Thrive
Local startup designs maritime rocket launch platform
The Gateway-S platform is an independent structure that can be placed in open water.
Innovative startups are at the heart of St. Petersburg-based incubator spARK Labs by ARK Invest. Seagate Space, which has designed an offshore semi-submersible launch platform for rockets, is one such company.
The Gateway-S was given approval in principle (AIP) from third-party classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in December.
This, Seagate Space co-founder and CEO Michael Anderson believes, is the next step in the company’s path towards a rocket launch. Later this month, the organization’s team will be giving a demonstration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to showcase aspects of the platform’s design.
The Gateway-S platform is an independent structure that can be placed in open water. It can be used for launches and recovery operations. Additionally, the product can be disassembled into container-sized modules for transportation.
“We have developed the first asset to be approved in principle under ABS’s new offshore spaceport guidelines,” he explained. “It validates the design pathways that we have been propagating. It shows that there is an opportunity to bring innovation from a maritime side into supporting the aerospace industry.”
Full approval has yet to be granted. According to an ABS document, approval in principle is given to a company when a product is in an “early conceptual design phase.” The classification is designed to “assist the client in demonstrating project feasibility to its project partners and regulatory bodies.”
“Safety and precision are critical to the success of offshore space launch operations,” said ABS senior vice president of global offshore Miguel Hernandez in a prepared statement. “This AIP reflects both ABS’ and Seagate Space’s commitment to advancing innovative technologies that enable reliable and efficient launch operations in a fast-evolving sector.”
Seagate Space was founded in early 2025. Anderson and his team faced multiple challenges designing the asset.
An artistic conception of the Gateway-S platform.
“The use case and operation we’re building for is really unique and intense in some ways,” he said. “Rockets don’t weigh that much but they create a lot of force obviously. So, we had to start from a clean sheet of paper effectively.”
The goal was to create something that is “stable” and “secure.” Working at spARK Labs by ARK Invest has been an encouraging part of the process, Anderson continued.
“The organization is not really sector focused. Its focus is on big ideas and trying to do things that are new and novel,” he explained. “That fits really well with us.”
The Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, managed by the St. Petersburg Innovation District, is in close proximity to spARK Labs by ARK Invest. This, Anderson said, has led to a vertical forming in the area.
He believes that the Tampa Bay region has the potential to be a staging location for a Gulf launch. Seagate Space has a rocket manufacturer partner that wants to “explore” a Gulf-based launch as well.
Anderson argued that China is ahead in sea-based platform development and that there is an opportunity to expand the industry domestically. As an example, Beijing-based private company Galactic Energy completed five maritime launches between 2023 and 2025.
“China is scaling this capability,” he explained. “We, as a country, have not successfully developed it for the modern age and the rockets that are flying currently.”
Anderson hopes to have a first demonstration launch for Gateway-S in 2027.
