OMVP backs HyImpulse with €50M

OMVP said on September 2 that it co-led a financing of more than €50 million in HyImpulse Technologies GmbH, a German launch company developing suborbital and orbital vehicles with hybrid propulsion. The investment backs HyImpulse as it scales what OMVP described as sovereign European launch capabilities. HyImpulse said it has already built an order book of more than €350 million. OMVP said it was the only U.S. participant selected for the round. Sean Bielat, managing partner of OMVP, said in the announcement that HyImpulse “bridges the gap between strategic necessity and commercial demand.” Bielat said Europe needs resilient, independent access to space and that HyImpulse is building a business around that demand. The company did not disclose a valuation in the announcement. (prnewswire.com) ### Who is HyImpulse, and what exactly does it build? HyImpulse is a privately financed spin-off from the German Aerospace Center, or DLR, founded in March 2018 in southern Germany, according to DLR. The company develops suborbital and orbital launch services based on hybrid propulsion. HyImpulse says its SR75 suborbital vehicle is a single-stage rocket powered by a paraffin-and-liquid-oxygen hybrid engine. (prnewswire.com) The company says the rocket can carry payloads of up to 250 kilograms to about 200 kilometers and is designed for microgravity experiments, technology flights and atmospheric research. The company says its SL1 orbital launcher is a three-stage small-launch vehicle initially designed to carry payloads of up to 600 kilograms into low Earth orbit. (dlr.de) HyImpulse says its broader product set also includes in-space mobility services under the HyMOVE name. ### Why does the order book matter in this financing? HyImpulse said the financing comes with an order book of more than €350 million already in hand across its launch business. (hyimpulse.de) OMVP pointed to that figure as evidence that demand for responsive and sovereign launch is translating into commercial scale. (hyimpulse.de) Tech.eu, citing the company, reported that the funding is intended to scale both suborbital and orbital launch services built on HyImpulse’s proprietary hybrid propulsion system. A separate funding report said the new round brings HyImpulse’s total capital to more than €125 million. ### What is OMVP’s role in the deal? (prnewswire.com) OMVP said it acted as the American lead in the financing and was the only U.S. participant selected for the round. OMVP describes itself as a venture capital firm focused on European defense, dual-use and strategically important technologies, with activity across Europe and selective investments in the United States and NATO allies. (tech.eu) The company framed the HyImpulse investment as part of that defense and dual-use strategy. OMVP did not identify the other investors in the PRNewswire announcement. ### What has HyImpulse already flown? HyImpulse said it successfully launched its SR75 suborbital rocket from the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia on May 3, 2024. (prnewswire.com) The company said that flight demonstrated the performance and reliability of its paraffin-and-liquid-oxygen propulsion system and supported development of the SL1 orbital launcher. SaxaVord Spaceport and HyImpulse said in a March 19, 2026 launch agreement that the company’s second SR75 mission is targeted for later in 2026 and would mark its first launch from European territory. (prnewswire.com) SaxaVord said it would provide launch infrastructure and operational support for that mission in Shetland, Scotland. (hyimpulse.de) ### What does the new money pay for next? OMVP said the new capital will support HyImpulse’s second SR75 launch, the maiden flight of its SL1 orbital vehicle, expanded production and growth across commercial and defense markets. The company did not give dates for the SL1 debut in the financing announcement. (cdn.prod.website-files.com) SaxaVord and HyImpulse said in March that the next SR75 mission was targeted for later in 2026 from European soil. HyImpulse says the longer-term plan for SR75 is to support up to 12 launches a year, with a goal of reaching 50 by 2030. (saxavord.com) (prnewswire.com)