Madrid-based startup Orbital Paradigm is gearing up for its first orbital test of a reentry capsule, aiming to unlock new markets for microgravity-made materials.
Founded less than two years ago by aerospace veterans Francesco Cacciatore and Víctor Gómez García, the company has built a 25kg test capsule called KID on under €1M. The vehicle, about 16 inches across and without propulsion, will fly in three months with three customer payloads.
KID won’t be recovered; instead, the mission will test separation, data transmission, and survival through hypersonic reentry. A follow-up mission in 2026 will debut a scaled-down Kestrel capsule with propulsion and parachutes, designed to land in Portugal’s Azores.
Orbital Paradigm has raised €1.5M from Id4, Demium, Pinama, Evercurious, and Akka. Customers already onboard include Alatyr (France) and Leibniz University Hannover (Germany).
The startup is targeting biotech firms and research institutions that need repeat short-duration flights, rather than large-scale cargo runs like SpaceX’s Dragon. “Words are nice, but flying is the ultimate test,” Cacciatore said.
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Orbital Paradigm enters a growing orbital-return market alongside U.S. players like Varda Space and Inversion Space, and Europe’s Exploration Company. Unlike U.S. rivals that benefit from DoD contracts, Orbital Paradigm says it must rely on early customer revenue.
