€180M raised. Now who's hiring?

Good morning!

This week proves that the European space sector is not slowing down

We just saw the biggest funding round of the year (we are only three months in but still) with PLD Space closing €180M and ESA committing €100M for satellite networks.

Why should you care? Well… because funding means growth, and growth means hiring.

But building the rockets or getting to space is only half the story. The real value is what we do once we get up there. That is why this week we are looking at the next Industrial Revolution happening in orbit. From building flying space factories to sending wine to the ISS, we cover it all in the new podcast episode.

And of course, we have the jobs to match. If you’re looking for a move: we’ve got your back

Let’s go 👇

🚀 Spotlight: New on findaspacejob.com

Here are some of the best space jobs available today:

• Thermal Engineer @ Space Cargo Unlimited (Luxembourg)

  👉 Europe's most exciting orbital manufacturing startup is building BentoBox and REV1, a real flying space factory. They need someone to keep it alive through launch, LEO and reentry… and they are launching this year!!!

• Business Growth Manager @ The Aerospace Corporation (UK)

  👉 The Aerospace Corporation is expanding into Europe and needs someone to lead it. Strategy, partnerships, new markets, etc. Pretty rare opening.

• EO Future Missions Optical Payload Engineer @ ESA (Netherlands)

  👉 An opportunity to work on the next generation of Earth Observation ESA missions.

• PhD Position: Vision Physical and Geometric Foundation Models for Autonomous Navigation @ CNES (France)

  👉 Train AI to navigate autonomously in space, funded by France's space agency. If you want to do a PhD that actually matters, CNES invites you to apply :) (and I do too!)

• Lead Systems Engineers // In-person Event in Paris @ MDA Space (France (the event) but Canada (the job))

  ‼️ MDA Space is hosting a recruitment event in Paris. If you're a Systems Engineer eyeing Canada, this is your “shortcut” into the job.

• PhD Position: Space Launch Impact on Climate and Environment (SLICE) @ ISAE (France)

  👉 Someone has to study what all these rockets are doing to our atmosphere. Might as well be you.

• Postdoc Flight Control Hybrid UAV @ TU Delft (Netherlands)

  👉 Hybrid UAVs are a genuinely hard problem. TU Delft is one of the few places in Europe actually working on it properly.

If you do not see a role you like here, go check the job board for the full list. And tell me: what role are you looking for?

🎙️ We’re back: The Gravity Problem

And we have a new podcast episode!

This week I sat down with Nicolas Gaume, the cofounder of Space Cargo Unlimited and Orbite. Nicolas has one of the most interesting backgrounds I’ve come across: he was (literally) a pioneer in the video game industry, working closely with people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in the 90s before moving on to the space sector.

We talked about how microgravity is the ultimate frontier for life sciences. Gravity is the only parameter of life that has not changed in 4.5 billion years. When you remove it, biology does some incredible things.

We also covered:

• The Space Vine Project: How they sent vines to the ISS to create a more resilient plant that can survive climate change and pathogens on Earth.

• The BentoBox: Why the future of space manufacturing relies on automation and robotics rather than humans, who often add too much complexity and safety risk to the process.

• Orbite: How they are building the "service layer" for commercial human spaceflight, training people for the physical and mental experience of being an astronaut.

» Listen to the episode here «

Or watch it here 👇

Why does this matter for your career?

The next Industrial Revolution might just happen in orbit. The real value of space manufacturing is the snowball effect: one discovery in microgravity that leads to millions of improved products on Earth. So if you want to position yourself for the next decade of space jobs, this can be a sector you need to understand.

🗞️ News: and the funding keeps coming 💰

PLD Space closes Europe's biggest funding round of the year 

PLD Space just raised €180M in a massive Series C led by Mitsubishi Electric. And Mitsubishi is not just writing a check here; they are actually coming in as a strategic launch customer for Asia. MIURA 5 is on track for its first flight later this year, and between this round and the ESA Launcher Challenge funds, PLD now has serious runway.

Infinite Orbits goes on a shopping spree 

Infinite Orbits really did not waste time putting their recent €40M raise to work. In less than a week, they announced two acquisitions (I take the title from here): LMO in Luxembourg and Lúnasa Space in the UK (specialists in autonomous navigation). The strategy is obvious: build a vertically integrated European servicing giant before the competition catches up. Their order book is already at €150 million.

Enpulsion raises €22.5M and heads for the US 

Enpulsion just closed a €22.5M round to scale production of their electric propulsion systems and expand into the US. But the really interesting bit here? They mention profitability. As their CEO put it: “ENPULSION is one of the few companies worldwide combining technological maturity, proven flight heritage, and profitability.” That is genuinely rare in this industry, so it is great to see a quiet European success story getting some spotlight.

ISPTech lands €5.5M to kill toxic rocket fuel 

ISPTech just raised €5.5M to scale their green propulsion systems [link here]. Regulatory pressure is pushing the industry away from toxic fuels like hydrazine, and this DLR spinoff is stepping in to give spacecraft the agility they need to avoid collisions in an increasingly crowded orbit. Their first launch is set for 2026.

ESA and GSMA drop €100M for hybrid networks 

Just announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ESA and the GSMA Foundry opened a €100M funding pot for projects merging space and mobile networks. They are heavily targeting AI, direct to device tech, and early 6G infrastructure. Europe is treating sovereign satellite connectivity as a massive priority right now.

🧠 Who is about to hire?

A quick tip for the active job hunters.

When companies announce massive funding rounds or acquisitions (like PLD Space, Infinite Orbits, ISPTech and Enpulsion did this week), their next immediate step can be massive hiring.

Something you can do (that has worked for people I know) is to now wait for the job postings to go live. You can find the department heads/team leads/etc on LinkedIn and send a short message to (at least) start a conversation.

But don't ask for a job directly. Just start a conversation. Asking should come later.

💬 The 10 second feedback

My only goal is to make this email actually useful for your job hunt. So reply and tell me: what should I do MORE of, and what should I do LESS of?

Not in anyway related to space (yet) but any thoughts on this?

Until next Thursday!

P.S. Hiring? Post your role here

As usual: connect on LinkedIn and follow the Find a Space Job for updates.