Startup profile · funding coverage
Observable Space funding, valuation and investors
LA space-tech company building full-stack optical systems for laser comms, space domain awareness, and in-space payloads.
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Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Series A
$90M · May 2026
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
$90M
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
private
series a · Los Angeles, California, USA
Investors in latest funding
Lead: Lux Capital
Other: Upfront Ventures , RTX Ventures , Detroit Venture Partners , Island Green Capital , BRV Capital
Overview
Observable Space, headquartered in Los Angeles, is a vertically integrated space technology company developing advanced optical systems for laser communications, ground-based space domain awareness, and in-space payloads. Its Advanced Telescope Optics Mobility System (ATOMS) deploys mobile, off-grid robotic telescopes for tracking orbital objects. The company manufactures in Adrian, Michigan, with expansion planned in Detroit, plus spacecraft engineering labs in LA. Observable reports 2.6M automated tasks executed, 20M+ targets identified, and 84,000 hours of continuous orbital monitoring. In May 2026, it closed a $90M Series A led by Lux Capital alongside a $94M sole-sourced U.S. Space Force IDIQ contract with $22M in initial task orders under the APFIT program for distributed optical infrastructure.
Why Observable Space is interesting
Observable Space closed $90M Series A alongside a $94M Space Force IDIQ — near-parity between equity and contracted demand de-risks a hard-tech optics bet before revenue scale.
Product & use cases
Observable Space builds turnkey laser communications ground stations, deployable optical sensing for space domain awareness, and in-space optical payloads — vertically integrated from manufacturing through software.
- Space Force space domain awareness via mobile, attritable ground telescopes (ATOMS)
- Laser communications ground infrastructure for satellite broadband and defense datalinks
- Commercial and government orbital object tracking with geographically distributed optical sensors
- In-space optical payloads for sensing, navigation, and communications from orbit
Key facts
- Series A (May 2026): $90M led by Lux Capital — co-led by Upfront Ventures, RTX Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners
- U.S. Space Force IDIQ: $94M maximum value with $22M initial task orders (APFIT program)
- ATOMS mobile telescopes augment government space domain awareness with resilient, distributed ground optics
- Manufacturing in Adrian, MI; expanding Detroit facility; LA spacecraft and design labs
- Platform metrics: 2.6M automated tasks, 20M+ targets identified, 84K hours orbital monitoring (dot.LA)
- Full-stack: manufacturing, lasers, systems, and software for free-space optical infrastructure
Funding history (newest first)
Series A
2026-05 $90M- Lux Capital (lead)
- Upfront Ventures (participant)
- RTX Ventures (participant)
- Detroit Venture Partners (participant)
- Island Green Capital (participant)
- BRV Capital (participant)
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from Observable Space's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: Vertically integrated full stack — manufacturing, lasers, systems, and software — paired with contracted government demand before scaling commercial lasercom partnerships.
Space rounds in 2026 get de-risked by contracted demand — Observable's $90M equity paired with $94M Space Force IDIQ is the clearest validation pattern. Free-space optics are the orbital internet backbone; Observable bets full-stack manufacturing in the U.S. wins versus component suppliers as AI bandwidth and defense SDA needs converge.
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Mynaric direct
Laser communications terminals for air and space; Observable adds ground-based sensing and manufacturing scale versus terminal-focused approach.
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CACI / legacy aerospace optics contractors incumbent
Established defense optics suppliers; Observable competes on commercial manufacturing speed, attritable mobile systems, and integrated software.
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ExoAnalytic Solutions direct
Commercial space domain awareness via ground telescopes; Observable differentiates with full-stack lasercom plus SDA and Space Force contract validation.
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Blue Origin / Kuiper ground infrastructure adjacent
Large satellite operators building comms infrastructure; Observable sells optical systems and sensing to defense and commercial customers rather than owning constellations.
Notable stories
- Lux Capital partner Shahin Farshchi framed Observable as winning 'the race to capture light' — fiber optics built the terrestrial internet, free-space optics will be the orbital backbone (company press release, May 2026).
- The $22M initial Space Force task order funds ATOMS mobile telescopes under the Deployable Attritable Optical program — Observable became prime on government optical infrastructure before Series A closed (Aviation Week, SpaceNews).
Industries
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