Latvian startup Deep Space Energy has closed a €930,000 pre-seed round to advance the development of a radioisotope-based power generator aimed at strengthening Europe’s space and defence infrastructure. The funding includes €350,000 in private investment led by Outlast Fund and angel investor Linas Sargautis, alongside €580,000 in public contracts and grants from the European Space Agency, NATO DIANA, and the Latvian government.
While the company positions its technology as dual-use, a key near-term focus is improving the resilience of strategic satellite systems that support military operations. As robotics, AI-enabled sensing, and autonomous systems increasingly rely on persistent satellite data streams, the resilience of orbital infrastructure becomes a foundational requirement.
Deep Space Energy is developing a compact generator that converts heat from naturally decaying radioisotopes into electricity. According to the company, the system requires roughly five times less radioisotope fuel than conventional radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) currently used in space missions.
CEO and co-founder Dr. Mihails Ščepanskis says the first commercial application is intended as an auxiliary energy source for satellites operating in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO), and Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO). These orbital regimes host many high-value military assets, including reconnaissance and early-warning systems.
Unlike solar panels, which depend on sunlight and can be vulnerable to shadowing, degradation, or hostile interference, a radioisotope-based generator produces continuous power independent of external conditions. The company states that the system is designed to provide redundancy rather than replace primary power systems, enhancing operational continuity in the event of malfunction or non-kinetic attacks such as electronic interference. Deep Space Energy says its technology is not designed for weapons applications, but for strengthening the reliability of satellite platforms.
Strategic Context: European Space Autonomy
Military satellites in GEO and other high orbits support a range of defence functions. These include synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems capable of detecting objects through clouds and foliage, signal intelligence satellites that intercept communications, and missile-launch detection platforms linked to anti-missile defence networks.
The war in Ukraine has underscored the operational importance of satellite-based reconnaissance and communications data. Temporary disruptions in intelligence-sharing arrangements highlighted the dependency of European security architectures on external space assets, particularly those operated by the United States.
Against this backdrop, European institutions have increased efforts to expand sovereign capabilities in both launch systems and satellite infrastructure. Support from ESA and NATO DIANA places Deep Space Energy’s development within a broader push to reinforce European space resilience at the subsystem level.
The company argues that integrating auxiliary nuclear-derived power systems could reduce vulnerabilities in critical orbital assets and extend mission lifetimes.
Efficiency Gains and Lunar Spillover
Although defence satellites represent the initial commercial target, the long-term roadmap includes lunar surface applications under programmes such as Artemis and other European exploration initiatives. The generator is designed to support operations during the lunar night, when temperatures can drop below –150°C and solar energy is unavailable for extended periods.
Deep Space Energy states that its system would require approximately two kilograms of Americium-241 to generate 50 watts of electrical power for a lunar rover, compared with roughly ten kilograms for legacy RTG systems delivering similar output. If validated at scale, this efficiency could influence both mission cost structures and payload planning.
