Spanish aerospace startup FOSSA Systems is making an aggressive push into the Japanese defense sector, establishing a new Tokyo office and securing a strategic distribution partnership with local conglomerate Kanematsu. The expansion, announced amid a broader corporate pivot from miniature picosatellites to heavier, more capable spacecraft, aims to capture growing government demand for secure communications and signals intelligence. As geopolitical tensions mount globally, FOSSA is positioning its upgraded satellite platforms to serve national security interests across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Strategic Pivot to Heavier Spacecraft
FOSSA built its initial reputation on speed and exceptionally low costs within the commercial space sector. The six-year-old venture originally focused on spacecraft weighing less than a single kilogram, prioritizing rapid deployment over complex functionality. These tiny picosatellites were engineered to provide basic connectivity via Long-Range radio (LoRa), a low-power protocol heavily utilized by terrestrial Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Early technology demonstrations proved highly successful for the startup. According to FOSSA CEO and cofounder Julián Fernández, the company’s inaugural FOSSASAT-1 was developed in under six months and required less than $30,000 to build and launch. The company successfully deployed 13 of these picosatellites into low Earth orbit, establishing a foundation for low-cost space access.
However, the demands of government and defense contractors require more robust infrastructure. FOSSA has recently pivoted toward larger 3U cubesats in the nanosatellite class, which offer vastly improved performance, stronger signal capabilities, and enhanced reliability. The company currently operates seven of these 3U cubesats in orbit.
Crucially, these larger platforms boast an operational lifespan of approximately five years, a significant upgrade from the roughly two-year life expectancy of the earlier picosatellites. This extended durability makes the hardware far more viable for long-term military procurement and continuous intelligence operations.
Expanding Dual-Use Defense Capabilities
The transition to larger form factors has allowed FOSSA to integrate sophisticated payloads, including software-defined radios specifically designed for tracking signals from space. Fernández noted that several of the company’s orbiting cubesats already carry dedicated customer payloads tailored for signals intelligence.
This shift toward defense applications is gaining institutional recognition. NATO recently selected FOSSA to participate in its Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). The program is designed to fast-track the development of dual-use commercial technologies that can be adapted for critical government and military applications.
FOSSA is not stopping at the nanosatellite classification. Just last week, the company launched its largest spacecraft to date—a 6U cubesat equipped with onboard propulsion—aboard the latest SpaceX rideshare mission. Behind the scenes, engineers are developing an even larger 75-150 kilogram microsatellite platform. This heavier class of spacecraft will allow FOSSA to expand beyond simple IoT connectivity, enabling highly secure communications and dedicated national security missions.
Network Performance and Global Reach
Despite the pivot toward defense, FOSSA continues to manage a growing commercial network. Today, the company primarily provides connectivity for latency-tolerant instrumentation and tracking applications. Because the current satellite constellation is limited in size, revisit times—the frequency at which a satellite passes over a specific location—sit at roughly twice per day.
The network supports data rates ranging from 300 bits per second up to 1 kilobit per second, handling compact message sizes of up to 32 bytes. While modest compared to broadband constellations, this bandwidth is ideal for remote sensors and mobile-to-mobile communications in environments lacking traditional cellular infrastructure. FOSSA currently monitors sensors deployed primarily across international waters, Spain, and Portugal, with aggressive plans for worldwide expansion.
The company’s vertically integrated business model is a major selling point for government clients. By manufacturing the satellites, operating the ground stations, designing the payloads, and providing the user terminals, FOSSA offers a closed-loop system. This end-to-end control provides sovereign capabilities for defense customers who require absolute authority over their communications and intelligence architecture.
Financial Growth and Constellation Roadmap
The strategic shift away from ultra-small satellites in 2023 has yielded significant financial dividends. FOSSA has reported a 500% increase in revenue over the past year. To support this rapid scaling, the startup has essentially doubled its workforce, now employing 50 people across its operations.
Capitalizing on this momentum, the company is actively raising additional funds to dramatically expand its orbital network. This ongoing financial push follows a successful 6.3 million euro ($7 million) Series A funding round secured earlier in 2024.
FOSSA has filed regulatory plans to expand its target constellation size from 80 to 140 satellites. To achieve this, the startup is heavily reliant on commercial launch providers. Management expects to secure a payload slot on nearly every SpaceX rideshare mission scheduled over the next 12 months as they finalize the exact configuration of their orbital network.
Looking ahead, FOSSA aims to have its fully operational 140-satellite constellation in orbit within the next 36 months. However, the timeline will heavily depend on launch logistics. As the company works to finalize the constellation’s coverage, it will need to procure specialized, non-standard launch opportunities to fill orbital gaps that cannot be reached via standard commercial rideshare trajectories. How quickly FOSSA can navigate these launch bottlenecks will ultimately determine its success in dominating the emerging intersection of commercial IoT and sovereign signals intelligence.
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