UVC Partners participates in Isar Aerospace's €270 million Series D round
Munich, Germany – June 9, 2026 – DeepTech investor UVC Partners participates in Isar Aerospace's €270 million Series D, committing €38 million, including a dedicated growth-stage SPV funded by KfW Capital.
- UVC Partners commits €38 million from its two Growth Funds and via a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up with KfW Capital (as part of the Germany fund)
- The €270 million Series D strengthens Isar Aerospace's capacity to deliver orbital launch at scale
- UVC Partners has invested in Isar Aerospace since its founding in 2018
The round includes new investors Island Green Capital and Molten Ventures, alongside existing investors with significant commitments, including HV Capital, Lakestar, and UVC Partners. UVC Partners' €38 million commitment breaks down across three vehicles: €25 million via a dedicated growth-stage SPV with KfW Capital (co-investment as part of the Germany fund) and €13 million from its growth funds.
UVC Partners has backed Isar Aerospace ever since 2018, when the company emerged from the WARR student rocketry team at the Technical University of Munich.
Alexander Huber, CFO at UVC Partners, said: "With this round, we have built something that goes beyond a single investment – together with KfW Capital, we have established a co-investment structure that pools European growth equity where it is needed most. Isar Aerospace proves that European DeepTech companies can build global infrastructure and collect the funding from European investors. We are proud to have been part of this journey from day one."
Europe conducted fewer than 10 orbital launches in 2025 – roughly one twentieth of what the United States achieved in the same period. Isar Aerospace is the only private European company building the capacity and infrastructure at scale to close that gap. The round reflects substantial contributions from across Europe, underscoring the continent's continued strong commitment to Isar Aerospace's strategic role in providing space sovereignty and technological leadership.
Christian Röhle, Co-Head Investment Management KfW Capital said: “Sovereign access to space is of high strategic importance for the competitiveness of Germany and Europe. Isar Aerospace has established itself as a key European pioneer in the New Space sector. With the Scale-up Direct Mandate, a core element of the so called Germany Fund, we support high-growth technology companies in forward-looking industries and are pleased to accompany Isar Aerospace together with our long-standing partner UVC on its path towards providing commercial launch capabilities for Europe.”
The capital from the new round will drive global scaling and ramp up serial production of the Spectrum launch vehicle. Isar Aerospace's new production facility in Parsdorf, near Munich – Europe's largest integrated launch vehicle factory – is designed to produce up to 40 Spectrum launch vehicles per year, with a high degree of automation and vertical integration covering design, manufacturing, and testing almost entirely in-house. Following its first launch pad in Norway, Isar Aerospace plans to build a second launch site at Spaceport Nova Scotia, Canada.
Daniel Metzler, Co-Founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace: "Space is no longer a frontier; it is the infrastructure of national power. With this strategic backing, we are expanding access to space for nations worldwide, delivering an orbital launch system at scale for government and commercial customers."
Exactly this ability – to launch independently and at scale – has moved to the top of the agenda for European governments, driven by a shifting geopolitical landscape.
From an entirely civil demand to defense
Space launch has always served civil and commercial purposes – and continues to do so. But within the past 12 months, defense and government demand has grown significantly as part of Isar Aerospace's customer base, reflecting the broader recognition among European governments that sovereign access to space is becoming an increasingly critical capability. SPARTA 2.0, published in May 2026, and the European Commission's White Paper on Defense Readiness 2030 both point in the same direction: space access is no longer a scientific ambition alone – it is a strategic one.
Johannes von Borries, Partner at UVC Partners, said: "Access to space is a strategic necessity for Germany and Europe. Isar Aerospace is the company best positioned to deliver. With this funding round, they have the financial resources to further test the system and achieve a stable launch vehicle. At the same time, they are ramping up serial manufacturing of the rockets. This will enable Isar Aerospace to take a significant part of the space market.”
Upcoming Qualification Flight
Isar Aerospace is preparing to launch its qualification flight, Mission 'Onward and Upward', which will carry five CubeSats and one experiment for ESA's Boost! Programme. The launch window opens from June 15 to 21 at the company's dedicated launch complex at Andøya Space in Norway, subject to weather, safety, and range availability.
About Isar Aerospace
The European space company Isar Aerospace offers launch services for transporting small and medium-sized satellites and satellite constellations into orbit. The launch vehicles used to transport these satellites are developed, manufactured, and tested almost entirely in-house. Headquartered near Munich, Germany, Isar Aerospace was founded in 2018 and has grown to over 400 employees, working across 5 international locations. Private funding from international investors provides strong backing for the company’s pioneering approach to scale and industrialize launch vehicle production through vertical integration.
More information: www.isaraerospace.com
About KfW Capital
KfW Capital, founded in 2018 as a subsidiary of KfW, aims to strengthen and further develop the German venture capital ecosystem. Since inception, it has invested around €3.3 billion in the VC market and participated in almost 160 funds (as of end of March 2026), thereby indirectly financing more than 3,300 start-ups. KfW Capital invests on a market-oriented, return-focused, cycle-independent and sector-agnostic basis, making it a key anchor investor in the German VC market. Beyond its equity activities, KfW Capital has helped deepen the market and attract new investors to the asset class. A major milestone was the launch of the Wachstumsfonds Deutschland, one of Europe’s largest VC fund-of-funds with a volume of around €1 billion. Its second generation, Wachstumsfonds II, started fundraising in April 2026. On behalf of the German Federal Government, KfW Capital coordinates the VC pillar of the Germany Fund, an initiative announced in December 2025 by the Federal Government and KfW Group to mobilise private capital and strengthen the competitiveness and future viability of the German economy. To foster knowledge transfer and networking, KfW Capital hosts four VC Academies per year on current topics and, together with partners, has developed and implemented ESG training programmes for VC funds.
For more information, visit www.kfw-capital.de
About UVC Partners
UVC Partners backs Europe’s most ambitious B2B tech founders building new category leaders. From DeepTech to AI, the firm has invested in breakout startups including Isar Aerospace, Proxima Fusion, Q.ANT, Aleph Alpha, Tacto, Flix, and FINN. With more than €700 million in assets under management, UVC Partners invests up to €15 million initially across multiple stages from early to growth. Over the lifetime of the investment, €30 million per company can be deployed. Beyond capital, UVC Partners' investment team is a "tech team for tech teams" – supporting founders in building and scaling market-leading companies. Through its unique access to UnternehmerTUM – Europe's leading innovation hub – the VC offers a powerful ecosystem of entrepreneurs, key corporate decision-makers, and top-tier researchers. UVC Partners' value-creation team provides direct access to a network of 1,000+ companies – potential customers and strategic partners.
Website: www.uvcpartners.com
