Italian launch startup Sidereus Space Dynamics has closed a €5.1 Million Seed+ investment round. The company aims to utilize the funding to conduct its pre-flight and flight test development phases.
Sidereus Space is developing EOS, a single-stage-to-orbit rocket that the company touts as “the personal computer of launch vehicles.” The 3.5-metre tall vehicle is designed to be capable of deploying 13-kilogram payloads into low Earth orbit before returning to Earth and touching down under a parafoil, all with minimal launch infrastructure.
The closing of the company’s latest funding round was announced on 25 September. The round was led by Primo Space and CDP Venture Capital SGR, both of which participated in the company’s €1.5 million initial funding round that was closed in October 2021.
The pre-flight phase of the development of EOS will include a green run testing phase that will validate the vehicle’s key systems ahead of low-altitude experimental flights. This most recent funding round will also cover the company’s first experimental orbital flights that will follow the initial low altitude flight tests.
“This new round marks a significant evolution for the company, transitioning from the creation of individual innovative technologies to the assembly and flight test of our vehicle EOS,” Explained founder and CEO Mattia Barbarossa. “It demonstrates how we can reshape spaceflight in a fraction of the time and with limited resources.”
To date, Sidereus Space has conducted structural testing and a somewhat shaky-looking engine test. On the launch contract side, IoT connectivity startups Delta Space Leonis and Cshark have signed on to fly aboard EOS along with EXPLOORE Aerospace Cluster, which plans to utilize the vehicle to offer orbital access and return services.
