Exolaunch

Exolaunch GmbH is a Berlin-based space company that provides launch services, mission management, and deployment hardware for small satellites. Established in 2011 as a spin-off from Technische Universität Berlin, the company operates in the segment between satellite manufacturers and rocket operators: it prepares payloads for launch, coordinates rideshare missions, supplies separation and deployment systems, and manages the operational requirements needed to place groups of small spacecraft into orbit. Its customers and mission partners have included commercial satellite operators, Earth-observation companies, communications businesses, and other organizations using CubeSats, microsatellites, and larger small spacecraft. The company specializes in rideshare launches, in which small satellites travel as secondary payloads alongside a primary spacecraft. This model allows customers to share launch costs and gain access to orbit without commissioning an entire rocket. Exolaunch has supported missions involving Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Ariane 6, PSLV, European Soyuz, Soyuz-2, and Electron vehicles. It has also announced launch-related agreements with SpaceX and New Space India Limited. The company's role can extend beyond arranging a launch: it performs payload integration, coordinates technical interfaces, organizes regulatory and safety requirements, and oversees deployment operations. Exolaunch also develops and manufactures its own deployment equipment. Its EXOpod family is designed for CubeSats, while CarboNIX is a separation system for microsatellites and other small spacecraft. EXObox is a deployment sequencer intended to coordinate the release of satellite clusters, with capacity for as many as 50 spacecraft. The company presents these products as an integrated hardware and services ecosystem, also referred to through the EXOtube offering, rather than as standalone components only. According to the referenced company history, Exolaunch had supported the deployment of more than 575 satellites. Its relationship with Spire Global dates to 2016, and the company has supported approximately one-third of Spire's Lemur constellation. A July 2019 Soyuz-2 mission deployed 28 small satellites and served as a qualification flight for CarboNIX. Exolaunch subsequently became a substantial provider on SpaceX rideshare missions; the referenced material states that by 2025 it had launched 400 satellites on 20 SpaceX vehicles and had participated in every SpaceX Bandwagon and Transporter rideshare flight since those programs began. Transporter 14 in June 2025 was described as the company's largest mission at that point, carrying 27 payloads with a combined mass exceeding 1,500 kilograms. Exolaunch has offices in the United States, France, and Japan in addition to its Berlin base. The business is therefore positioned as an international infrastructure provider for the expanding small-satellite economy, combining launch procurement, mission execution, and proprietary deployment technology. The supplied reference material reports that private-equity firm EQT agreed in June 2026 to acquire the company from founder Dmitriy Sternharz; the transaction's completed status and final ownership should be verified against current company or transaction disclosures.

