NUNOS Receives 570,000 Euros for Space-Based Fertilizer Technology

The AgrarTech startup NUNOS, based in Hürth, has raised 570,000 euros in a pre-seed funding round. Of this amount, NRW.BANK is investing 300,000 euros through its NRW.SeedCap program, with an additional 270,000 euros coming from business angels in Germany. The spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is adapting technology originally developed for lunar and Martian bases for use in agriculture. The goal is to process cattle manure and fermentation residues from biogas plants into higher-quality fertilizers.

From Space to the Farm

NUNOS was founded in 2024 by Tim Paulke and Fabian Mielbach as a DLR spin-off at the Cologne site. In 2025, CTO Xenia Steurer joined the team. The company’s technological foundation stems from space research. The process was originally developed to treat nitrogen-containing wastewater in closed habitats. For potential missions to the Moon or Mars, the goal was, among other things, to recover nutrients from urine and subsequently use them as plant fertilizer for food production in greenhouses.

NUNOS is now applying this principle to a much more down-to-earth problem: the management of cattle manure and digestate from biogas plants.

Cattle manure is to be transformed into higher-quality fertilizer

The technology is designed to process the nutrients it contains in such a way that a higher-quality fertilizer is produced. According to the company, this results in chemically more stable compounds. The resulting fertilizer is said to be virtually odorless and easier to store. This should enable farms to use nutrients more effectively while also saving costs.

Furthermore, the process is designed to help reduce nutrient surpluses. These can contribute to groundwater and air pollution, particularly through nitrogen compounds. NUNOS installed its first pilot plant in 2025 at a biogas facility in the Cologne area. With this, the startup has made the transition from its initial research phase to its first practical agricultural application.

NRW.BANK Invests an Additional 300,000 Euros

NRW.BANK has been supporting NUNOS since 2024. Through the NRW.SeedCon program, the development bank initially provided convertible loans totaling 200,000 euros. These were supplemented by investments from private business angels.

The convertible loans have since been converted into company shares. As part of the current pre-seed round, NRW.BANK is now investing an additional 300,000 euros through NRW.SeedCap. Together with the 270,000 euros from the participating business angels, NUNOS now has an additional 570,000 euros available for the next phase of development.

Two More Pilot Installations Planned for 2026

NUNOS plans to use the capital primarily to prepare for its upcoming market entry and to expand its marketing and sales efforts. At the same time, the technology will be further tested under real-world conditions. The startup plans to set up two additional pilot facilities on farms before the end of 2026.

Additional planting trials are scheduled for 2027. In these trials, the fertilizer derived from manure and fermentation residues will be tested on various agricultural crops. NUNOS also plans to sell its first commercial systems in 2027.

Space Technology Must Prove Its Economic Viability on Earth

The transfer of technology from space exploration to agriculture provides NUNOS with an unusual starting point. However, commercial success will depend less on the origin of the process than on its economic viability in everyday agricultural operations.

Farmers and biogas plant operators must derive a concrete economic benefit from the treatment process and be able to reliably integrate the technology into existing operational workflows.

The upcoming pilot plants and field trials are crucial for this. If NUNOS succeeds in combining technical feasibility with lower costs, better nutrient utilization, and ease of use, a technology originally developed for closed habitats in space could evolve into a scalable process for the circular economy in agriculture.