Albedo
Albedo builds satellite buses for very low Earth orbit (VLEO, 250–450 km).
- Founded
- 2020
- Headquarters
- Denver, United States
- Ownership
- Private
- Last round
- Undisclosed round · $3.0M2024-08
Quick Facts
About Albedo
Albedo builds satellite buses for very low Earth orbit (VLEO, 250–450 km). It set out to operate its own 10-centimetre-resolution imaging constellation, but on 1 October 2025 it dropped the commercial imagery business to manufacture VLEO buses for other operators; its first satellite, Clarity-1 (launched March 2025), lost contact about nine months after launch and was not recovered. The Denver-based company's unique satellite bus platform enables operation in the denser atmosphere of VLEO.
Clarity-1, the first satellite of Albedo's constellation, successfully launched on March 15, 2025 aboard SpaceX Transporter-13. The 530-kg satellite measures approximately 3 meters tall and 1 meter wide, using ion thrusters to continuously counteract atmospheric drag significantly stronger in VLEO. In June 2024, Albedo signed the launch contract with SpaceX.
The satellites collect 10-centimeter optical imagery and 2-meter thermal longwave infrared imagery, far exceeding the 30-centimeter resolution offered by leading optical imagery providers. This resolution enables identification of objects as small as 10 centimeters, opening new applications in defense, infrastructure monitoring, and commercial analytics.
In January 2024, Albedo raised $35 million in Series A-1 funding led by Standard Investments, bringing total funding to $97 million. Booz Allen Hamilton's venture arm made a strategic investment in the company. The National Reconnaissance Office awarded Albedo a contract for VLEO imaging capabilities, while the U.S. Air Force awarded a separate contract worth up to $12 million. Albedo plans an initial six-satellite constellation providing daily revisits, ultimately expanding to 24 satellites for five daily passes over any location.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Precision | VLEO satellite bus (imaging/sensing) | High-agility VLEO bus for payloads under 200 kg with roughly 300 W of power, rated for 275-400 km orbits and a 5-year design life, per Albedo's current systems page. |
| Clarity | VLEO satellite bus (electro-optical imaging) | Bus with an integrated electro-optical payload providing 10 cm panchromatic and 2 m longwave-infrared imagery; flown as Clarity-1, launched March 2025. |
| Vicinity | VLEO satellite bus (communications/RF sensing, in development) | Second VLEO bus for payloads up to 1,000 kg and 400 W (3 kW peak) with deployable solar arrays, announced April 7, 2026 and targeting a 2027 launch for higher-power SAR, electronic-warfare and tactical-communications payloads. |
| Precision Power | VLEO satellite bus (high-power, in development) | Highest-capacity bus in Albedo's current lineup, rated for payloads up to 2,000 kg and 8 kW across 275-550 km orbits, per the company's live systems page. |
| NRO Strategic Commercial Enhancements study | Government study contract | Study-phase agreement (awarded December 2023) under the NRO's Strategic Commercial Enhancements program to evaluate Albedo's VLEO electro-optical/thermal-infrared imagery alongside four other selectees. |
| AFRL STRATFI VLEO dataset program | Government R&D contract | Up to $12 million Strategic Funding Increase contract (announced March 2025) under which Albedo supplies the Air Force Research Laboratory and U.S. Space Force with Clarity-1 imagery and VLEO operational data, including precision orbit determination, atmospheric density and atomic-oxygen sensing. |
Timeline
- 2023 The National Reconnaissance Office selects Albedo, alongside Airbus U.S., Hydrosat, Muon Space and Turion Space, for a roughly 2.5-year study contract under its Strategic Commercial Enhancements program to evaluate very-low-Earth-orbit electro-optical and thermal-infrared imagery (announced December 5). [source]
- 2025 The Air Force Research Laboratory awards Albedo a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract worth up to $12 million (announced March 4) to obtain Clarity-1 imagery and VLEO operational data - precision orbit determination, atmospheric density and atomic-oxygen readings - for U.S. Space Force analysis. [source]
- 2025 Albedo announces a strategic pivot (October 1) away from operating a commercial imagery business, saying it will instead manufacture VLEO satellite buses for other payload operators; CEO Topher Haddad says the company is 'doubling down where we see the strongest mission need,' after layoffs in the imagery division. [source]
