MP Space raises $16M seed led by Blackbird to build spacecraft batteries
What's the deal? MP SpaceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised US$14.9M in a seed round led by Blackbird, with British space investor Seraphim SpaceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → making its first Australian investment alongside Systemiq CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Existing backers Speedinvest and MFV PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also took part.
What's the endgame? The Sydney-based startup designs and manufactures batteries for satellites and other spacecraft. It is building toward a full electrical power system (EPS), engineered for high-volume production rather than retrofitted for scale.
Why now? MP Space says its hardware has been designed into more than 460 spacecraft, with over 100 systems shipping in 2026 and low-Earth-orbit flight heritage expected in Q3 2026. The round gives it capital as launch volumes and spacecraft demand climb.
By whom? Co-founders Jay Manley and Sam Paterson both come from Tesla, where they worked on energy storage and battery programs including Powerwall and the Model 3 pack. Manley founded the company from Australia in 2021.
The signal: At $16 million, this is among the largest Australian seed rounds of the past four years, sitting in the top half of a percent of 959 comparable deals. It lands as capital floods the broader space sector — from record 2026 funding across satellite startups to Open Cosmos's €300 million European raise — signalling growing investor appetite for the subsystems that spacecraft depend on.
Read more: capitalbrief.com
Image credit: MP Space
