Deep Space Energy secures €930K pre-seed for energy supply in space and on the moon

The Latvian SpaceTech start-up Deep Space Energy has completed pre-seed financing totaling 930,000 euros. The company intends to use the capital to bring its innovative energy supply technology to operational maturity, which will be used both for satellite infrastructure and for future lunar missions. The aim is to strengthen Europe's technological independence in the strategically important space and defense sector.

Mixture of venture capital and institutional funding

The financing combines private venture capital with public funding and development contracts. This provides the company with both financial resources and access to relevant space and defense programs.

• 350,000 euros in equity capital, led by the Outlast Fund and angel investor Linas Sargautis (co-founder of NanoAvionics)
• 580,000 euros from public contracts and grants, including from the European Space Agency (ESA), NATO DIANA and the Latvian government

The funds will primarily be used for the further technical development of the generator, tests under realistic conditions and preparations for commercialization.

Energy from radioisotope materials

Deep Space Energy is developing a power generator based on radioisotopes. These are materials that continuously generate heat during their natural decay. This heat is then converted into electrical energy. Although the principle is well known in space travel, the company is pursuing a more efficient approach than conventional thermoelectric generators (RTGs).

According to the start-up, its own solution requires up to five times less radioisotope material to achieve comparable performance. This could significantly reduce weight, costs and scaling barriers for space missions.

Focus on resilient satellite infrastructure

In the short term, the technology will focus on safety-critical satellites in medium and high earth orbits. These take on central tasks of modern security architectures, such as earth observation, signal reconnaissance or early warning systems. As conventional satellites are heavily dependent on solar energy, an additional, sun-independent power source can significantly increase their reliability.

The company expressly positions its solution not as a weapons technology, but as a dual-use infrastructure for stabilizing space systems and safeguarding critical services.

Contribution to European sovereignty in space

The development is part of growing European efforts to become more independent of non-European space capacities. Disruptions or restricted access to satellite data can have significant security and economic consequences. A more robust energy supply is therefore considered a key technology for autonomous systems.

Prospective energy supply for the lunar economy

In the long term, Deep Space Energy sees its main application in the next phase of lunar exploration. Nights on the lunar surface last around two weeks, while temperatures drop sharply. These are conditions under which solar systems only function to a limited extent. Radioisotope-based generators could supply rovers, measuring stations or infrastructure with a stable supply of energy over long periods of time and thus enable permanent operations.

According to the investors, the company has hit a strategic window of opportunity: new materials, increasing commercial demand for space infrastructure and international lunar programs are generating strong innovation pressure in the field of space energy for the first time in decades.

With the completed pre-seed round, Deep Space Energy now wants to make the transition from laboratory validation to industrial implementation and position itself as a European provider of robust energy sources in space.