Over €300,000 in federal funding: VisionSpace develops its own satellite computer

A Darmstadt-based software firm is building hardware for orbit

The Research Allowance Certification Office has recognized the research and development work of VisionSpace Technologies GmbH as innovative and eligible for funding. The company received a research allowance of over 300,000 euros for the development of its own onboard computer for satellites. VisionSpace was supported in structuring the two-stage funding process by re:fund, a consultancy specializing in research allowances.

VisionSpace was founded in 2011 by Tiago Carvalho and Miguel Lordelo, both of whom have many years of experience from their time at the European Space Agency. The headquarters are in Darmstadt, just minutes away from the ESA mission control center ESOC. A second location is in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, and a third branch was added in Madrid, Spain, in 2024. The company’s origins lie in software for satellite operations, specifically mission control systems and simulators for satellites preparing for launch. Clients include ESA, the weather satellite operator EUMETSAT, Telespazio, and Starion (formerly Rhea).

A computer that survives conditions in space

In addition to its contract business, the team launched its own research and development programs to pursue novel ideas for which there were no customers at the time. One of these ideas led from software directly into hardware: an onboard computer for satellites. In doing so, the company consciously stepped outside its core area and took on a technical risk with an uncertain outcome.

Technically, an onboard computer is a circuit board, comparable to the motherboard of a computer on the ground, but operating under completely different conditions. The assembly must pass radiation, temperature, and vibration tests and function throughout the entire lifespan of a mission, without the possibility of anyone repairing it in orbit. The team therefore had to develop both the board itself and the software.

Audit-proof documentation as a success factor

Since 2020, the research allowance has been the largest tax-based funding instrument for research and development in Germany. Companies receive a portion of their personnel and contract research costs back, regardless of their industry or profit situation. The application process takes place in two stages. First, the Research Allowance Certification Office (BSFZ) reviews whether a project qualifies as research and development under the law. Only once this certificate is issued can an application for the tax credit be submitted to the relevant tax office. Both stages require different documentation and evidence.

For VisionSpace, this meant bundling years of accumulated development activities into clearly defined projects, describing technical uncertainties in a way that non-experts could understand, and providing seamless proof of the costs incurred. The R&D experts at re:fund identified the eligible projects and provided support in compiling the necessary documentation. 

Funding leads to a new strategic direction

The funding did more for VisionSpace than just refinance development costs. It made a project viable that the company had started entirely with its own resources. The work on the circuit boards also opened up a second path, as it became clear how many protocols on board a satellite offer entry points for security mechanisms. This observation led to the company's current cybersecurity division.

"This program allowed us to reposition the company. We came from a purely software-driven business and are now capable of developing hardware. This also created the bridge to cybersecurity, and today we work in these fields with organizations such as the European Commission and NATO. We chose this path because this first project, which we initiated ourselves, was later supported by the state." Tiago Carvalho, CEO of VisionSpace Technologies

The results of the funded project are now part of the product portfolio and are in demand by external organizations. VisionSpace continues to invest in its own research and development across three fields: satellite operations, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

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