OKAPI:Orbits – Strategic-Technological Analysis (Germany)

Company Categorization: OKAPI:Orbits GmbH is a German deep-tech startup and academic spin-off (founded 2018) specializing in space situational awareness and space traffic management software. It has evolved into a fast-scaling venture (35 employees as of 2025) backed by European venture funds and strategic angel investors. Strategic Technology Alignment: OKAPI:Orbits’ capabilities map directly to Europe’s emerging and disruptive technology priorities in Space Systems and Domain Awareness and leverage Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning . Its AI-driven platforms fuse data from radars, telescopes, in-orbit sensors, and lasers to map objects in space and predict conjunctions. These technologies address EU critical needs in the space domain, one of NATO’s operational domains, and bolster European expertise in autonomous SSA systems. Contribution to European Sovereignty: OKAPI:Orbits significantly enhances European strategic autonomy by providing an independent EU-based collision avoidance service – reducing reliance on U.S. space surveillance data. The company’s AI-powered risk prediction (95% accuracy) and traffic coordination platform allow European satellites to operate safely without sole dependence on American tracking warnings. It actively participates in European defense and space programs (e.g. selected for an EDF 2023 project on Space Domain Awareness), contributing to EU-wide standards and interoperable SSA networks. OKAPI:Orbits’ platform has been validated by the European Space Agency (piloting collision avoidance for ESA’s Swarm satellites with 99.8% success) and supports NATO interoperability by emphasizing data-sharing and interfacing with U.S.