Reflex Aerospace Raises €50 Million Amid Europe’s Satellite Security Concerns

The round was led by Human Element, alongside Alpine Space Ventures, Bayern Kapital, HTGF, and Renovatio Financial Investments.

“Europe cannot afford to remain reliant on external actors for space-based intelligence,” said Walter Ballheimer, CEO of Reflex Aerospace. “We will invest our own capital, we will work with the best partners in their respective domains, and we will act now because in the current environment , there is no time to waste.”

Reflex Aerospace’s announcement comes amid a notable increase in investment for European space- and defense-adjacent hardware startups in 2025. While no other German startup in the “satellite platform/ISR constellation” niche has featured prominently in our coverage, companies like HyImpulse Technologies reflect a strong domestic SpaceTech financing landscape.

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Elsewhere in Europe, the UK’s Space Forge raised €26.8 million to advance in-space manufacturing, and Italy’s Astradyne secured €2 million to develop ultralight solar panels for orbital platforms. Within this context, Reflex Aerospace’s €50 million Series A marks the largest funding round in the European New Space sector so far in 2025, highlighting continued investor interest in sovereignty-driven satellite infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities.

​“While Europe is rebuilding its sovereign defense capabilities, Reflex is transforming how satellites are built, designing payload – centric buses that can be rapidly manufactured without costly megafactories,” said Christian Sullivan, Managing Partner of Human Element. “Their approach delivers the flexibility and speed needed to meet the growing ISR demand across Germany and allied markets.”

Founded in 2021 Reflex Aerospace builds high-performance, custom satellite platforms for commercial and defense use. By using advanced manufacturing techniques, the company shortens production times and boosts performance, delivering critical space infrastructure more efficiently and reliably.

The new funding will accelerate the development, production, and deployment of sovereign satellite constellations providing Optical, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities. Part of the investment will expand manufacturing capacity in Bavaria to build satellite constellations for intelligence and communications purposes. Reflex Aerospace aims to have all capabilities operational and demonstrated in orbit by 2027.

Recent political initiatives, from NATO and the EU to the German government, underline the strategic importance of Reflex Aerospace’s mission. With the EU set to launch the European Space Shield Initiative in 2026 and Germany committing roughly €35 billion to space defense projects through 2030 securing independent satellite intelligence has become urgent.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius highlighted that satellite networks are an “Achilles heel of modern societies,” emphasizing Europe’s need for resilient, sovereign ISR infrastructure. Reflex Aerospace addresses this by improving lead times, resilience, and independence in Europe’s satellite intelligence systems.

The company’s first remote sensing satellite reached orbit in January 2025. Upcoming satellites will be designed using Reflex’s next-generation Praetora platform, built specifically for critical ISR missions.

About Reflex Aerospace

Reflex Aerospace manufactures high-performance, payload-specific satellite platforms for commercial and defense applications. Headquartered in Berlin and Munich, the company leverages advanced manufacturing techniques to reduce lead times and enhance performance, driving Europe’s strategic autonomy through innovation, speed and the development of sovereign space capabilities.