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By Nick Flaherty
Europe has a strong and growing position in space technology, and while there are key suppliers in the region there are warnings that private funding for startups in particular is falling short.
From Starlink to Amazon’s Project Kuiper, now called Amazon Leo, and being combined with the Globalstar network, to China’s StarNet and G60 constellations, there is a boom in satellite design, development and delivery. Over 50,000 satellites are planned for launch into low earth orbit (LEO) over the next decade and ST Microelectronics and other European chip makers have been eying the opportunities.
Investments in Europe’s space industry Source: ESPI
“STMicroelectronics has been active in space for over 45 years with the full spectrum of applications,” said Remi El-Ouazzane, president, microcontrollers, digital ICs and RF group at ST.
Its chips have been used in a Chinese Moon lander, James Webb space telescope and the Ariane6 launcher, but it is SpaceX and the Starlink system in the US that is the major customer and makes ST the leading semiconductor supplier for space systems.
The company has shipped over 71 billion chips for space applications, says El-Ouazzane, largely from the shift to electronically steered antennas with beamforming for user terminals to connect to services such as Starlink and is looking to 11bn devices in 2026.
He points to its fully depleted silicon on insulator (FD SOI) process that is used for radiation hardened ASICs, microcontroller and memories on 300mm wafers at Crolles in France and at foundry partners. For example the ARM-based STM32V8 microcontroller is built on an 18nm FD-SOI, which is currently the leading edge of the technology.
ST also has a key BiCMOS process technology called B9MW on 200mm wafers for low noise amplifiers and power amplifiers with the 300mm B55X process ramping up. Then there is the panel level packaging (PLP) that combines these devices into a module, This is producing 9m units per day in chip scale packages (CSP) and quad flat pack no leads (QFN) to reduce the size and cost of the user terminals. The automation and scale of production is reducing the cost of the components to $10.
“PLP is truly an ST first with geopolitical stability,” said El-Ouazzane. “ST has a very clear ambition to generate $3bn in cumulative revenue over the next three years to 2028 combining LEO and traditional space to remain the leading semiconductor supplier in New Space,” he said.
This will drive the addressable market in space up from $650m last year to $2bn in 2028 and $2.9bn in 2030, all with the growth in the existing applications.
Infineon is also a significant supplier of radiation hard components for space. Through its acquisition of International Rectifier (IR) and its IR HiRel division it supplies rad hard MOSFETs, power chips and even ferroelectric memories. It has also developed radiation-tolerant versions of its Aurix Tricore, PSOC and Traveo ARM-based microcontrollers. These were used in the Artemis II mission.
After acquiring Actel and Microsemi, Microchip is also a significant supplier in Europe, With a fab in Rousset and Nates in France and packaging in Caldicot, Wales, it can also supply space hardened FPGAs and SAM ARM-based processors.
Europe does has a LEO constellation of satellites, with the OneWeb system that is now part of Eutelsat. These satellites are manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, with 340 of the next generation systems being developed to replace the 600 already in orbit. The first tranche of 440 satellites are planned for the end of 2026 with parts from Filtronic in the UK to provide 5G phone connections similar to Starlink and Amazon Leo, and there are plans for a constellation of over 5000.
UK startup Space Forge has developed a factory that operates in orbit to make ultrapure materials. After failing to reach orbit in the ill-fated Virgin Orbit mission in January 2023 with the first prototype, the next generation ForgeStar-1 has managed to fire up the plasma needed for gas-phase crystal growth in orbit to make gallium nitride, silicon carbide, aluminium nitride and diamond.
Space offers a different pathway: the absence of convection in microgravity, the ultra-high quality vacuum with near-zero nitrogen contamination and the stable thermal conditions can enable semiconductor crystals several orders of magnitude cleaner than those produced terrestrially.
“Generating plasma on orbit represents a fundamental shift, it proves that the essential environment for advanced crystal growth can be achieved on a dedicated, commercial satellite – opening the door to a completely new manufacturing frontier,” said Josh Western, CEO and co-founder of Space Forge
The plasma strike is the first step in testing how the technology translates into real materials performance. The satellite has run a series of parameter sweeps to map plasma behaviour in microgravity and collected data that will directly inform the design and operation of future missions.
Space-grown seeds will be returned to Earth and scaled at the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) in Swansea, Wales, creating a hybrid manufacturing model that complements existing supply chains rather than replacing them.
A European funded project is also developing a protective covering for more affordable robots in space, while also holding potential for terrestrial applications.
