Skynopy and CNES Strengthen Strategic Partnership: From Early Support to Shareholding, CNES Backs Skynopy’s Global Antenna Deployment
Skynopy, a leading provider of ground station services and satellite connectivity solutions, and the French Space Agency (CNES), have signed a partnership agreement aimed at optimizing frequency allocation for the ground stations operated by Skynopy in France. This partnership builds on a trusted relationship established since Skynopy’s inception: from its earliest days, the startup has benefited from CNES support—first as a technical and institutional partner, and later as a shareholder through the SpaceFounders program. A compelling example of collaboration between a national space agency and a fast-growing NewSpace player.
From Early Support to Shareholding: CNES, Skynopy’s First Strategic Partner
Since its creation in 2023, Skynopy has benefited from CNES’s active support, with the agency quickly recognizing the potential of its model. CNES notably supported Skynopy through technology development contracts focused on the promise of Ka-band for ground station-as-a-service solutions. This work enabled Skynopy to structure its technical roadmap around virtualized modem operations and refine its network architecture to meet the requirements of high-throughput LEO missions.
This relationship reached a new milestone when CNES became a shareholder in Skynopy through the SpaceFounders program—the European space startup accelerator created by CNES in partnership with the Bundeswehr University of Munich and the Italian Space Agency. SpaceFounders invests equity in startups that demonstrate strong traction during the acceleration program, sending a strong signal of confidence from the institutional ecosystem toward the most promising NewSpace players.
Quentin Robert, Managing Director France, SpaceFounders by CNES, explains: “Skynopy perfectly embodies what we aim to support through SpaceFounders: a top-tier founding team, outstanding execution, and real commercial traction in under two years. The speed at which Skynopy is deploying its global network, securing major clients, and raising funds is exceptional in the space industry. Our investment reflects our conviction that Skynopy has all the assets to become a European leader in the ground segment.”
Spectrum Optimization and Frequency Management: A High-Impact Operational Partnership
As part of this agreement, CNES will provide its unique expertise to support Skynopy in frequency declaration and allocation processes with the French National Frequency Agency (ANFR) when deploying antennas in France.
For a rapidly growing ground station network operator like Skynopy, spectrum management is a critical strategic challenge: each new site deployed worldwide requires obtaining landing rights from national authorities—a complex and time-consuming process without the right institutional support.
This partnership will significantly streamline and accelerate these procedures, reducing approval timelines and improving technical conditions for spectrum usage. By optimizing these regulatory processes, Skynopy can accelerate the commissioning of new sites and strengthen its market position—directly benefiting its satellite operator clients.
Marie-Anne Clair, Director of Technology & Digital at CNES, adds: “We believe in Skynopy’s model: a virtualized, modular ground infrastructure designed to naturally integrate with LEO operators’ requirements. CNES is proud to support Skynopy at every stage of its development—from our first R&D contracts on Ka-band to this operational partnership on frequency management. This is what CNES’s NewSpace policy is about: identifying tomorrow’s champions and supporting them concretely, from lab to market.”
Ka-band: Skynopy Ready to Scale with a Shared Vision
One of the most strategic pillars of the Skynopy–CNES relationship is Ka-band. From the outset, CNES funded technology development to explore its potential for next-generation ground station networks: significantly higher throughput, more compact architectures, and reduced operating costs. This work directly shaped Skynopy’s technical vision.
This vision has already enabled Skynopy to convince Eutelsat to collaborate on an ambitious demonstration: deploying initial S-, X-, and Ka-band ground stations delivering real-time, high-throughput connectivity for Earth observation satellites, compatible with OneWeb use cases.
Ka-band represents the next major leap for LEO operators, offering four times the throughput of X-band, while maintaining the same API interface for Skynopy clients. The pioneering work conducted with CNES is now at the core of Skynopy’s value proposition, positioning the company as a leading connectivity solution for European LEO constellations.
Skynopy: Strong Commercial Traction Reflecting Market Fit
In less than two years, Skynopy has deployed 17 operational sites across all continents, operates satellites for around ten clients—including major European players such as Airbus Defence & Space (Pléiades Neo)—and has raised €15 million. Recent contracts with Airbus D&S and numerous NewSpace players highlight Skynopy’s ability to support a wide range of missions, from Earth observation and space surveillance to in-orbit demonstration.
This rapid commercial traction confirms the relevance of its model: a fully virtualized ground station network combined with centralized orchestration, drastically reducing integration time and costs for satellite operators.
Pierre Bertrand, CEO and co-founder of Skynopy, concludes: “This partnership with CNES goes far beyond a frequency management agreement: it symbolizes a deep, long-term relationship between the French space agency and a NewSpace player that shares the same ambitions for sovereignty and technological excellence. From our first R&D contracts to today, CNES has helped us move faster, further, and more robustly. Together, we are demonstrating that it is possible to build a credible European alternative to major GSaaS players.”