Exolaunch originated as a spin-off from Technische Universität Berlin and was founded in 2011. The company initially developed around the practical problem of getting small spacecraft from the laboratory into orbit. Rather than operating its own rocket, it built a business around launch procurement, payload integration, mission coordination, and deployment. This model made Exolaunch an intermediary and technical operator for customers whose satellites were too small to justify a dedicated launch but too complex to treat as ordinary cargo. The company's principal market is rideshare launch. In a rideshare mission, a rocket's primary customer purchases the main launch opportunity while multiple smaller spacecraft occupy available capacity. Exolaunch coordinates these secondary payloads, including their mechanical and electrical interfaces, documentation, safety reviews, transportation, integration, and deployment sequence. The company has worked with a range of launch providers and vehicles, including Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Ariane 6, PSLV, European Soyuz, Soyuz-2, and Electron. It also announced agreements involving SpaceX and New Space India Limited. A significant early customer relationship was with Spire Global. Beginning in 2016, Exolaunch supported the launch of a substantial portion of Spire's Lemur satellites; the referenced account estimates that roughly one-third of that constellation had been supported by Exolaunch. In July 2017, Exolaunch and Momentus announced a partnership related to water-plasma propulsion and payload delivery. In August 2018, ICEYE announced an agreement to use Exolaunch for launches of at least two synthetic-aperture-radar satellites. The company expanded from service coordination into proprietary deployment hardware. Its EXOpod system serves CubeSats and is available in 12U and 16U configurations, with up to four independently managed slots. The design allows access through windows on two sides for inspection, testing, and removal of keep-out or remove-before-flight pins after integration. Exolaunch states that EXOpod systems have been used with CubeSats ranging from 0.25U to 16U. CarboNIX is a non-pyrotechnic separation system for small satellites with wet masses from approximately 10 to 200 kilograms. Its spring-pusher approach is intended to separate a spacecraft before the main shock event, reducing potential risks to sensitive payloads. EXObox is a sequencer for managing the release of satellite clusters, with a stated capacity of up to 50 spacecraft. EXOtube describes the wider integration of these technologies into a rideshare ecosystem. A notable operational milestone occurred in July 2019, when a Soyuz-2 rideshare mission deployed 28 small spacecraft. The payload set included 25 CubeSats, with sizes ranging from 0.25U to 16U, and two commercial microsatellites. The flight also qualified CarboNIX. The company's reported experience extends to exceptionally small spacecraft, including one rideshare-integrated satellite described as only 2.5 centimeters tall. Exolaunch's prior commercial cooperation with Glavkosmos included Soyuz-2 missions carrying European and U.S. small satellites, with the last such launch reported in 2020. SpaceX rideshare missions later became central to Exolaunch's scale. The supplied reference states that by 2025 the company had launched 400 satellites on 20 SpaceX vehicles and had participated in every SpaceX Bandwagon and Transporter rideshare flight since those programs began. Transporter 14, launched in June 2025 on Falcon 9, was identified as Exolaunch's largest mission to that point, with 27 payloads and more than 1,500 kilograms of total mass. Contracts announced in 2025 were reported to reserve SpaceX small-satellite capacity through 2028 for customers including HawkEye 360, ICEYE, Planet Labs, EnduroSat, Loft Orbital, and Capella Space. Exolaunch maintains its headquarters in Berlin and offices in the United States, France, and Japan. The supplied Wikipedia reference reports that EQT agreed in June 2026 to acquire the business from founder Dmitriy Sternharz. Because that date is later than much of the company's operating history and the reference does not establish closing terms, the transaction should be treated as announced rather than independently confirmed as completed.

1. 2026EQT agrees to acquire Exolaunch

   The supplied reference reports an agreement for EQT to acquire Exolaunch from founder Dmitriy Sternharz; closing remains to be verified.

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2. 2025Expansion of SpaceX rideshare capacity

   Exolaunch reports 400 satellites launched on 20 SpaceX vehicles and announces contracts extending access to SpaceX small-satellite launch capacity through 2028.

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3. 2025Transporter 14 becomes the largest reported Exolaunch mission

   The June Falcon 9 mission carries 27 Exolaunch-managed payloads with more than 1,500 kilograms of combined mass.

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4. 2020Last reported Glavkosmos Soyuz cooperation

   The company's previously reported commercial cooperation with Glavkosmos for European and U.S. small-satellite launches ends with a launch in 2020.

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5. 201928-satellite Soyuz-2 rideshare mission

   A July Soyuz-2 mission deploys 28 small spacecraft and qualifies the CarboNIX microsatellite separation system.

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6. 2017EXOpod deployment systems enter reported operational use

   The company reports use of EXOpod CubeSat deployers in missions from 2017 onward.

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7. 2016Support for Spire Global's Lemur constellation begins

   Exolaunch begins supporting Lemur satellite deployments for Spire Global; the supplied reference later attributes approximately one-third of the constellation to Exolaunch-supported launches.

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8. 2011Exolaunch is founded as a university spin-off

   The company is established as a spin-off from Technische Universität Berlin to support small-satellite launch and deployment.

