Open Cosmos has secured a $300 million investment round, catapulting the UK satellite firm into an elite tier of European space startups with serious expansion firepower.
Lightrock steered the funding, while a roster of institutional heavyweights joined the syndicate. Among them: ETF Partners, Institut Català de Finances, Entrepreneurs First, the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, Phoenix Court, Convex Group, Claret Capital Partners, and two major international pension funds.
The Oxford-based company launched in 2015 and now operates facilities across four countries. Nearly 400 employees work from locations in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, and Greece.
This capital infusion lands at a moment when Europe pushes aggressively to strengthen its sovereign space capabilities. Smaller satellite manufacturers have drawn sustained investor interest as governments and private enterprises alike seek alternatives to traditional aerospace giants.
Open Cosmos specializes in compact satellites designed for Earth observation and data collection. The company bills its approach as faster and cheaper than legacy space programs, a pitch that resonates with customers from agriculture to climate monitoring to defense.
Meanwhile, Europe’s space sector faces heightened competition both from established US players and from a wave of nimble startups. Fresh funding gives Open Cosmos room to scale manufacturing and pursue larger contracts.
The involvement of the National Security Strategic Investment Fund signals clear government appetite for homegrown orbital technology. As geopolitical tensions drive demand for independent satellite infrastructure, backing from both public and private sources positions the company for significant growth.
What comes next: expect accelerated hiring, expanded production capacity, and a stronger bid pipeline for European institutional contracts.
