Northwood Space secures a $100M Series B and a $50M Space Force contract

Space is an increasingly crowded place thanks to the constant influx of new satellites and it's only to get more cramped as the cost to get to orbit falls.

Those dynamics have brought attention to startup Northwood Space, which has spent the last few years developing more modern and efficient ground-based communications infrastructure. The startup capitalized on that interest in two ways this week.

The El Segundo, California-based company announced on Tuesday it has closed a $100 million Series B funding round, led by Washington D.C.-based firm Washington Harbour Partners (which has been on a run of space investments) and co-led by Andreessen Horowitz.

Northwood has also secured a $49.8 million contract with the United States Space Force to help upgrade what's known as the "satellite control network," which "handles a huge variety of consequential space missions for our government" including tracking and controlling GPS satellites, founder and CEO Bridgit Mendler said on a call with reporters.