Introducing Starman

Space, on your desk.

A celestial pointer that physically tracks the Moon, planets, stars, and satellites, in real time, right from your desk.

Get launch access→Watch it work↓
Kickstarter·Early-bird from $249·Shipping late 2026

Hardware

Precision. Silence.
Personality.

A two-axis tracker with continuous 360° rotation via slip ring, and magnetic encoders that let Starman spring back to its target even if you twist him.

Continuous rotation

A precision slip ring lets Starman spin in either direction, forever. No cable tangles, no end stops.

Magnetic encoders

Twist him mid-track, he snaps right back to target. Because hardware should feel alive, not fragile.

Whisper-quiet

Engineered to sit on your desk, not your garage floor. Smooth, silent, deliberate motion.

SkyView

A living map of the night sky.

Planets, stars, constellations, and satellites, all live, all above you. Pan the sky, tap a target, and Starman smoothly follows it across the room.

Starman SkyView showing planets, stars and live satellites

Track anything

From our star to
the edge of the visible.

Planets, stars, deep-sky objects, the ISS, Starlink, the Sun, the Moon. If it's above you, Starman can point at it, even when it's below the horizon, waiting for the rise.

Sun → Sirius·live handoff
Tracking the Sun

Our star

Tracking Jupiter

Planets

Tracking Sirius

Deep sky

More than an instrument

Fun modes.
Because he's alive.

Make Starman dance. Bob his visor. Follow your phone around the room. He's a tracker when you need him, and a companion when you don't.

Fun modes selection screen
App icon selection screen

Collect the sky

Watch long enough,
unlock the set.

Track Jupiter for an hour. Catch three ISS passes. Follow a full Moon from rise to set. Each milestone unlocks a new app icon, a quiet record of the sky you've shared with Starman.

  • Lunar CompanionFull moon tracked
  • Planet Hunter5 planets caught
  • Starlink Spotter10 satellite passes
  • Deep-Sky Devotee1 hour on Sirius

Starbuddy

One tap.
Paired.

A small NFC keychain that travels with you. Tap it to any Starman and your phone pairs instantly, no menus, no Bluetooth dance. Own a fleet? Each Starbuddy is keyed to its own Starman.

Head, body, and visor, Starman comes in a range of color combinations, each with a matching Starbuddy.

Holding a Starbuddy keychain in hand
Pocketable. Wearable.
Blue Starbuddy tapping an iPhone to pair Starman
Tap to pair.
Red Starbuddy tapping an iPhone to pair Starman
One per Starman.

Axes

2

Azimuth + Elevation

Rotation

360°

Continuous via slip ring

Targets

1M+

Planets · stars · satellites

Pairing

NFC

One tap with keychain

About

Designed and engineered in Perth.

Background
Starman is built by Brad Dixon, a design engineer based in Perth, Western Australia. Brad has worked on projects across a range of industries, including selected work in space and remote operations.
IEEE Telepresence + Robopalooza
Brad led WARO32, the Western Australian team that won the inaugural IEEE Telepresence Competition in Lucerne Valley, California. From Perth mission control, the team teleoperated NASA/PISCES's Helelani planetary rover across a Mojave Desert obstacle course 14,800 kilometres away, with no penalties. That win brought Robopalooza 2025 to Perth at the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct, where Brad was an organiser.
Education + Projects
Brad holds a Master of Engineering from the University of Western Australia. His project work includes UWA TeraNet, ICRAR's three-node optical ground station network for high-speed laser communications with spacecraft in low Earth orbit and cis-lunar space.
Milo Mission Academy
Brad was part of the first Australian cohort of the Milo Mission Academy, a space-mission training program delivered by Arizona State University in partnership with NASA's L'SPACE program.
Mentoring
Brad also mentored in the Milo Planetary Innovation Challenge - Ecuador, where he led a team of university students through the challenge program.

IEEE Telepresence Competition

Team lead, WARO32 - 2024 champions. Teleoperated PISCES's Helelani planetary rover across a Mojave Desert course from Perth, 14,800 km away.

Robopalooza 2025

Organiser of the second IEEE Telepresence Competition, held in Perth at the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct.

Master of Engineering

The University of Western Australia - graduate of UWA's engineering program.

UWA TeraNet

Engineering work on ICRAR's three-node optical ground station network, including TN-3, the world's first fully-mobile optical ground station.

Milo Planetary Innovation Challenge - Ecuador

Mentor and team lead for a university student team in the Ecuador challenge delivered by Milo Space Science Institute.

- Brad Dixon, Perth

FAQ

Common questions.

Why?

Because the sky is always doing something, and you almost never know what.

Right now the International Space Station is somewhere overhead, orbiting Earth every 93 minutes. You could look that up. You won't.

Starman will. When the Station is above your horizon he tracks it across your sky. When it's on the other side of the planet, he waits for the next pass. That's the whole idea.

How accurate is it?
Starman's practical pointing resolution is encoder-based, not stepper-based. With 12-bit encoders, resolution is better than 0.09° per count. It is built as a precise sky pointer, and real-world pointing still depends on calibration quality.
What if it's cloudy? Or daytime?
Doesn't matter, as long as the target is above your horizon, Starman knows exactly where it is. Clouds, overcast, blue daylight sky, light pollution, the roof of your house, none of it stops him. If Jupiter is up behind the clouds, Starman is pointed at Jupiter. He'll only pause when the target drops below your horizon, because he's designed to show you what you could go outside and see.
Do I need a telescope?
Nope. Starman is a companion, not a telescope. He's for people who want to feel where Jupiter and the ISS are right now, not zoom in on craters. If you already own a telescope, keep one next to the other.
How is it powered?
USB-C. Any modern power brick, laptop, or phone charger works. Starman is quiet and low-power, and he sleeps when idle.
When will it ship?
Kickstarter backers should expect delivery in late 2026. Hardware timelines are unforgiving, so we'd rather under-promise and surprise you than do the classic Kickstarter disappearing act.
What's in the box?
One Starman, one Starbuddy NFC keychain for pairing, and a USB-C cable. Extra Starbuddies in different colours will be available as Kickstarter add-ons if you want a fleet.

Got a question we didn't answer? Reach out at contact@starmanofficial.com.

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Kickstarter·Early-bird from $249·Shipping late 2026

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