Reflex Aerospace is gearing up for the company’s first commercial space mission: The Berlin and Munich-based space start-up has secured a fixed slot for the rocket launch of their demo satellite.
The launch is set to occur in the fall of 2024 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The goal of this mission is to validate new technologies in space — the demo satellite, which weighs around 120 kilograms, is currently under development and will be assembled in Munich. The local ‘micro factory‘ for the production of customer-specific satellites is scheduled to open later this year.
These steps are supported by an expansion of the so-called seed financing by a further 1.75 million euros (to a total of nearly 9 million euros). In addition to increases from existing investors, Bayern Kapital is joining the group of shareholders through its EFRE Bayern innovation fund. Bayern Kapital ranks among the most experienced and active venture and growth investors in the German
high-tech financing landscape; its investment will, among other things, support the establishment of the first micro-factory near Munich.
Driven by expected commercial order intake, seed funding is expected to increase further during the year. In addition, Starburst Accelerator – one of the most renowned European accelerators for aerospace start-ups – will also be on board in the future to support the development of the international business.
“As a new space start-up, we are of course eager to demonstrate the performance of our technologies directly in space. Therefore, we are very pleased that this milestone now comes within reach with our first fixed launch slot. The increase in our financing confirms our investors’ confidence in this goal. With this tailwind, we are pushing ahead with the construction of our micro factory, which we will open in Munich in the second half of 2023. In addition, we are fully on track to almost double our workforce across all sites to around 50 employees in 2023.”
— Walter Ballheimer, CEO of Reflex Aerospace
“We are very pleased to add Reflex Aerospace to our aerospace portfolio. Ranking among the first investors that engaged in the field of `New Space´, we have already invested in numerous exciting companies such as Isar Aerospace, Quantum Systems and OroraTech. Reflex Aerospace has a promising business model, and we are looking forward to supporting its further development.”
— Monika Steger, Managing Director of Bayern Kapital
Reflex Aerospace was founded in 2021. The Berlin and Munich-based NewSpace start-up aims to modernise the market with high-performance satellites tailored to individual needs. Through software-based operations and service-oriented offers, the company meets the needs of its customers faster, at a significantly lower cost and more flexibly than established NewSpace manufacturers today. Together with its partner companies Mynaric, Isar Aerospace and SES, Reflex Aerospace is a shareholder in the joint venture UNIO, which aims to build a European satellite constellation for broadband internet.