Employer Spotlight

For the Employer Spotlight, there is logo of the company named Vortex Space Systems

 

 

 

 

Name of the Organization: Vortex Space Systems, LLC

Industry: Aerospace

CEO/Founder: Dennis lee

1) How has MTIP impacted your company or your ability to hire interns?

The MTIP program provided Vortex Space Systems the Handshake recruitment tool, which supports a large college and university intern candidate pool across the United States. Vortex Space Systems proposed to Montgomery County Technology Innovation Fund in December 2024 to use MTIP as supplemental funding for interns on the StarVoyager project. A MoCo Tech Fund award was made on May 2025. An MTIP application was made in June for Summer session and the hire of 3 seniors in engineering from University of Maryland (UMD).

2) What inspired the founder to start the company?

After working over 48 years in aerospace, including launch vehicles, spacecraft, and science instrument systems engineering, I wanted to address one of the major and pressing problems with the commerce of space systems. That problem is the inherent limitations of all propellant feed thruster rockets, which is the rocket running out of fuel.

3) What problem is the company solving, or what service or feature is the company providing?

CAM drive MVP does not need stored fuel to generate thrust, only electrical power from solar arrays. The CAM drive MVP approach reduces mission launch costs by removing rocket fuel and shortens orbit transfer times, while extending satellite lifespans and providing end of life mission disposal. CAM drive is a modular propulsion systems with interchangeable flexibility to meet a broad range of mission needs. On orbit, CAM drive provides reusability and high cadence operations by eliminating propellant fuel. This enables reusable orbital transfer vehicle services and high-frequency mission profiles, such as orbital debris removal, which are not possible with expendable propellant systems.

4) Can you share a major milestone or success that has had a significant impact on your company’s growth?

In December 2024, Montgomery County Tech Fund grant StarVoyager design and development proposal included a single CAM drive MVP prototype. By 2025 Summer’s end, UMD students designed 3 separate prototypes. MTIP reimbursement contributions allowed Vortex Space Systems to extend the internship’s wages beyond MoCo Tech Fund salary budget limitations. The MTIP contributions support company’s staff size to 5 people.

5) What is your company aiming to achieve in the next 5 to 10 years?

As result of the MTIP funding and prototype development, Vortex Space Systems is able to advance the product timeline to protoflight design. This accelerates CAM drive MVP commercialization and orbital flight demonstration by 2 years.

6) What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a company in your industry?

When starting a company in Deep Tech, meaning your company that is building a high-tech product, be mentally ready for new challenges and experiences in company finance management and control. Secondly, a start up company should be active in seeking and accepting grant/seed money and reimbursements from organizations like MTIP.