Optera raises £3m to establish UK hub for next‑generation space domain awareness
Optera, a neuromorphic sensing company delivering next‑generation space domain awareness (SDA), has raised £3 million to establish and scale its UK headquarters and engineering team. The round was led by UKI2S (managed by Future Planet Capital), with participation from NSSIF, Blackfinch Ventures, Foresight Group, and Empirical Ventures.
Optera’s event‑based sensors and AI analytics operate more like the human eye than a traditional camera, capturing only changes in a scene. This dramatically reduces data and power requirements, enabling operators to track and characterise fast‑moving objects in challenging lighting conditions, both on the ground and in orbit. The company already has multiple years of on‑orbit heritage and is now expanding its UK delivery team across civil and space programmes.
The decision to scale in the UK reflects the country’s growing space and dual‑use technology ecosystem, strong customer demand for SDA, access to world‑class talent and universities, and the availability of mission‑driven capital aligned to national security and economic growth.
“Optera’s neuromorphic technology offers users a new depth of insight into orbital operations,” said Investment Partner at NSSIF. “It addresses a growing market for space domain awareness and promises to materially enhance the UK and its allies’ ability to protect critical national infrastructure in an increasingly congested and contested domain. Optera exemplifies the ambitious companies with deep technology advantage that NSSIF backs, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the UK’s tech ecosystem.”
We are proud to support Optera as it builds a sovereign UK capability in advanced sensing - strengthening national security, supporting high‑value jobs, and contributing to the resilience of the UK’s space and defence ecosystem.
For more information visit: Optera funding fuels UK hub for space domain awareness - Optera
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