Infinite Orbits, a pioneering NewSpace company headquartered in Toulouse, France, is rapidly emerging as Europe’s frontrunner in the crucial sector of in-orbit servicing (IOS). Bolstered by its recent €40 million funding round, the company specializes in the geostationary orbit (GEO), home to some of the world’s most valuable and critical communications infrastructure, offering innovative, sustainable solutions designed to extend the operational life of satellites, enhance space situational awareness, and protect orbital assets.
In an era of rapidly increasing satellite deployment and mounting concerns over space debris, the ability to service, maintain, and dispose of spacecraft in orbit is no longer optional; it is essential for the future sustainability of the space economy. Infinite Orbits’ unique approach, driven by advanced autonomy and a pan-European growth strategy, has positioned it as a key player, securing major contracts and significant private capital to accelerate its mission.
The convergence of technological mastery, visionary leadership, and robust financial backing has solidified Infinite Orbits’ status, transforming it from a deep-tech start-up into a major industry disruptor focused on creating a resilient and more economically efficient future for geostationary operators.
Infinite Orbits Funding and Expansion Strategy
The trajectory of Infinite Orbits is intrinsically linked to the strategic mobilisation of European private capital and sovereign support, validating its ambitious goal to become a global leader in orbital logistics. The company’s success in attracting investment underscores the commercial relevance of its service offering and the urgent market demand for cost-effective life extension solutions.
The Landmark €40 Million Financing Round
Infinite Orbits’ recent, oversubscribed €40 million financing round in November 2025 marked a pivotal moment, providing the necessary fuel to scale its operations and accelerate the deployment of its servicer fleet. This successful Series B round was driven by a consortium of major institutional investors, demonstrating significant confidence in the company’s technical expertise and commercial pipeline.
Key investors participating in this major financing round included:
- European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund: Signalling strategic European alignment.
- Matterwave Ventures
- Wind Capital
- Balnord
- IRDI Capital Investissement
- Newfund Capital
Adel Haddoud, CEO of Infinite Orbits, commented on the significance of the round, noting how it illustrates the “coordinated mobilisation of European private capital” necessary to strategically support the emergence of a regional leader in in-orbit servicing. This injection of funds is earmarked for two primary strategic goals: the deployment of the next-generation Endurance and Orbit Guard vehicles, and a significant expansion of the company’s pan-European operational footprint. This expansion includes plans for new offices in key locations such as Luxembourg, Spain, the UK, Germany, and Poland, broadening its commercial reach and strengthening ties with European sovereign institutions.
Building the Order Book and Sovereign Contracts
The financial momentum generated by the latest raise follows an earlier, equally crucial funding phase. In 2024, the company successfully secured a €12 million raise specifically dedicated to the development of Endurance, its pioneering life-extension satellite.
Perhaps the strongest indicator of investor confidence is the company’s impressive order book, which currently stands at €150 million, scheduled for delivery over the next three years. This backlog is bolstered by significant contracts from both commercial and government entities, highlighting the dual-use (commercial and defence) applicability of Infinite Orbits’ technology.
Notably, the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA) awarded Infinite Orbits a substantial €50 million framework contract as part of France’s PALADIN initiative. This contract mandates the delivery of an Orbit Guard inspection spacecraft to monitor and counter potential threats to French military assets in space, thus strengthening French and broader European space resilience and sovereignty. This sovereign backing positions the company strategically within the burgeoning European space defence infrastructure.
Technical Mastery: The Rendez Vous Solution and Autonomous Navigation
At the core of Infinite Orbits’ competitive advantage lies its proprietary, patented technology for autonomous spacecraft operation, collectively known as the Rendez Vous solution. Performing complex services in the geostationary orbit, some 36,000 kilometres above Earth, requires ultra-precise, reliable, and entirely autonomous guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) capabilities.
The Autonomous Vision-Based Navigation Platform
The Rendez Vous solution is an advanced, autonomous vision-based navigation software that serves as the brain for the company’s servicer fleet. This technology enables a range of critical functions, including:
- Precise Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO): The ability to safely approach a target spacecraft, even those that are non-cooperative or potentially tumbling.
- Far-Range (FR) and Near-Range (NR) Navigation: Detecting a target at distances of several hundred kilometres and transitioning to centimetre-level accuracy at close range (e.g., within 10 metres).
- Autonomous Decision-Making: Embedded AI software and vision-based sensors empower the servicers to make real-time decisions, ensuring safety during critical manoeuvres.
The system is powered by a self-learning neural network that continually refines its performance across multiple missions. This reliance on artificial intelligence and image recognition minimises the demand for expensive and latency-prone human intervention, offering a step-change in the cost-efficiency and safety of in-orbit services compared to traditionally manual operations.
