EQT Makes First Space Bet with Berlin's Exolaunch
Exolaunch is a global leader in launch mission management, satellite integration and satellite deployment technologies.
A Berlin startup that helps satellites hitch rides into orbit is about to get a major boost. Private equity fund EQT has announced the acquisition of Exolaunch, a Berlin-based company that manages satellite launches in partnership with rocket operators including Elon Musk's SpaceX. According to Reuters, the deal marks EQT's first-ever private equity investment in the space sector.
Exolaunch was founded by associate professor Dmitriy Sternharz after spinning out of the space technology department at the Technical University of Berlin in 2013. Since then it has grown into a global operation with offices in the US, France, and Japan, having deployed more than 790 satellites across 47 missions for over 200 commercial and government customers from North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
The investment comes from EQT's flagship private equity fund, which typically writes equity checks between €300 million and €1.5 billion. Reuters reports the Exolaunch deal landed at the lower end of that range. Nils Ketter, partner and head of industrial technology at EQT, described the company as "a bit of a hidden gem of German industry" and said EQT had been eyeing it since last year.
Exolaunch has maintained a strategic relationship with SpaceX since 2020, participating in every Falcon 9 Transporter and Bandwagon rideshare mission to date. The company recently secured its first dedicated Falcon 9 launches, Exo-1 and Exo-2, scheduled for 2027 and 2028. EQT plans to grow the company's global operations and invest in new satellite launch and deployment technologies.
"There has never been a better time to be in the space economy," said Exolaunch CEO Robert Sproles.