London-based startup Foundational has exited stealth mode with a £8.2 million pre-seed round, which the company claims is the largest of its kind in the European space-tech sector. The funding round was backed by Inflection, BACKED, Adjacent, Type One Ventures, and Final Frontier.
The company focuses on automating and scaling satellite laser ranging (SLR) technology. Foundational’s automated ground stations are designed to be compact, roughly the size of two pickup trucks, allowing for global deployment. Currently, the service requires satellites to carry the company's proprietary retroreflectors.
Foundational has already placed 16 retroreflectors in orbit, with approximately 60 more scheduled for launch. The company plans to construct 10 to 20 ground stations across four continents, with the first three to four expected to be operational by early 2027 to support its initial demonstration satellites.
The startup was co-founded by CEO Hira Virdee and CTO Dave Gooding. Virdee previously founded the space situational awareness company Lumi Space in 2018, which now operates as a subsidiary of Foundational. The company aims to eventually expand into tracking debris and satellites without reflectors.
