To improve the commercial space payload system, "Interstellar Remote Sensing", a developer of space remote sensing payload cameras, has completed nearly 100 million yuan in angel round financing.
Author | Lin Qingqing
Editor | Yuan Silai
Yingke has learned that the optical remote sensing payload manufacturing enterprise "Starlight Remote Sensing (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd." (hereinafter referred to as "Starlight Remote Sensing") has recently completed an angel - round financing of nearly 100 million yuan. This round of financing was jointly led by Yida Capital and Yihua Capital, with Kunshi Capital participating as a follow - on investor. The funds from this round of financing will be mainly used for the production capacity construction, R & D investment, and market expansion of high - resolution optical payloads.
Founded in early 2025 by remote sensing payload experts from the aerospace system and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "Starlight Remote Sensing" is headquartered in Beijing and has a R & D and production center in the Jiangbei New Area of Nanjing. Yingke has learned that the company focuses on the R & D and manufacturing of panchromatic and multi - spectral remote sensing cameras with a resolution of 0.5m and above. It is one of the few private enterprises in China with an integrated team and R & D capabilities for sub - meter optical remote sensing payloads. Since its establishment, "Starlight Remote Sensing" has delivered two cameras with a resolution of 0.75m and plans to achieve the on - orbit verification goal of a 0.5m resolution camera in 2026.
(Image source/Enterprise)
According to industry forecasts, the number of remote sensing satellites launched in China is expected to reach several thousand in the next five years, giving rise to a market demand for remote sensing cameras worth tens of billions of yuan. The international competition situation is intensifying. SpaceX has upgraded from "Starlink" to "Starshield", and companies such as Maxar and Airbus continue to dominate the high - end remote sensing data market.
Against this background, remote sensing cameras with high resolution, low cost, and rapid delivery have become a key link in promoting the large - scale application of commercial aerospace. As the "eyes of remote sensing satellites", the performance of optical remote sensing payloads directly determines the satellite's data acquisition ability and imaging quality.
Based on this, "Starlight Remote Sensing" focuses on the market demand for various panchromatic and multi - spectral cameras in the commercial aerospace field. Its products not only meet the data acquisition needs of its customers in traditional fields such as geographic information mapping, agricultural monitoring, and urban governance but are also gradually expanding to emerging scenarios such as space situational awareness. In the aerospace industry chain, the company positions itself as a professional payload supplier and has achieved full - process independent R & D from design, simulation to integration, assembly, adjustment, and testing. The company's product line covers a resolution range from 0.25m to 50m. Relying on its independently developed intelligent high - resolution multi - modal imaging system, it can achieve ultra - high resolution and all - weather observation. In response to the demand for space security, the team has developed space - based situational awareness payloads to provide autonomous and controllable equipment capabilities for the security of space assets. Through modular and standardized product design, the company helps satellite manufacturers reduce integration difficulty and R & D cycle, promoting high - resolution remote sensing data from being "expensive and scarce" to being "affordable and accessible".
(Image source/AI - generated image)
In addition, after the completion of the Nanjing production base, "Starlight Remote Sensing" will, on the basis of its existing production capacity, become a private space optical payload production line capable of manufacturing 20 sets of cameras with a resolution of 0.5m@500km per year. It is understood that there are not many private enterprises in China involved in the R & D of high - resolution remote sensing cameras. With its early delivery capabilities and clear product positioning, "Starlight Remote Sensing" has established a certain leading position in the high - resolution payload field. "Starlight Remote Sensing" said that the company clearly defines its boundary as a "payload supplier" and does not compete with satellite general contractors, thus enabling more efficient joint design and interface coordination.
Investors' views:
Yida Capital said: In recent years, the commercial remote sensing satellite industry has entered the fast lane of development, with the number of satellites increasing rapidly and the satellite application industry showing a booming growth trend. Previously, China relied heavily on imports for sub - meter high - resolution data. In this context, the country's demand for autonomous and controllable high - resolution remote sensing cameras will be more urgent. The R & D of optical remote sensing cameras is the most difficult to commercialize due to its high precision, great design difficulty, and dependence on experience in assembly and adjustment. The future remote sensing market is huge, and there is still a huge gap in domestic production capacity at present when the demand has not yet exploded. The company's team has rich industry experience, and the core members have more than 15 years of work experience in the aerospace and related fields. We are optimistic about the company's growth into a benchmark enterprise in the commercial remote sensing payload field.
Yihua Capital said: We are very honored to participate in this round of financing as the leading investor in the angel round of Starlight Remote Sensing. With the rapid reduction of domestic commercial aerospace launch costs and the sharp increase in the demand for remote sensing information, remote sensing satellites are expected to become the next hot spot in commercial aerospace. Starlight Remote Sensing has an integrated team that can independently R & D, produce, and sell high - resolution optical payloads, which is rare in China. It is also one of the only two commercial aerospace enterprises in China with experience in delivering sub - meter optical payloads. Through decades of technological accumulation, the team has achieved the impossible triangle of low cost, low weight, and high imaging quality for high - resolution remote sensing payloads. We are optimistic about Starlight Remote Sensing as a new force contributing important strength to China's commercial aerospace cause.
Kunshi Capital said: With the continuous development of the commercial aerospace and artificial intelligence fields, the demand for high - resolution, high - frequency, and quantitative remote sensing data is becoming increasingly prominent. As a leading enterprise in China focusing on remote sensing cameras, the core payload of remote sensing satellites, Starlight Remote Sensing has the full - industrial - chain capabilities from optical design, manufacturing, assembly, and adjustment to engineering. The core members of the team come from well - known domestic and foreign aerospace research institutes and have profound technological accumulation in the field of remote sensing payloads. The company has innovatively achieved the integration of high resolution, light weight, intelligence, and low cost, significantly improving the quality, application scenarios, and application value of remote sensing data.