Munich-based space technology company constellr has secured €37 million in series A funding to expand its high-precision thermal intelligence capabilities and advance its platform to defense-grade status for governments, military entities, and security agencies. The round is one of the largest series A investments in European space technology to date and brings the company’s total funding to €75 million.
The financing was led by Alpine Space Ventures with co-lead Lakestar, and included participation from Semapa Next, Bayern Kapital, Cardumen Capital, Cooperative Ventures, and Kineo Finance. Existing shareholders, including Vsquared, CosmiCapital, Fraunhofer Technologie-Transfer Fonds, and EIC Fund, also participated.
constellr positions itself as the only proven operational provider of high-resolution thermal infrared data based in the European Union, delivering measurement precision that it says is unmatched in the commercial domain. The company aims to close what it describes as a critical gap in Europe’s sovereign intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance architecture by adding a behavioural insight layer through thermal intelligence. While radar offers structural mapping and optical systems provide visual classification, constellr’s thermal data is designed to reveal what assets are doing and why.
The company says its technology enables earlier detection, independent verification, and reliable assessments of activity in contested or deceptive environments. Defence and security forces can use thermal data to uncover hidden operations, track non-cooperative assets, and anticipate deployments, even when conventional monitoring is limited.
In a recent intelligence request, constellr’s thermal infrared data was used to monitor maritime activity near the Rybachiy nuclear submarine base in Russia. By identifying subtle temperature variations on the water surface and around pier infrastructure, the company enabled analysis of vessel presence and movement patterns, particularly during night-time operations when optical imagery is constrained. Thermal signatures of wakes remained visible for up to 60 minutes, allowing analysts to infer vessel direction and speed, while distinct heat patterns around piers indicated submarine presence. The company says this thermal layer complements very high-resolution optical data and can help corroborate open-source intelligence and assess critical infrastructure, such as missile fuel depots, covert manufacturing sites, and logistics hubs.
Funding from the round will be used to expand constellr’s satellite constellation to achieve broader global coverage, develop next-generation platforms with sub-5-metre resolution, and strengthen secure, sovereign control over data-driven intelligence for national and allied defence customers. The company operates under a Constellation-as-a-Service model, delivering land surface temperature data from space with 2.0°C absolute accuracy and 0.1°C sensitivity.
Founded in Germany, constellr says its cryocooled sensor technology, fully European supply chain, and sovereign data control position it as a trusted partner for national governments and agencies amid rising geopolitical tensions and increased European investment in security-driven space missions.
KEY QUOTES
“Sovereign resilience requires understanding real activity on the ground, not just seeing objects. Thermal intelligence provides the earliest and most reliable signal of operational change, from detecting rocket and airbase activity to identifying active reactors and hidden industrial operations. Europe must own this capability. constellr is already delivering operational intelligence today, and this funding accelerates our path to full defence-grade performance to close critical gaps in Europe’s sovereign ISR architecture.”
Dr. Max Gulde, CEO & Co-Founder, constellr
“constellr’s technology delivers an intelligence capability Europe has long needed: the ability to see not just where assets are, but how they are operating – the behavioural insight that turns detection into intent assessment. This funding will take an already operational system and scale it through the first steps into series production to full defence-grade performance, giving Europe the missing third axis in sovereign ISR.”
Bulent Altan, Alpine Space Ventures
“Fostering European tech resilience and sovereignty is Lakestar’s core mission. Our continent’s strategic autonomy and defence capabilities depend on mastering every dimension of space-based intelligence. constellr’s pioneering technology stack adds the crucial behavioural layer to the ISR ecosystem. Lakestar is proud to support the transition from proven operational capability to full defence-grade readiness.”
Klaus Hommels, Lakestar
