Pasadena – September 16, 2026 -- Sophia Space has entered a $300 million financing framework with aerospace leasing specialist SLI to fund a 10-satellite edge computing constellation, applying asset-leasing models long used in aviation and energy to orbital infrastructure for the first time.
SLI will purchase and lease 10 satellites under a fixed-payment structure
Under the non-binding letter of support, SLI will buy the satellites from Sophia and lease them to end-users on fixed monthly or quarterly payments, aligning the financing timeline with Sophia's build and deployment schedule. The arrangement supports purchase and deployment of 10 Sophia TILE spacecraft through a long-term operating lease spanning the satellites' expected useful lives, with mission launches planned as early as 2028.
Constellation will match the compute capacity of 240 edge servers
Once deployed, the fleet is designed to deliver aggregate computing capacity equivalent to 240 state-of-the-art edge servers, targeting in-orbit data services for Earth observation, weather analytics, supply-chain management, disaster preparedness, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) applications.
Deal preserves Sophia's equity capital for R&D and operations
By shifting satellite ownership to SLI through a lease-back structure, Sophia avoids relying exclusively on equity funding to scale deployment. "Asset financing didn't invent aviation or shipping, but it accelerated them at scale," said Rob DeMillo, CEO and Cofounder of Sophia Space, adding that the SLI arrangement shows the company's infrastructure is mature enough to attract capital structures that built terrestrial industries.
SLI brings Libra Group's $15 billion asset-financing track record to space
SLI, established by Libra Group in 2023, is the aerospace arm of a group with more than $15 billion in asset financing experience across aviation, maritime and renewable energy. Praveen Vetrivel, CEO of SLI, said the framework gives Sophia access to scalable, non-dilutive capital needed to build the next layer of digital infrastructure.