Germany’s ATMOS raises €4M for space capsules capable of returning cargo from space

Germany-based ATMOS Space Cargo (ATMOS), a startup that designs and manufactures space capsules to return cargo from space, announced on Thursday that it has raised €4M in an oversubscribed seed round of funding.

The investment came from lead investors High-Tech Gründerfonds and the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, alongside Seraphim, E2MC, VENTIS, and another.vc.

What does ATMOS Space Cargo offer?

ATMOS was co-founded by Sebastian Klaus, an aerospace engineer (M.Sc) and pilot (CPL) with over 10 years of leadership experience as a former officer in the German military.

The company focuses on the design and production of space capsules that can return any cargo safely from orbit, regardless of size. According to ATMOS, its Phoenix capsules are the first sustainably produced option for a wide range of payloads and research.

They are built to provide on-demand microgravity for durations of three hours to three months in orbit. 

These capsules provide “unprecedented” potential for a variety of uses, including biological and material sciences research, In-Orbit Demonstration and Verification (IOD/IOV), and space product production.

Since 2021, ATMOS has been a member of the ESA Business Incubation Centre. It also has been in a partnership with the Institute of Space Systems Stuttgart, Germany’s leading academic centre for atmospheric re-entry, for several years.

Capital utilisation

ATMOS says it will use the proceeds to carry out its first demonstration flight by the end of 2024. During this “milestone” flight, it will return a microgravity experiment from low Earth orbit with its Phoenix return capsule.

Klaus says, “What excites me about life sciences in space is that everyone on Earth can – and will – benefit from it. Solving this challenge requires leadership and the best team. I am proud to do this with the best co-founders I could wish for, backed by experienced advisors and world-class investors.”

“We are highly focused now on flying to orbit and returning safely back to Earth before the end of next year. This funding will take us there,” adds Klaus.

Brief about the investors

High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is a venture capital firm that backs new technology and business strategies. The firm has invested in over 700 startups in industrial and digital technology, life sciences and chemistry.

The Amadeus APEX Technology Fund is a collaboration between Amadeus Capital Partners and APEX Ventures to promote early-stage deeptech startups. Launched in early 2023, the €80M fund makes seed and series A investments.

Seraphim Space Investment Trust claims to be the world’s leading spacetech fund. They invest in space technology firms that are dedicated to addressing humanity’s most pressing issues such as climate change, sustainability, global security, connectivity, and digitalisation.

E2MC is a group of veteran financial markets experts with space sector expertise. Their aim is to bridge the gap between the space community and the funding needed to create the space economy and pave the path for humanity’s expansion into space. 

VENTIS is a family-backed venture fund that backs early-stage technological innovators with the goal of solving today’s issues. They have entrepreneurial and industrial experience, as well as a track record of developing down-to-earth businesses.

another.vc is an investor that mostly assists B2B entrepreneurs. Their primary focus is on sponsoring technical teams who will use their industry knowledge or research backgrounds to develop exactly what the market requires. Their portfolio comprises businesses in the fields of sustainability, manufacturing, digitisation, and AI.