OurSky, a startup founded in 2022, has closed a $9.5 million seed funding round led by Upfront Ventures, with participation from Oceans Ventures, Venrex Investment Management, Marlinspike Partners, and Embedded Ventures. The company aims to revolutionize the space observational data sector by providing a developer platform and a global telescope network to make space data more accessible.
OurSky plans to utilize the funding to accelerate the deployment of scopes and enhance its developer platform, which is positioned as a modern and cost-effective alternative, offering development tools and open APIs for space situational awareness startups and satellite operators.
Dan Roelker, CEO, and co-founder of OurSky likened the platform to “AWS for developers or the web3 development platform Alchemy.” The platform simplifies access to real-time space observational data and enables developers to process it without the need for their own telescope network. OurSky’s software platform is designed to provide a comprehensive solution for companies in the space sector, offering efficient and affordable alternatives to existing options.
The company already owns and deploys 30 scopes across nine global locations and has onboarded 35 amateur astronomers on its network. With the latest funding, OurSky aims to carefully allocate capital for further expansion and development of its collective network.
Alex Hawkinson, Co-founder, OurSky, highlighted the critical need for a developer platform to access and analyze real-time data on space objects. The company is building out the world’s largest telescope network by utilizing scopes it owns, sourcing from the professional amateur community, and incorporating scopes from the larger amateur community. The strategy involves tying into existing infrastructures to build a collective network, reducing the reliance on acquiring and maintaining a large number of telescopes.
OurSky plans to focus on software platform development to support various needs, including research, commercial applications, defense, and consumer applications for space observation.
