HAMPTON, Va. — Tucked just a few miles from NASA Langley, a Hampton-born startup is making waves in the world of navigation technology — and in the process, shining a spotlight on the region’s growing innovation economy.
Psionic, a company founded to bring NASA-developed laser technology down to Earth, recently cut the ribbon on a brand-new 9,000-square-foot assembly facility. The space is purpose-built to support production of its SurePath™ Velocimetry Sensor, a system designed to help vehicles, from trucks to spacecraft, find their way when GPS isn’t available or reliable.
The infrastructure expansion represents more than just bricks and mortar. It’s a bet on Hampton Roads as a growing hub for advanced technology and manufacturing. The new site will house a growing team and ramp up production capacity for years to come.
The timing couldn’t be better. Psionic also recently announced a partnership with Silicon Sensing Systems, a global leader in precision gyroscopes. Silicon Sensing Systems’ ultra-precise CRH03 sensor will integrate with Psionic’s SurePath™ technology, enhancing the ability to deliver accurate navigation in contested or GPS-denied environments where reliability and resilience are mission-critical.
While the technical details may sound complex, the impact is easy to grasp: Psionic is creating tools that can’t be jammed, spoofed, or tricked. In an age where everything from cars to cargo ships depends on secure navigation, that capability is a game-changer.
For Hampton Roads, the story is just as much about place as it is about product. Psionic’s new facility sits near NASA Langley — the very birthplace of the lunar landing technologies that inspired its innovations. It also represents another milestone in the region’s efforts to grow companies that not only start here, but stay here, scaling into national and global markets.
“This is a company rooted in Hampton, hiring locally, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” said one industry observer. “It shows that the region can nurture high-tech ventures that compete on the world stage.”
Psionic continues to push the boundaries for what it means to be a forward-thinking tech startup in Hampton Roads, both technologically and professionally, as they are nominated as a finalist in this year’s 757 TechNite for the “Emerging Company” category.
And as Psionic continues its mission of blending cutting-edge science with practical applications, Hampton Roads finds itself with another reason to believe that its future lies not just in ships and ports, but in satellites, sensors, and systems that redefine how the world moves.
***In case you missed it, click here to check out Innovate Hampton Roads’ mini-documentary on Psionic featured in “Disrupting the Tide—Season 1, Episode 6 (Psionic: The Future of Navigation Technology)”***
