UK Firm NewOrbit Raises $18.5 Million with Focus on Very Low Earth Orbit
UK startup NewOrbit has raised $18.5 million to accelerate development of satellites designed to operate in very low Earth orbit (VLEO), between 200 and 300 kilometres above the Earth.
The company claims this region has remained largely inaccessible to commercial satellite operators due to extreme aerodynamic drag, atomic oxygen exposure and stability challenges. NewOrbit says its NEO-1 platform has been purpose-built to overcome these constraints, allowing satellites to remain operational in VLEO for up to five years.
The attraction of flying at such low altitudes is straightforward: satellites are closer to the Earth, enabling higher-resolution imaging, lower-latency communications and potentially more efficient direct-to-device connectivity. NewOrbit argues that VLEO could support capabilities that are difficult or uneconomic from traditional LEO altitudes, including drone-like Earth observation, direct 5G connectivity to smartphones and space-based LiDAR applications.
The funding round was led by Voyager Ventures and included participation from a number of technology and space-sector investors. Alongside the financing, the company announced that former ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain has joined its advisory board, alongside former UK Joint Forces Commander Sir Chris Deverell.
The new capital will fund construction of the company's planned NEO Production Complex, scheduled to open in 2027. NewOrbit intends to launch its first commercial satellite carrying customer payloads in 2028, with ambitions to scale manufacturing from a handful of satellites per year to several per week.
While much of the NTN industry is currently focused on deploying larger constellations in conventional low Earth orbit, NewOrbit is pursuing a different strategy: opening up an entirely new orbital layer. If successful, VLEO could offer satellite operators a way to deliver higher-performance sensing and connectivity services while strengthening Europe's position in next-generation space infrastructure.
SOURCE: https://neworbit.space/news/we-raised-usd18-5m-to-open-earth-s-last-empty-orbit