A Latvian startup has entered Nato’s innovation ecosystem for the first time. Deep Space Energy has been selected for support under the Nato Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) programme, becoming the first company from Latvia to receive backing since the initiative was launched in 2022, Labs of Latvia, the country’s Investment and Development Agency, announced on its website on December 15.

For Latvia, the selection of Deep Space Energy signals a new level of visibility in advanced space and defence-related research – with ambitions that extend as far as the Moon.

Deep Space Energy is developing scalable energy systems designed to provide long-term power supply beyond Earth, using radioisotope-based technology suited to extreme space environments.

As part of the DIANA programme, selected companies receive an initial grant of €100,000, with the possibility of increasing support to up to €300,000 depending on progress within the accelerator. In addition to funding, participants gain access to mentoring, defence expertise and more than 200 testing centres across Europe and North America.

The programme also opens doors to defence procurement processes and facilitates direct engagement with military end-users, investors and industry partners – a key advantage for startups seeking to move from concept to application.

The company plans to generate electricity directly in space and supply it to space agencies and private firms planning long-term operations on the Moon, including the extraction of valuable minerals, said co-founder and chief executive Mihails Scepanskis.

To address these challenges, the company is developing systems based on radioisotopes derived from nuclear waste. As these materials decay, they generate heat, which can be converted into electricity – a solution that could offer continuous power even during prolonged lunar nights, Labs of Latvia said.