A Big Week for European Space
Money, milestones and a lot more this week!
Welcome to Aerospace Insider 🚀
Hope you are off to a good week. Let’s get to the news of the week.
Today’s summary:
🚀 Aerospace News: European space had a very very nice week
Aerospace Weekly Roundup
Catch the latest European & global space industry highlights you don’t want to miss!
🇪🇺 Space Cargo gets major EU backing
Space Cargo Unlimited has been selected by the European Innovation Council for a €12.5M investment. The funding will accelerate the development of its reusable orbital platforms. The company is building the BentoBox, a modular and autonomous system designed to carry out research and manufacturing in microgravity and return to Earth, filling a gap currently not covered in Europe's space capabilities.
📡 Skynopy gets money for ground network
French startup Skynopy has raised nearly $18M with backing from CNES. The funds will help expand its ground station network to over 100 antennas in the next three years. Skynopy offers a flexible service, using a 'SIM card' like kit that allows satellites to easily connect and pay only for the data they download. The investment also supports its plan for a new high speed network called Akar by 2028.
🚀 Isar Aerospace gets €150m boost
Isar Aerospace has secured €150M in financing through a convertible bond (a loan that can be exchanged for shares, essentially). The investment follows the company's first test launch in March and will be used to expand its rocket production facilities near Munich. This new funding boosts Isar's mission to provide independent and cost effective access to space for its global customers and strengthens its position as a key European player.
💸 Polish startup gets pre seed funding
Asynchronics, a polish startup, has secured pre seed funding to develop its digital twin marketplace for the space sector. The company builds open source simulation tools that allow engineers to test spacecraft components virtually. The new investment will help expand the team and launch a marketplace of certified digital models. They are aiming for a public release in the third quarter of 2025.
🚀 Latitude picks French Guiana for first launch
Latitude will conduct the first launch of its Zephyr rocket from the Guiana Space Centre. The company is committing €8M to build its dedicated facilities at a new commercial launch site being developed by CNES. This new site will host multiple launch companies. Latitude aims for an inaugural flight in 2026, sending payloads of up to 200 kg into orbit.
🤝 GomSpace announces big satellite contract
GomSpace has secured a €19.5M contract to build 18 satellites for a new sat network. The deal is with an undisclosed (o.O) European technology company. GomSpace was selected “due to its proven technology and its ability to manufacture and deliver satellites quickly and at scale”. The satellites will be based on the company's standardised, flight proven platform and built in its Aalborg facilities.
🛰️ A mixed result for The Exploration Company
The Exploration Company's test capsule had a flight of partial success and partial failure. The 'Mission Possible' demonstrator launched on a Falcon 9, successfully reentered the atmosphere and sent data, but was lost minutes before splashdown. The company is now investigating the failure and plans an additional test flight before moving to its full scale Nyx cargo vehicle.
✈️ Dassault reveals VORTEX spaceplane
Aerospace giant Dassault has unveiled VORTEX, a reusable spaceplane for cargo and in orbit services. The project has secured backing from the French military and ESA Development will start with a small scale demonstrator, which the French government is directly supporting. ESA has signed a letter of intent to foster technology development with Dassault on future orbital vehicles.
🚀 Europe's reusable rocket arrives in Sweden
Themis, a full scale demonstrator for a reusable first stage, has arrived at Esrange Space Center in Sweden. Developed by ArianeGroup for ESA, the vehicle will now be prepared for Europe's first hop tests. Teams will first conduct ground tests and engine firings before attempting the first low altitude vertical take off and landing, which is scheduled for the end of 2025 at the earliest.
This could make a very nice deep dive… perhaps next week :)
🔍 What caught your eye this week? I (try to) cover the best stories but there’s always more happening. Reply and let me know what space news you found most interesting or what I should cover next! I read all replies.
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Jaime