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Open Cosmos plans to build a 192-satellite low Earth orbit (LEO) network called ConnectedCosmos, but the satellites are not all in orbit: the company’s nearer target is more than 96 in orbit by the end of 2028, followed by a goal of global coverage by 2030. Open Cosmos announced €300 million in funding on September 14, 2026, and says it will use the money to expand manufacturing and speed up its connectivity and data services. The company calls it a funding round; its announcement does not identify it as a Series C.
What Open Cosmos has announced
On October 5, 2026, Open Cosmos described 192 satellites as the foundational core of ConnectedCosmos, its planned LEO connectivity constellation. The 192 figure is the intended core size, not a report that 192 spacecraft have launched. The company’s stated milestones are more than 96 satellites in orbit by the end of 2028 and full global coverage by 2030. Those are company targets, not completed deployment results. Open Cosmos’s announcement also said the next ConnectedCosmos launch would be underway before the end of 2026.
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Open Cosmos says it is in advanced discussions with several launch providers for further missions between late 2026 and mid-2027, but it has not named those prospective providers. The company has also said it is exploring a federation model that could let independently owned and governed European satellite systems interoperate; that is a proposal under exploration, not an operating network demonstrated in the announcement.
What ConnectedCosmos is designed to do
Open Cosmos describes ConnectedCosmos as a connectivity layer combining point-to-point broadband with direct-to-device Internet of Things (IoT). It says optical links between satellites could route data through a space-based mesh, reducing reliance on ground gateways for some routes, and connect the network with its Earth-observation (EO) capabilities. The intended customers include governments, institutions and commercial organizations with critical connectivity needs. These are design goals and company claims; the announcements do not provide independent performance tests or establish coverage in operation. Open Cosmos’s ConnectedCosmos description outlines the concept.
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The company also positions ConnectedCosmos as transport for EO satellites. In combination with OpenConstellation and DataCosmos, it says the services could bring together observation, communications and data processing. Open Cosmos illustrated that idea with a forest-fire detection and response scenario: satellite observations could inform a response while the connectivity layer carries relevant data. This is an example of intended use, not evidence that the integrated service has already delivered that outcome.
How far the constellation has progressed
Two initial ConnectedCosmos LEO telecom satellites launched in January 2026 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand. Open Cosmos described that mission as an initial phase for operations testing, system validation and proof of concept—not deployment of the full 192-satellite core. Rocket Lab’s launch information is relevant to the mission, while the constellation’s milestones remain those stated by Open Cosmos.
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As of its October 5 announcement, Open Cosmos said European manufacturing capacity could produce one satellite per day. That is the company’s stated production capacity, not a verified ongoing launch rate: satellites still need to be built, integrated, launched and commissioned. The company’s schedule therefore depends on more than manufacturing alone, and the announcements do not independently validate the 2028 or 2030 targets.
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On September 14, 2026, Open Cosmos announced €300 million in funding. It said the proceeds would expand satellite mass-manufacturing capabilities and accelerate delivery of its intelligence and connectivity services by expanding ConnectedCosmos, OpenConstellation and DataCosmos. The company described this as a funding round, without labeling it “Series C” in that announcement. Open Cosmos’s funding announcement named Lightrock, ETF Partners, Institut Català de Finances (ICF), Entrepreneurs First, two major international pension funds, Convex Group, National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), Phoenix Court and Claret Capital Partners among the participants; it did not disclose individual contributions.
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Open Cosmos also reported more than $370 million in customer contracts signed over the preceding three and a half years and five consecutive years of profitable growth. Those are company-reported figures, not independently audited findings established by the announcements cited here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to watch next
- Launches: whether the next mission gets underway before the end of 2026, as Open Cosmos said it planned.
- Provider and schedule details: which launch providers are selected for the missions discussed for late 2026 to mid-2027.
- Deployment progress: whether the constellation reaches the company’s target of more than 96 satellites in orbit by the end of 2028.
- Service evidence: what operational coverage, performance and customer availability the company discloses as satellites are commissioned.
Progress on these points will distinguish announced plans from a working network. The present announcements establish Open Cosmos’s intended scale, funding and architecture, but do not independently confirm future schedules, global coverage or technical performance.
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