Loft Orbital
Loft Orbital provides satellite-as-a-service infrastructure that lets governments, defense agencies, and commercial customers deploy payloads or AI applications on standardized LEO satellites without building their own, serving 60+ customers via its Hub, Cockpit, and Ultimate Edge platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Loft Orbital does
Loft Orbital is a US-headquartered space infrastructure provider founded in 2017 that leases standardized satellite platforms and mission operations to governments, defense agencies, and commercial customers seeking to deploy payloads or applications in low Earth orbit without building their own satellites. Its core technology consists of the Hub universal payload adapter (a hardware abstraction layer that decouples customer payloads from the bus), the Cockpit web/API mission control software, the Ultimate Edge cloud-based virtual mission platform, and HubKit flight-representative integration testbed. The underlying bus inventory is anchored by the Longbow platform (derived from the Airbus Arrow bus with 600+ copies in orbit) and a 500kg-class space vehicle, with production capacity of up to 30 buses per month through Airbus OneWeb Satellites and pre-booked SpaceX rideshare launches three times per year.
Loft operates two service lines: Physical Missions (hosted payloads, dedicated satellites, and full constellations such as the 10-satellite EarthDaily constellation and the forthcoming Altair, DESIR, and SDA programs) and Virtual Missions (software deployments onto existing onboard compute, sensors, and connectivity, including 15+ AI-enabled missions on orbit). The company has launched 14 satellites, serves 60+ customers including NASA, the US Space Development Agency, the French DGA and CNES, BAE Systems, Honeywell, Eutelsat, Microsoft, and Helsing, and operates from San Francisco (HQ), Golden, CO (Integration and Test Center), and Toulouse, France.
Revenue is generated primarily through multi-year managed-services contracts for satellite integration, launch, and operations (e.g., $150M EarthDaily, €50M DESIR), supplemented by subscription/usage-based pricing for virtual missions and rideshare deployments. With $139.6M in 2025 revenue, ~323 employees, $500M+ in lifetime bookings on roughly $160M of pre-Series-C capital, and a $170M Series C closed in January 2025, Loft combines the capital efficiency of a software-platform business with the operational depth of a vertically integrated satellite operator. Its FOCI-mitigated Loft Federal subsidiary and Loft France SAS position it to serve both US classified programs and European sovereign space initiatives.
Loft Orbital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Loft Orbital
- Legal name
- Loft Orbital Solutions Inc.
- Website
- https://loftorbital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Loft Orbital provides satellite-as-a-service infrastructure that lets governments, defense agencies, and commercial customers deploy payloads or AI applications on standardized LEO satellites without building their own, serving 60+ customers via its Hub, Cockpit, and Ultimate Edge platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Loft Orbital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Satellite Infrastructure as a Service
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Satellite Telecommunications (517410)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services) (HDAIAJAI)
Keywords
Where Loft Orbital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Loft Orbital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Satellite-as-a-Service / Constellation-as-a-Service: Loft provides end-to-end mission services including satellite integration, launch procurement, and operations management for a fee. Customers include governments and commercial companies deploying hosted payloads or full constellations. Pricing is negotiated per mission (e.g., $150M EarthDaily 10-satellite constellation deal, €50M French DESIR radar imaging contract). Revenue is recurring as Loft manages and operates satellites post-launch.
- Virtual Mission / Software Deployment: Customers deploy software applications onto Loft's existing satellite infrastructure (virtual missions). Loft provides onboard compute resources, sensors, and connectivity access to software developers and analytics companies. Revenue is derived from deployment fees and recurring access charges for onboard resources. Partnership with Microsoft Azure Orbital enables broad developer access.
