Which startups have raised the most funding in the earth observation market?

Last updated: 13 July 2026

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The earth observation market includes satellite, aerial, drone, and geospatial intelligence startups that turn imagery and sensor data into useful decisions.

This list ranks the top earth observation startups by total cumulative funding raised, and we update it every month.

The market is led by satellite-first companies, especially SAR, RF intelligence, weather data, and geospatial analytics platforms.

A quick summary table

Metric Value
Most funded startup ICEYE, with $1.1B raised
Second most funded startup Chang Guang Satellite Technology, with $1.1B raised
Largest funding round Chang Guang Satellite Technology, $698M growth equity / Series C+
Median funding $34M
Share of funding captured by the top 10 About 64%
Median time since last round About 40 months
Startups that raised funding in the last 12 months 18 startups
Earth observation startups tracked 88 startups
Active earth observation companies 66 active startups
Public earth observation companies 9 IPO-stage companies

Top startups in the earth observation market ranked by total funding raised

Here is an updated table that ranks the top startups in the earth observation market based on the total amount of funding they have raised to date.

The table also includes the total number of funding rounds, the date and size of the latest round, the financing type (e.g. Series A, equity financing), key investors, the startup’s current status (active, IPO, acquired, or shut down), and a confidence score based on the data collected (we excluded startups with very low data confidence, to make sure everything is reliable).

