Backed by Maki.vc, Aavuus is developing a global laser-based tracking network to improve collision avoidance and close a critical visibility gap in Low Earth Orbit.
Aavuus, a Finnish building infrastructure for orbital safety, has raised Pre-Seed funding from Maki.vc.
Aavuus is building a global network of ground-based laser stations designed to push object tracking in Low Earth Orbit well beyond the limits of today’s commercial systems, unlocking a level of precision and detection capability the market has not had access to before.
The result is faster, far more precise orbital data that gives operators a stronger basis for space situational awareness and collision avoidance.
Aavuus is addressing a growing operational challenge as space becomes harder to use safely.
ESA estimates that more than 1.2 million debris objects over 1 cm are already in orbit, while only a fraction are regularly tracked. The 1–10 cm debris population is a critical blind spot for operators — too small and numerous to be routinely tracked by existing systems, yet large enough to disable or destroy a satellite on impact. In the busiest low-Earth orbits, collision avoidance is already routine, and the gap between what operators need and what current systems provide is widening. Aavuus is built to close it.
Aavuus is a spinout from the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, bringing rare institutional expertise in satellite laser ranging and space geodesy to a problem that has so far outpaced commercial tracking capabilities.
The team has been further strengthened with the appointment of former US Army Aerospace Defence Officer Brian Dunne as Chief Commercial Officer, whose hands-on experience combating aerospace threats positions the company to address growing demand from the defence sector.
According to Joonas Jokela, CEO, Aavuus:
“This funding allows us to move from development work into execution. Our focus now is building the MVP, proving performance, and starting to work with customers who need better debris tracking data in real operations.”
Wilson Tukiainen, Maki.vc, shared:
“The space economy is adding satellites faster than existing systems can keep up, and the gap between current tracking capabilities and what operators actually need is widening.
The Aavuus team brings deep expertise in laser ranging and space geodesy to a problem that is becoming impossible to ignore. We believe they are building infrastructure that orbital safety will increasingly depend on.”
Aavuus’ immediate focus is building its first MVP and getting that capability into the hands of early customers.