ESA Rising Stars 2024: The Space Startups You Need To Know About
This week: big moves in Europe’s launcher market plus top space jobs you can’t miss!
Welcome to Aerospace Insider 🚀
In this week’s issue, we’re diving into the latest and greatest from Europe’s booming space sector. Big things are happening!
Today’s summary:
🚀 Aerospace News: ESA is betting on four rocket companies… who will make it to orbit first?
💼 Top Space Jobs: Top space jobs you don’t want to miss.
🔍 Deep Dive: Meet the ESA Rising Stars, some of the best space startups in Europe,
Aerospace Weekly Roundup
Catch the latest European space industry highlights you can't afford to miss! This week is mostly all about rockets.
💰 ESA invests €230M in reusable rocket technology through ArianeGroup
ESA has granted €230 million to ArianeGroup to advance reusable spaceflight technology. The funding supports the Themis demonstrator, a reusable rocket stage using Prometheus engines (ESA’s reusable engines), and Maia, a partially reusable rocket developed by MaiaSpace, an ArianeGroup subsidiary. The Themis demonstrator is to perform hop tests in 2025. Maia’s first stage will build on Themis’ design and is expected to launch in late 2026.
🚀 ESA supports 4 rocket companies with a €44.2M Boost!
ESA has extended the Boost! contracts worth €44.2M to 4 rocket startups: Isar Aerospace, HyImpulse, Orbex and Rocket Factory Augsburg. This funding aims to accelerate the development of innovative launch technologies, supporting Europe's growing space industry and strengthening its competitive edge in the global market.
🧐 ESA accidentally publishes call to develop a heavy lift reusable rocket
ESA briefly published (and later removed) a tender document for a reusable rocket capable of launching 60 tonnes to low earth orbit as part of what seems to be called the European 60T LEO Reusable Launch System Pathfinder initiative. To put it into perspective, that is more than the payload capability of Blue Origin’s New Glenn (up to 45 tonnes to LEO) or similar to the expendable Falcon Heavy rocket. A bit ambitious for Europe now, don’t you think?
☄️ Latitude to launch ATMOS Phoenix re-entry vehicles
French launch provider Latitude (which raised $30M Series B early this year) signed a multi-launch agreement with ATMOS to deliver its Phoenix re-entry vehicles into very low Earth orbit. The company is on track for the first Zephyr’s rocket launch in late 2025, but the deal guarantees at least five launches per year from 2028 to 2032.
🛰️ ESA awards Hemeria €9.8M to build space weather satellites
ESA wants to have a space weather nanosatellite to monitor and understand the behaviour of the ionosphere. This information is critical to the safety of satellite based navigation and communications services, as solar storms can severely damage spacecraft in orbit. The satellite is expected to enter service in 2027.
Want more news? Check the In Other News section below!
Space Jobs Spotlight 🔍
Curated roles to accelerate your career in Europe’s thriving space sector.
🚀 Internships & Graduates
Working student for wildfire forecasting — OroraTech (Munich 🇩🇪)
Working student for software development — DiGOS (Potsdam 🇩🇪)
Procurement Management Internship — MaiaSpace (Paris 🇫🇷)
147+ ESA internships (applications close on Nov 30) — ESA (Europe 🇪🇺)
💼 Space Jobs (ranked by experience)
Full-Stack Engineer — Constellr (Munich 🇩🇪 or Toulouse 🇫🇷)
Junior GNC Engineer — PLD Space (Elche 🇪🇸)
Software Developer — DiGOS (Potsdam 🇩🇪)
Thermal Engineer — MaiaSpace (Paris 🇫🇷)
Flight Instrumentation Engineer — Isar Aerospace (Ottobrunn 🇩🇪)
AIT Engineer — OroraTech (Munich 🇩🇪)
Propulsion Integration Engineer — PLD Space (Elche 🇪🇸)
Satellite Operator — Constellr (Munich 🇩🇪)
Project Manager — Exolaunch (Berlin 🇩🇪)
Ground Segment System Engineer — Constellr (Toulouse 🇫🇷)
Mechanical Engineer — OroraTech (Munich 🇩🇪)
Space Systems Engineer — Yuri (Esch-sur-Alzette 🇱🇺)
Senior Systems Engineer — Orbex (Forres 🇬🇧)
Systems Design Engineer — Kepler (Toronto 🇨🇦)
🎓 PhD Opportunities
PhD in Optical Satellite Communications — University of Luxembourg 🇱🇺
🔥 Special Opportunities
Do you want to receive a sponsorship to attend the 8th Annual PocketQube Conference? Then check this out.
Are you a student looking to design, build and test your own experiment in a parabolic flight? If so, this is for you.
Like these jobs or think something is missing? Hit ‘reply’ and let me know!