The Servicer Fleet: Orbit Guard and Endurance
Infinite Orbits’ service portfolio is executed by two distinct, yet technologically unified, spacecraft platforms, each fulfilling a specific market need within the GEO ecosystem. Both are equipped with the Rendez Vous RPO kit.
Orbit Guard™: Space Situational Awareness and Inspection
The Orbit Guard fleet comprises commercial smallsats designed exclusively for In-Situ Surveillance and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in GEO.
The first-generation servicer, Orbit Guard #1, successfully demonstrated key capabilities in attitude determination, debris detection, and relative orbit estimation. Subsequent versions, such as those contracted under the PALADIN initiative, are equipped with advanced electric propulsion and sensors to excel in:
- Close-up Inspection: Providing operators with high-resolution imagery and data on the physical condition of their geostationary assets.
- Rapid Threat Assessments: Offering in-situ monitoring and threat detection, crucial for space defence and resilience.
- Formation Flying: Demonstrating complex orbital manoeuvres necessary for future multi-asset services.
Endurance™: The Life Extension Vehicle
The Endurance vehicle is the company’s flagship asset for satellite life extension. Designed as a robust 750kg docking servicer, it is compatible with over 70 per cent of current end-of-life geostationary satellites. The mission profile involves docking with an aging satellite and effectively taking over key operational functions, extending its mission life by up to five years.
The services provided by Endurance include:
- Station Keeping and Pointing Management: Maintaining the satellite’s correct position and orientation.
- Orbital Relocation: Moving the asset to a new orbital slot if required.
- End-of-Life Disposal: Safely guiding the client satellite to a graveyard orbit when its service extension is complete, promoting space sustainability.
In a landmark agreement, Infinite Orbits partnered with satellite operator SES in November 2025 for Europe’s first commercial geostationary life extension mission, slated for launch in late 2027. This mission, which also involves propulsion technology from Dawn Aerospace, establishes a critical commercial precedent and validates Endurance as a reliable mission extension vehicle.
Visionary Leadership: Driving European Space Sovereignty
The rapid ascent of Infinite Orbits is a testament to the strategic vision and deep scientific expertise of its executive committee and founding team.
The Founders and C-Suite
Infinite Orbits was established in 2017 by a cohort of highly credentialed engineers and entrepreneurs who saw the commercial and geopolitical potential in mastering autonomous orbital operations. The core founding team includes:
- Adel Haddoud: CEO and Co-Founder. Haddoud, an aerospace engineer with experience in serial entrepreneurship and management, drives the company’s commercial strategy and investor relations.
- Akshay Gulati: CTO and Co-Founder. Gulati is responsible for the core technological development, overseeing the Rendez Vous platform.
- Manos Koumandakis: Chief Architect and Co-Founder. Koumandakis provides the scientific foundation, particularly in guidance, navigation, and control (GNC).
The leadership structure is rounded out by a strong C-suite, including Marion Andrieux (Chief Commercial Officer), Yasmin Hassan (Chief Financial Officer), and Jürgen Eisenbraun (Chief Delivery Officer), collectively ensuring that deep scientific expertise is paired with strong commercial acumen and rigorous mission execution standards. The background of the founders, who are graduates from institutions like ISAE-Supaero, Stanford, and Columbia, reflects the deep-tech focus of the company.
Strategic Partnerships and European Focus
A key component of the leadership’s vision is the dual mandate of commercial success and strategic relevance to European institutions. The establishment of trusted partnerships with entities like CNES and the DGA, alongside commercial giants such as Intelsat and SES, ensures the company remains aligned with both market needs and national defence requirements.
This strategy is central to the goal of strengthening European space sovereignty. By developing critical RPO technology domestically and expanding its infrastructure across the continent, Infinite Orbits aims to replicate its trusted French sovereign relationships with other European counterparts, fostering cross-border resilience and cooperation in orbital defence and infrastructure maintenance. The pan-European footprint is not merely a business decision, but a strategic move to solidify a European champion in a sector dominated by US-based players.
The Future of GEO: Sustainability and Competitive Edge
Infinite Orbits is effectively solving one of the space industry’s most pressing challenges: the economics and environmental impact of operating in GEO. With billions of pounds worth of assets orbiting Earth, the ability to extend the mission life of a satellite by five years or more represents enormous capital savings for operators. Furthermore, the mandatory end-of-life disposal service directly contributes to the global effort towards space sustainability by mitigating the creation of new space debris.
The company’s technology, its Rendez Vous solution, is highly transferable, offering a foundation for future services beyond life extension and inspection, including active debris removal and orbital refuelling. By combining robust financial backing, a validated and unique technology platform, and a clear vision for European leadership in the orbital services market, Infinite Orbits is poised to define the next generation of space operations and ensure the continuity of critical geostationary communications infrastructure for decades to come.
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