UK space company NewOrbit has secured a Q3 2028 launch slot for NEO‑1, its first satellite and the first commercial spacecraft designed to sustain operations in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) at 200–300 km altitude. The launch slot was arranged through European broker RIDE!.
The company says operating at these altitudes has historically been difficult due to atmospheric drag, atomic oxygen erosion and aerodynamic torques. Only two missions have previously maintained long‑term operations below 300 km: ESA’s GOCE and JAXA’s SLATS/Tsubame, the latter holding the record at 167.4 km.
NEO‑1 is a rideshare mission able to carry multiple payloads. The first announced customer is Genesia, the Japanese optics specialist behind the telescope used on SLATS. Two additional customers have booked payload slots.
Flying closer to Earth enables higher‑resolution imagery from smaller instruments — for example, a system producing 50 cm resolution at 500 km would achieve ~25 cm at NEO‑1’s altitude without redesign. NewOrbit’s satellites and propulsion system are built to operate in VLEO for five years.
NEO‑1 is the first VLEO mission open to external payload developers, offering access to an orbital regime previously limited to agency‑led mission, the company states.
The announcement follows NewOrbit’s $18.5m Series A round. The company also confirmed that four senior figures from ESA’s GOCE mission — Dr Mark Drinkwater, Dr Michael Fehringer, Alex Popescu and Paolo Ferri — have joined its technical advisory board.
NewOrbit’s CEO Anatolii Papulov said the mission brings together expertise from both historic VLEO programmes, with GOCE engineers joining the advisory board and Genesia participating as a payload partner.
According to NewOrbit, it’s satellites deliver drone-class imagery and direct-to-device connectivity at a fraction of the cost of conventional constellations.
