Kreios Space,Airbus, Telespazio, Avincis andTecnobit took part in various sessions of the program promoted by the Xunta de Galicia, aimed at bringing the aerospace sector closer to young people and to Galicia’s industrial network.
World Space Week was held in Galicia from October 7 to 10, featuring a full schedule of activities organized by the Regional Ministry of Economy and Industry within the framework of the Strategic Initiative in Security, Defense, and Aerospace. For the first time, the region hosted its own public program, aligned with this year’s international theme: “Living in Space.”
Promoting Talent and Innovation
Throughout the different sessions held at the university campuses of Lugo, Santiago, Vigo, Nigrán, and Ourense, participants explored the opportunities the aerospace sector offers in fields such as research, engineering, and technological entrepreneurship.
The startup Kreios Space, part of the BFAeroaccelerator, shared its experience in deep-tech entrepreneurship and satellite propulsion during a session at the Faculty of Physics of the University of Santiago de Compostela.
Meanwhile, BFAero’s leading partner companies — Airbus, Telespazio, Avincis, and Tecnobit — played a prominent role in various events, showcasing their cutting-edge projects and technologies in space communications, defense, navigation systems, and drone-based solutions.
Inspiring Future Careers
The program included technical talks, round tables, a hackathon, and educational workshops with the participation of secondary, high school, vocational training, and university students. These activities highlighted how space exploration contributes to scientific and technological progress, as well as to improving life on Earth.
World Space Week also served to strengthen ties among universities, government institutions, and companies, while showcasing Galicia’s potential as an emerging hub in the aerospace field.
BFAero: Driving Force of the Galician Aerospace Ecosystem
The participation of startups and companies linked to BFAero in this event reinforces the role of Business Factory Aero as a cornerstone of Galicia’s aerospace ecosystem, promoting innovation, talent, and public-private collaboration around a strategic sector for the region’s future.
The startup Kreios Space, a participant in BFAero, founded in 2021 and specialized in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) satellites, has closed an oversubscribed €8 million seed investment round. Led by the NATO Innovation Fund and Join Capital, this marks the largest European funding round for VLEO technologies. The operation also received backing from investors who had already supported the company in its 2024 pre-seed round, including Xesgalicia, Grow Venture Partners, and Tasivia Global.
This is the NATO fund’s first investment in a Spanish company—an important milestone that places Galicia on the European aerospace innovation map and reinforces its strategic commitment to defense and security as engines of highly skilled employment. It represents recognition of the strategy promoted by the Autonomous Community in recent years to establish itself as a European aerospace innovation hub. Initiatives by the Xunta de Galicia such as BFAero, IGAPE’s support for the new vacuum testing center, and the talent fostered at the University of Vigo are key elements of an ecosystem already competing internationally.
Founded in 2021 by Adrián Senar, Jan Mataró, Francisco Boira, Adrià Barceló, Max Amer, and Francisco Bosch, Kreios develops satellites that orbit lower than usual in VLEO, powered by its proprietary propulsion system. Based on Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) technology, this system enables satellites to operate at about 200 kilometers above Earth—an altitude previously deemed impossible due to atmospheric drag. By using atmospheric air itself as propellant, Kreios satellites can remain in orbit for years instead of days, unlocking a new orbital region with far-reaching implications for defense, connectivity, and sovereignty.
VLEO satellites capture images with three times the resolution of today’s satellites, providing benefits in applications ranging from wildfire detection to the protection of critical infrastructure. Their proximity to Earth also enables direct-to-device broadband communications without bulky antennas, paving the way for truly global and resilient connectivity. For Europe and NATO, mastering this technology strengthens operational independence, reduces reliance on the United States, and supports ambitions to build sovereign space capabilities. From Vigo, Kreios Space aspires to become the first company capable of sustaining satellites in VLEO indefinitely.
Galicia on the International Space Map
Kreios Space currently employs 17 people, half of whom are Galician—including some who returned after careers abroad. Eighty percent of its hires are highly qualified engineers and technicians, and the company has seven additional open positions in Vigo.
Institutional support from the Xunta de Galicia has been critical for Kreios Space’s R&D. Adrián Senar, CEO and co-founder, emphasizes: “Xesgalicia has been a key player in our growth. In addition to being one of the first investors in Kreios, it opened the door for us to Galicia’s public and innovation ecosystem. Thanks to that support—which began with the BFAero accelerator, essential for us—we relocated to Vigo and today have our entire technology development center here. This round not only validates our technology, it also proves that Galicia has the talent, capabilities, and institutional backing needed to become a global benchmark in the aerospace sector.”
