SatVu, a UK-based thermal intelligence company
that uses space-based data to analyse operational activity and infrastructure
performance, has closed a £30 million funding round, bringing its total equity
funding to £60 million. The round includes a strategic investment from the NATO Innovation Fund, alongside the British Business Bank, Space Frontiers Fund II
(managed by SPARX Asset Management), and Presto Tech Horizons. Existing
investors also participated, including Molten Ventures, Adara Ventures, Ridgeline
Ventures, NOA, Lockheed Martin, Seraphim Space Fund, and Stellar Ventures.
As governments and allied institutions place
increasing emphasis on resilience, readiness, and independent intelligence
capabilities, demand is growing for reliable and persistent sources of
operational insight. Traditional observation methods can limit visibility into
activity across critical infrastructure and complex environments, particularly
when continuous monitoring is required.
SatVu develops high-resolution thermal Earth
observation technology designed to address these challenges. The company
provides thermal intelligence data from space for government and defence
customers, capturing activity both day and night at 3.5-metre resolution.
Its
technology supports defence, security, and critical infrastructure monitoring,
including activity around buildings and strategic assets, helping organisations
assess operational changes and readiness where independent insight is
essential.
Beyond defence applications, SatVu’s data also
supports industrial and climate-related monitoring, including observations of
blast furnaces, cement production, data centres, oil and gas operations, and
energy generation such as solar farms.
Anthony Baker, co-founder and CEO of SatVu,
said the company was established to provide governments with intelligence that
is not available through other sources. He explained that high-resolution
thermal imagery from space can reveal activity that is otherwise difficult to
detect, including heat signatures linked to operations around buildings and
critical infrastructure, helping governments assess activity, operational
readiness, and changes relevant to defence and security decision-making.
To expand its capabilities, SatVu plans to
launch two satellites in 2026, with three additional satellites already under
contract as part of its transition toward a multi-satellite constellation.
While a single satellite can observe any point on Earth, a constellation
increases revisit frequency, enabling more continuous monitoring of activity
and operational patterns over time.
The funding will support the deployment of this
high-resolution thermal constellation and accelerate the company’s transition
from a single-satellite demonstration to scalable commercial operations.