Blackswan Space Secures €2.5M Seed Funding for RPO Kit Demo
Lithuanian startup Blackswan Space raised €2.5 million in seed funding led by Iron Wolf Capital to finance the first in-orbit demonstration.
Blackswan Space has closed a €2.5 million seed funding round. The Lithuanian startup will use the capital to advance its RPO Kit toward an in-space demonstration scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027.
Iron Wolf Capital led the investment. Participation came from Lemonade Stand, NGL Ventures, and angel investors including NanoAvionics cofounder Linas Sargautis and serial entrepreneur Tomas Žalandauskas. CEO Marius Klimavičius heads the company.
RPO Kit technology and market positioning
The RPO Kit is designed to enable autonomous navigation and rendezvous and proximity operations maneuvers. It relies on vision-based navigation techniques. Blackswan developed the core software in-house.
Hardware for the kit is built largely from commercial off-the-shelf parts. These include commercial optical sensors and NVIDIA computing chips. The company positions the product as a plug-and-play payload for in-space servicing firms. Blackswan believes such companies will prefer to buy these capabilities rather than develop them internally. It aims to be an early market entrant.
Path to flight and customer traction
An in-orbit test of the RPO Kit is planned for Q4 2027. It will fly as a hosted payload aboard a partner satellite. After this demonstration, Blackswan expects to ramp up to full commercial operations.
The technology's development was spurred by market demand. Daniel Faber, cofounder of in-space refuelling company Orbit Fab, remarked in a 2021-2022 conversation that he would buy an RPO kit if one were available, but struggled to find one. This need was later formalized. In November, Orbit Fab selected Blackswan’s RPO Kit for its ESA-funded ASTRAL mission. That mission, billed as the first European in-space refuelling demonstration, is scheduled for 2028.
Use of funds and expansion plans
The new €2.5 million will be used to commercialise the RPO Kit. A portion is earmarked for expanding Blackswan's physical footprint in the United States. This expansion aims to secure contracts from American in-space servicing companies.
The company currently employs 25 people. Its team is distributed across offices in Vilnius, London, and Denver.
Company background and prior progress
Blackswan Space was founded in 2019. Initially, it developed Mission Design Simulator software for planning autonomous missions. A pre-seed funding round allowed it to commercialise that simulator and gain customers, including Auria Space.
The company has since conducted testing campaigns for its simulation and vision-based navigation technologies. Its current focus is shifting from software and ground testing to demonstrating performance in the space environment.
Blackswan expects to ramp up full operations after the Q4 2027 in-orbit demonstration of the RPO Kit.
