Europe is almost ready for launch 🚀

Issue 3. New in this issue is an exclusive in-depth analysis where I have previously just expanded on a news story. My look at the week's biggest stories and the infographic are still here. Enjoy the issue and to the 29 beautiful souls who have signed up thus far, thank you - it means the world to me!

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European launch facilities are racing against the clock

Although European launch startups are racing towards the maiden flights of their respective vehicles, there are, as of today, no European launch facilities offering orbital launch capabilities. 

Sure, Kourou hosts orbital launches of Ariane 5, Vega, and, until recently, Soyuz ST. But If Isar Aerospace, for instance, were ready to launch today, they wouldn’t be able to launch from Kourou or any other European launch facility. Luckily, that’s about to change.

At the head of the pack is a pair of Nordic contenders. Construction of orbital launch facilities at both the Esrange Space Center in Sweden and the Andøya Space in Norway are currently underway. Both facilities have significant pedigree having supported suborbital launches since the 1960s. Esrange and Andøya are both aiming to be ready to support missions by the end of 2022. 

In the United Kingdom, no fewer than eight proposed launch facilities are at various stages of development. Three of these facilities are, however, at the forefront of these efforts. SaxaVord Spaceport and Sutherland Spaceport in Scotland have both recently received approval to begin construction, although neither has done so yet. Additionally, Spaceport Cornwall will begin hosting Virgin Orbit flights this year, an achievement that has been made possible by the introduction of a sweeping set of regulations by the United Kingdom to govern spaceports and the granting of launch licenses.

In addition to launch facilities in mainland Europe, the French space agency CNES announced in December 2021 that it had begun accepting applications from operators of micro and mini-launchers to launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The agency plans to utilise an existing facility that had previously supported launches of its Diamant vehicle up until the late 1970s. CNES has not yet selected which companies it plans to allow to launch from the facility. However, I have been told that this announcement should be made in the next few weeks.

This is not an exhaustive analysis. There are several others including an interesting concept that would see rockets launched from a floating platform stationed in the North Sea. All these concepts, however, are either very early in their development or are just proposals. The above represents Europe’s best chance of developing independent commercial access to space. 

Note: I had initially intended to include a look at different space laws in this analysis. However, after contacting several agencies and government departments about it, I realized it would be a useful resource to have it all in one place. So, that page will be coming soon to European Spaceflight.

Featured infographic

A look at the proposed European Large Logistics Lander (EL3). ESA States will vote decide the landers future at the Ministerial Level council meeting later this year.

News of the week

• OHB signs agreement with space landlord - German space technology company OHB has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sierra Space to explore possibilities for cooperation in the use of the new Orbital Reef space station.

• A Spanish bull roars to life - PLD Space has completed a successful stage test of its Miura 1 launch vehicle. The single-stage suborbital rocket is expected to serve as both the company’s first product and a technology demonstrator for the larger Miura 5 vehicle. Miura 1 is expected to be launched for the first time this year.

• Amazon drops the mic - With one announcement Amazon upended the global launch industry. A little hyperbolic? Sure. But considering this week’s announcement from the online retail giant was the largest launch deal in history, it’s not far off. European companies Arianespace and Beyond Gravity were both awarded the largest deals in their respective history.

• A virgin comes to Cornwall - UK aerospace company Satellite Applications Catapult announced that it has selected to launch its Amber-1 satellite aboard a Virgin Orbit LauncherOne. The mission will be launched from Spaceport Cornwall in the United Kingdom later this year.

• UK Space Command gets some more acronyms - Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) was awarded a £22m contract to develop the UK Space Command’s Project TYCHE. The 150kg satellite will be a key enabler for the development of the country’s Minerva system, which will provide a broadband link from the planned £970 million ISTARI SAR constellation (a constellation of surveillance satellites) to commanders back on the ground.

• Sentinel-1C to sub in for the injured Sentinel-1B - The European Space Agency has selected to launch its Sentinel-1C satellite aboard an Arianespace Vega-C in the first half of 2023. The satellite will take over duties from Sentinel-1B following a series of issues that knocked it out of commission.

• Germany has its eye on space junk - Atos and OHB have been awarded a contract by the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (how’s that for a name?) to supply the stage 1 expansion of the Space Situational Awareness Center for the German Federal Armed Forces. The center will monitor satellites and space debris in order to avoid collisions and spot satellite failures.

• Europe is getting its meat into today’s SpaceX mission - When SpaceX launches the first all-private-astronaut mission to the international space station later today, the Crew Dragon Endeavour will also be carrying a trio of private European investigations housed in the SpacePharma ICE Cube. The investigations will study the ability to grow meat in space, the use of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate to improve bone and muscle cell growth during space travel, and DNA damage during spaceflight. 

• Europe is looking for a starter home in space - CNES president Philippe Baptiste advocated for a future European space station during a discussion at the 37th Space Symposium. Baptiste cited declining costs of space access and the need for European autonomy in space as major factors for his call. I’d like to have added more but CNES doesn’t seem to like my emails.

• Do you know that Spider-Man meme? - German aerospace startup POLARIS has received Pre-Series-A (Seed Round?) funding from the newly created Polaris Space Ventures. That’s a lot of Polarises. The exact value of the round was not disclosed. 

The results

Last week, I asked you to vote on when different European launch vehicles would make their debut. The results of this poll were fascinating. The following are the most popular answers for each launch vehicle. In brackets are the dates that the companies have stated they’re targeting.

• Isar Aerospace Spectrum - 2023 (2022/23)

• Rocket Factory Augsburg RFA One - 2024 (2022)

• Skyrora Skyrora XL - 2024 (2022)

• Orbex Prime - 2024 (2022)

• HyImpulse SL1 - 2025 (2023)

• PLD Space Miura 5 - 2024 (2024)

• Venture Orbital Zephyr - 2026 (2024)

I’ll be adding more vehicles to this poll next. So, keep an eye out for that.