Orbital Astronautics
Orbital Astronautics (OrbAstro) is a UK-based, vertically integrated satellite manufacturer and constellation operations provider selling standardised nanosatellites and ESPA-class platforms, mission control software, and managed ground and AI-powered ops services to constellation operators and payload developers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersOxford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Orbital Astronautics does
Orbital Astronautics Ltd. (OrbAstro) is a privately held, vertically integrated UK satellite manufacturer and constellation operations provider headquartered in Goring, Oxfordshire. Founded in 2017 and led by founder and CEO Ash Dove-Jay, the company designs, builds, and operates satellites in two platform classes: nanosatellites (ORB-8 and ORB-16, in 8U and 16U form factors) and ESPA-class satellites (ORB-0.1T, ORB-0.5T, and ORB-1T, supporting payload masses from 100kg to 1,000kg). All subsystems, flight code, and assembly/integration/test processes are developed in-house at a 20,000 sq ft facility with stated throughput capacity of approximately 500 satellites per year.
The technology stack centres on Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC flight computers, 3-axis space-grade fibre-optic gyros, water-based electric propulsion, Ka-band software-defined radios, and a proprietary AI operations engine called Abel, which runs on a 97 petaFLOP processing cluster and provides satellite health monitoring, RF optimisation, and anomaly detection. A geographically distributed S-band and Ka-band ground station network spanning the UK, Canada, Iceland, India, Australia, and South Korea provides roughly 280 passes and 2,000 contact minutes per week, with interoperability into AWS Ground Station, KSAT, and LeafSpace. The company reports 12+ years of cumulative orbital heritage across more than a dozen flight missions and has collaborated with ESA on radiation hardening.
OrbAstro sells its satellites under standard fixed-price contracts (£300K-£600K per platform depending on class), with an attached two-year baseline operations package and tiered subscription services ranging from £4,000/month for basic S-band ground link to £200,000/month for full Ka-band high-rate downlink with managed mission operations. The company explicitly avoids venture capital and states that its pricing is set by satellite and service economics rather than investor return expectations. Customers are constellation operators, IP- and payload-focused start-ups, and high-capacity payload operators building Earth observation, IoT, and communications constellations.
Orbital Astronautics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Orbital Astronautics
- Legal name
- Orbital Astronautics Ltd.
- Website
- https://orbastro.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Orbital Astronautics (OrbAstro) is a UK-based, vertically integrated satellite manufacturer and constellation operations provider selling standardised nanosatellites and ESPA-class platforms, mission control software, and managed ground and AI-powered ops services to constellation operators and payload developers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Orbital Astronautics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Satellite Manufacturing and Constellation Operations
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Satellite Telecommunications (51741), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI), Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK), Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services) (HDAIAJAI)
Keywords
Where Orbital Astronautics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oxford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Orbital Astronautics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Satellite Hardware Sales: One-time sale of satellite platforms including ORB-16 (£350,000), ORB-8, ORB-0.1T (£300,000), ORB-0.5T (£450,000), and ORB-1T (£600,000). Prices include baseline satellite, Flat-Sat access, Mission Control System access, payload integration support, flight acceptance testing, launch permit support for LEO, spectrum filing, secure storage, commissioning, and basic operations capability.
- Mission Control & Operations Services: Recurring monthly operations packages. Baseline S-band Ground-Link starts at £4,000/month for 1GB/day. Ka-band High-Rate Downlink tiers range from £9,000/month (Tier 1) to £200,000/month (Tier 6 for 1TB/day). OrbAstro-managed Mission Operations adds £4,000/month. Constellation Operations adds £12,000/month. Additional services include third-party ground station integration (£25,000 setup + £2,000/month).
- Optional Upgrades and Add-ons: Additional revenue from optional extras including High Performance Satellite Upgrade (+£150,000 to +£375,000), Deployable Solar Panels (+£75,000 to +£1,220,000), EPS Battery upgrades (+£30,000 to +£120,000), Additional Onboard Data Storage (+£20,000 to £35,000), Additional Onboard Computer (+£12,000 to +£45,000), Satellite EQM Chassis (+£15,000 to +£90,000), and Launch Procurement & Management (+£9,500/kg).
