What Telescope Live Ltd does

Telescope Live Ltd operates a self-serve remote astrophotography platform founded around 2019-2020 and headquartered in London. The company built a four-year, hemispheric network of professional-grade telescopes sited under optimal dark-sky conditions in Australia, Chile, Spain, New Mexico, and Arizona, supplemented by a partner astrophotographer program that contributes additional datasets and imaging modalities. Its product surface spans One-Click Observations (pre-curated, fully calibrated images delivered with raw data for immediate download), Curated Datasets (1-15 credits per dataset, priced by exposure time and telescope complexity), an Academy for astronomical education, a 696-article blog, a community Gallery/Wallpapers feature, and a partner forum.

The business model combines recurring subscription plans (including a Silver tier with a 1-week free trial) with usage-based credit purchases for datasets and individual observations, plus a transaction-style credit economy around wallpaper downloads where contributors earn credits when others download their images. Go-to-market is product-led and community-led: organic acquisition flows through the blog, Academy, Facebook/Instagram, monthly picture contests, and the user gallery, with a self-serve web app for activation and monetization. Customers are primarily hobbyist astrophotographers (beginner to expert) and academic researchers/educators, with general space enthusiasts as a secondary segment. The company has 8 employees, is founder-controlled, has no disclosed institutional funding, and is currently in beta with its next-generation TL4 platform ahead of a Spring 2025 public launch.

Name

Telescope Live Ltd

Legal name

Telescope Live Ltd

Website

https://telescope.live

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Telescope Live Ltd operates a self-serve remote astrophotography platform that delivers pre-calibrated images, raw datasets, and educational content from a hemispheric network of professional telescopes to hobbyist astrophotographers, academic researchers, and space enthusiasts worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Remote Astrophotography Platform

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

Keywords

• Remote astrophotography platform
• Telescope network access
• Astronomical dataset subscriptions
• Astrophotography education services
• Space imagery platform

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans: Recurring subscription model providing tiered access to telescope network, datasets, and platform features. Includes Silver plan and other tiers with varying credit allocations and feature access.
2. One-Click Observations: Purchase of pre-processed, ready-to-use astrophotography images. Users select from thousands of catalogued images available for immediate download. Most affordable way to obtain processed images daily with scientific-grade telescope quality.
3. Dataset Credits: Credits-based system for accessing curated astronomical datasets. Datasets range from 1-15 credits depending on complexity and exposure time. Users buy credits to download specific telescope data for post-processing.
4. Wallpaper Downloads: High-resolution astrophotography wallpapers available for download by community members. Authors earn credits when others download their wallpapers, creating a contributor incentive loop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Telescope Live operates a remote astrophotography platform that provides affordable, democratized access to a global network of professional-grade telescopes located under the clearest skies in both hemispheres. Customers subscribe to access the telescope network, purchase One-Click Observations (pre-curated, fully-calibrated astrophotography images ready for immediate download), or buy raw curated datasets using a credit-based pricing system. The platform serves individuals seeking scientific-grade space imagery without owning equipment, and serves education and research users with access to astronomical data and learning resources.

Product overview

Telescope Live is a remote astrophotography platform that provides universal access to the night sky through a network of professional-grade telescopes located under optimal viewing conditions in both hemispheres. The platform operates a unified ecosystem comprising: (1) One-Click Observations for immediately downloadable processed images and raw data, (2) Curated Datasets for high-quality astrophotography collections, (3) an Academy offering educational resources on astronomical concepts, (4) a Blog delivering astronomy news and research commentary, (5) a Wallpapers/Gallery for community-created astrophotography, and (6) Learning/Tutorials for skill development. The company also maintains a Forum for community engagement. Users subscribe to access the telescope network and can use a free trial to evaluate the service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Telescope Live Academy: Educational resources including tutorials and articles about astronomy, space, and astrophotography techniques.
• One-Click Observations

