Humanity’s dream of conquering space has been a constant since the first humans became aware of the immensity of the universe. This eagerness to explore the unknown translated into a genuine space race during the Cold War and began to emerge as an industry that, above all, bestowed prestige on the countries that promoted it.
In recent years, we have seen everything related to space take a step forward, with increasingly more private initiatives seeking to participate in this field, and it has also become an area of interest for investment.
In recent months, we have witnessed a recent operation that exemplifies this trend in our country, carried out by the Castellón-based startup Arkadia Space. El Economista reports that the firm, which develops and commercializes propulsion systems and engines based on green propellants for all types of satellites and spacecraft, has announced “the closing of a 2.8 million euro financing round, which has been covered with private and public capital“. As this economic information medium reports, “the round was led by Draper B1” and “furthermore, the aerospace startup from Castellón has obtained the investment support of well-known professionals in the aerospace sector, such as the former Spanish minister and astronaut, Pedro Duque“.
Also, a good example of this is the aerospace company from Alicante, PLD Space, which has begun to reap benefits after the successful launch of its inaugural rocket, the Miura 1, as highlighted by El Español. Although this launch was only a test mission aimed at gathering information for the development of its first commercial vehicle, designed to transport small satellites into outer space.
On this trend, the appeal that the aerospace industry holds for investment and the potential that the innovative Valencian ecosystem has to thrive in this sector were deeply discussed in the last edition of VDS. The sixth edition of this international technological event organized by Startup Valencia featured, for the second consecutive year, an Aerospace Forum where the work carried out by startups, research centers, universities and institutions in aerospace matters in the region was presented, as well as existing projects in this field.
The Castellón airport presented during the event the European Space Agency Business Incubator Centre (ESA-BIC) business incubator that will host a project promoted by the Generalitat Valenciana through Aerocas in collaboration with ValSpace.
In addition, VDS2023 hosted a discussion between Pedro Duque, astronaut and associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and Francho Garcia, CEO & co-founder of Arkadia Space, about the new possibilities offered by aerospace technology from an investment perspective, moderated by Enrique Penichet, Founding Partner at Draper B1.
The truth is that attendees at this forum were able to firsthand verify that investment in space technology has great growth potential and offers interesting opportunities for investment. There are many areas in this sector where projects and business opportunities can be developed, from navigation to research or space tourism.
The challenges are out there waiting to be conquered. Space technology has emerged as a new horizon for investors.