- Rideshare Mission Services: Deploy customer payloads on regularly scheduled rideshare missions (e.g., SpaceX Transporter missions). Customers pay only for the resources used onboard the satellite, offering capital efficiency. Loft pre-books launches 3x per year and manages all pre-flight licensing and launch vehicle integration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Constellation-as-a-Service: Full constellation deployment and operation |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Rideshare Mission: Payload deployment on scheduled rideshare |
| Subscription | Annual | Virtual Mission: Software deployment on existing satellite infrastructure |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Loft Orbital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Loft Orbital provides satellite infrastructure as a service, operating a fleet of standardized low-Earth-orbit satellites on which customers can either host physical payloads (Physical Missions: rideshare, dedicated, or constellation deployments on Longbow/500kg-class buses) or deploy software applications directly to onboard compute, sensors, and connectivity (Virtual Missions via Ultimate Edge). The company handles integration, launch procurement, and end-to-end mission operations, removing the multi-year, capital-intensive process of building bespoke satellites.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Altair: AI-enabled, multi-sensor 10-satellite constellation for near real-time change monitoring with multiple sensors, edge computing, and intersatellite links.
- Cockpit
- Hub
- Ultimate Edge
- HubKit
- YAM (Yet Another Mission)
Products and services
- Physical Missions Loft Orbital's hosted-payload and rideshare service enabling customers to deploy physical payloads on standardized Longbow (Airbus Arrow bus) or 500kg-class satellite platforms. Options include dedicated missions (full satellite configured to requirements), rideshare missions (payload on scheduled SpaceX Transporter with shared costs, pre-booked 3x per year), and constellation services (multi-satellite deployment). Customers include governments (CNES, DGA, NASA, SDA) and commercial companies (EarthDaily, Helsing, Honeywell, BAE Systems, Wyvern).
- Virtual Missions Service enabling software developers, AI companies, and analytics firms to deploy applications onto Loft's existing satellite infrastructure without developing or launching their own hardware. Customers build, test, and deploy AI/ML apps via the Ultimate Edge platform to access onboard sensors (hyperspectral, multispectral, RF), AI-ready compute with GPU acceleration, and inter-satellite link connectivity. Microsoft Azure Orbital SDK extends access to the broader developer community.
- Altair Constellation Planned 10-satellite, AI-enabled, multi-sensor Earth observation constellation under multi-year CNES contract for near real-time change monitoring. Each satellite integrates optical, thermal infrared, hyperspectral, and RF sensors with advanced onboard computing for real-time data fusion and persistent monitoring across maritime, battlefield, border security, and environmental use cases.
- Ultimate Edge End-to-end virtual mission platform providing a containerized, cloud-based development environment that replicates Loft's edge processing framework on orbit. Developers build, test, and validate applications using flight-representative tools in a virtual test bench, then deploy to the secure UE runtime environment onboard Loft satellites to access sensors, compute, and connectivity resources. Integrated with Microsoft Azure Orbital Space Edge SDK.
Quantifiable outcome
- Payload deployment timeline reduced to as little as 6 months from delivery to orbit
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Loft Orbital
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Loft Orbital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability9 records
Feature7 records
Loft Orbital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)coreLoft signed an agreement with NASA JPL to host and demonstrate JPL AI software on Loft's AI-enabled space infrastructure as part of the Federated Autonomous MEasurement (FAME) project. Flight demonstrations began June 2026, with additional deployments planned for 2027-2028. The collaboration advances on-orbit AI capabilities for Earth science remote sensing, enabling near real-time processing of data on wildfires, flooding, and natural disasters without ground intervention. The program serves as a scalable model for hosting government AI payloads on commercial satellites.
- SmartSat CRCcorePartnership to deploy wildfire detection application on Loft's on-orbit AI-enabled satellites. SmartSat CRC (Australian Government funded) brings hyperspectral signature algorithms for smoke detection from low Earth orbit, demonstrating near real-time software-based wildfire detection capability.
- Thales Alenia SpaceflagshipThales Alenia Space is co-developing the SAR radar payload for France's DESIR program alongside TEKEVER France. The payload is co-designed to ensure mastery of critical technologies and IP remains under French control. Loft serves as prime contractor.
- TEKEVER FranceflagshipPart of the industrial consortium for France's DESIR sovereign SAR satellite program, working with Loft as prime contractor and Thales Alenia Space on radar payload development.