Robots need to be better equipped to operate in the extreme environments of the Moon, Mars, and in orbit, with abrasive dust, intense solar radiation and temperatures ranging from minus 150°C to plus 120°C.
A European project is developing smart skin for space robots Source: ESA
A pan-European consortium led by Danish Technological Institute (DTI) is developing a Smart Skin for Exploration Cobots that aims to advance the technology to a level where it can be demonstrated under space-like conditions.
The project builds on a previously successful pilot phase and brings together leading European space companies and specialists within adjacent fields.
“The potential for robots in space exploration is extensive. They can help with everything from resource extraction on the Moon to on-orbit satellite servicing and active debris removal. But this requires the robots to be extremely robust and capable of operating autonomously – or safely in collaboration with humans,” said Christian Dalsgaard, Senior Consultant at DTI.
The smart skin technology is being designed to be adaptable to different robotic arms – both for upcoming lunar missions, future Martian missions, and for in-orbit operations.
At its core is a 3D-printed scaffold that can be mounted on the robotic arm. It serves as a platform for four integrated functions: a thermal and dust-protective layer that shields against extreme temperature fluctuations and abrasive dust penetration; flexible power and data cabling; sensors capable of detecting and preventing collisions; and features that enhance human-machine interaction.
Traditionally, Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) materials have been used on all spacecraft, providing high-efficiency thermal protection for the whole structure. However, these applications are static without any motion. Developing a similar type of thermal insulation for moving parts is significantly more challenging, but it allows for a wide range of future applications for robotic systems.
“Applying an advanced protection system could lead to building robotic arms from commercially available components. This can create a cost-effective way of providing new solutions for customers in many space domains – from deep space missions, through in-orbit servicing to Moon colonisation. At Admatis, we are committed to any development that gives Europe a competitive advantage, and this project is fully in line with our strategy,” said Tamás Bárczy, CEO at Admatis.
DTI is coordinating the activities and contributing specialists in robotics, functional materials science and industrial 3D printing. Admatis in Hungary is developing the thermal protection, while PIAP Space in Poland with robot arms from Redwire Space Europe in Luxembourg that are currently being developed for ESA’s upcoming lunar missions. This ensures that the smart skin technology is designed from the outset for the specific systems it is intended to protect.
However there is a funding challenge in Europe for space companies looking to scale up. While government and EU funding is strong, there is a lack of private funding for companies looking to scale up.
“We are in a moment where Europe is scaling up and there is an opportunity for the private investment to scale up alongside public investments,” said Joao Serra, industrial lead at the European Space Policy Institute. “With the demand for digital sovereignty this is an opportunity for the whole of Europe.
The defence industry and sovereign capability is a major driver. “In venture capital there was a 13% increase year on year in Europe. Defence is driving the sector in the US, in China and in Europe. We estimate around 30% is driven by defence, even excluding companies that manufacture satellites,” he added.
In 2025 German space companies attracted the most investment followed by France, with Finland also in the top five as a result of the expansion of satellite developer and operator ICeye. “We also see Bulgaria above the UK and this is something interesting. We see more space hubs and technology hubs outside of the big four countries and that is good news, as most of the investment was captured outside the big four,” he said.
This is not helped by the slow passage of the European Space Act which is inching its way through the European parliament. Concerns over the cybersecurity of ground stations receiving data from satellites in orbit, as well as the impact on US partners, are all slowing down the new legislation which is not expected to come into force until 2030.
In the meantime there is a lack of private European investment for scale ups. “In 2025 there are two groups. One is public institutions and the other is US private investors, but there was not a single European investor to lead a scale up round,” said Serra. “European funding is comparable in Series A rounds, so there is a specific problem that can be addressed but there is a big gap and this is not just a space problem but a deep tech problem in Europe.”
Launchers such as the SpaceX Starship, Ariane 6 and New Glenn from Blue Origin are the focus for ST, alongside the development of user terminals for the Chinese market.
Then there is the prospect of orbital data centres as the next frontier says El-Ouazzane. There are several plans from companies such as Project Sunrise, Google Suncatcher, Axiom Space, Starcloud and Orbital Chenguang, and of course SpaceX. This is where the focus on launchers comes together with the power management capabilities. He sees the cost of shipping AI servers into orbit with solar power falling significantly, from the $10000/kg with Falcon to $2000 with falcon 9 and $200/kg coming with Starship.
“This is still an emerging category and could become a platform for compute at scale using solar energy with launch costs of under $100/kg at some point,” said El-Ouazzane.
www.st.com; www.espi.eu; www.spaceforge.com
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