Blackswan Space
Blackswan Space develops autonomous satellite simulation software (Mission Design Simulator) and vision-based navigation hardware (RPO Kit) for satellite mission integrators, operators, and defense customers, with primary revenue from ESA contracts and European in-orbit servicing missions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersVilnius, Lithuania
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Blackswan Space does
Blackswan Space is a Vilnius, Lithuania-based space technology company founded in 2019 that develops software and hardware for autonomous satellite operations. The company's core product is the Mission Design Simulator (MDS), a real-time, photo-realistic simulation environment built on the Unity 6 engine that supports orbital mechanics, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), docking, mega-constellation design, Monte Carlo analysis, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and synthetic visual data generation. The company complements MDS with the RPO Kit, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) plug-and-play spacecraft payload that performs vision-based navigation using proprietary algorithms combining machine learning with marker-based methods, delivering 6DoF pose estimation and docking accuracy of ≤4mm and ≤0.5°. Together these products form the ACE (Autonomy Control Environment) platform, positioning the company as an end-to-end provider for satellite mission integrators and operators needing autonomous capabilities for in-orbit servicing, active debris removal, satellite inspection, and refueling missions.
Blackswan Space generates revenue through a mix of hardware sales (RPO Kit), SaaS subscriptions (MDS at $2,300/user/month with special startup and university pricing tiers and a 14-day free trial), and professional services primarily delivered through European Space Agency (ESA) contracts. The company has secured a cumulative disclosed contract value of over €2.4M from ESA programmes (GSTP, ARTES) including a €600k TRL6 maturation contract, a €300k Kongsberg NanoAvionics partnership contract, a €250k VBN TRL5 project, a €114k academic license with Vilnius Tech AGAI, and an €80k InSPoC-3 study, alongside a £1.3M (€1.1M) first-stage contract to deliver the RPO Kit for Orbit Fab's ASTRAL in-orbit refueling mission scheduled for 2028. The company bootstrapped from 2019 to 2024 before raising a €760,000 pre-seed round led by defense tech investor Scale Wolf in April 2024, and opened a US subsidiary in Golden, Colorado in September 2025 to serve North American commercial and defense customers.
Blackswan Space firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blackswan Space
- Legal name
- Juodosios gulbės technologijos, UAB
- Website
- https://blackswanspace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blackswan Space develops autonomous satellite simulation software (Mission Design Simulator) and vision-based navigation hardware (RPO Kit) for satellite mission integrators, operators, and defense customers, with primary revenue from ESA contracts and European in-orbit servicing missions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blackswan Space industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Space Mission Simulation Software
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI)
Keywords
Where Blackswan Space is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vilnius
- HQ country
- Lithuania
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Blackswan Space business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Mission Design Simulator (MDS) Software Licenses: SaaS subscription model with per-user monthly pricing. Offers commercial licenses and special startup/university pricing.
- RPO Kit Hardware Sales: Sale of Vision-Based Navigation hardware payload as COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) plug-and-play spacecraft component for autonomous RPOD missions.
- ESA Contract Revenue: Multiple ESA contracts including €600k TRL6 maturation contract, €300k MDS enhancement, €250k VBN TRL5 project, and €80k InSPoC-3 study. Development work funded through GSTP and other ESA programmes.
- Educational/University Licenses: Academic licensing contracts such as the €114k contract with Vilnius Tech AGAI for aerospace curriculum integration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Mission Design Simulator (MDS) - $2.3k per user/month |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Blackswan Space product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blackswan Space develops and sells a Mission Design Simulator (MDS) software for satellite mission planning and real-time photo-realistic simulation, an RPO Kit commercial off-the-shelf plug-and-play hardware payload for autonomous in-orbit rendezvous and proximity operations, a Vision-Based Navigation (VBN) capability with sub-4 mm and sub-0.5° accuracy, and the ACE end-to-end autonomy platform that integrates simulation with autonomous navigation.
Product overview
Blackswan Space offers a unified product portfolio centered on autonomous satellite operations, consisting of the Mission Design Simulator (MDS) as the core simulation platform, the RPO Kit (Vision Based Navigation) as the autonomous navigation hardware payload, and the overarching ACE (Autonomy Control Environment) platform that integrates both products. MDS enables customers to design, prototype, and test space missions including rendezvous, proximity operations, docking, and satellite constellations in a photo-realistic real-time simulation environment. The RPO Kit/VBN provides the flight-proven autonomous navigation capability that complements MDS, enabling spacecraft to execute autonomous maneuvers in orbit. Together, these products support the full lifecycle from mission simulation to in-orbit autonomous operations for applications including in-orbit servicing, debris removal, satellite inspection, and refueling missions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mission Design Simulator (MDS)
Quantifiable outcome
- Docking accuracy of ≤4mm, ≤0.5° with RPO Kit
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Blackswan Space
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Blackswan Space technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability7 records
Feature7 records
Blackswan Space partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- European Space Agency (ESA)coreMultiple contracts with ESA under GSTP, ARTES, and other programmes. €600k contract to mature VBN to TRL6, €300k for MDS enhancement, €250k for VBN TRL5 development. ESA acts as key technical authority ensuring products meet real space environment requirements.
- PickNik RoboticscorePartnership to advance in-orbit autonomy and space robotics simulation. Exploring integration of MoveIt Pro robotic arm simulation with MDS to enable customers to simulate future robotic operations more realistically. Plans for integrated MDS + MoveIt Pro solution within 6 months.