- 2026 In a January 23 retrospective post, Albedo discloses that Clarity-1 lost contact roughly nine months after its March 2025 launch, attributed to escalating memory corruption in its telemetry, tracking and command radio that prevented successful reboots, while confirming the bus's drag coefficient beat design targets by 12% and its 10 cm/2 m imaging pipeline worked end to end. [source]
- 2026 Albedo announces Vicinity (April 7), its second VLEO satellite bus, adding deployable solar arrays to support higher-power payloads such as SAR, electronic warfare and tactical communications, targeting a 2027 launch. [source]
- 2026 As of September 2026, Albedo's live product catalog lists four VLEO bus lines - Precision, Clarity, Vicinity and the higher-power Precision Power (8 kW, up to 2,000 kg payload) - reflecting its shift from operating an imaging satellite to selling buses to other operators. [source]
Funding history
3 events| Date | Round | Amount | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-12 | Undisclosed round | $3.0M | —Form D filed 2024-08-27 by Albedo Space Corp.: $3.0M sold of a $5.2M offering (first sale 2024-08-12). | sec.gov |
| 2023-10-25 | Undisclosed round | $29.4M | —Form D filed 2023-11-01 by Albedo Space Corp.: $29.4M sold of a $40.0M offering (first sale 2023-10-25). | sec.gov |
| 2022-06-08 | Undisclosed round | — | —Form D filed 2022-06-27 by Albedo Space Corp.: of an open-ended offering (first sale 2022-06-08). | sec.gov |
Team
- Topher HaddadCEO · source
Signals
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-09
Categories & Capabilities
Industry Categories
Location
Loading map...
Share
Suggest an Edit
Is this information outdated or incorrect? Help us improve this profile.
Submit CorrectionExplore More
Discover 1,000+ space companies worldwide
Similar Companies
Other companies in earth-observation
Pixxel
Pixxel is a California-based space technology company building the world's highest-resolution hyperspectral satellite co...
Spire Defense
Spire Defense, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, is a data and analytics company focused on providi...
Spire Weather
Spire Weather, founded in 2012 and based in Vienna, United States, is a data and analytics company specializing in satel...
Kiwi Space
Kiwi Space, founded in 2018 and based in Auckland, New Zealand, is a developing space company focused on the Earth obser...
Magister Space
Magister Space, founded in 2021 and based in Leicester, United Kingdom, is a space company focused on the development of...
Wyvern
Wyvern is a Canadian Earth observation company developing hyperspectral imaging satellites that capture hundreds of cont...
Also in United States
Other space companies based in United States
Related Articles
Industry analysis mentioning Albedo
Frequently asked about Albedo
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was Albedo founded?
- Albedo was founded in 2020 in United States.
- Where is Albedo headquartered?
- Albedo is headquartered in Denver, United States.
- What does Albedo do?
- Albedo builds satellite buses for very low Earth orbit (VLEO, 250–450 km). It set out to operate its own 10-centimetre-resolution imaging constellation, but on 1 October 2025 it dropped the commercial imagery business to manufacture VLEO buses for other operators; its first satellite, Clarity-1 (launched March 2025), l…
- Is Albedo a public or private company?
- Albedo is a privately held company and is not listed on any stock exchange.
- What sector does Albedo operate in?
- Albedo works in earth observation, Satellite operators and Satellites, plus 2 other space-industry sectors.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (albedo.com)
- Company LinkedIn page
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-04
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-04
- SEC Form D · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-05
- SpaceNews: NRO signs agreements with five commercial suppliers of electro-optical imagery (5 Dec 2023) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Space Insider: Albedo Selected for $12 Million U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Contract (4 Mar 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Payload: Exclusive - Albedo Drops its Commercial Imagery Business (1 Oct 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Albedo blog: Clarity-1 - What Worked, and Where We Go Next (23 Jan 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Albedo blog: Albedo's Next VLEO Mission - Vicinity (7 Apr 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Albedo: Systems (current product catalog) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Albedo: Company (founders and leadership) · retrieved 2026-09-09
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about Albedo is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.