“It’s time for more space agencies and investors to join forces to support the lunar champions of tomorrow,” says Alexander Godlewski, head of the Space Resources Accelerator. This Wednesday, on the margins of the space conference organised at the conference centre, the SRA of the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (Esric) announced the first six projects selected to shape the future of space exploration and the use of in situ resources (ISRU).
After all, it’s not just a question of getting to the Moon; we need to be able to build sustainable infrastructures there before we can even think about stabilising a human presence. But every kilogram of weight shipped from Earth increases costs, which is why it is so important to have technologies that can be deployed on the Moon to do the necessary work, rather than the infrastructure itself.
“With the addition of this first Space Resources Accelerator (SRA) cohort to those of our incubator--the Startup Support Programme (SSP)--Esric will have worked with more than 25 companies since its inception in 2020. We are delighted to be working alongside the private sector to support their lunar exploration efforts and to be able to support them along their development journey, from idea to scale, through our various programmes,” says Esric director Kathryn Hadler.
Only one startup from Luxembourg is included in this cohort, Maana Electric, which has developed the Terrabox, a mobile factory capable of producing solar panels using only sand and electricity. This technology aims to provide a sustainable energy solution on Earth and support space exploration using locally available resources. In 2023, Maana Electric signed contract extensions with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), and has confirmed that it has more than €100n worth of orders pending.
The six startups will be able to receive up to one million euros from the ESA, not including the technical and commercial support they will need to take their projects forward.
The first cohort
Germany-based , which was founded in 2020 and employs more than 40 people, has raised more than €25m (series B). It produces high-performance materials for the defence, space, mobility and construction markets, paving the way for fibre-based solutions to support lunar infrastructure and human exploration efforts.
, based in Luxembourg, founded in 2018 and with five employees, having generated over €18m in revenues (backlog over €100m) and having raised over €1m (seed), specialises in ISRU and power generation for terrestrial and space markets, progressing towards its goal of producing solar resources on the Moon.
, based in Poland, founded in 2022 with four employees and having raised over €1m (seed), focuses on microgravity construction and additive manufacturing for the space market, which could also enable use cases for lunar infrastructure.
, founded in 2022, the European office of US-based Orbit Fab, with over 60 employees and having raised €40 million (Series A), is developing the supply chain and orbital infrastructure needed to reliably provide fuel in orbit, changing the paradigm of single-use satellites and building a thriving orbital economy. Their technology can be adapted for autonomous refuelling of landers, jumpers and rovers on the lunar surface.
UK-based Space Power, founded in 2022 with over 10 employees and having raised €250,000 in seed funding, is developing a universal power transmission for the space market with plasma cleaning technology to mitigate lunar dust and maximise operational efficiency.
, based in Canada, founded in 2020 with over 10 employees across Canada and the US, having raised private seed funding, is building a constellation of wireless power transmission satellites to provide power as a service globally and around the Moon, enabling explorers and settlers to operate affordably and sustainably.
This article was originally published in .