Space Cargo Unlimited
Space Cargo Unlimited is a Luxembourg-headquartered European space biotech that builds and operates in-orbit manufacturing infrastructure — REV1 re-entry factory, BentoBox microgravity platform, and SpaceOS software — serving biotech, pharma, materials, and agriculture customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLuxembourg, Luxembourg
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Space Cargo Unlimited does
Space Cargo Unlimited is a European space biotech founded in 2014 and headquartered in Luxembourg, building end-to-end infrastructure for in-orbit manufacturing and microgravity research. The company operates four interlocking technology assets: REV1, a reusable re-entry space factory being developed with Thales Alenia Space and intended to return manufactured products to Earth; BentoBox, a modular microgravity-laboratory platform that hosts customer payloads in orbit; SpaceOS, the control and data-software suite that runs BentoBox and REV1 missions; and Space Biology Unlimited (SBU), a Bordeaux-based subsidiary focused on space-life-sciences services. The technical concept is to standardise and industrialise access to microgravity for industrial customers, combining an orbital platform, a re-entry capsule, ground integration, and software-driven experiment control.
The commercial proposition targets B2B customers in biotech and pharmaceuticals, materials science, agriculture, and cosmetics, with 82 engaged customer projects reported across these verticals and named partners including Exobiosphere (Orbital High-Throughput Screening), Mercier Group, and ISVV. Go-to-market relies on project-based sales of flight slots, payload integration, and data services, often delivered through industrial partnerships (Thales Alenia Space, ATMOS Space Cargo, COMAT, Dassault Aviation's VORTEX) and rideshare/launch relationships with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Nanoracks. Revenue mechanics are not yet proven: as of late 2025 the company remained pre-revenue, with the first REV1 mission planned for Q4 2025 (per company website) or Q4 2026 (per third-party reporting), funded in part by a €12.5M EIC Accelerator award (June 2025) and a €27.5M Series A (September 2025). The company also maintains offices in Bordeaux, Turin, Toulouse, and (from November 2025) Darmstadt.
Space Cargo Unlimited firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Space Cargo Unlimited
- Legal name
- Space Cargo Unlimited
- Website
- https://space-cu.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Space Cargo Unlimited is a Luxembourg-headquartered European space biotech that builds and operates in-orbit manufacturing infrastructure — REV1 re-entry factory, BentoBox microgravity platform, and SpaceOS software — serving biotech, pharma, materials, and agriculture customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Space Cargo Unlimited industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Microgravity Research and In-Space Manufacturing Services
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Space Logistics & In-Orbit Servicing (Refueling, Tug, Debris Removal) (IMABACAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB), Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI)
Keywords
Where Space Cargo Unlimited is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Luxembourg
- HQ country
- Luxembourg
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Space Cargo Unlimited business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Mission-as-a-Service (Microgravity Research): Space Cargo Unlimited provides end-to-end payload services from integration to orbit, enabling customers to conduct microgravity research and manufacturing experiments. Customers pay for mission access, payload operations, and return services.
- REV1 Space Factory Operations: REV1 operates as a flying factory in orbit, providing industrial players and researchers access to microgravity environment. First mission Q4 2025 with 7 upcoming multi-week missions planned.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Space Cargo Unlimited product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Space Cargo Unlimited designs, builds, and operates in-space manufacturing and research platforms that conduct microgravity experiments aboard the International Space Station and return the resulting materials or data to Earth-based clients. The company develops proprietary re-entry hardware (REV1), modular payload containers (BentoBox), and mission control software (SpaceOS), and through its subsidiary Space Biology Unlimited runs biotechnology and life-science research programs in microgravity for external sponsors.
Product overview
Space Cargo Unlimited operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on two core products: REV1 (the full-scale space factory platform) and BentoBox (the modular, re-entry-capable microgravity payload platform). REV1 serves as the ultimate in-space testing and manufacturing facility, while BentoBox functions as a scalable, autonomous payload operations layer that can integrate with partner vehicles like ATMOS's PHOENIX 2. The company also operates Space Biology Unlimited, a biotech subsidiary focused on space-based life science research. SpaceOS provides the customer-facing control interface for payload operations across the platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BentoBox: Modular in-orbit laboratory and production facility engineered to support microgravity research, in-space manufacturing, and technology demonstration at commercial scale
- REV1
- Space Biology Unlimited
Products and services
- REV1 Re-entry Vehicle Autonomous re-entry platform that returns microgravity-exposed samples and manufactured materials from orbit to Earth for enterprise customers in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and advanced materials.
- BentoBox Modular Payload Platform Modular multi-experiment payload container that hosts and supports multiple independent microgravity experiments within a single orbital mission, providing standardized interfaces, power, and data handling.
- SpaceOS Mission Control Software Proprietary mission control software that operates the company's orbital hardware, manages hosted payloads, and coordinates experiment timelines and re-entry operations.
- Microgravity Research and Manufacturing Services End-to-end microgravity research and in-space manufacturing service, covering experiment design, mission integration, on-orbit operations, sample return, and post-flight analysis for enterprise customers.
- Space Biology Unlimited Research Programs Biotechnology and life-science research services operated through the Bordeaux-based subsidiary Space Biology Unlimited, focused on microgravity experiments in stem cells, tissues, plant biology, and related biotech domains.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200x more experiments than current space biotech platforms
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Space Cargo Unlimited
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Space Cargo Unlimited technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
Space Cargo Unlimited partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- COMATcorePartnership signed at COMAT's Saturn facility in Toulouse to co-develop integrated microgravity solutions for private industry. COMAT provides engineering and manufacturing capabilities for in-space manufacturing hardware.
- Luxembourg Space AgencymajorDefining support for company operations and long-standing collaboration alongside CNES and ESA.