- In-Orbit Platform Performance Warranty: Optional in-orbit platform warranty providing replacement and re-performance of covered service scope if platform is lost within agreed orbital envelope during first year on orbit. Warranty is narrow by design, covering Constructive Total Loss from qualifying platform defects, excluding payloads, launch, ground systems, regulatory issues, and external in-orbit hazards.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | ORB-16 Nanosatellite: £350,000 baseline price with 16U form factor, up to 27.1kg payload mass, 60W continuous/2kW peak power, 2-year baseline ops package included |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | ORB-8 Nanosatellite: Lower cost 8U-class platform, up to 9.8kg payload mass |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | ORB-0.1T ESPA-class: £300,000 baseline price with ¼-Plate form factor, up to 100kg payload mass |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | ORB-0.5T ESPA-class: £450,000 baseline price with ½-Plate form factor, up to 500kg payload mass |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | ORB-1T ESPA-class: £600,000 baseline price with Full-Plate form factor, up to 1,000kg payload mass, 8kW peak power |
| Subscription | Monthly | Baseline Operations Package: Mandatory monthly service starting at £4,000/month for S-band only |
| Subscription | Monthly | Ka-band High-Rate Downlink Capacity: £9,000 to £200,000/month depending on data volume |
| Subscription | Monthly | OrbAstro-managed Mission Operations: £4,000/month additional |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | High Performance Satellite Upgrade: +£150,000 to +£375,000 depending on platform |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Deployable Solar Panels: +£75,000 to +£1,220,000 depending on platform and configuration |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | EPS Battery Upgrades: +£30,000 to +£120,000 depending on platform and capacity |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Launch Procurement & Management: +£9,500/kg |
| Subscription | Monthly | Third-Party Ground Station Integration: £25,000 setup + £2,000/month |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels1 record
Orbital Astronautics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Orbital Astronautics designs, manufactures, and operates vertically integrated satellite platforms for constellation deployment, spanning nanosatellites (ORB-8, ORB-16) and ESPA-class satellites (ORB-0.1T, ORB-0.5T, ORB-1T). The company delivers full end-to-end mission services including Flat-Sat development, payload integration, launch procurement, Mission Control System access, AI-driven operations via the Abel engine, and a global ground station network. Customers receive satellites and ongoing operations as a managed service so they can focus on payloads, IP, and end-user applications rather than spacecraft infrastructure.
Product overview
OrbAstro is an end-to-end satellite constellation provider offering standardised, batch-produced, flight-proven satellites across two platform classes: Nanosatellites (ORB-8, ORB-16 in 8U and 16U form factors) and ESPA-class satellites (ORB-0.1T, ORB-0.5T, ORB-1T supporting 100kg to 1,000kg payloads). The product portfolio is built around vertical integration, combining proprietary satellite platforms with the Abel AI engine, Mission Control System, global ground station network (S-band & Ka-band spanning UK, Canada, Iceland, India, Australia, South Korea), Flat-Sat development/testing tools, Day-in-the-Life testing, and comprehensive Mission Control & Operations services. The architecture enables customers to scale from pilot missions to full constellation deployment without re-platforming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Abel: AI operations engine providing intelligence layer for satellite health monitoring, RF optimisation, anomaly detection, and constellation-scale decision support. Runs on OrbAstro's 97 petaFLOP data centre.
Products and services
- ORB-1T ESPA-class satellite
- ORB-0.5T ESPA-class satellite
- ORB-0.1T ESPA-class satellite
- ORB-16 nanosatellite
- ORB-8 nanosatellite
- Mission Control System
- Abel AI Engine
- S-band & Ka-band Ground Station Network
- Mission Control & Operations Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 500 satellites per year manufacturing capacity
- +13 more outcomes
Companies that use Orbital Astronautics
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Orbital Astronautics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature6 records
Orbital Astronautics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AWS Ground StationcoreOrbAstro satellites are interoperable with AWS ground station infrastructure, giving customers flexibility in ground-segment architecture, resilience, and regional access strategy. AWS customers can use OrbAstro satellites with their existing AWS ground infrastructure.
- KSAT (Kongsberg Satellite Services)coreOrbAstro satellites are interoperable with KSAT ground station network, one of the world's largest commercial ground station networks. Provides customers with additional access points and resilience options.
