HyImpulse Raises €45M To Boost Satellite Launches After 2024 SR75 Success

The round was led by Campus Founders Ventures, with participation from Helantic, GIMIC, the Global Resilience Innovation Fund (GRIF), MBG Baden-Württemberg, SBG Heilbronn-Franken, Vienna Point, and BRTON.

Dr Christian Schmierer, Co-founder and CEO of HyImpulse, said: “Europe does not have its own access to space. With this injection of capital we will accelerate the commercialisation of our orbital rocket, making Europe more independent and competitive. While providers such as SpaceX offer a scheduled bus service to space, our solutions allow us to develop a flexible taxi service so that our customers can choose individual launch solutions and flexibly plan their schedules.”

HyImpulse’s Series A equity round, combined with additional financing, ranks among 2025’s largest European space-tech investments.

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By comparison, UK’s Magdrive raised €9.9 million for spacecraft propulsion, Spain’s Kreios Space secured €8 million for air-breathing plasma engines, and Orbital Paradigm obtained €1.5 million for reusable re-entry capsules. French startups UNIVITY and Look Up attracted €31 million and €50 million for satellite connectivity and orbital-radar monitoring.

The investment highlights strong European interest in launch and propulsion technologies, aligning with broader trends in satellite infrastructure and space-traffic management, and underscores Germany’s growing prominence in private space ventures, particularly hybrid propulsion.

Dr Schmierer adds: “We are grateful for the trust placed in us by Campus Founders and our other partners. Their commitment underscores the importance of our technology for European sovereignty.“

Founded in 2018, HyImpulse Technologies designs and manufactures commercial rockets for suborbital and orbital launches. Its hybrid rocket propulsion, using oxygen and paraffin, is transforming the small satellite launch sector. With over 65 employees across Neuenstadt, Ottobrunn, and Glasgow, HyImpulse delivers efficient, sustainable, and reliable payload transport to low Earth orbit.

The new funding will accelerate SL1 orbital rocket development, support commercialisation, and expand production capacity. Since inception, HyImpulse has raised approximately €74 million in capital.

Oliver Hanisch, CEO of Campus Founders Ventures, said: “HyImpulse has already made space history. With extremely efficient use of resources, HyImpulse is the first privately financed German space company to develop a hybrid rocket and successfully complete a suborbital test flight. The company addresses a geopolitically crucial market. HyImpulse is a role model for how startups can successfully translate cutting-edge research and DeepTech into marketable products.

“We have been supporting the team for more than three years, and I am delighted that HyImpulse is successfully using the platform we offer for startups here in Heilbronn. With Campus Founders Ventures, we have already invested in over 20 exciting teams ourselves, but this investment is special. We are delighted to be working with HyImpulse to build a company that will set international standards.”

HyImpulse highlights Europe’s limited independent access to space, with European providers responsible for less than 1% of global launches in 2024, according to the Space Economy Report 2024.

The company’s hybrid propulsion reduces components by ~50%, lowering costs and boosting reliability key for cost-efficient, flexible sub-ton payload launches.

The market is expanding rapidly: McKinsey projects the global satellite based technology sector to reach €1.25 trillion by 2040. HyImpulse is strategically positioning itself already securing orders in the triple-digit million range and establishing launch sites across multiple continents.

Prof Dr Rudolf F. Schwarz, Managing Director of IABG and Investor of HyImpulse said: “I am pleased to see HyImpulse continuing to make progress in developing innovative and cost-efficient propulsion technologies for launch vehicles, strengthening the space sector in Germany, across Europe, and beyond.”

In 2024, HyImpulse achieved a major milestone with the successful test flight of its SR75 suborbital rocket, demonstrating the first commercial paraffin-based hybrid rocket engine.

The SR75’s first customer launch is planned for 2026. Building on this success, HyImpulse is developing the three-stage SL1 orbital rocket, expected to deliver up to 600 kg to low Earth orbit from 2027.

About HyImpulse

HyImpulse develops small satellite launchers using innovative hybrid propulsion technology to enable low-cost sustainable space access. In 2024 the successful maiden flight of its SR75 suborbital rocket demonstrated the effectiveness of its approach, marking a key milestone toward affordable, reliable and environmentally conscious smallsat launch services.