New Space is on the rise in France. Not a week goes by without a start-up contacting the National Center for Space Studies to present its activity. Similarly, fundraising or contract signing announcements are multiplying. Alongside the major players such as ArianeGroup, Airbus, Thales Alenia Space or Eutelsat, an entire ecosystem of young companies is developing with the most varied projects.
Last announcement, that of Exotrail, Tuesday April 12th. This company, founded five years ago, has reached an agreement with the American SpaceX. In October 2023, a Falcon 9 rocket from the company founded by Elon Musk will launch the SpaceVan into orbit., a vehicle the size of a small refrigerator that can carry nanosatellites and microsatellites, up to a total load of 400 kilos.
Once in low orbit, at an altitude of 500 kilometers, the rocket will release the SpaceVan which, thanks to its electric propulsion, will place each object at its destination. This allows very small satellites to reduce their launch costs by grouping together for transport.
Above all, they save propulsion, as the engine does not need to be used to reach the destination. It will be used for the other phases of the satellite’s life, in order to stabilize it, avoid collisions and bring it back into the atmosphere. “We will be, in a way, space logisticians, a bit like on earth groups like FedEx, UPS or DHL”summarizes David Henri, 28, one of the four co-founders of the company, also director of products and strategy.
“Last mile logistics”
This first orbital transport vehicle (VTO) will carry only a few tens of kilos. The other three, planned for 2024, will increase to several hundred. The target market will be that of constellations of microsatellites for telecommunications, Earth observation, maritime surveillance or the Internet of Things. Fields in strong growth, since it is planned to launch thirty thousand satellites within ten years, mainly of small size. “You have a drastic increase in space requirements combined with a reduction in the cost of access to space, explains Mr. Henry. It is also increasingly easy to send satellites there. » A dozen companies around the world are working in this field, whether in the United States, Germany, Australia and Italy.
“This last-mile logistics is generating a lot of enthusiasm, but the project leaders still have to prove themselves”, tempers Maxime Puteaux. For this industry adviser from Euroconsult, “the first examples show that the development of this new type of vehicle remains complex, and their use adds an additional risk to the satellite, which will take two successive means of transport, the pitcher and the tug”. It is up to the logistician to show “the real added value for the towed satellite » brought by his vehicle compared to a normal launch.
You have 33.3% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.