Albedo

Albedo is a satellite imaging company developing a constellation of satellites in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) to provide the highest resolution imagery commercially available. The company was founded in 2020 by CEO Topher Haddad, CTO AyJay Lasater, and CPO Winston Tri. The idea for Albedo was sparked when then-President Donald Trump tweeted a classified satellite image with an estimated 10 cm resolution, prompting Haddad, then an engineer at Lockheed Martin, to explore the commercial feasibility of such technology.

Haddad and Lasater both previously worked as engineers at Lockheed Martin, specializing in satellite systems and remote sensing. Tri, a University of Texas classmate of Haddad's, brought experience from Facebook, where he worked with remote sensing data for network planning. The company participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2021 batch and has since raised approximately $100 million through multiple funding rounds, including a $48 million Series A in 2022 and a $35 million Series A-1 in 2024. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Shield Capital, Standard Investments, and Booz Allen's venture arm.

Albedo's core offering is a dual-modality platform co-collecting 10 cm panchromatic (visible) and 2-meter thermal infrared imagery. This resolution, previously attainable only by aircraft, drones, or classified government systems, is enabled by operating satellites in VLEO, at altitudes roughly half that of conventional Earth observation satellites. The company launched its first satellite, Clarity-1, in March 2025 and plans to deploy a full constellation of 24 spacecraft by 2028. In October 2025, Albedo announced a strategic pivot to cease its commercial imagery business and focus exclusively on manufacturing its VLEO satellite buses for other payload operators, citing the better-than-expected performance of its Clarity-1 satellite.

The technology serves a wide range of markets, including agriculture, insurance, energy, utilities, infrastructure monitoring, mapping, and national security. Applications include precision agriculture, wildfire prevention, monitoring pipelines, validating insurance claims, and creating high-definition maps for autonomous systems.

Keywords: VLEO satellites, high-resolution imagery, Earth observation, thermal imaging, remote sensing, satellite constellation, space technology, geospatial data, aerial-quality imagery, satellite bus manufacturing, optical imagery, infrared imagery, precision agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, defense applications, climate monitoring, Y Combinator, Topher Haddad, AyJay Lasater, Winston Tri