WASHINGTON — In a milestone deal marking its first direct private equity foray into the space economy, European investment firm EQT announced on June 18 an agreement to acquire Exolaunch, a dominant global force in satellite integration, mission management, and deployment hardware.
Exolaunch is widely recognized as a premier “one-stop-shop” for smallsat launch aggregation, boasting a track record of deploying over 790 satellites across 47 successful missions. Crucially, Exolaunch has served as a core integration partner for SpaceX, facilitating payloads on every single Falcon 9 dedicated rideshare mission under the Transporter and Bandwagon programs to date.
The transaction will see EQT acquire the Berlin-headquartered company from its founder and president, Dmitriy Sternharz, for an undisclosed sum. Supported by legal counsel from Milbank LLP (for EQT) and financial advising from Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE alongside DLA Piper UK LLP (for Sternharz), the deal is officially slated to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Financing Fuel for an Industry Bottleneck
According to Exolaunch Chief Executive Dr. Robert Sproles, opting to partner with EQT over traditional venture capital was a deliberate choice aimed at unlocking pure “firepower” to combat severe commercial bottlenecks.
“We realized that we have some scaling plans that we want to implement, but we need some firepower behind that…We are in such a launch-constrained moment in the industry. The demand for launch is outstripping access to orbit… [this backing allows us] to grow and scale at the speed and the pace that the industry is demanding.”
– Dr. Robert Sproles, Exolaunch Chief Executive
The primary stressor on current rideshare capacity is the explosive maturation of smallsat constellations. While individual operators used to launch single test units, mid-tier commercial players now routinely require space for 24 to 36 satellites at a single time; instantly overwhelming standard, passive rideshare manifests.
Shift Toward Dedicated Capacity Control
To alleviate this crunch, Exolaunch is aggressively transitioning from a passive participant on third-party manifests into a major independent procurer of its own dedicated launch hardware.
Supported by EQT’s expansive capital, the firm will directly buy and control massive slices of global launch volume. It took its first major step recently by purchasing two standalone SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets for its own dedicated rideshare missions (dubbed Exo-1 and Exo-2), scheduled for 2027 and 2028.
Old Model: [Launch Provider Manifest] ► [Exolaunch Buys Leftover Slots] ► SmallSat Customers
New Model: [Exolaunch Buys Entire Rocket] ► [Custom Aggregation & Manifest Control] ► SmallSat Customers
From University Roots to Ecosystem Backbone
The acquisition represents a remarkable evolution for Exolaunch.
“The foundations of Exolaunch were laid during my time at the Aerospace Department of the Technical University of Berlin…What began as a passion for space has grown into a leading global provider… helping customers around the world access orbit with reliability and precision.”
– Dmitriy Sternharz, Exolaunch Founder
Nils Ketter, Partner and Head of Industrial Technology at EQT Private Equity, emphasized that Exolaunch’s proprietary deployment stacks; including its industry-standard separation systems, solve critical pain points for satellite customers and launch providers alike.
EQT plans to invest heavily in expanding the company’s international footprint, advancing product innovation, and branching into new services across the entire satellite mission lifecycle (such as connectivity, Earth observation, and orbital compute).
| Feature | Exolaunch Current Capabilities | Future EQT-Backed Horizon |
| Launch Strategy | Passive rideshare manifest aggregation | Procuring dedicated rockets (Exo-1 & Exo-2) |
| Primary Providers | Heavy reliance on SpaceX Falcon 9 | Integration with newly emerging global launch vehicles |
| Service Offerings | End-to-end integration & deployment | Expansion into lifecycle services and orbital infrastructure |
Insulating Against a Changing SpaceX Strategy
This proactive shift also protects Exolaunch and its massive customer base from structural uncertainties surrounding SpaceX’s long-term launch roadmap. Industry speculation has mounted that SpaceX may eventually phase out Falcon 9 rideshare missions entirely in favor of its next-generation Starship heavy-lift system.
“SpaceX has been very transparent about its desire for Starship to be the future of the company…with EQT’s backing, we’re moving from being the trusted name in deployment to building the backbone of the entire launch ecosystem.”
– Dr. Robert Sproles, Exolaunch Chief Executive
Under the new ownership structure, EQT intends to leave Exolaunch’s existing management team and internal staff fully intact, focusing entirely on scaling global operations.