15.06.2025

Credit: Orbex

PARIS—British launch startup Orbex is eyeing early 2026 for the inaugural liftoff of its Prime rocket, company CEO Miguel Belló Mora says.

The launch of the two-stage rocket is due to take place from the SaxaVord spaceport in Scotland, he said at the Paris Air Forum.

Orbex is one of a cadre of European rocket startups trying to break into the market with launches planned in the coming months. Isar Aerospace aims for its second launch attempt before year's end, and Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is still planning its first flight this year. RFA also uses the SaxaVord facility.

Belló said Orbex, once it has established Prime, also plans to resume work on the Sutherland spaceport in Scotland. It paused the activities late last year to focus on getting the Prime rocket ready for prime time.

The 19-m (62-ft.)-tall rocket is designed to loft 180 kg (397 lb.) of payload to orbit. Belló said the rocket still needs to undergo propulsion system testing and some work at the spaceport needs to be completed before the launcher can fly.

The company also is looking to develop a larger launcher, called Proxima, which Belló said should have its first launch by 2030. Orbex will continue marketing the smaller launcher even when the larger one is ready, but the CEO noted the micro-launch market is limited.

Orbex is looking to tap European Space Agency (ESA) funding to support its development under the European Launcher Challenge program. ESA kicked off the challenge this year and is currently evaluating proposals for an initial round of contracts to be announced next month, Lucía Linares, ESA's head of strategy and institutional launches, said at the event. “We want to foster diversity in the market," she said.

Linares would not disclose the number of bids ESA received, but noted, “there’s been a lot of interest.”

Quelle: AVIATION WEEK