- Orbit FabcoreDelivering RPO Kit as critical subsystem for ASTRAL (Advancing Satcom Technology with Refuelling and Logistics) in-orbit refueling mission scheduled for 2028. Contract worth £1.3m (€1.1m) for first stage. Part of ASTRAL consortium including KISPE, Gate Space Innovation GmbH, and Indra Deimos.
- Kongsberg NanoAvionicscorePartnership under €300k ESA contract to enhance MDS for constellation management. Kongsberg NanoAvionics serves as key development partner and target end user.
- University of Luxembourg (SnT)coreCollaboration with Space Robotics (SpaceR) Research Group on Eurostars2 project for Vision Based Navigation. Successfully completed VBN project (VBN-115088) using Zero-G laboratory facilities for open and closed loop VBN tests.
- University of AdelaidecorePartnership with AIML researchers to improve Deep Learning algorithms for RPO Kit system. Joint team won ESA's Pose Estimation Challenge. Also promoting MDS for teaching and research in aerospace engineering.
- TU DelftcoreIntegration of TU Delft Astrodynamics Toolbox (TUDAT) - powerful libraries supporting Mission Design Simulator's orbit propagation with state-of-the-art astrodynamics models.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Blackswan Space competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ansys (Systems Tool Kit / STK): Ansys STK is the dominant commercial mission simulation and analysis platform used across aerospace, defense, and intelligence for orbit design, coverage analysis, and mission planning. Directly comparable to Blackswan's MDS product, with much larger installed base and price point ($12k+/user/month).
- GMV: GMV is a large European space technology provider with autonomous satellite navigation, GNC systems, and rendezvous/docking solutions used across ESA and commercial missions. Direct competitor in autonomous RPO and mission simulation, with significantly larger resources and flight heritage.
Direct peers
- FreeFlyer by a.i. solutions: FreeFlyer is a commercial mission analysis and space situational awareness software suite used by satellite operators and integrators. Competes head-to-head with MDS for orbit design, mission visualization, and constellation analysis work, priced at $6k+/user/month.
- D-Orbit: D-Orbit provides in-orbit transportation, satellite servicing, and orbital logistics with flight-heritage autonomous RPO capabilities (ION Satellite Carrier). Comparable customer segment and mission profile to Blackswan's RPO Kit and in-orbit servicing focus.
- Astroscale: Astroscale is a global leader in in-orbit servicing with active debris removal and satellite life-extension missions, including rendezvous and docking capabilities. Targets the same in-orbit servicing market segment as Blackswan's RPO Kit customers.
- ClearSpace: ClearSpace is a Swiss-ESA spin-out developing active debris removal and in-orbit servicing missions requiring autonomous RPO and vision-based navigation. Direct competitor in the same ESA-backed autonomous RPO market segment.
- Kongsberg NanoAvionics: Kongsberg NanoAvionics is a smallsat manufacturer and constellation mission integrator partnering with Blackswan on the €300k ESA MDS enhancement contract. Acts as both customer and partner in the same constellation design and operations market.
- Orbit Fab: Orbit Fab is an in-orbit refueling and satellite servicing company leading the ASTRAL mission consortium where Blackswan provides RPO Kit hardware. Directly comparable in the in-orbit servicing market and serves as a key customer/partner.
Emerging players
- LeoLabs: LeoLabs provides space domain awareness, orbital tracking, and collision avoidance using a global radar network. Adjacent capability to Blackswan's space situational awareness use cases, focused on persistent monitoring rather than mission simulation.
Regional players
- GMAT (NASA Goddard): NASA's General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) is a free open-source mission analysis platform used widely in academia and government for orbit design and trajectory optimization. Competes with MDS primarily in the academic and government segment at the opposite price point.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blackswan Space social profiles
Digital presenceBlackswan Space financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blackswan Space leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Blackswan Space funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blackswan Space M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blackswan Space
What does Blackswan Space do?
Blackswan Space develops and sells a Mission Design Simulator (MDS) software for satellite mission planning and real-time photo-realistic simulation, an RPO Kit commercial off-the-shelf plug-and-play hardware payload for autonomous in-orbit rendezvous and proximity operations, a Vision-Based Navigation (VBN) capability with sub-4 mm and sub-0.5° accuracy, and the ACE end-to-end autonomy platform that integrates simulation with autonomous navigation.
Is Blackswan Space a public or private company?
Blackswan Space is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Blackswan Space founded?
Blackswan Space was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blackswan Space based?
Blackswan Space is headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the Europe region.
How does Blackswan Space make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Mission Design Simulator (MDS) Software Licenses are the primary driver. The others are RPO Kit Hardware Sales, ESA Contract Revenue and educational/University Licenses.
Who are Blackswan Space's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ansys (Systems Tool Kit / STK) and GMV. Direct peers are FreeFlyer by a.i. solutions, D-Orbit, Astroscale, ClearSpace, Kongsberg NanoAvionics and Orbit Fab. LeoLabs is listed as an emerging player. GMAT (NASA Goddard) is listed as a regional player.
Does Blackswan Space have an API?
Yes. Language agnostic API for effective integration into existing pipelines for SITL (Software in the Loop) and HITL (Hardware in the Loop) simulations. MDS supports MATLAB/Simulink integration, Python API for controlling simulations, and allows connecting scripts and models to test end-to-end performance with realistic physics. The API supports seamless time synchronization with MDS internal propagation, event-driven callback mechanisms, and satellite/constellation parametrization. Developer documentation is at blackswanspace.com/mission-design-simulator/documentation.
What industry is Blackswan Space in?
Blackswan Space's product category is Space Mission Simulation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAH, Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV), with a secondary code of IMABACAI, Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software. Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.