BME Suborbitals

Name

BME Suborbitals

Legal name

BME Suborbitals

Website

https://suborbitals.bme.hu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Competition rocketry and aerospace engineering education

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rocket Engines (Solid) (IMABADAF), Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK), Propulsion Test, Integration & Certification Services (IMABADAN)

Keywords

• Competition rocketry
• Student rocket teams
• Solid rocket propulsion
• CanSat launch services
• Aerospace engineering education

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: Receives financial and in-kind support from corporate sponsors at various tiers (Main, Gold, Silver, Bronze). Sponsors provide funding, materials, and technology access.
2. Grant Funding: Receives government grants for competition participation. National Talent Programme (4,000,000 HUF) and Tiszta Formák Foundation (300,000 HUF) for EuRoC preparation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BME Suborbitals is a university rocket team at Budapest University of Technology and Economics that designs, builds and flies competition rockets and rocket propulsion systems. Its primary outputs are competition rockets for the European Rocketry Challenge (Aurora, Prometheus, Eclipse) and reusable launch vehicles for the ESA-accredited CanSat Hungary competition (Athena, Sparrow), supported by R&D in solid and liquid rocket motors. The team also acts as launch service provider for student payloads such as CanSats and 3U CubeSats.

Product overview

BME Suborbitals is a university rocket team at Budapest University of Technology and Economics developing rockets and rocket propulsion systems for European competitions. Current portfolio includes competition rockets (Aurora, Prometheus, Eclipse) for the European Rocketry Challenge, reusable launch vehicles (Athena, Sparrow) for CanSat Hungary, and R&D propulsion projects (STYX liquid engine, Kratos/Helios/KR-54/Risky-1 solid motors). The products range from small-scale CanSat launch vehicles to 3,000+ meter altitude competition rockets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aurora powered by evosoft: Competition rocket for the 2025 European Rocketry Challenge, featuring a self-developed solid motor, redesigned electronics, and actively controlled airbrake system.
• Prometheus powered by evosoft
• Project STYX
• Project Kratos
• Project Athena

Products and services

• Aurora Competition rocket designed by BME Suborbitals for the 2025 European Rocketry Challenge. Features a self-developed solid rocket motor, redesigned distributed avionics, a new internal frame structure, and actively controlled airbrakes; it carries a 3U CubeSat and a CanSat payload to a 3,000-meter target altitude. Intended as a competition entry for university rocketry teams.
• Prometheus powered by evosoft Modular competition rocket built for EuRoC 2024. Approximately 3.2 m long, 32 kg dry mass, 3 kg payload capacity, achieved apogee 3,242 m with a potential 6,000 m ceiling; constructed from carbon fiber and fiberglass composites with RadAx connectors for section swapping. Designed as BME Suborbitals' competition entry carrying student/experiment payloads.
• Athena Reusable rocket serving as the launch vehicle for the ESA-accredited CanSat Hungary high-school competition. The project has produced seven Athena rockets and completed 15 successful launches, delivering CanSat student payloads for competition organizers partnering with the Hungarian Astronautical Society.
• Eclipse Competition rocket being developed by BME Suborbitals for the 2026 European Rocketry Challenge, building on prior competition rockets. It will use a more powerful solid-propellant mixture, a forged carbon internal frame alongside aluminum, and an upgraded airbrake system for precise control.
• Sparrow Next-generation reusable launch vehicle under development by BME Suborbitals to replace Athena for the CanSat Hungary competition series from 2027. Features a new electronics architecture, upgraded parachute deployment system and a newly developed propulsion setup for higher reliability and operational flexibility.
• Project STYX Liquid-propellant rocket engine developed in-house by BME Suborbitals, using dinitrogen oxide as oxidizer and ethanol as fuel. Designed as a high-performance propulsion system intended to serve future BME Suborbitals rockets.
• Project Aeolia Quadcopter-based model satellite concept designed by BME Suborbitals for the TEKNOFEST competition. Built around three subsystems (SIGMA, COM&CAM, and Structure) and aims to complete the first two bonus missions while validating key design decisions.
• Helios 1T Heavy-lift solid rocket motor developed under BME Suborbitals' Kratos project for booster-stage applications. First prototype designed to propel Prometheus up to 3,500 meters; specifications include 1,200 mm height, 3.6 kg dry mass, 7.5 kg propellant mass and 3,150 N max thrust.
• KR-54 54 mm solid-propellant rocket engine family developed by BME Suborbitals under the Kratos project for testing purposes. Three versions have been produced with progressing capabilities, including thermal protection layer development and propellant testing.
• Risky-1 Test-purpose solid rocket engine designed by BME Suborbitals to test new hardware or propellant with unknown properties. Capable of single-use operation up to 300 bar or reusable operation at 220 bar nominal maximum pressure.
• CanSat Hungary Launch Service Launch service provided by BME Suborbitals to the Hungarian Astronautical Society and ESA-accredited CanSat Hungary competition. The team supplies reusable Athena rockets and launch operations to carry student-built CanSat payloads during the annual competition.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, gold, silver and minor.

• evosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Main sponsor and strategic partner. Contributed to Prometheus and Aurora rocket development. Named 'powered by evosoft' on rockets.
• GenevationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Main sponsor providing support for team operations and rocket development.
• SemilabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Main sponsor providing technology and support for rocketry development.
• AltiumgoldTechnology or IntegrationGold level sponsor providing PCB design software technology.
• Silicon LabsgoldTechnology or IntegrationGold level sponsor providing semiconductor components.
• BiotekgoldTechnology or IntegrationGold level sponsor.
• Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc.silverTechnology or IntegrationSilver level sponsor providing pressure sensor technology for rocket systems.
• TNG Technology ConsultingsilverTechnology or IntegrationSilver level sponsor providing software development expertise.
• EurocircuitssilverTechnology or IntegrationSilver level sponsor providing PCB manufacturing services.
• RapidHarnesssilverTechnology or IntegrationSilver level sponsor providing wiring harness solutions.
• SZTAKIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner - Institute for Computer Science and Control, part of Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
• Magyar Asztronautikai Társaság (Hungarian Astronautical Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of CanSat Hungary competition. ESA-accredited national competition.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA accreditation for CanSat Hungary competition. Provides international recognition and framework for competition activities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Isar Aerospace: Munich-based commercial small launch provider developing orbital vehicles. Comparable as a broader European aerospace player and potential future employer/partner for BME Suborbitals alumni.
• Rocket Factory Augsburg: German orbital small-launch vehicle company with university-team DNA. Comparable as a European rocket developer that originated from student rocketry, representing the commercial trajectory BME Suborbitals could aspire to.
• Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace: Norwegian aerospace and defense company with rocket motor and space systems activities. Comparable as a broader aerospace incumbent in Europe that BME Suborbitals alumni could feed into.

Direct peers

• EPFL Rocket Team: Swiss university rocketry team competing in EuRoC with hybrid and solid propulsion projects. Comparable in scope, technical ambition, and competition focus.
• WARR Rocketry (TU Munich): Long-established student team at TU Munich focused on experimental rocket projects including hybrid propulsion. Comparable peer in the EuRoC competition circuit with similar organizational structure and technical profile.
• Polish Rocketry Society / PWR Racing Team: Polish university rocket teams competing in EuRoC with self-developed propulsion systems. Comparable as Central European university peers in similar competition circuits.
• TUM Rocketry: Student rocketry team at Technical University of Munich competing in EuRoC and other European competitions, with a similar profile of in-house propulsion, avionics, and structural design. Directly comparable as a top-tier European university rocket team.

Emerging players

• Project Iris (Iris Aerospace): European student-led aerospace initiative building small launch vehicles. Comparable in profile as a young European rocket team with similar amateur/student-driven development model.

Others

• ESA Education (European Space Agency): ESA's education office provides accreditation framework for student competitions including CanSat Hungary. Comparable as the umbrella ecosystem under which BME Suborbitals operates its accredited competitions.
• Magyar Asztronautikai Társaság (Hungarian Astronautical Society): Hungarian space society that co-organizes CanSat Hungary with BME Suborbitals. Comparable as the institutional ecosystem partner and ESA-accredited competition co-organizer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BMESuborbitals
• Facebookfacebook.com/Suborbitals.BME
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bmesuborbitals
• Instagraminstagram.com/bmesuborbitals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BME Suborbitals