ATMOS secures €13.1m EIC funding for PHOENIX return capsules

ATMOS has secured €13.1 million in funding from the EU’s European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator programme in order to develop its PHOENIX 2 space capsule.

The EIC Accelerator is part of the European Union’s wider Horizon Europe framework. It aims to target companies developing “high-impact innovations” with the potential to help create new markets.

In ATMOS’s case, it’s innovation around a payload transportation platform and the use of inflatable heat shields. This is to better support Earth-to-Space-to-Earth logistics and applications of in-space manufacturing, for example.

PHOENIX

The initial iteration of the PHOENIX capsule is capable of carrying up to 100 kg. And future versions will handle larger payloads of several tonnes, including rocket stages.

To this end, ATMOS is currently developing an inflatable heat shield for returning entire stages from space. The development is part of the European Commission backed consortium named ICARUS, which formed in February 2024.

The company writes:

“Inflatable heat shields represent the latest advancements in re-entry technology. It allows the PHOENIX platform to significantly enhance mission capabilities for microgravity exposure ranging from three hours to three months and reducing existing downmass costs, thereby opening access to microgravity and in-space manufacturing for a wide range of industries and applications. Target customers for this platform include organizations in life sciences, biotechnology, in-space manufacturing, defense, and institutional sectors.”

Funding

The total award is broken down as follows: an EIC grant of €2.5 million, €5.3 million equity from the EIC fund, and €5.3 million in private equity.

“Receiving this funding marks a significant milestone for the entire ATMOS team as it underscores the strong support for the technology we are developing,” said Marta Oliveira, Co-founder and COO of ATMOS.

“It plays a crucial role in advancing the PHOENIX 2 capsule and reinforces our commitment to making reusable space logistics a reality in the coming years.”

Test flights

The award follows ATMOS’ recent announcement of the first test flight for its current PHOENIX capsule. This will be on the upcoming Bandwagon-3 mission by SpaceX, due no earlier than April 2025.

Note that a requirement of the funding is for ATMOS to perform two PHOENIX 2 flights within a specified timeframe. The company says this aligns with its roadmap for full-scale commercial deployment of its innovative payload transportation platform.

In December 2024, the company secured a commercial contract for 7 re-entry missions with Space Cargo Unlimited until 2027, further solidifying its position as a key player in space logistics.