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In the rapidly evolving space industry, Aerospacelab, a Belgian-based satellite manufacturer, is making significant strides. Founded in 2018, the company specializes in designing, building, and operating small to medium-sized satellites, focusing on Earth observation, telecommunications, and defense applications. With a vertically integrated approach, Aerospacelab provides end-to-end solutions, from satellite platforms to geospatial intelligence services. As of September 2025, the company has been in the headlines for securing substantial investments to fuel its ambitious growth plans, positioning itself as a key player in Europe’s space sector.
On August 26, 2025, Aerospacelab announced the closure of a €94 million (approximately $110 million USD) Series B funding round. This investment, led by a consortium including XAnge and other European venture firms, marks a pivotal moment for the company. The funds are earmarked to accelerate Aerospacelab’s roadmap, with a primary focus on completing its state-of-the-art “Megafactory” in Charleroi, Belgium. This facility, set to be Europe’s largest satellite manufacturing site, broke ground in 2024 and is expected to produce up to 500 satellites annually once fully operational. Production of 150- to 700-kilogram satellites is slated to begin in early 2026, enhancing Europe’s capabilities in secure communications and Earth observation.
The funding also supports deeper vertical integration, including advancements in research and development for next-generation satellite technologies. Aerospacelab’s CEO, Benoît Deper, emphasized in a statement that this capital will help meet surging demand from defense, telecom, and intelligence sectors. This comes at a time when global satellite constellations, such as Europe’s IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection, and Security by Satellite), are gaining momentum. Aerospacelab is eyeing a leading manufacturing role in IRIS², a multi-orbit broadband constellation aimed at providing sovereign secure communications for EU member states.
Adding to the momentum, on September 23, 2025, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced €37.5 million in venture debt financing for Aerospacelab, backed by the EU’s InvestEU program. This funding is designed to scale up cutting-edge satellite production and bolster Europe’s autonomy in space security, telecommunications, and Earth-observation capabilities. The EIB’s support underscores Aerospacelab’s role in reinforcing the continent’s space infrastructure, particularly amid geopolitical tensions that highlight the need for resilient satellite systems.
This venture debt complements the Series B round, providing non-dilutive capital to expedite the Megafactory’s completion and expand mass production of microsatellites under the EU’s TechEU initiative. Belgian media outlets, such as L’Echo, reported that the investment will strengthen Europe’s spatial autonomy, with the EIB highlighting Aerospacelab’s innovative contributions to the sector.
Aerospacelab’s growth isn’t limited to funding. Earlier in 2025, the company successfully acquired AMOS (Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems), a Belgian optics specialist, enhancing its in-house capabilities for high-precision satellite components. This acquisition aligns with Aerospacelab’s strategy to control more of the supply chain, reducing dependencies and improving efficiency.
On the international front, Aerospacelab expanded its presence by opening a state-of-the-art satellite manufacturing facility in Torrance, California, in August 2024. This U.S. outpost aims to tap into the American market, supporting collaborations with NASA, the Department of Defense, and commercial partners. The facility is already contributing to increased production capacity, with plans to integrate it into the broader Megafactory ecosystem.
Looking ahead, Aerospacelab is preparing for its first hyperspectral mission, IPERLITE, which is ready for launch and will demonstrate advanced Earth-imaging technology. The company is also actively recruiting, with recent job postings for roles like Project Manager in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, indicating ongoing expansion.
Aerospacelab’s developments come amid broader industry trends, including potential mergers among European space giants like Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, and Leonardo, which could reshape the competitive landscape for projects like IRIS². By focusing on cost-efficient, scalable satellite solutions, Aerospacelab is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations and geospatial data services.
Despite the positive momentum, the space sector faces hurdles such as supply chain disruptions and regulatory complexities. Aerospacelab’s emphasis on vertical integration and European sovereignty could mitigate these risks, but scaling to 500 satellites per year will require flawless execution.
