NewOrbit
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Founders
About
NewOrbit is a UK-based space technology company building commercial satellites designed to operate in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), the 200-300 kilometer altitude band that has been largely unused by commercial operators for six decades 12. The company, headquartered in Reading, England, was co-founded by Anatolii Papulov (CEO) and Ruslan Rakhimov (CTO) 13. NewOrbit positions VLEO as the next foundational shift in the space industry, with its first commercial satellite, NEO-1, planned to launch in 2028 12. The company aims to provide satellite imagery at significantly lower cost than conventional Earth observation satellites, with faster data downlink speeds 1.
The startup plans to open a NEO Production Complex with capacity scaling from 10 satellites annually to several per week 1. NewOrbit’s advisory board includes Jean-Jacques Dordain, former Director General of the European Space Agency, and Sir Chris Deverell, former UK Joint Forces Commander 3.
Funding History
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead | Co-investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-08 | Series A | $18.5M | Voyager Ventures | Atlantic.vc, Lifeline Ventures, LGF, Illusian, Custos Family Office, David Kirk, Lawrence Leuschner 123 |
Total funding to date: $27.8M, including a prior $9.3M seed round from Atlantic.vc, Lifeline Ventures, LGF, and Illusian 3.
What Investors Say
“VLEO is the next foundational shift in the global space industry. The technology will unlock order-of-magnitude improvements in earth observation at a fraction of the cost today.” — Matthew Blain, Voyager Ventures 3
“NewOrbit has both engineering excellence and institutional discipline.” — Jean-Jacques Dordain, former Director General, European Space Agency 3
What Founders Say
“VLEO is the most valuable empty real estate in space.” — Anatolii Papulov, CEO & Co-Founder 3
Sources
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SpaceNews, “UK startup NewOrbit raises $18.5 million in Series A round,” June 8, 2026. https://spacenews.com/uk-startup-neworbit-raises-18-5-million-in-series-a-round/↩↩↩↩↩↩
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EU-Startups, “UK-based NewOrbit raises €16 million to build commercial satellites for very low Earth orbit (VLEO),” June 2026. https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/06/uk-based-neworbit-raises-e16-million-to-build-commercial-satellites-for-very-low-earth-orbit-vleo/↩↩↩
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Satellite Evolution, “European space tech champion NewOrbit closes oversubscribed $18.5M Series A to commercialise Earth’s last empty orbit,” June 8, 2026. https://www.satelliteevolution.com/post/european-space-tech-champion-neworbit-closes-oversubscribed-18-5m-series-a-to-commercialise-earth-s↩↩↩↩↩↩↩