The company also highlights IGAPE’s support, which co-financed the vacuum chamber installed at its facilities. This infrastructure allows daily testing and iteration of satellites, accelerating technology development and reducing timelines from years to weeks. It is also available to other companies needing to validate projects under vacuum conditions, making it a valuable resource for the regional ecosystem.
Similarly, Galician universities are strategic partners for Kreios, especially the University of Vigo, with which it maintains internship programs, joint development contracts such as the Ícaro Project of the Spanish Space Agency for wildfire detection and prevention via satellite, as well as continuous collaboration for talent training and recruitment.
“Galicia has long been committed to the space sector, with leading companies such as Alén Space and UARX. This milestone is further proof that Galicia’s aerospace hub is positioning itself as a key player internationally,” Senar adds.
The new round, combined with the €2.3 million raised in 2024, will finance the company’s first two test satellites, including the world’s first in-orbit demonstration of an ABEP engine. From there, Kreios will expand toward commercial deployment and the development of constellations dedicated to Earth observation and direct-to-device communications.
The Regional Minister of Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, highlighted the role of startups as a viable, innovative, and promising model for Galicia, and underscored the Xunta’s commitment to strengthening its support from all institutional levels.
Lorenzana visited the facilities of Vig-Sec Drone in Nigrán, a startup specializing in drone operational services, training for pilots requiring special skills, and developing software for managing operations supporting security and emergencies. During the visit, she emphasized that the Galician government is working closely with the private sector to realize projects that will transform Galician industry.
Vig-Sec Drone joined Business Factory Aero in 2023 to promote the Suit ACRE (Emergency Restricted Control Area) Suit through the acceleration program. This is an airspace management software that enables the simultaneous use of manned and unmanned aircraft in emergencies such as fires, natural disasters, or military interventions.
The company is currently participating in the sixth edition of BFAero, as part of its consolidation program.
The Regional Minister of Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, announced during the conference ‘Galicia’s strategic dialogue with the aerospace, security and defence sectors’, the Xunta’s intention to carry out the first call for proposals by the end of 2025, which will define which companies and technology centres will work together to promote this industry, as well as the investment programmes to be implemented over the next five years.
Lorenzana closed a meeting with companies and entities linked to these sectors, to whom he presented the strategy approved by the Xunta to open a process of strategic dialogue, with the aim of finding out first-hand the real needs in the short, medium and long term in order to adapt the support and investment instruments and thus obtain the best results to promote a security and defence industry in the Community that also includes the aerospace sector.
Industrial potential
The Regional Minister pointed out that the aim is to mobilise all of Galicia’s industrial and technological potential in the field of defence and dual application technologies and to generate a significant demand for products, systems and services, in line with the priorities set by Europe. ‘What the European Commission is asking of governments and administrations is that we work to generate a strong industrial base around the defence sector, which must be considered not as a productive expense but as a strategic investment,’ she said.
In this regard, he stressed that previous analyses carried out for the development of this strategy concluded that Galicia has a high capacity for the manufacture of 75% of the types of components and services required, ‘which gives an idea of the opportunities that our companies will have’, she said.
183M€ in five years
To this end, he specified that 183 million euros will be allocated over the next five years with the forecast of mobilising up to 900 million euros, and with the aim of attracting companies from other strategic areas such as the naval, automotive, metal or ICT to these segments of activity and to materialise new industrial investments.
In terms of financing, a Dual Technologies Investment Fund will be activated in XesGalicia (€40m) to support projects and, within the Igape’s Economic Office, a specific area of business advice will be created.
Lorenzana concluded by encouraging companies and knowledge centres to actively participate. ‘We believe that Galicia is really well positioned to be a target for attracting investment in this sector,’ he stressed.
The director of the Igape, Covadonga Toca, together with the startups selected in the sixth edition of the Business Factory Aero (BFAero) and the driving companies, held a working meeting in the Cidade da Cultura that allowed to detect needs and open new avenues of collaboration.
In addition, during the meeting, representatives of the companies Airbus, Avincis, Telespazio y la UTE Aertec-Tecnobit that are part of the ecosystem, explained the challenges faced by the sector and the lines of innovation in which they focus their resources, with the aim of studying possible synergies with the startups.
