Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 14
Open Cosmos Raises 300 Million Euros as Europe Tries to Cut SpaceX Dependence
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 14

Open Cosmos Raises 300 Million Euros as Europe Tries to Cut SpaceX Dependence

2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 14

Summary

  • Open Cosmos said it raised 300 million euros from mostly European backers to expand satellite manufacturing and speed its push into satellite data services.
  • Lightrock and ETF Partners led the round, with Spain's Institut Català de Finances, Entrepreneurs First and two international pension funds also participating.
  • The deal follows the Exploration Company's $450 million raise, another major European space funding round as the region tries to catch up with the United States and rely less on SpaceX.
  • PitchBook data shows investors have put more than $16.5 billion into space-tech start-ups globally this year, putting 2026 on pace to nearly double last year's total, with European funding growing even faster.

Insights

Will Europe’s multi-billion-dollar gamble on space startups finally break SpaceX’s monopoly, or is it already too late to catch up?
Behind the record-breaking investments, could Europe's fragmented regulatory landscape secretly sabotage its ambitious quest for galactic sovereignty?