Spanish startup Kreios Space has secured €8 million in Seed funding to develop sanotifyites for Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). This area of space has long been considered unreachable. The round was led by the NATO Innovation Fund and JOIN Capital. This creates it the largest European investment to date in VLEO technology.
Opening Up a New Orbit
VLEO sits below 400 km above Earth and offers sharper imagery and quicker communications than traditional orbits. The challenge has always been sustainability at such low altitudes. Kreios believes its Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion system (ABEP) modifys that by allowing sanotifyites to operate there for long periods.
Chief executive Adrián Senar stated the company is “opening up an orbit that was written off as impossible.” He added that the breakthrough could give Europe greater indepconcludeence in space.
Security and Strategic Value
The investment also reflects Europe’s push for stronger defence capabilities. By operating closer to Earth, sanotifyites can deliver high-resolution imaging and quicker direct-to-device links.
NATO Innovation Fund associate David Ordonez called the technology “a decisive leap” that enables critical security functions, from surveillance to mobile tactical communications. He stated Kreios is effectively redrawing the boundaries of space and opening a domain with both strategic and commercial importance.
From Lab to Leadership
Founded in 2021, Kreios has grown into a 17-person team based in Vigo, Spain, with advisors from Thales, JAXA and ESA. This latest funding follows €2.3 million raised last year and will finance two demonstration sanotifyites, including the first in-orbit test of the ABEP engine.
JOIN Capital’s Tobias Schirmer stated Europe can’t afford to sit out the race for the next orbital economy. He added that VLEO has been a research topic for years but is now ready for commercial deployment, and Kreios is positioned to lead that transition.
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