Satellites are becoming more numerous and missions are becoming more complex, increasing the need for spacecraft that can navigate and operate with less dependence on constant instructions from the ground. Lithuanian space technology company Blackswan Space is developing the software and hardware needed for that shift, and has raised €2.5 million in its latest investment round to accelerate the commercialisation of its autonomous navigation technology.
The round was led by Iron Wolf Capital, with participation from existing investors Lemonade Stand and former NanoAvionics co founder Linas Sargautis, alongside NGL Ventures and entrepreneur Tomas Žalandauskas. Combined with its previous pre seed financing, Blackswan Space has now raised €3.2 million.
The company was founded in 2019 and has grown into a team working across Vilnius, London and Denver.
Making Satellites More Autonomous
Blackswan Space is developing technology that allows spacecraft to perform complex navigation tasks with greater autonomy.
Its core hardware product, the RPO Kit, is a commercial off the shelf, plug and play payload designed for rendezvous, proximity operations and docking. It uses vision based target identification and tracking to help spacecraft determine the position and orientation of another object and perform navigation manoeuvres.
The technology is designed for missions including satellite inspection, in orbit servicing, space domain awareness and docking. Blackswan says its RPO Kit combines multiple vision sensors with onboard processing and computer vision algorithms to support autonomous relative navigation.
The company has already tested its Vision Based Navigation system in the European Space Agency’s GRALS facility, reaching Technology Readiness Level 5 in laboratory testing. In January 2026, Blackswan secured a further €600,000 ESA contract to mature the technology toward TRL 6.
Simulating Missions Before Launch
Alongside its navigation hardware, Blackswan has developed the Mission Design Simulator, or MDS, a software platform for designing and testing complex space missions.
MDS provides a real time, photo realistic environment in which operators and engineers can model orbital mechanics, rendezvous and docking scenarios, satellite constellations and other mission conditions. It also supports hardware and software in the loop testing, synthetic data generation and integration with tools such as MATLAB, Simulink and Python.
The simulator is intended to reduce development time and help mission teams identify problems before hardware reaches orbit. Its latest versions have added capabilities including docking simulations, constellation management tools and improved synthetic image generation.
Preparing for In Orbit Testing
The latest investment will allow Blackswan to accelerate the commercialisation of its RPO Kit and expand its presence in the United States.
A major milestone will be demonstrating the technology in space. Blackswan is part of the ASTRAL project, an international programme focused on demonstrating in orbit satellite refuelling capabilities.
The company will supply its RPO Kit as a critical subsystem for ASTRAL, which is planned for launch in 2028. The system will support precise rendezvous and docking between spacecraft during the mission. The project has received up to €3.3 million in UK funding through support involving the UK Space Agency and ESA.
Building Europe’s Autonomous Space Infrastructure
Blackswan’s technology is aimed at a growing market for in orbit servicing, inspection, debris management and satellite logistics. As more spacecraft enter orbit, autonomous navigation could reduce the need for every complex manoeuvre to be managed entirely from Earth.
The company has also continued expanding internationally, opening a US office in Colorado in 2025 to support customers in North America. Its broader product portfolio now covers mission simulation and autonomous vision based navigation.
With the new €2.5 million round, Blackswan Space is moving from technology development toward larger commercial deployments and in orbit validation. Its long term ambition is to make autonomous navigation a standard capability for spacecraft operating in an increasingly crowded orbital environment.