As of late September 2025, Aerospacelab’s trajectory is upward, with over €130 million in fresh capital propelling it toward becoming a cornerstone of Europe’s space ambitions. Industry watchers will be keen to see how the Megafactory rollout and IRIS² involvement unfold, potentially setting new benchmarks for satellite manufacturing efficiency and innovation.
10 Best-Selling Science Fiction Books Worth Reading
Dune
Frank Herbert’s Dune is a classic science fiction novel that follows Paul Atreides after his family takes control of Arrakis, a desert planet whose spice is the most valuable resource in the universe. The story combines political struggle, ecology, religion, and warfare as rival powers contest the planet and Paul is drawn into a conflict that reshapes an interstellar civilization. It remains a foundational space opera known for its worldbuilding and long-running influence on the science fiction genre.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov’s Foundation centers on mathematician Hari Seldon, who uses psychohistory to forecast the collapse of a galactic empire and designs a plan to shorten the coming dark age. The narrative spans generations and focuses on institutions, strategy, and social forces rather than a single hero, making it a defining work of classic science fiction. Its episodic structure highlights how knowledge, politics, and economic pressures shape large-scale history.
Ender’s Game
Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game follows Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a gifted child recruited into a military training program designed to prepare humanity for another alien war. The novel focuses on leadership, psychological pressure, and ethical tradeoffs as Ender is pushed through increasingly high-stakes simulations. Often discussed as military science fiction, it also examines how institutions manage talent, fear, and information under existential threat.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy begins when Arthur Dent is swept off Earth moments before its destruction and launched into an absurd interstellar journey. Blending comedic science fiction with satire, the book uses space travel and alien societies to lampoon bureaucracy, technology, and human expectations. Beneath the humor, it offers a distinctive take on meaning, randomness, and survival in a vast and indifferent cosmos.
1984
George Orwell’s 1984 portrays a surveillance state where history is rewritten, language is controlled, and personal autonomy is systematically dismantled. The protagonist, Winston Smith, works within the machinery of propaganda while privately resisting its grip, which draws him into escalating danger. Frequently categorized as dystopian fiction with strong science fiction elements, the novel remains a reference point for discussions of authoritarianism, mass monitoring, and engineered reality.
Brave New World
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World presents a society stabilized through engineered reproduction, social conditioning, and pleasure-based control rather than overt terror. The plot follows characters who begin to question the costs of comfort, predictability, and manufactured happiness, especially when confronted with perspectives that do not fit the system’s design. As a best-known dystopian science fiction book, it raises enduring questions about consumerism, identity, and the boundaries of freedom.
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 depicts a future where books are outlawed and “firemen” burn them to enforce social conformity. The protagonist, Guy Montag, begins as a loyal enforcer but grows increasingly uneasy as he encounters people who preserve ideas and memory at great personal risk. The novel is often read as dystopian science fiction that addresses censorship, media distraction, and the fragility of informed public life.
The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds follows a narrator witnessing an alien invasion of England, as Martian technology overwhelms existing military and social structures. The story emphasizes panic, displacement, and the collapse of assumptions about human dominance, offering an early and influential depiction of extraterrestrial contact as catastrophe. It remains a cornerstone of invasion science fiction and helped set patterns still used in modern alien invasion stories.
Neuromancer
William Gibson’s Neuromancer follows Case, a washed-up hacker hired for a high-risk job that pulls him into corporate intrigue, artificial intelligence, and a sprawling digital underworld. The book helped define cyberpunk, presenting a near-future vision shaped by networks, surveillance, and uneven power between individuals and institutions. Its language and concepts influenced later depictions of cyberspace, hacking culture, and the social impact of advanced computing.
The Martian
Andy Weir’s The Martian focuses on astronaut Mark Watney after a mission accident leaves him stranded on Mars with limited supplies and no immediate rescue plan. The narrative emphasizes problem-solving, engineering improvisation, and the logistical realities of survival in a hostile environment, making it a prominent example of hard science fiction for general readers. Alongside the technical challenges, the story highlights teamwork on Earth as agencies coordinate a difficult recovery effort.