ESA Rising Stars 2024: the companies shaping Europe’s space future
The European Space Agency’s 2024 Rising Stars awards highlight some of the most promising startups reshaping the European space industry. This year’s list (here’s the full list) include an interesting mix of established players and lesser known companies with groundbreaking ideas.
In this week’s deep dive, we will focus on three key themes from these awards that are driving Europe’s space ecosystem forward. And we will spotlight some companies that you might not have heard of yet. Stay tuned.
Space to solve global challenges
Space is more than just rockets and isn’t just about exploration. It’s becoming a critical tool for tackling urgent problems here on Earth.
Constellr
This German company uses thermal imaging satellites to monitor global water resources, helping farmers optimise irrigation and governments manage droughts. With a focus on precision agriculture, they are setting a standard on how space tech can be used to address food security. FYI, they recently opened offices in Touluse.
Orora Technologies
This company (which recently raised €25M) is building a satellite constellation to monitor and prevent wildfires. Yes, from space. Their early-warning systems could not only save lives but help prevent the devastating material costs of severe wildfires.
EOMap
This company specialises in underwater Earth observation. You read that right. EOMap provides insights for coastal management, marine planning and disaster response.
Why it matters: these companies highlight how Europe is using space to tackle some of the planet’s biggest challenges, from agriculture to disaster prevention. They’re a reminder to all that space tech is becoming more important to tackle critical challenges on Earth.
Building space’s infrastructure
Every space mission needs some essential systems to put satellites into orbit, keep them connected, and provide them with power, among other things. Well some European startups are building solution in this domain.
Exolaunch
Already a leader in satellite deployment solutions, Exolaunch also offers rideshare missions, spacecraft integration and in-space services. These solutions make launching satellites more cost-effective and affordable.
MagDrive
This British company is developing a highly efficient electric propulsion system for satellites that aims to revolutionise in space mobility. Enabling greater space mobility is key to unlock future space logistics applications.
Astrolight
Laser communication is the fastest and most reliable way of data transfer in space, and Astrolight is bringing this technology one step closer to becoming generally available. This has the potential of significantly improving data transfer speeds for satellites and interplanetary missions.
Why it matters: without key components like propulsion, communications or deployment systems, no spacecraft can fulfil it’s objectives in orbit. These companies are developing essential tools for every future space mission.
Making space available to all
The next frontier of space innovation is, of course, making it accessible to all, not just governments and large companies. These Rising Stars are breaking barriers in connectivity and communications:
Kepler
Kepler is focussed on building a space-based communications system for interplanetary data transfer. Although this might seem like science fiction, it will become critical once we start sending missions (and eventually humans) to the Moon and beyond.
Lacuna
This small company is among the players tapping into the IoT market aiming to provide connectivity to remote regions. Its technology bridges the gap for industries without traditional access to data networks.
Why it matters: these companies are expanding the scope of space technology, from improving global communications in space (Kepler) to enabling IoT connectivity for remote regions on Earth (Lacuna). They’re making space tech more accessible and impactful, bridging gaps in both space exploration and terrestrial applications.
The pioneers exploring new frontiers
But this is not all. These startups are exploring new applications of space technology and exploring new frontiers in microgravity and satellite tracking. Had you heard of them?
Yuri
Yuri is unlocking the potential of microgravity for the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries, among others. They make microgravity research accessible by providing companies with all they need to perform their research in a microgravity environment. This has the potential to enable breakthroughs that could change how medicines and materials are developed.
DiGOS
To tackle the growing concern for space debris, DiGOS builds precision satellite tracking stations that allow for safe and reliable satellite operations. Their technology ensures space sustainability by keeping satellites safe and prevent collisions.
Why it matters: these companies show that space is big and more than just getting to space or building satellites. There are many, perhaps less obvious, areas of space technology worth exploring with incredible potential for innovation and discovery.
Europe’s ecosystem is growing
Although not a complete picture of the industry, ESA Rising Stars give a glimpse of the variety of Europe’s space ambitions. While this list does not include companies in the launcher market or megaconstellation business, it highlights some of the smaller trends emerging in the industry and demonstrates Europe has a large, varied and, albeit small, very rich space industry ecosystem.
However, there’s still room for growth, and this growth is fundamental for Europe to become a global leader in the space industry. Will these hidden gems —companies like Yuri, Astrolight, and others— grow to compete globally?
We will have to wait and see… but one thing is clear: they are building the foundations for the future space technology.
Poll of the Week
In other news
PLD Space SPARK programme still open. Launch with them.
Exotrail will launch it’s geostationary spacevan on Ariane 6 in 2026. Read more.
Ariane 6 rocket stages make their way to French Guiana for their next flight. Check the pics.
EnduroSat orders 100 Enpulsion propulsion systems. Read more.
The Exploration Company raised €150M to develop their reusable capsules. Read more.
Blue Origin flies third New Shepard crewed mission of 2024. Read more.
Everything’s ready for Sentinel-1C’s december launch. Save the date.
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To your success,
Jaime