CesiumAstro Closes $470M in Series C Capital for Rapid U.S. Growth in 2026

CesiumAstro, delivering the Future of Space Connectivity, led by Shey Sabripour, Chris "Trey" Pappas, James Carwell, and others, secured $470 million in growth capital, cementing its position as a mission-critical provider of next-generation space and defense communications. The funding includes $270 million in equity, led by Trousdale Ventures, with participation from Woven Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Airbus Ventures, the Development Bank of Japan Inc., MESH, NewSpace Capital, and other global investors, alongside a $200 million financing package from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and J.P. Morgan, a first of its kind public-private partnership under the “Make More In America” Initiative.

The capital will accelerate CesiumAstro’s scale-up, supporting a new 270,000-square-foot headquarters, expanded manufacturing, and global deployment of its AI-enabled space communications platforms.

Continued backing from strategic investors, alongside new institutional capital, highlights CesiumAstro’s expanding role across the space and national security ecosystem.

The raise follows strong operational execution, marked by progress across government and commercial programs, a growing portfolio of flight-proven, software-defined communications systems, and increasing momentum in on-orbit validation. Amid rising demand for resilient, high-throughput space architectures, CesiumAstro is emerging as a key player in proliferated space and defense networks.

CesiumAstro is redefining space-based connectivity through a shift from rigid legacy hardware to a modular, software-defined architecture, unlocking new levels of flexibility and scalability across government and commercial missions. Deep technical and industry expertise underpin the delivery of mission-ready systems at scale, with expansion into new applications such as vehicles on the horizon.

Proceeds will fund expanded manufacturing, accelerated development of AI-enabled communications, scaled production of the Element LEO satellite, and growth of global technical and program teams. The raise reflects strong confidence in execution across commercial and defense markets, reinforced by significant non-dilutive EXIM financing to support the company’s next phase of growth.