Simera Sense
Commercial optical payload manufacturer for nano-, micro-, and small satellites, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium with offices in France, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Heritage from the South African small satellite industry (SunSat / SumbandilaSat programme). Two product lines: the xScape multispectral and RGB / video payloads (xScape50 1U at 30 m GSD, xScape100 1.5U at 4.75 m, xScape200 12U at 1.5 m) and the HyperScape100 hyperspectral payload at 1.5U volume (VNIR 460-860 nm with a continuously variable optical filter exposing up to 400 available bands at 442-884 nm of which 32 can be configured per capture, 4.75 m GSD at 500 km, 19.4 km swath, 12-bit). 50+ clients worldwide; EUR 13.5M growth round backed by NewSpace Capital and Knife Capital.
Simera Sense is a Belgian optical payload manufacturer providing compact imaging instruments for nano-, micro-, and small satellites. Founded in 2018 in Leuven, Belgium, the company is privately held under Simera Holdings, a South African technology investment firm. Its engineering roots trace to the South African small satellite programme; the Belgian headquarters was established to serve the growing European and global commercial smallsat market.[^simera-about]
The company product range centres on the xScape platform family. The xScape50 (1U, 30 m GSD at 500 km) addresses wider-swath mass-market applications. The xScape100 is a 1.5U optical platform with three spectral variants: MultiScape100 (8-band multispectral with digital TDI), TriScape100 (tri-spectral), and HyperScape100 (VNIR hyperspectral, 460-860 nm, 32 user-configurable bands from 400 available spectral positions via a Continuously Variable Optical Filter). All 1.5U variants share a 4.75 m GSD at 500 km over a 19.4 km swath, with a 580 mm focal length and 95 mm aperture optical train.[^hyperscape-page] The xScape200 (12U, 1.5 m GSD at 500 km, 14 km swath) targets higher-resolution requirements.[^xscape100-page]
The company reported 24 payloads in orbit as of February 2025, scaling toward 50+ by mid-2026 across a customer base exceeding 50 organisations.[^latconnect-article] Named engagements include an xScape100 payload for an ISISpace 6U CubeSat mission (2019), xScape200 payloads for the LatConnect60 SWIRSAT mission (launch December 2026), and a HyperScape100 combined with a KP Labs Leopard DPU for the OPS-SAT VOLT technology demonstrator led by Craft Prospect under ESA (planned mid-2026).[^kplabs-mou] Infinite Orbits has contracted Simera Sense to develop an SSA payload for the Orbit Guard mission under the French CNES France 2030 programme.[^infinite-orbits-pr]
In March 2024, Simera Sense closed a EUR 13.5M growth round led by NewSpace Capital with participation from Knife Capital and additional investors, funding expanded European production facilities and development of higher-resolution and short-wave infrared camera products.[^funding-2024] In May 2026 the company launched the SSA Scape100 Full Motion camera, a space-based Space Situational Awareness product derived from the xScape100 optical platform, with a flight model targeted for Q2 2027.[^ssa-launch]
Operations span four countries: Belgium (HQ and primary manufacturing), South Africa (origin site), France (Toulouse subsidiary, opened June 2024), and the United Kingdom.