German Startups Work to Advance the Nation's Space Scene on International Stage

Germany is known for its achievements in automotive and engineering excellence, and the German space industry is no exception. It’s experiencing robust growth, marked by innovative initiatives and strategic partnerships. The Small Satellite Initiative of the German Space Agency, DLR, exemplifies the nation’s commitment to fostering a competitive commercial space sector.

Although the country recently made the decision to cut spending on space, the German space startup arena is increasing, an indicator of Germany’s seriousness in empowering commercial space activities.

While Germany has created unique opportunities for fostering innovation and commercialization, it must face challenges presented by bureaucracy, spending cuts, the need for continued investment, regulatory frameworks, and international competition. The DLR’s emphasis on supporting startups is a positive step, and addressing these challenges collectively will further position Germany as a hub for space and satellite technologies. This article takes a look at a few of the German space startups participating in SATELLITE 2024.

For Berlin-based Exolaunch, the company plays its empowering role by providing global launch mission management and deployment services. Exolaunch has successfully managed more than 80 percent of Germany’s smallsat launches in the past decade. It was recently awarded an 18 million euro ($19.5 million) contract by DLR under its smallsat initiative.

With more than 360 satellites successfully deployed, Exolaunch not only has a significant domestic presence but has garnered a diverse portfolio of global customers. “Our success in managing international launches and collaborations underscores our commitment to becoming a prominent player in the global space industry,” says Jeanne Allarie, CCO at Exolaunch. “We continue to explore strategic partnerships and initiatives to expand our reach and contribute to space activities around the world.”

According to Allarie, Exolaunch is hurtling towards major milestones this year with the DLR contract a key focus. It has secured more customers than ever before, with a record more than 30 unique global customers and close to 60 satellites onboard an upcoming rideshare launch in mid-2024. It is actively working on building new products and expanding its deployment offerings to serve a wide range of launch service needs.

Startup UNIO is working to provide comprehensive all-in-one connectivity solutions for customers looking for essential, always-on communications. It takes a collaborative approach to do this, integrating the expertise of IABG, Isar Aerospace, Reflex Aerospace, Mynaric, OHB SE, and SES to seamlessly bridge terrestrial and space networks for all mobility use cases.

With international customers, predominantly in Germany, Europe and the U.S., Munich-based UNIO targets global mobility markets. However, its primary focus currently is on German sectors witnessing increased adoption of space-enabled solutions, such as transportation, logistics, and agriculture markets.

To meet the specific needs of these markets, the company is currently engaged in launching UNIO Move, a turnkey solution that seamlessly and securely bridges non-terrestrial networks (NTN) 5G-over radio frequeny (RF). Scheduled to launch during SATELLITE 2024, UNIO Move will provide ubiquitous, always-on, uninterrupted connectivity well suited for the transportation, logistics and agriculture verticals.

Beyond the unveiling of UNIO MOVE, closing its seed financing round before summer is another key goal of 2024, providing the company with the capital required to fund operations and scale its business.

“Building on the successful launch of our pilot project in the second quarter and supported by our seed financing, we are targeting the generation of our first revenues. We aim at securing anchor clients in the second half of 2024, signifying the commercial viability and market acceptance of UNIO’s offerings,” says Katrin Bacic, UNIO CEO.

Isar Aerospace was founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the Technical University Munich to provide cost-efficient and flexible launch services. Today, the company has grown to more than 400 employees from more than 50 nations and is targeting the first test flight of its launch vehicle Spectrum as soon as possible. With total financing raised of more than $330 million, Isar Aerospace is the most capitalized independent new space company in the EU. Its flight manifest is already fully booked for the first years of operations.

According to Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder at Isar Aerospace, private commercial launch services in Europe are an attractive alternative for U.S. customers to increase the flexibility of their payloads and reduce their dependencies on the few established launch operators in the US. Based on this and its capabilities, the company is constantly expanding its customer base.

Although Isar Aerospace has offices in France, Sweden, and Norway, it tapped Germany’s wealth of engineering and technological prowess to build highly automated production capabilities. The company is vertically integrated, owning design, production and testing operations entirely in-house.

“Scalability in manufacturing is one of the biggest challenges for the space industry,” says Metzler. “With crisp and fast execution, focus on quality, and established capabilities for future volume production, Isar Aerospace sets new industry standards in efficient, reliable and cost-effective manufacturing in space.”

The company is laser-focused on the final stretch towards the first test flight of Spectrum from its launch site at Andøya Spaceport in Norway. At the same time, it is already producing flight parts in order to be back at the launch pad for the second and third flights as soon as possible.

“Our ambition is to become a global leader in launch services for satellites and satellite constellations,” says Metzler. “We see ourselves as a catalyst for the growing space economy. Isar Aerospace will redefine the understanding of and ambition for space in Europe.”