French SpaceTech Startup Look Up Secures €50 Million In Series A Round

This Series A round—one of the biggest in European SpaceTech in the last decade—includes equity, debt, and public grants, all from European investors.

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The €24 million equity portion was led by ETF Partners, with support from Leadwind (KFund), the EU’s EIC Fund, and existing investors MIG Capital, Karista, and Expansion.

The European Union is also backing the project with €15 million in non-dilutive funding, while several banks have contributed through debt financing.

According to Michel Friedling Co-founder of Look Up: “Look Up stands out with a holistic vision and a unique strategy. Our goal is to become a global player in space safety and operations. This funding will enable us to continue deploying our radar network worldwide and enhance our digital solutions to address the escalating challenge of an increasingly congested and unstable orbital environment. It also strengthens our positioning in a sector poised for consolidation at both European and global levels.”

As of June 2025, the company has over 60 employees and aims to grow to 100 by the end of the year. It already operates a high-precision radar in France and will soon install two more in French Polynesia.

The new funding will support the launch of more radar units, the opening of a space operations centre, and the company’s global expansion. It will also help validate Look Up’s “Space-Operations-as-a-Service” model through an in-orbit demo. Their full solution includes ATLAS2, an EU-supported program focused on improving safety in low-Earth orbit through automation.

Juan Carlos Dolado, Co-founder, echoed this integrated approach: “Look Up’s technology vision is built on three pillars: first, the ability to detect orbital objects 24/7 with high revisit rates thanks to our radar network; second, the ability to analysse and understand the space domain in real time through our SYNAPSE platform; and third, the ability to enable safe and sustainable space operations. This integrated vision allows us to meet the rising demand for coordinated space traffic management from both public and private operators, ensuring the long-term sustainability of space activities.”

Currently, 90% of low-Earth orbit tracking is handled by the United States. Look Up’s growth highlights Europe’s push to regain control in space surveillance.

With an operational radar in France and two more coming soon in French Polynesia, Look Up is helping strengthen Europe’s presence in orbital infrastructure.

Rémy de Tonnac, Senior Partner at ETF Partners, emphasised the mission-driven nature of the investment: “ETF Partners is proud to support Europe’s emerging leader in sustainable space technologies. We firmly believe that in order to enable a sustainable earth we must ensure a sustainable space. By addressing the increasing risks of collisions and debris management Look Up is creating a more secure orbital environment where satellites can safely operate and become insurable assets. This is a critical foundation for a sustainable space economy, balancing environmental responsibility and technological progress”

About Look Up

Look Up, founded in 2022 by Michel Friedling (former head of the French Space Command) and Juan Carlos Dolado Perez (former Chief of Space Surveillance at CNES), is building a global radar network called SORASYS. This system tracks everything from active satellites to small pieces of space debris.