Exolaunch is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement with EQT for acquisition of 100% of the shares of the company from founder Dmitriy Sternharz. The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals and is expected to close during Q4 2026.

Founded and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Exolaunch started as a spin-off from the Aerospace Department of the Technical University of Berlin. Since founding, Exolaunch has been under private ownership with Mr. Sternharz as 100% shareholder. He and his leadership team have operated the company without debt or outside investment, growing the company from proceeds of revenue. This represents a rare success story of a company that has self-funded growth, including R&D, marketing, and execution. The acquisition by EQT represents the first external investment into the company and will allow Exolaunch to scale and expand services to keep up with rising industry demand.

EQT will support Exolaunch in scaling its global operations and investing into the development of new satellite launch and deployment technologies. It will also help drive the expansion into additional services across the satellite mission lifecycle and resources to expand the dedicated and rideshare launch offerings – both with existing partners and newly emerging launch providers.

Dmitriy Sternharz, Founder and President of Exolaunch, said: “The foundations of Exolaunch were laid during my time at the Aerospace Department of the Technical University of Berlin, inspired by the lectures and guidance of my role models Prof. Udo Renner and Prof. Klaus Brieß. What began as a passion for space has grown into a leading global provider of satellite launch and deployment services, helping customers around the world access orbit and deploy constellations with reliability and precision. I am extremely proud of the execution excellence consistently demonstrated by the Exolaunch team, as well as the reputation we have built together over the years. As the space economy enters a period of extraordinary growth, Exolaunch is strongly positioned to capitalize on the increasing demand for launch access, orbital infrastructure and space-enabled services. I warmly welcome EQT as the new owner of Exolaunch, as EQT's global network, operational expertise and long-term ownership mindset make them ideally placed to lead the Company into its next phase of growth.”

EQT is the second largest private equity firm globally and the largest in Europe. The Exolaunch acquisition will be completed under EQT X, EQT's flagship private equity fund. From the EQT website, “EQT X makes control and co-control equity investments in mid-to-large sized companies with attractive market positions, significant potential for revenue and earnings growth, strong cash flows and a solid platform that can retain and attract high-quality management.” This describes well Exolaunch's position as a strong company poised for growth.

Nils Ketter, Partner and Head of Industrial Technology in the EQT Private Equity advisory team, said: "EQT is excited to partner with Exolaunch, which marks EQT Private Equity's first investment in the space sector. Built by a visionary founder together with a world-class team, Exolaunch developed mission-critical deployment technologies and built a full end-to-end service offering around it. The Company thereby solves critical pain points for satellite customers and launch vehicle providers alike. Its deep technological expertise and proven track record makes Exolaunch one of the most trusted names in the launch ecosystem. We look forward to supporting Exolaunch's management working with customers and partners to expand access to space. We see great potential for rapidly developing use cases, including for connectivity, Earth observation and orbital compute.”