Zendir
Digital twin and simulation platform for designing, testing and operating spacecraft and satellite missions.
Private company- Sector
- Space
- Based in
- Canberra, Australia
- Founded
- 2019
- Invested
- Jul 2024
- Formerly
- Nominal Systems
Zendir builds digital twin and simulation software for space missions. Its platform lets teams model spacecraft and satellites, test and validate systems before launch, train operators in simulated environments, rehearse mission-critical scenarios and automate parts of mission operations.
Its customers include space agencies, commercial satellite operators, defence organisations and universities, and it has worked with defence and space bodies in Australia and the UK. It has offices in Australia, the UK and the US.
The company was founded in 2019 by Dr Christopher Capon and Dr Brenton Smith as a spin-out of UNSW Canberra Space, and traded as Nominal Systems before rebranding as Zendir in 2025. In September 2025 it closed a seed round of more than A$3 million co-led by Beaten Zone Venture Partners and Investible.
As of 29 Sep 2026
Why I own it
Space is getting crowded and more important to defence, and every mission needs to be designed, tested and rehearsed before launch. Zendir builds the digital twin to do that in simulation.
It's software for the space economy, sold to agencies, defence and satellite operators, and built in Australia. As launch costs fall and satellites multiply, the tools to run them grow too.
From the notebook
All notesBig & small
SpaceX reaches orbit while Zendir tests missions in software first
SpaceX's Starship reached orbit for the first time on 28 September, a milestone even though the mission was cut short after an engine failure, and it placed 26 upgraded Starlink satellites in orbit along the way. Canberra's Zendir works the other end of the same problem, building digital twins that let engineers model a spacecraft's systems and failure modes before any hardware is built. One proves itself by flying, the other by simulating everything that could go wrong first.
Since this note:SpaceX +7.6%(S&P 500 +1.2%)
SpaceXWritten by AI from share prices, the companies' posts and the news. Can be wrong; not financial advice.
