Interview with MaiaSpace CEO Yohann Leroy

Image credit: ESA

MaiaSpace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup that is developing a two-stage partially reusable rocket called Maia. As MaiaSpace pushes toward a 2026 debut of Maia, I had the opportunity to sit down with CEO Yohann Leroy and dive into the details of their journey.

As a preamble to some of the first few questions, MaiaSpace will be utilizing a number of key technologies developed for the ESA-contracted Themis reusable booster demonstrator being developed by ArianeGroup. You can read more about Themis here.

How much of the Themis booster demonstrator will MaiaSpace be utilizing for the first stage of Maia?

Our global approach is to leverage, when relevant, European existing expertise, rather than reinventing the wheel. This includes the expertise developed by European players in the frame of ESA programs, like the Themis program. Therefore, the companies that are involved in the Themis program are natural candidates to become partners of MaiaSpace if they can meet our performan…