ATMOS Space Cargo (ATMOS), a pioneering NewSpace startup, announces the successful closure of its initial seed funding round, raising €4 million. The round was oversubscribed, with investments from renowned industry leaders including lead investors High-Tech Gründerfonds and the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, alongside Seraphim, E2MC, VENTIS, and another.vc. The company is on track to embark on its first demonstration mission at the end of 2024.

ATMOS specialises in the development and manufacturing of space capsules capable of safely returning any cargo from space, regardless of scale. Its highly innovative Phoenix capsules represent the first sustainable solution for a large range of payloads and experiments. They have been designed to offer microgravity on-demand ranging from three hours to three months in orbit. These capsules open up unprecedented opportunities for a wide array of applications, including biomedical and material sciences research, In-Orbit Demonstration and Verification (IOD/IOV), and the manufacturing of products in space.

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. Sebastian has developed and submitted several patented technologies for entry and descent. His experienced team of co-founders has a remarkable track record in renowned space missions (details to be announced later).

The closure of the seed funding represents yet another success for the NewSpace startup. The company has been part of the ESA Business Incubation Centre since 2021. It won the best startup pitch at the ESA Investor Forum in Berlin in 2022 and has been in a partnership with the Institute of Space Systems Stuttgart, Germany's premier academic institution for atmospheric re-entry, for several years.

The €4 million in seed funding now enables ATMOS to carry out its first demonstration flight at the end of 2024. During this milestone flight, it will return a microgravity experiment from low Earth orbit with its Phoenix return capsule.

Sebastian Klaus, CEO and Co-Founder of ATMOS Space Cargo: "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.”

Christian Ziach, Principal at HTGF: “The ATMOS Space Cargo team has a proven track record of successfully executing the most challenging aerospace projects, which is why I am pleased to be leading this round of funding alongside The Amadeus APEX Technology Fund. The technology developed by Sebastian Klaus is not only highly innovative, it is extremely scalable and superior to conventional capsule designs in terms of mass and cost efficiency. The superiority of this technological approach is also confirmed by the syndicate of globally active and highly experienced space investors. As a result, ATMOS Space Cargo fulfills all the requirements to become a critical enabler for the growing in-orbit manufacturing industry.”

Andreas Riegler, Founding Partner at APEX Ventures: “ATMOS Space Cargo aligns with our commitment to invest in cutting-edge technologies that can make space more sustainable. We believe the company has demonstrated a laser-focused vision that will advance space transportation capabilities. We are confident that this funding will propel it to becoming a major player in the global space industry.”

Maureen Haverty, Vice President at Seraphim Space: “We’ve heard time and time again that the real bottleneck in space life sciences R&D is the time taken to launch and return from the ISS, which makes research far too slow. ATMOS free flyer and return will solve this, eventually scaling to frequent and flexible return from space.”

Raphael Röttgen, Managing Partner E2MC: “Manufacturing in space, especially for life sciences, has significant economic and positive impact potential. The ATMOS team and its unique technology have everything to make regular, commercial in-space manufacturing and Earth return a reality. We are excited to help them make it happen.”