Europe outinvests the United States in space technology

For the first time, Europe has eclipsed the United States in private space tech investments, with a record-breaking number of acquisitions in the first quarter of 2023.

According to the quarterly evaluation of worldwide private investments 'Seraphim Space Index' by space industry investor Seraphim Space, the region's investment in 2023 "seems poised to match or even exceed 2022 levels given that Q1 is already nearly 50% of the previous year."

In contrast to Europe, records reveal that US investment has fallen much more since last year. And Asia, the only region that saw growth last year, is now expected to face a drop in activity in 2023.

Total investment reached $1.4 billion in the first quarter of this year, up 75% from $801 million in the fourth quarter of 2022.Although space tech investment has declined since the record highs of 2021 and 2022, Q1 2023 remains the sixth biggest financing quarter to far, according to the research.

The first quarter also saw the most transactions in a year, with 128 transactions completed. Whereas from Q3 through Q4 2022, space tech deals averaged around 106 per quarter.

The top 10 space tech agreements in Q1 accounted for 15% of overall sector investment, with the majority of them concentrated in capital-intensive subsectors.

According to the research, Europe had a "key role in driving Q1's rebound," contributing to the region's expanding significance in space technology.

According to the space tech specialist, a record number of acquisitions in the first quarter and a return in investment this year following a "pullback" in 2022 indicate a significant attraction in space tech from private and public market investors.

Euronext developed its first European space-related index in January to track the performance of European space enterprises.

By fLEXI tEAM