Observable Space has closed a $90 million Series A funding round and secured a $94 million Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract from the U.S. Space Force under the APFIT program, with $22 million already awarded through initial task orders.
The company, based in Detroit and Los Angeles, develops optical systems for laser communications, ground-based sensing and in-orbit payloads. The new funding is intended to scale manufacturing and advance a turnkey laser communications platform, while the Space Force contract focuses on rapid deployment of expeditionary, off-grid optical ground sensing stations to enhance space domain awareness.
The IDIQ contract is structured as a sole-source award and described as the first step in a broader procurement framework, with additional task orders and follow-on deployments expected. The $22 million in initial orders will finance the first wave of mobile optical stations to detect and track small, hard-to-see and potentially stealthy objects in orbit.
Observable Space reports that its first in-orbit imaging payload is scheduled to launch this year. The Series A round is led by Lux Capital, with co-leads Upfront Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Island Green Capital and RTX Ventures, alongside BRV Capital, Fathom Fund and Venrex, reinforcing the company’s position within the defense and national security space ecosystem.