- Exobiosphere SARLcoreMoU signed at Paris Air Show to deploy Exobiosphere's Orbital High-Throughput Screening (OHTS) platform aboard BentoBox for joint space missions. First joint mission targeted for 2026. Creates Europe's first fully integrated bio-research mission architecture.
- ATMOS Space CargocoreSeven-flight program combining ATMOS PHOENIX 2 re-entry capsule with BentoBox platform. First integrated mission planned for 2026. Establishes Europe's first fully commercial two-way orbital logistics service.
- Thales Alenia SpacecoreREV1 development partnership - Thales Alenia Space designed, engineered, and developed the REV1 vehicle as project contractor. Space Cargo Unlimited is owner and commercial operator. Contract signed December 2022.
- Mercier GroupmajorStrategic partnership with global vine nursery leader (30M+ vines grafted annually) to explore ways of growing new more resistant vines using space research. Mercier provides infrastructure for fast deployment and commercialization globally.
- NanoracksmajorLong-standing partner for ISS commercial initiatives and space research operations, collaborating on Mission WISE experiments.
- CNESmajor5-year partnership with French space agency CNES for CADMOS lab collaboration in Toulouse. Active support for space microbiology research in microgravity.
- ESAmajorEuropean Space Agency partnership actively supporting Mission WISE and space biology research initiatives.
- FAU Erlangen-NurembergmajorUniversity partnership for space biology research, operating from Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany alongside University of Bordeaux team.
- SpaceXmajorPrimary launch provider for Dragon/ Falcon 9 missions including CRS-20 flight and future REV1 missions.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Space Cargo Unlimited competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Varda Space Industries: US-based in-space manufacturing company building autonomous orbital factories and re-entry capsules for pharmaceutical and materials processing. Closest direct peer to Space Cargo Unlimited's REV1/BentoBox model, with overlapping pharma and advanced materials customer use cases.
- ATMOS Space Cargo: German company developing the PHOENIX re-entry capsule that carries Space Cargo Unlimited's BentoBox. Strategic partner but also a near-direct comparable in commercial return logistics and microgravity payload delivery for the European market.
- SpacePharma: Israel/Switzerland-based microgravity research services company offering miniaturized lab-on-chip platforms for pharmaceutical and biotech research in orbit. Direct peer targeting the same biotech/pharma microgravity R&D customer base as SCU's BentoBox.
- Space Forge: UK-based company developing ForgeStar, a reusable in-space manufacturing and return platform for semiconductors and advanced materials. Closest European competitor to SCU's REV1 vision of an orbital factory returning products to Earth.
Broad incumbents
- Redwire Corporation: Public space infrastructure company with a dedicated in-space manufacturing and biotech business (formerly Made In Space and Techshot). Operates broader space hardware portfolio but competes head-to-head with SCU on commercial microgravity manufacturing and biomedicine payloads.
- Axiom Space: US company building commercial space station modules and offering microgravity research services to pharma and government customers. A broader incumbent addressing the same end-market need for commercial orbital research infrastructure as ISS approaches retirement.
- Voyager Space (Nanoracks): US space services holding company whose Nanoracks division operates commercial microgravity research aboard ISS and develops commercial space stations (Starlab). Broad incumbent offering overlapping microgravity access and in-orbit services to SCU's biotech and materials customers.
- BioServe Space Technologies: University of Colorado research center providing microgravity experiment hardware and services on ISS for pharma and biotech customers. Established incumbent in the same research services category SCU is commercializing.
Emerging players
- Exobiosphere: Luxembourg-based microgravity biotech whose Orbital High-Throughput Screening (OHTS) platform is integrated onto Space Cargo Unlimited's BentoBox. Customer and emerging partner with overlapping biotech-in-space thesis.
Others
- Thales Alenia Space: European aerospace prime that designed, engineered and built the REV1 platform under contract for Space Cargo Unlimited. Acts as the company's manufacturing and integration partner and could also be viewed as an enabling ecosystem participant for orbital factories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Space Cargo Unlimited social profiles
Digital presenceSpace Cargo Unlimited financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Space Cargo Unlimited leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Space Cargo Unlimited subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Space Cargo Unlimited funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Space Cargo Unlimited M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Space Cargo Unlimited
What does Space Cargo Unlimited do?
Space Cargo Unlimited designs, builds, and operates in-space manufacturing and research platforms that conduct microgravity experiments aboard the International Space Station and return the resulting materials or data to Earth-based clients. The company develops proprietary re-entry hardware (REV1), modular payload containers (BentoBox), and mission control software (SpaceOS), and through its subsidiary Space Biology Unlimited runs biotechnology and life-science research programs in microgravity for external sponsors.
Is Space Cargo Unlimited a public or private company?
Space Cargo Unlimited is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Space Cargo Unlimited founded?
Space Cargo Unlimited was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Space Cargo Unlimited based?
Space Cargo Unlimited is headquartered in Luxembourg, Luxembourg, in the Europe region.
How does Space Cargo Unlimited make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Mission-as-a-Service (Microgravity Research) is the primary driver. The others are REV1 Space Factory Operations.
Who are Space Cargo Unlimited's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Varda Space Industries, ATMOS Space Cargo, SpacePharma and Space Forge. Broad incumbents are Redwire Corporation, Axiom Space, Voyager Space (Nanoracks) and BioServe Space Technologies. Exobiosphere is listed as an emerging player. Thales Alenia Space is listed as an others.
Does Space Cargo Unlimited have an API?
No public API is recorded for Space Cargo Unlimited.
What industry is Space Cargo Unlimited in?
Space Cargo Unlimited's product category is Microgravity Research and In-Space Manufacturing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAM, Space Logistics & In-Orbit Servicing (Refueling, Tug, Debris Removal), with a secondary code of IMABACAB, Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial). Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.