Aalyria
Aalyria builds Tightbeam atmospheric laser comm hardware and Spacetime network-orchestration software for multi-domain military and commercial space networks.
Background
Aalyria was founded in 2021 — incorporated or publicly launched in 2022 — by CEO Chris Taylor, CTO Brian Barritt, and co-founders who spun the core technology out of Google's advanced projects work.
The company emerged from stealth with 32 employees and is headquartered at 7633 Southfront Rd, Livermore, CA.
Its two core products are Tightbeam, a free-space optical communications platform capable of 100 Gbps links across hundreds of kilometers in atmospheric conditions, and Spacetime, a temporospatial software-defined network controller that optimizes routing and topology across dynamic mixes of optical and radio links spanning land, sea, air, and space.
Aalyria sells directly to U.S. government agencies, allied space organizations, and commercial satellite operators.
It had roughly 90 employees as of February 2026 — nearly three times its headcount at stealth exit — reflecting rapid contract-driven hiring despite remaining a small organization relative to its $1.3 billion valuation.
Financial footing
- $100M Series B (Feb 2026)
- $8M initial govt contract
- Backers: Accel, J2 Ventures, Housatonic
Aalyria raised an $8 million initial government contract or seed-equivalent tranche in its earliest disclosed funding activity. A February 2026 Series B raised $100 million, bringing total lifetime funding to approximately $130 million per PitchBook data cited in 2026 defense-tech reporting, implying undisclosed seed and Series A capital between the initial government award and the Series B.
The Series B was led by Accel, with participation from J2 Ventures and Housatonic. The February 2026 post-money valuation was $1.3 billion, making Aalyria a defense-tech unicorn at that round. The company remains private. No revenue figures or contract backlog totals have been publicly disclosed.
Major customers & contracts
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory selected Aalyria for the Space Data Network Experimentation (SDNX) program in January 2026. The Defense Innovation Unit has publicly funded or contracted Aalyria work. NASA has awarded Aalyria contracts or research funding, including Earth observation data delivery work. The European Space Agency has contracted Aalyria for work bridging terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks under O-RAN and 5G/6G frameworks. Rivada Space Networks engaged Aalyria's Spacetime platform to orchestrate a planned 600-satellite LEO constellation.
Telesat engaged Aalyria in a control-plane and network-management role for the Telesat Lightspeed LEO constellation. Anduril has a technology-integration partnership with Aalyria focused on battlefield network capabilities. Google Public Sector, Airbus, ALL.SPACE, Keysight Technologies, and Logos Space were named as partners in 2024 reporting. A 2024 defense report cited partnerships with multiple additional U.S. military services and field activities without enumerating them.
Leadership & contact surface
Leadership: Chris Taylor
Official site: https://www.aalyria.com
Competitive position
Against Viasat, which sells integrated satcom terminals and managed network services to the DoD, Aalyria's edge is software-agnostic orchestration across multi-vendor, multi-orbit links and a laser comm hardware layer Viasat does not offer; Aalyria's weakness is Viasat's entrenched DoD program-of-record relationships and manufacturing scale. Against Kratos, a major satellite ground-system and network-management software vendor, Aalyria's Spacetime offers dynamic temporospatial optimization Kratos's largely static ground architectures lack, but Kratos holds far deeper existing government contracts.
Against SpaceX Starlink, which is integrating its own laser inter-satellite links and terminal hardware, Aalyria cannot match vertical integration or production volume but can operate across non-SpaceX constellations. Against Kepler Communications and other optical-terminal startups, Aalyria differentiates on the orchestration layer rather than terminal hardware alone. The market is fragmented but consolidating around a few multi-layer vendors; Aalyria is betting the orchestration software layer becomes the integrating element.
Battlefield relevance
No confirmed combat use to date.
Sources & verification
- https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/23/google-spinout-aalyria-valued-at-1point3-billion-in-100-million-round.html
- https://www.instagram.com/p/DVHlQXxkfbq/
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260122346858/en/Aalyria-Selected-by-U.S.-Air-Force-Research-Laboratory-for-Space-Data-Network-Experimentation-SDNX-Program
- https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Aalyria_secures_100_million_dollars_to_expand_next_generation_space_networking_999.html
- https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260222991251/aalyria-raises-100-million-to-build-the-next-generation-communications-backbone-of-the-new-space-age
- https://satnews.com/2026/02/23/google-spinout-aalyria-achieves-1-3-billion-valuation-in-series-b-round/
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230509005464/en/Aalyria-Anduril-Partner-to-Integrate-Technologies-to-Enhance-Battlefield-Capabilities
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/aalyria
- https://www.aalyria.com/press/aalyria-envisions-communications-revolution-for-earth-the-moon-and-beyond
- https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/exhibitors/34342-aalyria-technologies-inc
- https://www.tectonicdefense.com/aalyria-raises-100m-at-a-1-3b-valuation/
- https://www.moomoo.com/ja/news/post/46935047/aalyria-selected-by-defense-innovation-unit-to-enhance-swarm-connectivity
- https://www.sbir.gov/portfolio/2251129
- https://www.aalyria.com
- https://www.highergov.com/awardee/aalyria-technologies-inc-12793325/