Unseenlabs
French space-based RF intelligence firm tracking 'dark vessels' at sea via its BRO satellite constellation — the European leader in commercial maritime SIGINT.
Background
Unseenlabs is a Rennes-based space company founded in 2015 by brothers Clement Galic (CEO) and Jonathan Galic (CTO); some accounts add a third co-founder, Benjamin Ferrer.
It builds and operates the BRO (Breizh Reconnaissance Orbiter) constellation of low-Earth-orbit nanosatellites that passively detect radio-frequency emissions from ships, then geolocate and characterize the source — including 'dark vessels' that switch off AIS transponders to avoid tracking.
First satellite BRO-1 flew in 2019; the fleet reached 22 spacecraft with BRO-22 in June 2026, and the company is beginning to deploy a Gen 2 generation it says will extend RF coverage to land and space.
Unseenlabs sells the resulting maritime intelligence to governments, navies, coast guards, insurers and NGOs, runs mission control from Rennes, and opened a Singapore office in 2025 to push into Asia-Pacific.
Financial footing
- ~EUR 120M (~$124M) raised over its life
- EUR 85M Series C (Feb 2024, led by Supernova Invest with ISALT + UNEXO)
- Launched BRO-22 — its 22nd satellite — on Japan's H3 rocket (Jun 12, 2026), the first foreign private payload on the H3
- Beginning to deploy a Gen 2 generation extending RF coverage toward land and space. (NB: a separately reported 'June 2026 EUR 85M round' is a misdating of the Feb 2024 Series C — one round, not two.)
- Backers: Supernova Invest (Series C lead), ISALT, UNEXO, 360 Capital, OMNES Capital, Bpifrance / Definvest (French state Defence Innovation Fund)
Unseenlabs has raised roughly EUR 120M (~$124M) over its life. After a 2016 French research grant, it closed a Series A in September 2018, a ~EUR 20M round in April 2021, and an EUR 85M Series C on February 27, 2024 led by Supernova Invest with ISALT and UNEXO; backers include Bpifrance and the state Defence Innovation Fund (Definvest).
Important: that EUR 85M is the 2024 Series C — not an 'early 2025' raise and not a 'record June 2026' round. No separate June 2026 raise appears in any funding tracker; the figure looks misdated. Circulating revenue and valuation numbers come from unreliable secondary sources.
Major customers & contracts
Unseenlabs sells space-based RF intelligence mainly to public-sector and defense buyers across Europe: governments, navies, coast guards and maritime agencies policing territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, alongside marine insurers, shipowners and NGOs.
France is the anchor market — the state-backed Defence Innovation Fund (Definvest/Bpifrance) is both an investor and a sovereignty-minded stakeholder. Specific contract values and named agency customers are not publicly itemized; the company describes a global government and commercial base rather than disclosing individual deals.
Leadership & contact surface
Leadership: Clement Galic
Official site: https://unseenlabs.com
Competitive position
In commercial RF/SIGINT from orbit, the reference rival is US-based HawkEye 360, which flies 30-plus satellites in three-craft clusters across the full RF spectrum, embeds in US intelligence architecture, and filed to go public in 2026 — broader and larger than Unseenlabs' maritime-only niche.
Spire Global carries RF as one line in a multi-mission constellation. Direct maritime rival Kleos Space went bankrupt in 2023; Aurora Insight was absorbed by HawkEye 360. Unseenlabs' edge is monosatellite geolocation that needs no formation flying, plus deep maritime focus.
Battlefield relevance
Unseenlabs' core use is maritime domain awareness: finding ships that go dark to dodge sanctions, fish illegally, or loiter near seabed cables and pipelines.
That maps onto 2026's flashpoints — Europe's hunt for Russia's 'shadow fleet' tankers and mounting fears over undersea-cable sabotage. Persistent, AIS-independent RF tracking is exactly the gap navies and coast guards are scrambling to fill.
Sources & verification
- Unseenlabs — Unseenlabs successfully launched BRO-22 with JAXA (Jun 2026)
- Ocean News & Technology — BRO-22 launched aboard Japan's H3 launch vehicle (Jun 2026)
- SpaceWatch.Global — Unseenlabs launches BRO-22 on Japan's H3, a first for a foreign private company (Jun 2026)
- Resilience Media — France's defence innovation agency one-stop shop (EUR 85M Series C, 2024)