10 Best-Selling Science Fiction Movies to Watch
Interstellar
In a near-future Earth facing ecological collapse, a former pilot is recruited for a high-risk space mission after researchers uncover a potential path to another star system. The story follows a small crew traveling through extreme environments while balancing engineering limits, human endurance, and the emotional cost of leaving family behind. The narrative blends space travel, survival, and speculation about time, gravity, and communication across vast distances in a grounded science fiction film framework.
Blade Runner 2049
Set in a bleak, corporate-dominated future, a replicant “blade runner” working for the police discovers evidence that could destabilize the boundary between humans and engineered life. His investigation turns into a search for hidden history, missing identities, and the ethical consequences of manufactured consciousness. The movie uses a cyberpunk aesthetic to explore artificial intelligence, memory, and state power while building a mystery that connects personal purpose to civilization-scale risk.
Arrival
When multiple alien craft appear around the world, a linguist is brought in to establish communication and interpret an unfamiliar language system. As global pressure escalates, the plot focuses on translating meaning across radically different assumptions about time, intent, and perception. The film treats alien contact as a problem of information, trust, and geopolitical fear rather than a simple battle scenario, making it a standout among best selling science fiction movies centered on first contact.
Inception
A specialist in illicit extraction enters targets’ dreams to steal or implant ideas, using layered environments where time and physics operate differently. The central job requires assembling a team to build a multi-level dream structure that can withstand psychological defenses and internal sabotage. While the movie functions as a heist narrative, it remains firmly within science fiction by treating consciousness as a manipulable system, raising questions about identity, memory integrity, and reality testing.
Edge of Tomorrow
During a war against an alien force, an inexperienced officer becomes trapped in a repeating day that resets after each death. The time loop forces him to learn battlefield tactics through relentless iteration, turning failure into training data. The plot pairs kinetic combat with a structured science fiction premise about causality, adaptation, and the cost of knowledge gained through repetition. It is often discussed as a time-loop benchmark within modern sci-fi movies.
Ex Machina
A young programmer is invited to a secluded research facility to evaluate a humanoid robot designed with advanced machine intelligence. The test becomes a tense psychological study as conversations reveal competing motives among creator, evaluator, and the synthetic subject. The film keeps its focus on language, behavior, and control, using a contained setting to examine artificial intelligence, consent, surveillance, and how people rationalize power when technology can convincingly mirror human emotion.
The Fifth Element
In a flamboyant future shaped by interplanetary travel, a cab driver is pulled into a crisis involving an ancient weapon and a looming cosmic threat. The story mixes action, comedy, and space opera elements while revolving around recovering four elemental artifacts and protecting a mysterious figure tied to humanity’s survival. Its worldbuilding emphasizes megacities, alien diplomacy, and high-tech logistics, making it a durable entry in the canon of popular science fiction film.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
A boy and his mother are pursued by an advanced liquid-metal assassin, while a reprogrammed cyborg protector attempts to keep them alive. The plot centers on preventing a future dominated by autonomous machines by disrupting the chain of events that leads to mass automation-driven catastrophe. The film combines chase-driven suspense with science fiction themes about AI weaponization, time travel, and moral agency, balancing spectacle with character-driven stakes.
Minority Report
In a future where authorities arrest people before crimes occur, a top police officer becomes a suspect in a predicted murder and goes on the run. The story follows his attempt to challenge the reliability of predictive systems while uncovering institutional incentives to protect the program’s legitimacy. The movie uses near-future technology, biometric surveillance, and data-driven policing as its science fiction core, framing a debate about free will versus statistical determinism.
Total Recall (1990)
A construction worker seeking an artificial vacation memory experiences a mental break that may be either a malfunction or the resurfacing of a suppressed identity. His life quickly becomes a pursuit across Mars involving corporate control, political insurgency, and questions about what is real. The film blends espionage, off-world colonization, and identity instability, using its science fiction premise to keep viewers uncertain about whether events are authentic or engineered perception.
