deltaVision Raises €10.2M to Build the Plumbing for In-Orbit Refuelling
The Munich startup makes the valves that move propellant around spacecraft. Now it wants to help satellites top up their tanks without coming home.
July 21, 2026 – 11:59 am
Munich-based space startup deltaVision has raised €10.2 million in its first outside funding round, money earmarked for scaling production of the valves, pumps and pressure regulators that shuttle propellant around spacecraft. The company also aims to contribute to the development of in-orbit refuelling—topping up satellites with fuel while they’re still flying instead of retiring them once their tanks run dry.
The round was backed by Futury Capital, KT Ventures, and Valemount Capital, with tech.eu reporting that KT Ventures and Valemount Capital led the investment. It arrives as a wave of Europe’s spacetech startups pursues the in-orbit servicing opportunity, previously dominated by American players.
Orbital refuelling, while conceptually simple, is notoriously challenging to execute. Most satellites launch with a fixed amount of propellant and are either boosted into graveyard orbits or left to drift once that supply runs out, even when their electronics remain functional. Docking two vehicles precisely enough to transfer volatile fluids in a vacuum at orbital speeds is the primary hurdle.
A refuelling architecture reshapes this arithmetic. It allows operators to extend satellite lifespans, reposition them, or maintain them in orbit for years longer, transforming a disposable asset into one that can be serviced. This logic underpins a broader "in-space economy" thesis, featuring reusable infrastructure layers of servicing vehicles, fuel depots, and orbital tugs, rather than a series of one-off missions.
DeltaVision, however, does not plan to fly refuelling missions itself. Its focus is on components: fluidic couplers, utility interfaces, and integrated refuelling modules that enable docking and propellant transfer between spacecraft, alongside valves and regulators for launchers, satellites, and landers it already supplies.
European rivals are tackling adjacent pieces of this puzzle, from green propulsion to debris removal. Alex Plebuch, CEO and co-founder of deltaVision, has outlined the company’s strategy around scaling output and fostering an "open and interoperable" servicing ecosystem, as opposed to a closed proprietary standard.
The company claims to work with more than 60 customers across four continents (a figure not independently verified). Its notable programs include the European Space Agency’s Argonaut lunar lander, for which deltaVision supplies roughly 50 products.