# Startup What They Do Total Raised ($) Total Rounds Last Round Date Last Round Amount ($) Last Round Type Key Investors Current Stage Confidence
1 ICEYE All-weather SAR satellite intelligence $1.1B 8 June 2026 $520M Series F General Atlantic, Solidium, Tesi Active Strong
2 Chang Guang Satellite Technology Jilin-1 satellite imaging constellation $1.1B 2 July 2026 $698M Growth equity / Series C+ Changfa Group, Lushi Investment, Chengtong Fund Active Partial
3 Planet Labs Daily optical satellite imagery $974M 7 December 2021 $590M SPAC / PIPE dMY Technology Group IV, PIPE investors IPO Partial
4 HawkEye 360 RF geolocation from space $930M 9 May 2026 $416M IPO Public-market investors IPO Strong
5 Spire Global Satellite data and analytics $474M 6 April 2026 $70M Post-IPO private placement RRE Ventures, Promus Ventures, Luxembourg Future Fund IPO Strong
6 Tomorrow.io AI weather satellite intelligence $427M 7 February 2026 $175M Series F Stonecourt Capital, HarbourVest Partners, Activate Capital Active Strong
7 Satellogic Sub-meter optical satellite imagery $339M 3 January 2022 $262M SPAC / PIPE SoftBank SBLA, Cantor Fitzgerald, Liberty Strategic Capital IPO Partial
8 Synspective Small SAR satellite analytics $309M 6 December 2024 $65M IPO Public-market investors IPO Partial
9 BlackSky Real-time geospatial intelligence $283M 1 September 2021 $283M SPAC / PIPE Osprey Technology, PIPE investors IPO Low
10 Capella Space High-resolution SAR imagery $239M 4 January 2023 $60M Growth equity U.S. Innovative Technology Fund Acquired Partial
11 Farmers Edge Digital agriculture data platform $160M 3 March 2021 $100M IPO Mitsui, Kleiner Perkins, Osmington Acquired Partial
12 DroneDeploy Drone mapping software platform $142M 7 February 2021 $50M Series E Energize Ventures, AirTree, Bessemer Venture Partners Active Strong
13 Muon Space Mission-tailored satellite constellations $136M 4 June 2025 $45M Series B1 equity Congruent Ventures, Activate Capital, ArcTern Ventures Active Full
14 PrecisionHawk Drone geospatial analytics $136M 5 December 2019 $32M Series E Millennium Technology Value Partners, Third Point Ventures, Eastward Capital Partners Acquired Strong
15 NorthStar Earth & Space Space traffic monitoring satellites $134M 6 July 2024 Undisclosed Shareholder financing Telesystem Space, Investissement Québec, Luxembourg Future Fund Active Partial
16 Nearmap High-resolution aerial imagery $132M 3 September 2020 $67M Public equity raise Institutional investors Acquired Partial
17 Unseenlabs Maritime RF geolocation satellites $125M 3 February 2024 $92M Series C Supernova Invest, ISALT, UNEXO Active Full
18 Orbital Insight Geospatial analytics software $124M 5 November 2019 $50M Series D Sequoia Capital, Clearvision Ventures, GV Active Strong
19 iQPS SAR Earth observation satellites $112M 10 March 2026 $97M Corporate minority / post-IPO equity SKY Perfect JSAT, Mitsuuroko Group, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance IPO Low
20 Axelspace Microsatellite Earth imagery platform $107M 4 December 2023 $44M Series D SMBC-GB Growth, Space Frontier Fund, Global Brain Active Strong
21 Umbra Commercial high-resolution SAR data $100M+ 3 March 2023 Undisclosed Series B Nimble Partners, Star Castle Ventures, Champion Hill Ventures Active Low
22 Taranis AI crop intelligence imagery $100M 5 September 2022 $40M Series D Inven Capital, Hitachi Ventures, La Maison Partners Active Full
23 Albedo Ultra-high-resolution VLEO imagery $97M 4 January 2024 $35M Series A-1 Standard Investments, Booz Allen Ventures, Cubit Capital Active Strong
24 Pixxel Hyperspectral Earth-imaging constellation $95M 5 December 2024 $24M Series B extension M&G Catalyst, Glade Brook, Google Active Strong
25 SatVu Thermal intelligence from space $95M 5 February 2026 $41M Series B NATO Innovation Fund, British Business Bank, SPARX Active Strong
26 AiDash Satellite AI for infrastructure resilience $92M 3 April 2024 $59M Series C Lightrock, Lightsmith Group, Marubeni Active Strong
27 Hydrosat Thermal water-stress analytics $90M 4 January 2026 $60M Series B Hartree Partners, Subutai Capital Partners, Space 4 Earth Active Partial
28 Pachama Forest carbon verification platform $88M 6 December 2023 $9M Series B extension Future Positive, Lowercarbon Capital, T.Capital Active Partial
29 Kayrros Climate geospatial intelligence platform $81M 4 March 2022 $44M Series C French Tech Souveraineté, EIB, NewSpace Capital Active Partial
30 NCX Forest carbon marketplace $74M 3 March 2022 $50M Series B Energize Ventures, J.P. Morgan, TIME Ventures Active Full
31 constellr Thermal intelligence from space $74M 4 February 2026 $44M Series A Alpine Space Ventures, Lakestar, Bayern Kapital Active Partial
32 OroraTech Wildfire intelligence satellites $64M 3 May 2025 $41M Series B BNP Paribas, Rabo Ventures, ECBF Active Strong
33 Regrow Agriculture carbon MRV platform $59M 5 March 2025 Undisclosed Venture / Series B extension Galvanize Climate Solutions, Cargill, SE Ventures Active Partial
34 Descartes Labs Geospatial AI analytics $58M 4 October 2019 $20M Series B-2 bridge Union Grove Venture Partners, Crosslink Capital, March Capital Acquired Strong
35 GHGSat Greenhouse gas monitoring satellites $55M+ 4 September 2025 Undisclosed Growth financing Yaletown Partners, BDC Capital, Fonds de solidarité FTQ Active Partial
36 LiveEO Satellite infrastructure monitoring analytics $55M 4 June 2024 $27M Series B NordicNinja, DTCF, MMC Ventures Active Partial
37 Ceres Imaging Aerial crop spectral analytics $51M 3 September 2021 $23M Series C XTX Ventures, REMUS Capital, Insight Partners Active Strong
38 Arturo AI property intelligence $47M 3 September 2023 $14M Series B-II Crosslink Capital, Atlantic Bridge, IAG Firemark Ventures Active Partial
39 zestyAI Property risk analytics $46M 2 July 2022 $33M Series B Centana Growth Partners, Brex, Blamar Active Full
40 Urban Sky Stratospheric imaging balloons $44M 3 January 2025 $30M Series B Altos Ventures, New Legacy Ventures, Lerer Hippeau Active Full
41 Delair Industrial drone systems $43M 3 September 2018 $25M Series B Intel Capital, Andromède, Bpifrance Active Partial
42 Cervest Climate risk intelligence $36M 3 May 2021 $30M Series A Draper Esprit, Lowercarbon Capital, TIME Ventures Acquired Partial
