Loft Orbital, an American-French startup founded in 2017, brings the principles of cloud computing to the space sector. Its model is based on the shared use of satellite resources, allowing users to split operational costs while ensuring flexibility of use.
With offices in San Francisco and Toulouse, Loft Orbital operates five satellites and plans to launch 30 additional low-Earth orbit satellites within the next two years. These satellites, produced by Airbus, aim to meet growing demand for various applications, including climate monitoring, communications security, and GPS jammer detection. The company’s clients include public institutions such as NASA, ESA, and CNES, as well as private companies like Microsoft and Helsing.
The company also relies on strategic collaborations, including a partnership with EarthDaily to provide spectral data to the agriculture and insurance sectors. In parallel, Loft Orbital has developed a focus on defense through its subsidiary Loft Federal, which has secured €100 million in contracts with U.S. armed forces.
To fund its ambitions, Loft Orbital raised €170 million in a funding round led by Temasek and Tikehau Capital. Existing investors Bpifrance, Supernova Invest, and Tribeca Venture Partners also participated. This latest round brings the company’s total funding to over €300 million since 2017 and will support the production of new satellites and its expansion into Asia through a partnership with Marlan Space. Loft Orbital now boasts a valuation of over €1 billion.