Products and services

• One-Click Observations Pre-curated, fully-calibrated astrophotography images from Telescope Live's network, curated by expert astronomers and astrophotographers. Each observation includes both original raw data sets and a high-quality colored picture ready for post-processing and sharing, available for immediate download without waiting for clear skies.
• Curated Datasets A rich collection of high-quality astrophotography datasets captured by professional telescopes in the Telescope Live network. Users purchase datasets using the credit system (1-15 credits per dataset depending on complexity and exposure time) to download raw telescope data for post-processing without owning personal equipment.
• Subscription Plans Tiered recurring subscription plans providing access to the Telescope Live telescope network and platform features, including One-Click Observations access and credit allocations. Includes the Silver Plan and other tiers with monthly billing and a 1-week free trial for new users.

Quantifiable outcome

• Most affordable way on the market to obtain processed images daily with scientific-grade telescope quality
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bernard MillercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Partner astrophotographer contributing deep-sky datasets captured with a Planewave CDK-17 telescope (17-inch aperture), FLI Proline PL16803 camera, Astrodon LRGB and narrowband filters (Ha, OIII, SII), and Paramount ME mount. Located in Dark Sky New Mexico near Animas, USA. His work has been featured in Astronomy Magazine, Sky & Telescope website, and NASA's APOD.
• Mark JohnstoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Partner contributing high-resolution solar datasets from multiple solar telescopes based in Arizona. NASA Solar System Ambassador, ACEAP ambassador to Chile, and Vice President of Phoenix Astronomical Society. Equipment includes custom 160mm Ha double stack refractor, Player One cameras, Baader/Daystar/Lunt filters, and ML Astro SHG700 spectroheliograph for multi-wavelength solar imaging.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• PixInsight: PixInsight is a specialized image-processing platform widely used by astrophotographers for stacking, calibration, and post-processing. It is a complementary rather than competing product — PixInsight handles the workflow that follows downloading raw data from Telescope Live's platform.
• ZWO: ZWO designs and manufactures dedicated astronomy cameras, filter wheels, and smart telescope control units widely used in amateur astrophotography. It is an enabling hardware provider in the same ecosystem rather than a direct competitor, but its products power many of the telescope setups used by Telescope Live's user base.
• Celestron: Celestron is a leading manufacturer of consumer and prosumer telescopes, mounts, and astrophotography accessories. While not a direct service competitor, it competes indirectly by enabling self-hosted astrophotography, which is the alternative Telescope Live displaces for users who do not want to own equipment.

Direct peers

• LightBuckets: LightBuckets is a remote telescope rental and imaging platform serving amateur astronomers, providing web-based access to a network of telescopes in dark-sky locations. It competes in the same remote astrophotography data subscription category as Telescope Live, primarily differentiated by its hosting/rental model.
• Slooh: Slooh operates a global network of online telescopes with a subscription model serving astronomy enthusiasts and educators. It is the most directly comparable competitor to Telescope Live, offering live telescope viewing, image capture, and educational content under a similar product-led, self-serve distribution approach.
• Deep Sky West: Deep Sky West operates a remote astrophotography hosting and image-capture service in dark-sky New Mexico, offering users access to telescope data without owning equipment. It overlaps with Telescope Live's telescope-network value proposition at a smaller, more regionally focused scale.
• iTelescope.net: iTelescope.net provides pay-per-use remote access to a network of professional-grade telescopes located in dark-sky sites worldwide. It serves a similar astrophotography enthusiast customer base with usage-based rather than subscription pricing, making it a direct alternative for the same target market.
• Sierra Remote Observatories: Sierra Remote Observatories provides hosted telescope access and remote imaging services for amateur and professional astronomers, with infrastructure in California's Sierra Nevada. It targets the same astrophotography use case as Telescope Live through remote telescope time, differing mainly in geographic concentration and pricing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/telescopelive
• Instagraminstagram.com/telescope.live
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telescopelive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Telescope Live Ltd