According to EU-Startups, Reflex Aerospace just secured €50 million in Series A funding, making it the largest Series A round ever in the European New Space sector. The German satellite manufacturer raised the capital from investors including Human Element, Alpine Space Ventures, Bayern Kapital, HTGF, and Renovatio Financial Investments. CEO Walter Ballheimer emphasized that “Europe cannot afford to remain reliant on external actors for space-based intelligence” and stated they’ll deploy the funding immediately. The company, founded in 2021, specializes in payload-specific satellite platforms using modern manufacturing to reduce lead times. Their first remote sensing satellite reached orbit in January 2025, and they plan to have full constellation capabilities demonstrated by 2027. This comes as Germany announced it will invest roughly €35 billion in space-related defense projects through 2030.
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The sovereignty angle
Here’s the thing: Europe‘s been spooked. Between Russia’s aggression and global tensions, everyone’s realizing how dependent they’ve become on other countries for critical space intelligence. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius literally called satellite networks an “Achilles heel of modern societies.” That’s not subtle language. So when Reflex talks about building “sovereign satellite constellations,” they’re tapping directly into that anxiety. The EU is planning its European Space Shield Initiative for 2026, and Germany’s throwing €35 billion at space defense. Basically, the money’s following the political urgency.
What makes their approach different
Reflex isn’t trying to build massive satellite factories. Instead, they’re designing what they call “payload-centric buses” that can be rapidly manufactured without costly megafactories. Christian Sullivan from Human Element, who led the round, says this delivers the flexibility and speed needed for growing ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) demand. Their Praetora platform architecture is specifically built for critical missions. Think about it: if you can build satellites faster and cheaper while maintaining performance, you’re solving two problems at once – cost and sovereignty. They’re focusing on Optical, SAR, Space Domain Awareness, and SIGINT capabilities, which covers most of what defense and intelligence agencies need.
The broader European space race
This isn’t happening in isolation. While Reflex scored the biggest round, other European space startups are getting funded too. Space Forge in the UK secured €26.8 million for in-space manufacturing, and Italy’s Astradyne raised €2 million for ultralight solar panels. But Reflex’s €50 million is nearly double the next largest round we’ve seen. Germany in particular seems to be building a serious SpaceTech ecosystem – HyImpulse Technologies is another player making waves. The €35 billion commitment from Germany isn’t just talk – it’s creating real market opportunities for companies that can deliver quickly.
The real test begins now
Getting €50 million is one thing. Delivering operational satellite constellations by 2027 is another. The space industry is notoriously difficult – hardware fails, launches get delayed, and manufacturing at scale brings its own headaches. Reflex has already proven they can get a satellite to orbit, which is huge. But building entire constellations for defense applications? That’s a different level of complexity. They’ll need to expand their Bavarian manufacturing capacity while maintaining quality and hitting aggressive timelines. Still, with this level of funding and political backing, they’ve got a real shot at becoming Europe’s answer to the sovereignty gap in space intelligence.
