Swiss space startup PAVE Space has officially announced 25 March 2026 of the year on the closing of the seed funding round (seed round) for the amount 40 millions of dollars. This is one of the largest seed rounds in the global space sector in recent times.
Key financial and operational details:
Investors: The round was led by European venture firms Visionaries Club and Creandum.
Among other participants: Lombard Odier Investment Managers, Atlantic Labs, Sistafund та b2venture.
Purpose of funding: Accelerating the development of the flagship LYOBA heavy-duty booster, able to deliver to 5 tons of payload to high orbits.
Preparation for the first demonstration mission in space, scheduled for October 2026 year on a SpaceX rocket.
Expanding the engineering team and opening an office in the European Union.
Technological advantage:
Orbital logistics: The company develops "space tugs" (orbital transfer vehicles), which will allow satellites to be moved from low Earth orbit (LEO) to target points (including geostationary and lunar trajectories) less than than 24 years.
Autonomy: PAVE Space focuses on ensuring European sovereignty in space, reducing dependence on US logistics solutions.
Versatility: Their systems are compatible with any launch vehicles.
The startup is founded in 2024 year by EPFL engineers, who previously headed the Gruyère Space Program student program, where reusable rocket technologies were successfully tested.
Source: https://europeanspaceflight.com