Vilnius-based space tech company Blackswan Space, which develops autonomous navigation systems for spacecraft, has secured €2.5 million in a seed round led by Iron Wolf Capital, with participation from existing investors Lemonade Stand and former NanoAvionics co-founder Linas Sargautis, alongside new investors NGL Ventures and Tomas Žalandauskas.
- Founded in 2019 by Marius Klimavičius, Blackswan Space develops technologies designed to enable spacecraft to autonomously navigate and operate around other objects in orbit.
- Its products include a Mission Design Simulator for autonomous space missions and the RPO Kit, a plug-and-play payload that uses vision-based detection and tracking to support rendezvous and proximity operations.
- The company’s RPO technology is set to be used by US-based in-space refueling company Orbit Fab for its planned 2028 mission, which is expected to demonstrate in-space refueling in Europe.
Details of the deal
- The fresh capital will enable Blackswan Space to accelerate the commercialization of its RPO Kit, prepare the technology for in-orbit testing planned for 2027, and expand its presence in the US.
- The funding will also support further development of the company’s autonomous navigation technology as it works toward enabling spacecraft to perform rendezvous and proximity operations with less reliance on ground-based control.
