British space technology company SatVu has secured 30 million pounds ($40 million) in new funding, including a strategic investment from the NATO Innovation Fund, as it accelerates its plans to deploy a multi-satellite thermal imaging constellation.
The funding round brings SatVu’s total capital funding to £60 million ($80 million) and marks the transition from the demonstration of a single satellite to the large-scale implementation 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, as well as existing backers such as Molten Ventures and Lockheed Martin.
SatVu’s technology uses high-resolution thermal imagery from space to detect day and night heat signatures associated with activity in and around buildings, industrial facilities and critical infrastructure. The company says this enables governments and institutions to monitor mobilization, operational readiness and infrastructure performance in ways not possible with traditional commercial sensors.
The launch of two satellites, HotSat-2 and HotSat-3, is planned for 2026, and additional satellites, HotSat-4, HotSat-5 and the long-term components of HotSat-6, are already under contract. While a single satellite can observe any point on Earth, a constellation increases revisit frequency, enabling persistent monitoring of life patterns and operational changes.
Anthony Baker, co-founder and managing director of SatVu, said the funding would enable the company to scale a sovereign thermal capacity built in the UK. “High-resolution thermal images from space reveal activity that would otherwise be invisible,” he said. “From monitoring military supply chains to detecting covert activity, thermal intelligence is critical to modern ISR.”
The investment is consistent with NATO’s mission to support advanced technologies that enhance the security of allies. Trisha Saxena of the NATO Innovation Fund said SatVu’s platform offers “a level of granular data that simply wasn’t available before.”
SatVu has also received support from UK defense innovation programs, including a Defense Innovation Loan awarded through the Defense and Security Accelerator, now part of UK Defense Innovation.
Luke Pollard said the Government was committed to growing UK defense SMEs. “Our support for companies like SatVu is about building sovereign capabilities while driving economic growth,” he said.
Camilla Taylor, chief financial officer at SatVu, described the increase as a crucial step. “We now have a clear path to a multi-satellite constellation and sustainable deployment,” she said, adding that the company is moving from demonstrating capabilities to commercial scaling.
As allied governments place increasing emphasis on resilience, independent intelligence and infrastructure monitoring, SatVu proponents argue that persistent thermal Earth observation could become a critical new layer of data in defense, security and economic decision-making.
The funding enables SatVu to rapidly expand its constellation and establish itself as a key provider of sovereign thermal intelligence across NATO countries and beyond.