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An end-to-end, launch-vehicle-independent space-logistics provider for CubeSats, microsatellites, and other small spacecraft, combining mission management with in-house deployment hardware.

• EXOpodCubeSat deployer2017

  EXOpod is Exolaunch's CubeSat deployment platform, offered in 12U and 16U variants. Configurations can include up to four independent slots. Access windows allow inspection, testing, and post-integration removal of flight-safety pins. The system is designed to provide additional usable spacecraft volume and can accommodate CubeSats across a broad range of sizes, including payloads from 0.25U to 16U. Exolaunch states that the system is manufactured in Germany and is not subject to export restrictions.

• CarboNIXMicrosatellite separation system2019

  CarboNIX is a separation mechanism for small satellites with wet masses of approximately 10 to 200 kilograms, including propellant. It uses a non-pyrotechnic architecture and a spring-pusher mechanism intended to separate the satellite before the principal shock event. This design is aimed at limiting mechanical risk to spacecraft structures, optical instruments, and electronic components. The system was qualified during a 2019 Soyuz-2 rideshare mission and is described as manufactured in Germany and ITAR-free.

• EXOboxDeployment sequencer

  EXObox is a deployment sequencer designed to coordinate the release of satellite clusters from a rideshare mission. Its stated capacity is up to 50 small satellites. The system is intended to simplify the timing, adaptation, and separation of multiple spacecraft as they are delivered into their target orbital environment.

• EXOtubeRideshare technology ecosystem

  EXOtube is the umbrella concept that connects Exolaunch's rideshare technologies, including launch integration, deployment systems, and mission-management capabilities. It represents the company's effort to offer an integrated operational and hardware environment rather than treating launch coordination and separation equipment as unrelated services.

• 2026EQT agrees to acquire ExolaunchM&A

  The supplied reference describes EQT's proposed transaction as its first private-equity investment in the space sector.

  What changed. EQT agreed to acquire Exolaunch from founder Dmitriy Sternharz.

  Aftermath. The reported agreement would introduce a private-equity owner, but completion, transaction value, and post-acquisition governance were not provided and require verification.

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• 2025Reserve SpaceX rideshare capacity through 2028Strategy

  Growing demand for small-satellite deployment created a need for predictable access to frequently scheduled rideshare missions.

  What changed. Exolaunch signed launch contracts with SpaceX intended to provide small-satellite launch capacity through 2028 for a range of commercial satellite customers.

  Aftermath. The arrangement strengthened Exolaunch's role as a recurring SpaceX rideshare integrator and provided customers with longer-term launch planning visibility.

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• 2026EQT agrees to acquire Exolaunch

  The supplied reference reports that EQT agreed to acquire Exolaunch from founder Dmitriy Sternharz, describing the transaction as EQT's first private-equity investment in the space sector. Completion and final ownership require verification.

  M&A
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• 2025Exolaunch signs further SpaceX launch-capacity agreements

  Exolaunch announced contracts with SpaceX extending small-satellite launch capacity through 2028 for customers including HawkEye 360, ICEYE, Planet Labs, EnduroSat, Loft Orbital, and Capella Space.

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• 2025Transporter 14 becomes Exolaunch's largest reported mission

  The June SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 14 mission carried 27 Exolaunch-managed payloads with a combined mass reported at more than 1,500 kilograms.

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• 2019Exolaunch conducts a 28-satellite Soyuz-2 rideshare mission

  A Soyuz-2 mission deployed 28 small spacecraft, including CubeSats and commercial microsatellites, and qualified the CarboNIX separation system.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2018ICEYE agrees to use Exolaunch for small-satellite launches

  ICEYE announced an arrangement with Exolaunch to launch at least two synthetic-aperture-radar satellites.

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• 2017Exolaunch and Momentus announce propulsion and payload-delivery partnership

  The companies announced a partnership concerning water-plasma propulsion technology for payload delivery.

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1. Exolaunch
2. Exolaunch official website