43 Array Labs 3D radar satellite imaging $35M 6 January 2026 $20M Series A Catapult Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Kompas VC Active Strong
44 HySpecIQ Hyperspectral geospatial intelligence $35M 2 September 2021 $20M Series B Peter Thiel, TAP Advisors Active Partial
45 Near Space Labs Stratospheric aerial imagery $33M 2 April 2025 $20M Series B Bold Capital Partners, USAA, Climate Capital Active Partial
46 Orbital Sidekick Hyperspectral monitoring satellites $30M 4 January 2023 $10M Strategic equity Energy Innovation Capital, Williams, ONEOK Active Partial
47 Ursa Space Systems SAR intelligence analytics $29M+ 3+ March 2022 $16M Series C first close Dorilton Ventures, RRE Ventures, Paladin Capital Group Active Low
48 SatSure Satellite decision intelligence platform $29M 5 September 2025 $2M Series A extension Baring PE India, Promus Ventures, Omidyar Network India Active Partial
49 SkyWatch Satellite data distribution infrastructure $28M 4 June 2021 $17M Series B Drive Capital, Bullpen Capital, Space Capital Active Partial
50 SkyFi Satellite imagery marketplace $27M 3 January 2026 $13M Series A Buoyant Ventures, IronGate Capital Advisors, DNV Ventures Active Strong
51 Aerobotics Orchard drone AI analytics $27M 4 December 2020 $17M Series B Naspers Foundry, FMO, Cathay AfricInvest Active Strong
52 Prospera Technologies AI crop monitoring platform $26M 3 July 2017 $15M Series B Qualcomm Ventures, Cisco Investments, Bessemer Acquired Partial
53 Preligens Defense satellite imagery AI $24M 1 November 2020 $24M Series A Ace Management, Definvest, 360 Capital Acquired Strong
54 Kuva Space Hyperspectral microsatellite analytics $23M 2 November 2023 $18M Series A Voima Ventures, Nordic FoodTech VC, Earth VC Active Strong
55 Chloris Geospatial Forest carbon satellite monitoring $21M 4 July 2025 $9M Series A Future Energy Ventures, AXA IM Alts, At One Ventures Active Partial
56 GalaxEye Multi-sensor EO satellites $18M 4 March 2026 $5M Series A extension Speciale Invest, Faad Capital, Rainmatter Active Partial
57 Floodbase Flood risk intelligence for insurance $17M 3 February 2025 $5M Venture / Early-stage Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Pulse Fund Active Partial
58 PlanetWatchers SAR crop monitoring $16M 3 September 2022 $11M Series A Seraphim Space, Creative Ventures, BIG Capital Active Strong
59 Wyvern Hyperspectral imagery data $16M 3 October 2024 $6M Strategic equity Squadra Ventures, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator Active Partial
60 Gamaya Hyperspectral crop intelligence $16M 3 June 2019 $12M Series B Mahindra, ICOS Capital, VI Partners Active Strong
61 Kleos Space RF reconnaissance from space $15M 4 January 2023 $2M Placement Hunter Capital Advisors, Perennial, Thorney IPO Low
62 RS Metrics Satellite climate asset risk data $14M 2 May 2023 $5M Series B Undisclosed Active Partial
63 SynMax Satellite intelligence for maritime energy $13M 1 January 2024 $13M Venture / Seed-equivalent Bill Perkins, Alex Moore Active Partial
64 EOI Space VLEO ultra-high-resolution imagery $11M 2 Undisclosed Undisclosed Unattributed Undisclosed Active Low
65 Rezatec Geospatial analytics for infrastructure assets $11M 3 February 2020 $7M Growth / Series A-equivalent Gresham House Ventures Acquired Partial
66 Picterra Geospatial AI detection platform $10M 2 April 2022 $7M Series A VI Partners, ACE Ventures, Atlantic Labs Active Full
67 Earth Blox Nature-risk intelligence platform $9M 2 March 2026 $8M Growth equity PXN Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, Archangels Active Strong
68 SLANTRANGE Drone crop sensing analytics $9M 3 April 2016 $5M Series A The Investor Group, Motus Ventures Acquired Partial
69 PierSight Maritime SAR surveillance satellites $8M 3 May 2025 $1M Seed extension Alpha Wave Global, Elevation Capital, All In Capital Active Strong
70 OneSoil Satellite precision farming tools $8M 3 June 2026 $1M Follow-on Yury Melnichek, Almaz Capital, PortfoLion Active Strong
71 Amini African climate data platform $6M 2 November 2023 $4M Seed Salesforce Ventures, Female Founders Fund, Satgana Active Full
72 Impact Observatory AI global land monitoring maps $6M 1 March 2023 $6M Seed Esri International Active Strong
73 SpaceKnow Satellite economic intelligence analytics $5M 1 February 2017 $5M Series A Reflex Capital, BlueYard, OTB Ventures Active Strong
74 Satelytics Geospatial industrial monitoring alerts $5M 1 June 2020 $5M Series A BP Ventures, North Coast Ventures Active Full
75 Geospatial Insight Satellite imagery analytics $5M 3 April 2018 $5M Series B Foresight Williams, Midven, Future Planet Capital Active Partial
76 Esper Satellite Imagery Hyperspectral mineral detection satellites $4M 3 March 2025 $3M Seed Paspalis Capital, Hejaz, Investible Active Partial
77 Arlula Satellite imagery access platform $4M 3 March 2026 $2M Seed / venture Paspalis Capital, Main Sequence, Startmate Active Partial
78 SATIM SAR imagery AI analytics $3M 4 September 2024 Undisclosed Internal round Balnord, Cultivation Capital Active Partial
79 Bird.i Satellite imagery intelligence $3M 1 November 2017 $3M Seed / Venture Accelerated Digital Ventures, Concrete VC, Frontline Ventures Acquired Strong
80 TellusLabs Satellite crop intelligence $3M 1 January 2017 $3M Seed IA Ventures, Hyperplane, Founder Collective Acquired Full
81 SI Imaging Services Satellite imagery distribution services $2M 1 November 2019 $2M Seed VC Undisclosed Active Low
82 Vultus Satellite fertilizer analytics $2M 3 May 2022 $1M IPO Almi Invest, public investors IPO Low
83 Satelligence Satellite deforestation monitoring $2M 1 November 2020 $2M Seed 4impact Active Strong
84 KappaZeta Radar crop monitoring analytics $1M 1 September 2023 $1M Seed / additional funding Ahti Heinla, Toomas Kams, HD Forest Active Strong
85 Kermap AI satellite analytics $1M 1 November 2022 $1M Seed / first fundraising Sodero Gestion, Earthworm Foundation Active Partial
86 SpaceSense Satellite imagery AI APIs $1M 1 October 2020 $1M Seed Techmind, Space Ventures Investors, Marc Batty Active Full
87 Terrabotics 3D terrain satellite analytics $1M 1 November 2018 $1M Pre-seed AI Seed, Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub Active Low
88 Bluefield Technologies Methane satellite monitoring $0M 1 October 2017 $0M Seed Lumia Capital, Pipeline Capital Partners Shutdown Full

