The company closed a US$416,500 pre-seed round led by Outlast Fund and angel investor Linas Sargautis, a former co-founder of NanoAvionics. It also secured an additional $690,200 in government contracts and grants from the European Space Agency (ESA), NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and the Latvian government.
Deep Space Energy is building a compact energy system that uses radioisotopes, materials from nuclear waste that generate heat through natural decay to produce electricity.
Founder and CEO Mihails Ščepanskis said the system converts that heat into electrical energy while using significantly less fuel than conventional radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) currently deployed in space.
“Our technology, which has already been validated in the laboratory, has several applications in the defense and aerospace sectors.
“First, we are developing an additional energy source to increase the resilience of strategic satellites. It ensures the redundancy of satellite power systems by providing backup power that does not rely on solar energy, making it crucial for high-quality military reconnaissance assets,” Ščepanskis said.
The company emphasized that the generator is not designed for weapons applications. Instead, it focuses on dual-use satellites operating in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Very Elliptical Orbit (HEO), all of which focus on communications, early warning systems and reconnaissance capabilities.
These satellites support defense functions including synthetic aperture radar for detecting troop movements, signal intelligence systems and missile launch detection platforms.
According to Ščepanskis, recent geopolitical events have underlined its importance.
The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the decisive role of satellite-based reconnaissance data. In 2025, Ukraine lost its beachhead in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, at a time when the US temporarily halted satellite information sharing.
“As Europe seeks to become more independent, it is imperative to produce satellites with advanced capabilities on its own. Our technology provides an additional energy source for satellites, making them more resistant to non-kinetic attacks and jams,” he added.
In addition to defense, Deep Space Energy is also positioning its technology for lunar exploration. The company says its generator could support future programs such as NASA and ESA’s Artemis and Argonaut initiatives, as well as future lunar rover missions and the Moon Village framework.
On the moon, temperatures can drop below minus 150 degrees Celsius during night cycles lasting about 354 hours, making solar energy unreliable.
Deep Space Energy estimates that about two kilograms of Americium-241 could generate 50 watts of power for a rover, compared to about 10 kilograms that traditional RTG systems require for a similar output.
By reducing fuel requirements, the company claims it can extend the rover’s lifespan over several of the moon’s day-night cycles, potentially lasting years.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, have no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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