort would not be possible without the support of Space Florida, which promotes the economic growth and development of the space industry in the state.
This partnership, entitled Project Manta, was officially announced June 2.
“In the near term, the investment gives us a pathway to really start to develop some of the hardware,” Seagate Space co-founder and CEO Michael Anderson explained. “Our design is meant to be built modularly. So, we’re able to prototype some of those modules at full scale, which gives us a real test bed for modifying and fine tuning the design on those important components.”
Seagate Space’s Gateway Series platform is a structure that can be placed in open water. The launch system can also be utilized for recovery operations.
In December 2025, the product was given approval in principle (AIP) from third-party classification society American Bureau of Shipping. According to an ABS document, approval in principle is awarded when an asset is in an “early conceptual design phase.”
Seagate Space completed an over $1.5 million pre-seed round in February. Investors included Boca Raton-based New World Angels and Orlando-based Phase Shift Ventures.
By April, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Firefly Aerospace to “collaborate on the development of an offshore launch platform” for Firefly’s Alpha rocket, according to a prepared statement.
“Long term, I think Project Manta solidifies our position in the Florida ecosystem,” Anderson added. “It sets us up for future manufacturing and operations in the state as well. This is something that fits very nicely with a lot of our road map.”
The organization, which operates out of incubator spARK Labs by ARK Invest, was established in early 2025. Conversations with Space Florida began soon after.
“Seagate Space is the kind of Florida grown company Space Florida exists to support, bold ideas that build the foundation for the industry’s future,” said Space Florida president and CEO Rob Long in a statement prepared for the Catalyst.
He added that the partnership “is another signal to the market that ambitious space companies keep choosing Florida because we’ve invested in an ecosystem that allows for startups to grow and scale.”
Anderson said that Space Florida has “a lot of great operations” at Cape Canaveral. This area is home to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The collaboration can bring “some of the Space Florida economy to different parts of the state.”
“Project Manta is really the delineation for a memorandum of understanding that we have signed with Space Florida,” he continued, “which sets out the pathways to design, build and operate an offshore launch structure in the state of Florida starting with this first prototype.”
The full-scale asset will take about 45 days to structure. Anderson said that outfitting will require an additional 30 days.
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