Key funding trends in the earth observation market

Insights

  • The top 10 earth observation startups captured about 64% of all tracked funding, showing how much capital is concentrated in satellite infrastructure and high-value data platforms.
  • SAR and RF intelligence companies dominate the upper end of the ranking, with ICEYE, HawkEye 360, Capella Space, Synspective, Umbra, and Unseenlabs forming a large defense and monitoring cluster.
  • Climate and resilience use cases are becoming a major investment theme, with Tomorrow.io, SatVu, Hydrosat, constellr, OroraTech, GHGSat, and AiDash all attracting meaningful capital.
  • Earth observation software companies can scale with less capital than constellation operators, as AiDash, zestyAI, NCX, Orbital Insight, and Kayrros show strong funding without owning large satellite fleets.
  • Agriculture imagery remains an important niche, but the funding base is smaller, with Taranis, Ceres Imaging, Aerobotics, Gamaya, and OneSoil far below the largest satellite-first platforms.
  • Recent funding activity is still healthy, with 18 startups raising capital in the last 12 months, especially across satellite intelligence, thermal imagery, climate monitoring, and data-access platforms.
  • Marketplace and satellite data access models remain comparatively underfunded, with SkyFi, SkyWatch, Picterra, and SpaceKnow raising far less than the companies building and operating constellations.

A few word about our methodology

As you can see, we built a database that ranks startups in the earth observation market based on their total cumulative fundraising. To create this ranking, we reviewed many sources and cross-checked information across multiple places.

Whenever possible, we prioritized official company communications, since they are the most reliable source for funding amounts. When those were not available, we relied on reputable industry sources such as TechCrunch, Crunchbase, Financial Times or Forbes (to name a few).

We excluded random blogs, unverified websites, and any sources that could not be validated.

When funding rounds were announced in other currencies such as euros, Swiss francs, Singapore dollars, Australian dollars, or rupees, we converted them into approximate USD equivalents for consistency.

Sometimes different sources report slightly different numbers, or the exact round size is not fully disclosed. In those cases, we flag the uncertainty and assign a confidence label to each startup, visible in the last column.

Here is what they mean.

Full confidence: The company’s equity fundraising history can be reconstructed completely from public sources. The rounds, dates, amounts, and key investors are clearly identified, with no meaningful gaps.

Strong confidence: The fundraising history is largely complete and reliable. There may be a small missing detail, such as incomplete investor information or a minor round with limited data, but the overall record is clear.

Partial confidence: The main fundraising rounds can be identified, but the record is incomplete or somewhat mixed. Some rounds may be missing or certain funding events may be difficult to separate clearly.

Low confidence: Public information is too limited, inconsistent, or ambiguous to reliably reconstruct the company’s equity fundraising history.

When the confidence level is too low, we take a conservative approach and exclude the company from the ranking. We don’t want to include data that cannot be reliably verified.

This reflects how we conduct all our research in the earth observation market.

In a world where LLMs hallucinate and unreliable information is everywhere, our goal is simple: provide data you can trust.

If you want the full detail on a specific calculation, feel free to contact us and we will gladly explain.

Finally, know that we update the dataset once per month, so come back here if you need fresh information.

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NEW MARKET PITCH TEAM

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