Observable Space is Scaling Manufacturing and Turnkey Lasercom Platform with New Funding, Announces $94 Million U.S. Space Force Contract

Observable Space, a real-time observation platform powering ground and space optics, led by Dan Roelker, Rick Hedrick, Connor Poole, and the team, has raised a $90 million Series A funding round, led by Lux Capital, co-led by Upfront Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Island Green Capital, and RTX Ventures, and with participation from BRV Capital, Fathom Fund, and Venrex. The company has also announced a $94 million sole-sourced Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) award from the U.S. Space Force. 

The award is part of the Department of War’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, aimed at strengthening existing Space Domain Awareness capabilities through expeditionary, off-grid optical ground sensing stations.

Observable Space was selected for the Department of War’s APFIT Deployable Attritable Optical (DAO) program to expand domestic production of high-performance optical telescopes for defense applications.

The program supports development of low-cost, rapidly deployable satellite tracking systems for the United States Space Force, leveraging the company’s optics manufacturing and software capabilities.

Jeremy Verbout said the APFIT award reflects the Department’s urgency around deploying mobile, off-grid robotic telescopes to strengthen high-fidelity space domain awareness for the Joint Force.

Observable Space has received $22M in initial task orders under a broader $94M IDIQ contract to scale distributed optical infrastructure supporting national security missions.

Its Advanced Telescope Optics Mobility System (ATOMS) uses American-made commercial platforms to enhance existing government Space Domain Awareness systems with improved resilience, affordability, and geographic coverage.

The funding will support manufacturing scale-up and reflects growing operational demand for the company’s deployable optical sensing capabilities, with additional United States Space Force task orders and deployments expected over time.

Observable Space develops space technology across three core areas: high-throughput laser communications ground stations, advanced ground-based optical sensing systems, and in-space optical payloads, all manufactured in-house in Detroit and Los Angeles.

Dan Roelker said that controlling light enables control over space operations, and that nations and companies capable of precise tracking, navigation, and high-bandwidth communication will define the next phase of the space economy.

He added that Observable Space is building vertically integrated systems spanning ground-based tracking optics, in-space awareness payloads, and turnkey space-to-ground laser communication platforms.

Observable Space develops turnkey laser communications ground stations designed to enable high-bandwidth space-to-ground data transfer, which is significantly faster than traditional radio frequency systems.

The company has built large-aperture laser communications systems for over 15 years, supporting missions including NASA’s Artemis II and the TeraByte Infrared Delivery (TBIRD) demonstration, as well as national security applications. It is now expanding toward lower-cost, standardized optical platforms for broader commercial and defense deployment.

Shahin Farshchi said that optical communications will become the backbone of orbital infrastructure, comparing it to how fiber optics enabled the terrestrial internet, and noted that Observable Space has the full-stack capabilities, manufacturing, lasers, systems, and software, to lead this transition.

Observable Space’s laser communications ground stations feature integrated transmitters, a large-aperture design, and a modular optics backend to enable rapid deployment of optical space-to-ground links.

The system uses closed-loop tracking with real-time 4 kHz control loops and adaptive optics for high-efficiency fiber coupling, supporting both coherent QPSK and incoherent NRZ OOK optical communication links. It is designed to be compliant with Space Development Agency OCT 3.0+, CCSDS 141.0B1, ESA ESTOL standards, and is compatible with coherent 100G OpenZR+ optical networking.

Observable Space is extending its optical manufacturing and compute capabilities into space with on-orbit payload systems.

Its Iguana system is a 200mm, three-aperture multi-spectral in-space imager designed as a compact, self-contained payload that includes integrated sensors and edge-processing avionics. The system is built for rapid integration, with an approximately 8-week lead time, and supports use cases such as space domain awareness and rendezvous and proximity operations.

Observable Space is developing a scalable family of off-the-shelf space observation systems that combine optical hardware with onboard compute to reduce cost and simplify deployment.

The roadmap includes a 200mm Iguana in-space imager launching first, followed by a 500mm system in 2026 and larger aperture systems up to 1.5 meters for advanced space domain awareness applications.

Partners including Apex and Raytheon highlighted rapid payload integration and improved performance through collaboration across manufacturing and mission expertise.

Observable Space operates a globally distributed Space Domain Awareness (SDA) platform made up of 40+ ground stations that provide real-time observation and analysis of objects in orbit.

The network tracks targets across LEO, MEO, GEO, and cis-lunar space with sub-arcsecond precision, supporting missions such as launch monitoring, rendezvous and proximity operations, and satellite station-keeping.

To date, the platform has completed 2.6M automated tasks, identified 20M+ space objects, and accumulated 84,000 hours of continuous orbital monitoring, with further expansion planned through larger 1–1.8m class telescopes to improve resolved imagery and pattern-of-life analysis.

Observable Space is expanding into consumer and research-grade telescope products, leveraging its optical engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

Its new offerings include the Delta Rho 280 (DR280), based on the Argus array optical design, and the FSCT8 8-inch astrograph. Both systems are compact, portable, and designed for high-performance astrophotography, photometric surveys, and space domain awareness use cases.

These products extend the company’s reach into advanced amateur astronomy, education, and research markets.

Observable Space is expanding into European markets through its strategic partnership with Baader Planetarium.

Johannes Baader said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing high-performance optical systems and expanding access to these capabilities across Europe for research and commercial applications.

Observable Space is expanding its manufacturing footprint in Michigan, scaling production in downtown Detroit facilities supported by Detroit Venture Partners.

The expansion strengthens domestic manufacturing of optical systems for national security use cases while supporting workforce development and high-rate production in the U.S.

Dan Gilbert said the company reflects Detroit’s role in building advanced, high-impact technologies and highlighted its contribution to jobs and innovation in the region.