UK space technology firm SatVu has secured £30m ($40m) in fresh funding, including a strategic investment from the NATO Innovation Fund, as it accelerates plans to deploy a multi-satellite thermal imaging constellation.
The round brings SatVu’s total equity funding to £60m ($80m) and marks a shift from single-satellite demonstration to scaled execution of its space-based “Activity Intelligence” capability.
The investment also includes participation from the British Business Bank, Space Frontiers Fund II, managed by SPARX Asset Management, and Presto Tech Horizons, alongside existing backers including Molten Ventures and Lockheed Martin.
SatVu’s technology uses high-resolution thermal imaging from space to detect heat signatures associated with activity inside and around buildings, industrial facilities and critical infrastructure, day and night. The company says this enables governments and institutions to monitor mobilisation, operational readiness and infrastructure performance in ways that traditional commercial sensors cannot.
Two satellites, HotSat-2 and HotSat-3, are scheduled for launch in 2026, with additional satellites, HotSat-4, HotSat-5 and long-lead components of HotSat-6, already under contract. While a single satellite can observe any point on Earth, a constellation increases revisit frequency, allowing persistent monitoring of patterns of life and operational change.
Anthony Baker, co-founder and chief executive of SatVu, said the funding would allow the business to scale a sovereign thermal capability built in the UK. “High-resolution thermal imagery from space reveals activity that is otherwise invisible,” he said. “From monitoring military supply chains to detecting covert activity, thermal intelligence is essential to modern ISR.”
The investment aligns with NATO’s mission to support advanced technologies that enhance allied security. Trisha Saxena of the NATO Innovation Fund said SatVu’s platform offers “a level of detailed data that was simply not available before”.
SatVu has also received backing through UK defence innovation programmes, including a Defence Innovation Loan awarded via the Defence and Security Accelerator, now part of UK Defence Innovation.
Luke Pollard said the government was committed to scaling British defence SMEs. “Our support for firms like SatVu is building sovereign capabilities while driving economic growth,” he said.
Camilla Taylor, chief financial officer at SatVu, described the raise as a pivotal step. “We now have a clear path to a multi-satellite constellation and sustained delivery,” she said, adding that the company is moving from capability demonstration to commercial scaling.
As allied governments place greater emphasis on resilience, independent intelligence and infrastructure monitoring, SatVu’s backers argue that persistent thermal Earth observation could become a critical new data layer in defence, security and economic decision-making.
The funding positions SatVu to expand its constellation rapidly and establish itself as a key supplier of sovereign thermal intelligence across NATO nations and beyond.
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NATO Innovation Fund backs SatVu with £30m investment to scale thermal intelligence
