Startup · United Kingdom
Bright Ascension
HQ Dundee, United KingdomFounded 201151-200 employeesUpdated
Bright Ascension offers mission ready software in space and on the ground.
Funding7 rounds · ~$7.4M + £650K
- Equity raised
- ~$7.4M + £650K
- Latest
- ~$3.2MConvertible · Jul 14, 2025
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2025 | Convertible | ~$3.2M | — | Capital for Colleagues | Harrock Capital Partners, Scottish Enterprise | Confirmed |
| Apr 4, 2024 | Convertible | ~$939K | — | Scottish Enterprise | — | Confirmed |
| Oct 12, 2023 | Convertible | ~$1.8M | — | Capital for Colleagues | — | Confirmed |
| Aug 23, 2021 | Undisclosed | ~$1.4M | — | — | — | Confirmed |
| May 8, 2017 | Undisclosed | ~$129K | — | — | Capital for Colleagues | Confirmed |
| 2016 | Undisclosed | £150K | — | — | Capital for Colleagues | Confirmed |
| 2022 | Undisclosed | £500K | — | — | — | Confirmed |
- ~$3.2MJul 14, 2025
- ~$939KApr 4, 2024
- ~$1.8MOct 12, 2023
- UndisclosedConfirmed~$1.4MAug 23, 2021
- ~$129KMay 8, 2017
- £150K2016
- UndisclosedConfirmed£500K2022
Raised counts equity rounds; debt, secondary sales and grants are totaled separately. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the announcement month's average rate. A ~ marks an estimated or converted amount.
Systems4
- EdgeReady-to-use payload software foundation for typical mission requirements.
- FlightkitModular development environment for mission-specific spacecraft flight software.
- GroundkitGround-software development environment built from modular, reusable components.
- HELIX OpsSoftware for monitoring, commanding, and automating spacecraft operations.
Newest unveiled first. Systems that belong to a government program link to the program page, where variants, costs and contracts are.
Capabilities1
| Technology | Role | Maturity | TRL | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space, launch and counterspace | Developer | — | — | classify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Mission software for space and ground segments of satellite missions, with no defense use stated. | Reported |
- Developerclassify_sectors run 37, haiku, taxonomy 2026-10-18b: Mission software for space and ground segments of satellite missions, with no defense use stated.—Reported
Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.
People5
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Peter Mendham · LinkedIn ↗ | Founder and CEO |
| Laura Calder · LinkedIn ↗ | Chief Financial Officer |
| Patrica Druken · LinkedIn ↗ | Chief Operating Officer |
| Peter Mendham · LinkedIn ↗ | Chief Technology Officer |
| Sandy Damm · LinkedIn ↗ | Chief Executive Officer |
Sources16
Show all 16 sources and supporting evidence
Profile5
- 1
Bright Ascension · Supports Organization · description, Organization · name, Organization · website
“Bright Ascension offers mission ready software in space and on the ground. Our integrated software is perfect for any satellite mission.”
- 2
PitchBook · Supports Organization · employee range, Organization · founded year, Organization · linkedin url, Organization · x url
“employee_range: 51-200 (profile: 52)”
- 3
Sixth-Domain · Supports Organization · country, Organization · kind
“{"country": "UK", "hq_iso2": "GB", "id": "053d8be2-9a0e-4b16-8096-3eb205d9daab"}”
- 4
LinkedIn · Supports Organization · employee range, Organization · founded year, Organization · linkedin url
“employee_range: 51-200 (profile: 51-200 employees)”
- 5
Owler · Supports Organization · founded year, Organization · hq city, Organization · linkedin url, Organization · x url
“founded_year: 2011”
Systems4
- 6
Bright Ascension · Supports System
“Flightkit is our latest modular and component-based flight software development product, built for speed, reliability, and scalability—so you can develop, integrate, and evolve your spacecraft software faster, whether it’s a single satellite or an entire constellation”
- 7
Bright Ascension · Supports System
“HELIX Ops, an easy-to-use products for monitoring, control and automation of spacecraft operations, designed to grow with your mission. WHAT IS HELIX OPS? ### HELIX OPS HELIX® Ops is our flexible, intuitive graphical environment for mission control and spacecraft operations, enabling efficient monitoring, commanding, and automation – from single CubeSat missions to large multi-platform constellations”
- 8
Bright Ascension · Supports System
“Groundkit, our feature-rich ground software development environment, built on modular and reusable components and services”
- 9
Bright Ascension · Supports System
“HELIX® Edge provides a pre-defined, ready-to-use foundation that covers the essential requirements of a typical mission”
Funding6
- 10Regulatory filingPortfolio Update - Bright Ascension Limited
Capital for Colleagues plc (RNS via Investegate) · Jul 14, 2025 · Supports Funding round · amount, Organization · ownership
“Bright Ascension has now concluded a £2,350,000 funding round.”
- 11
Capital for Colleagues plc (RNS via Proactive) · Apr 4, 2024 · Supports Funding round · amount
“an investment of £750,000 from Scottish Enterprise”
- 12Regulatory filingPortfolio Update - Investment in Bright Ascension Limited
Capital for Colleagues plc (Cision) · Oct 12, 2023 · Supports Funding round · amount
“Capital for Colleagues is pleased to announce that the Company has successfully led a funding round of £1.5 million for BAL.”
- 13NewsBright Ascension Completes Fund-Raising for Development of End-To-End Space Software Product Suite
SpaceNews · Aug 23, 2021 · Supports Funding round · amount
“The company has raised £1m of additional equity through the issue of new”
- 14
Capital for Colleagues plc (RNS via ADVFN) · May 8, 2017 · Supports Funding round, Funding round · amount
“initially invested in Bright Ascension in September 2016,”
- 15
SpaceNews · Supports Funding round · amount
“it has secured an additional £500k of funding”
People1
- 16
Crunchbase · Supports Organization · hq city, Organization · linkedin url, Role
“hq_city: Dundee”
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.