The European Commission has approved EQT Fund Management’s acquisition of Exolaunch GmbH, clearing the Luxembourg-based investor to take sole control of the German space services company. The deal was reviewed under the EU Merger Regulation and passed through the simplified procedure after regulators found no competition concerns in the space-related services market.
The notification was filed on 19 August and the Commission gave its clearance on 14 September. Brussels concluded that EQT Fund Management and Exolaunch do not operate in the same markets and are not vertically linked, removing the main antitrust hurdle to the transaction.
Exolaunch works in space services, placing the deal within Europe’s broader launch and satellite supply chain. Case M.12534 was handled under the Commission’s simplified merger track, which is reserved for transactions that are unlikely to raise substantive competition issues. The approval allows the parties to move towards closing once any remaining conditions are met.