RATLOG
Reusable heavy-lift rockets for European space access.
The founders
CW
PK
FK
The company
RATLOG is developing reusable heavy-lift launch vehicles aimed at a gap in the European market for lifting large payloads — think satellite constellations, orbital transfer vehicles and cislunar missions. Its differentiator is a novel propulsion system the company says uses up to 90 percent fewer components than conventional rocket engines.
Europe currently lacks a dedicated heavy-lift option for the largest payloads, leaving operators dependent on non-European providers. RATLOG is pitching a sovereign launch capability precisely as demand for constellation deployment and cislunar transport climbs.
Founded in 2025 by four students from the Technical University of Dresden, the company set out to build the heavy-lift launcher Europe doesn't yet have of its own. The team spans aerospace engineering, electrical engineering and business administration.
The founding quartet — Charlie Weise (CEO), Paul Kunhart (CTO), Felix Kelm and Matty Driesnack (COO) — has already built and tested an initial functional prototype and been accepted into Y Combinator. They've also gathered letters of intent from potential customers for future launches.
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