- LeafSpacecoreOrbAstro satellites are interoperable with LeafSpace ground station infrastructure, providing additional flexibility for customers requiring regional access or specific ground architecture configurations.
- ESA (European Space Agency)coreOrbAstro developed EDAC-protected memory and hardware/software SEU mitigation in collaboration with ESA, aligned with ESA mission assurance practices. This collaboration supports their estimated radiation-limited lifetime of 25+ years in LEO.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Orbital Astronautics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NanoAvionics: Lithuania/US smallsat bus manufacturer offering standardized satellite platforms (MP42, OBC) with end-to-end mission services for constellation operators—nearly identical business model to OrbAstro's vertically integrated flight-proven platform approach.
- Spire Global: Public smallsat operator running its own LEO constellation of 100+ cubesats for weather, AIS, and RF data—and historically supplied platforms to third parties—anchors the same customer segment of data-driven constellation operators.
- AAC Clyde Space: UK-listed smallsat manufacturer providing cube/nanosatellite platforms, payload subsystems, and constellation services to operators—directly comparable in offering structure, target customer (constellation start-ups), and geographical base (Scotland).
- York Space Systems: US small/ESPA-class satellite platform manufacturer with standardized buses and constellation mission services—directly comparable ESPA-class product (LX-Class) and government customer focus.
- KSAT (Kongsberg Satellite Services): World's largest commercial ground station network operator with locations on multiple continents—direct peer in the ground segment layer that OrbAstro both operates and integrates with for its customers.
- Leaf Space: Italy-based ground-station-as-a-service provider with globally distributed S/X/Ka-band antennas—direct peer for OrbAstro's ground segment business and an explicit integration partner for OrbAstro satellites.
- Terran Orbital: US-listed smallsat bus manufacturer and constellation operator (Rivada, Lockheed Martin partnership) with vertically integrated satellite platforms and end-to-end mission services—comparable in architecture, though at larger VC-funded scale.
- ICEYE: Operates one of the largest commercial SAR satellite constellations on a standardized smallsat bus with in-house ground and ops stack—directly comparable vertically integrated constellation model targeting high-value payload use cases.
Broad incumbents
- OHB SE: European space prime building small/medium satellites, constellations (e.g. Galileo, Copernicus) and full missions—a broader incumbent with overlapping ESPA-class and constellation capabilities as well as institutional footprint.
- SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology): UK-based smallsat pioneer and Airbus subsidiary delivering small/medium satellite platforms and constellations globally—incumbent comparable in capability and geography, broader portfolio across EO, comms, and science missions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Orbital Astronautics social profiles
Digital presenceOrbital Astronautics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Orbital Astronautics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Orbital Astronautics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Orbital Astronautics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Orbital Astronautics
What does Orbital Astronautics do?
Orbital Astronautics designs, manufactures, and operates vertically integrated satellite platforms for constellation deployment, spanning nanosatellites (ORB-8, ORB-16) and ESPA-class satellites (ORB-0.1T, ORB-0.5T, ORB-1T). The company delivers full end-to-end mission services including Flat-Sat development, payload integration, launch procurement, Mission Control System access, AI-driven operations via the Abel engine, and a global ground station network. Customers receive satellites and ongoing operations as a managed service so they can focus on payloads, IP, and end-user applications rather than spacecraft infrastructure.
Is Orbital Astronautics a public or private company?
Orbital Astronautics is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Orbital Astronautics founded?
Orbital Astronautics was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Orbital Astronautics based?
Orbital Astronautics is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Orbital Astronautics make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Satellite Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are mission Control & Operations Services, optional Upgrades and Add-ons and in-Orbit Platform Performance Warranty.
Who are Orbital Astronautics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NanoAvionics, Spire Global, AAC Clyde Space, York Space Systems, KSAT (Kongsberg Satellite Services), Leaf Space, Terran Orbital and ICEYE. Broad incumbents are OHB SE and SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology).
Does Orbital Astronautics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Orbital Astronautics.
What industry is Orbital Astronautics in?
Orbital Astronautics's product category is Satellite Manufacturing and Constellation Operations. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAB, Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial), with a secondary code of IMABACAI, Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software. Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.