- CNES (French Space Agency)flagshipCNES awarded multiple contracts: IOD-IOV framework with three consecutive missions (2026-2028) and strategic access to the Altair constellation under France 2030. Total contract value up to tens of millions of euros. Loft selected as trusted European partner for sovereign space capabilities.
- Safran ReoscminorFlying SEEING, a new generation compact optical instrument for high-resolution Earth observation, as part of CNES IOD-IOV missions. Validates a lighter, more efficient camera architecture for future commercial and institutional constellations.
- Airbus Defence and SpaceminorTesting two building blocks for next-gen satellites on CNES IOD-IOV missions: high-throughput communications experiment (Ka and Q-band frequencies with ONERA) and advanced thermal control subsystem.
- Magellium Artal GroupflagshipDeveloping sovereign user ground segment for CNES Altair constellation access under France 2030 program. Ensures secure processing, data quality monitoring, and control of data chain for institutional users in compliance with security and sovereignty requirements.
- Dr. Kathleen HickscoreFormer Deputy Secretary of Defense (35th DSD) joined Loft Orbital's Board of Directors. Brings 30+ years of experience integrating advanced technologies into defense and intelligence operations, including launching technology accelerators that tripled defense investment in AI and emerging technologies.
- HelsingcoreStrategic partnership to jointly develop and deploy Europe's first AI-powered multi-sensor satellite constellation for governmental, defense, and security applications. Helsing deploys its specialized AI models onto Loft's infrastructure for real-time RF signal intelligence, change detection, and maritime monitoring.
- Microsoft (Azure Orbital)coreMicrosoft Azure Space partnership enables developers to deploy AI applications to Loft satellites using Microsoft Azure Orbital Space Edge SDK and Loft-specific satellite APIs. Microsoft provides cloud development environment and on-orbit application framework for YAM-6 and subsequent AI-enabled satellites.
- Airbus OneWeb SatellitescoreAirbus OneWeb Satellites produces the satellite bus platforms (Longbow/Arrow) that Loft uses. Loft has ordered 15+ additional buses from Airbus. The partnership enables production of up to 30 buses per month and flight heritage from 600+ units in orbit.
- SpaceXcoreSpaceX provides launch services via its Falcon 9 rideshare missions. Loft has used multiple Transporter missions (Transporter-10, -13, -15, -16) for satellite deployments. SpaceX is Loft's primary launch provider.
- EspercoreEsper selected Loft as its space infrastructure provider to integrate and operate Four Leaf Clover (FLC) hyperspectral sensors onboard upcoming YAM satellites starting 2026. The FLC constellation supports critical mineral identification, methane detection, precision agriculture, and national security applications.
- Marlan Space (UAE)coreJoint venture Orbitworks established with Marlan Space (affiliated with International Holding Company, Abu Dhabi) to create the Middle East's first private satellite production company. $100M initial investment targeting production of up to fifty 500kg satellites annually. First satellite planned for launch in 2026. Loft provides satellites to the JV under contract.
- WyverncoreWyvern expanding its Dragonette hyperspectral satellite constellation leveraging Loft's space infrastructure. Dragonette-005 hyperspectral camera on YAM-9, with capacity expansion on Loft's platform for hyperspectral customers.
- EarthDaily Analyticsflagship$150M agreement for Loft to integrate, launch, and operate a 10-satellite Earth observation constellation (modified OneWeb platforms from Airbus). Six satellites launched in May 2026, three more planned before year-end. EarthDaily constellation is purpose-built to deliver daily globally consistent measurement of planetary change.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Loft Orbital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Planet Labs: Planet operates the world's largest commercial Earth observation constellation and sells imagery and analytics to defense, intelligence, civil and commercial customers. It is a direct comparable as a constellation operator with a managed-services sales motion into the same end markets as Loft Orbital.
- Apex Space: Apex builds satellite bus platforms and offers constellation-as-a-service offerings for commercial and government customers. Like Loft, it focuses on standardizing spacecraft production to enable rapid customer deployment, competing in hosted-payload and constellation services.
