ATMOS

ATMOS Space Cargo is a European space logistics company developing and operating spacecraft and return systems intended to make access to low Earth orbit and controlled return to Earth a repeatable service rather than a one-off mission. Its core product line is PHOENIX, a reusable orbital transfer and return vehicle (OTRV) that combines propulsion and power generation with an Inflatable Atmospheric Decelerator (IAD) — a deployable structure acting as both heat shield and high-velocity aerodynamic brake, using no propellant for deceleration and based on a reusable radiatively cooled ceramic matrix composite. The company markets an end-to-end mission service covering contract and mission definition, payload integration and qualification (AIT), launcher integration, in-orbit operations and mission control, data downlink and monitoring, and controlled re-entry with payload recovery, including ground transport of payloads to and from a customer-selected airport.

PHOENIX 2 carries up to 100 kg of payload, supports missions from hours up to about three months in LEO, performs autonomous de-orbit, and re-enters behind a six-metre inflatable heat shield with splashdown planned near Santa Maria Island in the Azores. The pressurised and vacuum payload bays offer selectable temperature setpoints (20–37 °C for the pressurised bay), 100 W of power, standard data interfaces (UART, I2C, SPI, CAN, SpaceWire, MIL-1553, SLink) and ISS Middeck Locker and 1U/2U/3U form factors, with late access for sample loading. A larger vehicle, PHOENIX 3, is in early development with roughly ten times the payload capacity (about 1,000 kg) and a 15-metre heat shield, targeted for a first test flight in late 2028 or early 2029; a Phase 0 ESA Concurrent Design Facility study for PHOENIX 3 has been completed.

The company operates from Lichtenau in Baden, Germany, close to the Franco-German border and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport, with a subsidiary in Strasbourg, France. It reports a team drawn from 17 nationalities and lists industrial and academic partners including the European Space Agency, Voyager, the International Space University, HyPrSpace, Space Cargo Unlimited, Frontier and the Institute of Space Systems.

Founding story

Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Sebastian Klaus holds an MSc in aerospace engineering focused on atmospheric re-entry and reusable rocket engines, previously served as an officer in the German Armed Forces Special Forces (KSK), completed an MBA programme at ESB Business School Reutlingen, holds patents in entry and descent technologies, a commercial pilot licence and expertise in parachute systems. Co-founder and COO Marta Oliveira is an aerospace engineer who interned at NASA Goddard and worked at ESA and CNES, serving as a launcher safety engineer for Ariane 5 campaigns in Kourou, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2020. Co-founder and CTO Jeffrey Hendrikse brings over 24 years of European and international mission experience, previously at Airbus Defence & Space on ESA, EUMETSAT, DLR and JAXA programmes. Co-founder and Chief Engineering Officer Dr.-Ing. Christian Grimm previously worked at DLR Bremen as test engineer and deputy head of the Department of Landing and Exploration Technologies. Advisors include former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, entrepreneur Fabrice Testa and Dr. Georg Herdrich of the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart.

Business model

ATMOS sells mission services rather than hardware: customers book payload capacity on PHOENIX vehicles and receive a round-trip, end-to-end service spanning payload integration at the launch site, in-orbit operations, controlled re-entry, recovery and return of the payload to a customer-selected general aviation airport. Launches are procured externally, using a mix of SpaceX rideshare flights and European small launchers. A separate unit, ATMOS WORKS, addresses European government and defence customers with in-orbit demonstration and validation and secure return of sensitive hardware and data.

Revenue is generated from booked payload capacity and mission contracts on PHOENIX flights, sold as a roundtrip end-to-end return service on standardised mission cycles, complemented by institutional and defence work through ATMOS WORKS and grant/equity support from the European Innovation Council Accelerator.

Traction

PHOENIX 1 flew its first orbital test flight on 21–23 April 2025 as part of SpaceX's Bandwagon-3 rideshare, meeting its three primary objectives — in-flight data collection, customer payload science data and inflatable heat shield deployment — though the capsule was not recovered after a trajectory change extended splashdown to roughly 2,000 km offshore. The company plans three operational PHOENIX 2 missions beginning in the second half of 2026, with Phoenix 2.2 about six months later and Phoenix 2.3 five months after that; missions 2.2 and 2.3 are partially booked and 80% of the first mission's payload space is reported sold. Company materials cite seven launches planned for 2026–2028. Reported headcount is 41 employees in April 2026 coverage, while the company's own site states 70+ employees.

Latest developments

In April 2026 ATMOS closed a €25.7 million ($30.1–30.2 million) Series A led by Balnord and Expansion Ventures with participation from Keen Defence and Security, the European Innovation Council (grant plus equity via its Accelerator), OTB Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds, APEX Ventures, Seraphim and additional investors. The proceeds fund three PHOENIX 2 vehicles for an operational campaign starting in the second half of 2026, the creation of the ATMOS WORKS government and defence unit, and early development of the 1,000 kg-class PHOENIX 3, with a first test flight targeted for late 2028 or early 2029. The company also completed a Phase 0 ESA Concurrent Design Facility study for PHOENIX 3, signed an MoU with Astrolight for a laser link through re-entry, and secured a Portuguese re-entry licence in March 2026.