BlackSky

BlackSky

Real-time satellite imagery and AI analytics.

Overview

BlackSky provides real-time geospatial intelligence by owning and operating a high-revisit satellite constellation and an AI-powered analytics platform. Its satellites capture imagery and the Spectra platform analyzes and fuses space data with other sensors to generate rapid, actionable intelligence, including automated object detection and change alerts. The company differentiates itself through vertical integration (designing/owning the constellation, manufacturing with LeoStella) and a high revisit rate with fast delivery, plus a software-centric, subscription-based model. Its goal is to deliver timely situational awareness to government, defense, and commercial customers while expanding recurring software revenue and advancing Gen-3 capabilities.

About BlackSky

Simplify's Rating
Why BlackSky is rated
B
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated A on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Data & Analytics

AI & Machine Learning

Aerospace

Defense

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Herndon, Virginia

Founded

2013

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Q2 2026 revenue rose 50% to $33.3 million, and guidance stayed $130-$150 million.
  • BlackSky raised $150 million through ATM equity and ended Q2 2026 with $244.1 million cash.
  • September 2026 deal made BlackSky exclusive optical provider for a $1 billion AI constellation.

What critics are saying

  • BlackSky still burns cash on $50-$60 million capex, forcing repeated equity dilution.
  • Warrant delisting in September 2026 signals weak capital-market optionality and expiring financing tools.
  • Loft Orbital, Marlan Space, and Mistral AI attack BlackSky's moat with seconds-level in-orbit processing.

What makes BlackSky unique

  • Gen-3's 35-centimeter imagery reached first light within 20 hours on September 2026.
  • BlackSky combines satellites and Spectra AI for minutes-level target detection and alerts.
  • August 11, 2026 contracts prove demand for assured and on-demand subscriptions with governments.

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Funding

Total Funding

$744.1M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

11 Rounds

Notable Investors:
Private Placement Non VC funding comparison data is currently unavailable. We're working to provide this information soon!
Private Placement Non VC Funding Comparison
Coming Soon

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Paid Vacation

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Flexible Spending Accounts

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs

Professional Development Budget

Employer matching donations

Stock Price

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

↑ 0%

1 year growth

↑ 0%

2 year growth

↑ 9%
Defense Daily
Sep 16th, 2026
Sovereign EO Space capabilities are ready to go to the next level, company officials say.

Sovereign EO Space capabilities are ready to go to the next level, company officials say. Mark Holmes Wednesday, September 16th, 2026 PARIS - Executives from BlackSky, Planet, Iceye and HawkEye 360 assessed the changing dynamics of the sovereign Earth Observation (EO) satellite market at the Space Defense and Security (SDSS) summit in Paris on Tuesday, saying the pace of deployment is accelerating. Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and co-founder of Iceye, said all the players in this area have adjusted to the market environment to delivering both services and sovereign systems. Yet when looking at delivering sovereign capability, Modrzewski believes companies like Iceye have now taken things to the next... Not a subscriber or registered user yet? Please contact us at [email protected] or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.

Business Wire
Sep 14th, 2026
BlackSky's fifth Gen-3 satellite achieves first light in under 20 hours, expanding real-time intelligence capacity

BlackSky Technology collected and processed first light imagery from its fifth Gen-3 satellite in less than 20 hours after launch, significantly faster than industry standards. The rapid commissioning allows customers immediate access to high-resolution imagery for real-time situational awareness. The Gen-3 satellites provide 35-centimetre resolution imagery and cost approximately one-fifth of legacy platforms whilst exponentially increasing available capacity. BlackSky's AI-enabled analytics automatically detect vehicles, aircraft, and vessels, helping defence and intelligence agencies make faster decisions in fast-moving operational environments. BlackSky plans to deploy additional Gen-3 satellites by the end of 2026. The company's dual constellation framework combines Gen-3 satellites with its foundational Gen-2 system to monitor rapidly unfolding events on Earth and objects in orbit.

SBIR.gov
Sep 13th, 2026
Awards | SBIR

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BlackSky
Sep 12th, 2026
BlackSky announces $29.5 million private placement financing - BlackSky

HERNDON, Va. (March 7, 2023) – BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) (“BlackSky” or the “Company”) announced it has entered into definitive agreements with a syndicate of new and existing institutional investors for the issuance and sale of 16,403,677 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock (“common stock”) and warrants to purchase up to an additional […]

W Media
Sep 11th, 2026
Loft Orbital and Marlan Space unveil US$ 1 billion plan for 50-Satellite AI constellation.

Loft Orbital and Marlan Space unveil US$ 1 billion plan for 50-Satellite AI constellation. As w.media's Europe and Americas correspondent, Conor covers the data center industry in the western hemisphere. Conor's decade long experience spans digital infrastructure, software, cybersecurity, telecom, biotech, and construction. September 11, 2026 at 5:28 PM GMT+8 Loft Orbital (Loft), a global space infrastructure company, and Marlan Space, a UAE-based investor and subsidiary of IHC, announced a US$ 1 billion program at the International Space Summit in Paris, to build a 50-satellite constellation designed to process data using artificial intelligence while in orbit which expands on a 10-satellite demonstration program. According to a press release, the satellites will carry radar, optical and other sensors and will provide services to government users in France, Europe and the UAE, as well as commercial customers. The system is designed to process satellite observations in orbit rather than sending raw data to Earth for processing which could allow information to be delivered within seconds instead of hours. Loft Orbital will provide the satellite platforms, onboard AI and software, and constellation operations. The company has supported more than 100 payloads and 20 AI missions in orbit. Its work includes a demonstration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory involving a satellite running a vision-language model onboard. Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO, Loft Orbital, said, "For the past few years, we have been working on deploying AI applications in space and orchestrating how they work together with this constellation, we're giving our partners building agentic AI workflows in space a true world-class satellite infrastructure." The satellites will be manufactured by Orbitworks, a joint venture between Marlan Space and Loft Orbital, at its facility in Abu Dhabi. The companies describe the facility as the region's largest high-volume manufacturing site for commercial satellite constellations. "When we set out to build this program, we bet on a future where intelligence would move into orbit, and that the UAE would be one of the places building it," said Dr. Hamdullah Mohib, CEO, Marlan Space and Orbitworks [signing on behalf of Marlan Space]. "This is where the industry is going, and we're proud to be at the front of it. Fifty satellites, working together in groups with different capabilities as one system, make this one of the most advanced constellations in the world. This turns a factory into a national capability, and the UAE from a buyer to a seller of satellite services, with engineering skills, intellectual property, and a supply chain that stays in the country long after the satellites are in orbit." French AI company Mistral is joining the consortium to provide onboard AI models for reasoning and natural-language tasking. Its models will also support services offered through the AI application store. U.S.-based BlackSky, a real-time, space-based intelligence company, will provide high-resolution optical satellites and its involvement builds on its existing relationship with Loft Orbital, including work through Leostella, Loft Orbital's former joint venture with Thales Alenia Space. Brian O'Toole, CEO, BlackSky, said, "We're proud to be selected as a key partner and the highest-resolution optical provider on this program,"our technology's proven, on-orbit performance stands as an essential capability behind the world's first AI-enabled constellation." The first 10 satellites are already in production in Abu Dhabi, with the first satellite scheduled for launch in October. Customers will access the capabilities through an AI application store, where they can select models and run them on the shared satellite infrastructure. Initial applications include maritime domain awareness, wildfire detection, disaster response, and monitoring ports and critical infrastructure.

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