- BlackSky Holdings: BlackSky operates a constellation of high-revisit Earth observation satellites with on-orbit tasking and analytics services for defense, intelligence and commercial customers. It is comparable to Loft's EarthDaily-class offerings in terms of subscription-based Earth intelligence.
- York Space Systems: York manufactures standardized satellite buses and provides end-to-end mission services for government and commercial customers (notably SDA Transport Layer Tranche awards). It competes directly with Loft Orbital in the space-infrastructure-as-a-service category for defense and civil programs.
- Spire Global: Spire operates a large LEO satellite constellation delivering weather, maritime and aviation data, plus space-as-a-service missions for government customers. Its managed data services and hosted-payload model closely parallel Loft Orbital's recurring-services revenue model.
Emerging players
- Satellogic: Satellogic is building a high-resolution Earth observation constellation with asset-light manufacturing and dedicated customer satellites. Its constellation-as-a-service offering competes with Loft's hosted-payload model for commercial and government customers.
- D-Orbit: D-Orbit provides in-orbit services including satellite deployment, hosted payload services and orbital transfer. While more focused on in-orbit transportation, it competes for rideshare and hosted-payload customers adjacent to Loft's rideshare and physical-mission offerings.
- Iceye: Iceye operates the world's largest commercial SAR satellite constellation and provides persistent monitoring to defense and civil customers. It overlaps with Loft Orbital in SAR-driven Earth observation and recently moved toward providing satellite platform and mission services as well.
- Capella Space: Capella operates a commercial SAR constellation and serves defense, intelligence and commercial customers with on-demand imagery. It is comparable to Loft Orbital's SAR-adjacent use cases (e.g., DESIR) and competes for sovereign and commercial SAR customers.
Broad incumbents
- Ball Aerospace: Ball Aerospace (a BAE Systems business) is a major space prime with deep government and SDA relationships, including partnering with Loft Federal on NExT. As a broad incumbent, it competes for the same government hosted-payload and constellation programs but across a much wider portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Loft Orbital social profiles
Digital presenceLoft Orbital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Loft Orbital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Loft Orbital subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Loft Orbital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors35 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Loft Orbital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Loft Orbital
What does Loft Orbital do?
Loft Orbital provides satellite infrastructure as a service, operating a fleet of standardized low-Earth-orbit satellites on which customers can either host physical payloads (Physical Missions: rideshare, dedicated, or constellation deployments on Longbow/500kg-class buses) or deploy software applications directly to onboard compute, sensors, and connectivity (Virtual Missions via Ultimate Edge). The company handles integration, launch procurement, and end-to-end mission operations, removing the multi-year, capital-intensive process of building bespoke satellites.
Is Loft Orbital a public or private company?
Loft Orbital is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Loft Orbital founded?
Loft Orbital was founded in 2017. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Loft Orbital based?
Loft Orbital is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Loft Orbital make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Satellite-as-a-Service / Constellation-as-a-Service is the primary driver. The others are virtual Mission / Software Deployment and rideshare Mission Services.
Who are Loft Orbital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Planet Labs, Apex Space, BlackSky Holdings, York Space Systems and Spire Global. Emerging players are Satellogic, D-Orbit, Iceye and Capella Space. Ball Aerospace is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Loft Orbital have an API?
Yes. Loft's Cockpit mission control software offers API integration options for connecting to existing mission operations tools. Customers can use Cockpit's web-based UI for intuitive payload tasking and monitoring across Loft's fleet of LEO satellites, or integrate via API into existing tools. Loft's satellite APIs provide access to onboard sensors and compute platforms, and the Microsoft Azure Orbital space edge SDK enables developers to deploy applications to Loft satellites. Developer documentation is at loft-orbital.navattic.com/cockpit-requesting-flow.
What industry is Loft Orbital in?
Loft Orbital's product category is Satellite Infrastructure as a Service. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAB, Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial), with a secondary code of HDAIAJAI, Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services). Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.