Covadonga Toca presented the services of the Galician Economic Office, an agile and personalized point of contact that offers specialized technical attention, operational support and strategic accompaniment in an environment of proximity and trust, especially useful for highly innovative sectors such as aerospace.
Likewise, the director of Igape explained the main lines of support activated this year by the Institute, highlighting the programs aimed at startups, direct loans for strategic projects, support for digital transformation and new tools to promote the international expansion of Galician companies.
The day concluded with a networking space in which representatives of the startups were able to share their proposals and concerns with Igape managers and companies in the sector.
BFAero’s impact
The BFAero, best accelerator in Spain for the second consecutive year, has demonstrated in these years a strong economic as well as industrial impact in Galicia. Since its launch in 2018, it supported 46 projects, contributing to the creation of 11 new technology companies, mobilizing more than 7.5 million euros in investment, and facilitating the creation of more than 220 skilled jobs. The sixth edition closed the call with a record 110 registered initiatives, 57% of which came from national and international entrepreneurs.
The Startup Arena of the Mindtech Startup Event hosted the final of the innovation contest promoted by ASIME, in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia, within the framework of the Mindtech industrial fair. In this edition, the Galician startup Kreios Space was recognized as the most disruptive startup of the event. The project, which is part of the accelerator Business Factory Aero (BFAero), was presented by Yago Recarey, Project Manager of the company.
Along with Kreios Space, other companies from the BFAero ecosystem also participated as finalists, Vig-Sec Drone, represented by its CEO, Rubén Gil Fontán, in the same category of “Most Disruptive Startup”, and AGUIA Analítica, with the intervention of Macarena Álvarez, head of business development, in the category of “Digital processes applied to industry”.
On the other hand, during the Mindtech Awards ceremony, also held during the fair, the company Centum, participant of the second edition of the Business Factory Aero, was awarded in the Innovation category. The jury recognized its advanced solutions in the field of engineering and aerospace industry, highlighting especially its disruptive approach, its proprietary methodology and its open innovation model.
Institutional support for innovative entrepreneurship
The director of Igape, Covadonga Toca, participated this morning in the opening of the Mindtech Startup Event, a meeting that brings together entrepreneurs, investors, tractor companies and institutional representatives in the framework of the Mindtech industrial fair in Vigo and in which she highlighted the importance of the connection between industry and entrepreneurship to boost the competitiveness of the Galician economy.
Toca Carús highlighted the collaboration between the Xunta de Galicia, through the Igape, and ASIME, an alliance that has been maintained since 2019 and that resulted in the consolidation of the Mindtech Startup Arena, an exhibition space that hosts accelerators, incubators and startups with high technological content.
The Mindtech Startup Event focuses in this edition on key issues for the growth of new technology companies: early stage financing, project scaling, entrepreneurial ecosystem and the finals of the startup competition in three categories: most disruptive project, innovation in energy and environmental systems, and digital processes applied to industry.
Comprehensive support for Galician startups
In this scenario, stressed Toca Carús, the Xunta reaffirms its commitment to innovative entrepreneurship with a set of support instruments ranging from the earliest stages to international expansion. Among them, the director of the Igape highlighted the line of aid endowed with 1.5 million euros to cover 100% of the costs of Galician startups in their early stages, with contributions of up to 20,000 euros per project.
These measures, he recalled, are complemented by the network of sectoral accelerators Business Factory -BFAuto, BFFood, BFAero, BF Clima Tech-, which this year will have new additions in the areas of health, sport and renewable energy. “This model of comprehensive support makes Galicia a particularly attractive territory for entrepreneurship,” said Toca, who insisted that “entrepreneurship is not only an economic strategy, but also a way to build community and future.”
Metallurgical industry and internationalization
The director of Igape also referred to the good moment of the Galician metallurgical sector, with more than 60,000 jobs in 2024, a growth of 3% and a productive occupation of more than 90%. This sector, she explained, is gaining weight in high-value areas such as defense, aeronautics and offshore wind power, which makes it necessary to strengthen the connection with the education system and attract new talent.
En paralelo, la internacionalización sigue siendo una de las grandes apuestas de la Xunta. En 2024, Galicia consiguió una cifra récord de exportaciones por valor de 31.019 millones de euros, con un crecimiento interanual del 12 % en marzo de 2025. Toca destacó que los productos exportados son de alto valor añadido —automoción, alimentación o biotecnología— y que los destinos se diversifican cada vez más.
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