Current operations cover International Waters, Spain, and Portugal, with a planned worldwide expansion; data rates range from 300 bps to 1 kbps and messages up to 32 bytes, featuring latency-tolerant, mobile-to-mobile communications.

Future plans focus on delivering high-bandwidth, time-sensitive defense payloads via a true microsatellite constellation, which will require substantial capital, testing, and qualification beyond IoT-focused capabilities.

FOSSA opened its first Asia-Pacific office in Tokyo after partnering with Japanese trading firm Kanematsu, establishing a local presence for Japan’s growing defense and national security market.

Risks include sustaining growth into defense-grade platforms, navigating long procurement cycles, and financing large-scale constellations while competing with established players.

FOSSA raised €6.3 million in a 2024 Series A and is seeking additional funding to support constellation expansion and new launch opportunities.

FOSSA’s involvement with NATO through the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) adds credibility and access to European defense procurement networks.

The broader trend shows European startups entering allied nations’ defense budgets with rapid, cost-effective space capabilities, aided by partnerships with local players like Kanematsu to win government contracts.

The Tokyo expansion follows a distribution agreement with Kanematsu, marking the company’s first expansion outside Europe into Japan’s defense market.

The company aims to grow its constellation from 80 to 140 satellites and have a full constellation in orbit within about three years, contingent on launches and market factors.

FOSSA Systems, a Spanish startup known for sub-kilogram picosatellites, is pivoting toward defense contracts in Japan by expanding to larger 3U and 6U cubesats and planning a microsatellite constellation to support signals intelligence and secure communications.

Its largest satellite to date is a 6U cubesat with propulsion, launched recently on SpaceX’s rideshare, while a larger 75–150 kg microsatellite platform is in development for defense and national security missions.

Revenue has grown about 500%, with staff doubling to roughly 50 since 2023, and FOSSA participates in NATO’s DIANA accelerator for dual-use technologies.