Loft Orbital

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.

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

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

• Satellite-as-a-service
• Hosted payload services
• Constellation-as-a-service
• On-orbit AI infrastructure
• Earth observation satellites

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Loft 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 CRCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026Partnership 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 SpaceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2026Thales 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 FranceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2026Part 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)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025CNES 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 ReoscminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Flying 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 SpaceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Testing 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 GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Developing 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 HickscoreOthers · 10 October 2025Former 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 or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2025Strategic 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)coreTechnology or Integration · 14 January 2025Microsoft 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 SatellitescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2025Airbus 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.
• SpaceXcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 January 2025SpaceX 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.
• EspercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Esper 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2024Joint 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.
• WyverncoreTechnology or Integration · 6 September 2023Wyvern 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 AnalyticsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2022$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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/loftorbital
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn1spY7XAP5mZOGT2XZNpbQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/loft-orbital
• Instagraminstagram.com/loftorbital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors35 records

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Loft Orbital