This Profitable Space Startup Just Raised $10.6M to Build the 'Cardiovascular System for Spacecraft'

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-21

### The Space Economy Needs a Plumbing Upgrade Space is booming. But as more satellites, landers, and servicing vehicles head to orbit, a critical problem emerges: the lack of a reliable way to move fluids and propellants around. Think of it like building a city without water pipes. That's where deltaVision comes in. This Munich-based startup just raised $10.6 million in its first funding round. The company builds fluidic systems -- valves, pumps, and regulators -- that act as the cardiovascular system for spacecraft. The money will help them scale production to meet surging demand. ### Who's Betting on Space Plumbing? The funding came from a mix of family offices and venture capital firms. KT Ventures and Valemount Capital led the round, both doubling down after an earlier convertible loan. Futury Capital also joined, alongside private investors through a new investment vehicle. deltaVision says it picked backers with strong industrial and commercial backgrounds. Smart move. ### What deltaVision Actually Does Founded in 2022 by Alex Plebuch, Dr. Denis Kiefel, and Matthias Gunther, deltaVision has been profitable from day one. They already have space heritage since 2025, which is impressive for a young company. Their products control every type of fluid, propellant, and pressurant used in space. They serve over 60 customers worldwide, including startups, industry primes, and space agencies across four continents. One big project: the European Space Agency's "Argonaut" lunar lander. For each mission, deltaVision supplies around 50 individual products, including closed-loop pressure-regulation subsystems. ### Why the Space Supply Chain Is Stressed Here's the thing: demand for these components is outpacing the traditional supply chain. Long lead times are putting strain on space programs globally. deltaVision claims it's closing that gap with scalable product designs and a manufacturing flow built for reliability and speed. They're talking about lead times as short as weeks. ### The Plan: More Valves, More Capacity, US Expansion With the new capital, deltaVision aims to expand production of valves and propulsion components to 5,000 units per year. That's up from current output. They currently employ 125 people and manufacture in a former Siemens plant in central Munich. They're also opening a French subsidiary in Nouvelle-Aquitaine to expand R&D and production of sensing and intelligence products. And here's a key detail for US readers: they want to expand valve production capacity in the United States. That could mean jobs and supply chain resilience for American space efforts. ### Building the Orbital Refueling Ecosystem Beyond capacity, deltaVision is working on a modular, interoperable technology stack for orbital refueling. Think fluidic couplers, utility interfaces that make satellites serviceable, and integrated refueling modules. The goal is an open ecosystem, not a winner-takes-all approach. CEO Alex Plebuch puts it this way: "We envision an open and interoperable in-orbit-services ecosystem. An interoperable ecosystem will dramatically increase the overall market size and benefit every single stakeholder." That philosophy could reshape how we think about space infrastructure. Instead of each satellite being a one-and-done mission, they could be refueled, repaired, and upgraded in orbit. That's a game-changer. ### The Bottom Line deltaVision is proof that you don't need to be flashy to be successful in space. Sometimes the most critical technology is the stuff that moves fluids around. With $10.6 million in the bank, a profitable business model, and plans to expand in the US, this is a startup worth watching.