VisionSpace lands €300K grant to build its own satellite computer
What's the deal? Darmstadt-based aerospace company VisionSpace TechnologiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured more than €300,000 in research grant funding to develop its own onboard computer for satellites. Germany's Research Grant Certification OfficeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → recognised the company's R&D work as eligible under the federal research tax credit. Advisory firm re:fundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → supported the grant application.
What's the endgame? The onboard computer is a circuit board that works like a motherboard on Earth but must survive orbit. It has to withstand radiation, extreme temperature swings, and launch vibrations, and function reliably for the duration of a mission — with no repairs possible once deployed.
"The big challenge for us was to move from the standard boards used on the ground to something that would function in space and survive there for many months or for the entire duration of the mission," said chief executive officer Tiago Carvalho (translated from German).
Why now? Founded in 2011 by Carvalho and Miguel Lordelo, both ESADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → veterans, VisionSpace originally built software for satellite operations, including mission control systems and simulators. Its clients include ESA, EUMETSATDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, TelespazioDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and StarionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The onboard computer marks its first move into hardware.
The company is headquartered near ESA's ESOC control centre in Darmstadt, with offices in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, and Madrid since 2024.
An unexpected spinoff: Building the hardware pushed the team deeper into the communication protocols used inside satellites. There they spotted gaps that could be addressed with additional security mechanisms — giving rise to a new cybersecurity business segment.
The signal: The research tax credit, available to companies regardless of industry or profit, is emerging as a route for capital-light space startups to fund hardware bets. For VisionSpace, one grant-backed project has already stretched a software firm into both hardware and cybersecurity.
Read more: startbase.com
Image credit: Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
