Who will put the first French micro-launcher into orbit? If the suspense remains intact, two actors have just taken a nice step forward. HyPrSpace and Sirius Space Services won, on Friday, June 3, the call for micro-launch projects launched by the government as part of the France 2030 plan. The two startups were selected, among a dozen entries, by a jury that included the public bank Bpifrance, the CNES and the General Directorate of Companies (DGE). The criteria examined were mainly the technical credibility of the project, the economic equation (launch price, target market) and the level of innovation proposed by the project. The amount of subsidies received is not communicated, but the call for projects provides for support from 400,000 euros to 1.2 million euros in the start-up phase of projects, after 1.2 to 5 million euros for the development phase. and industrialization.
This competition, unprecedented in France, was announced by Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire during his visit to the ArianeGroup website in Vernon (Eure) on December 6, 2021. Bercy’s boss then detailed the roadmap for the French space sector, which will benefit from an envelope of €1.5 billion under the France 2030 plan, half of which should benefit SMEs and start-ups. Bruno Le Maire had announced the launch of a mini-launcher entrusted to ArianeGroup, called MaiaSpace, and the launch of a call for projects to get smaller launchers, called micro-launchers, off the ground. “We will provide funding, technical support and we will guarantee the first orders for these micro-launchers”, promised the minister at the time.
hybrid engine
What are the projects of the two winners? Bordeaux HyPrSpace is developing a launcher called the OB-1 (pronounced Obiwan), for Orbital Baguette 1, which is about fifteen meters high and has a payload of 250 kg, and is equipped with eight engines (seven in the first stage and one in the second stage). ). Founded by Alexandre Mangeot, Arts et Métiers engineers and space propulsion specialist, and Sylvain Bataillard, formerly of ArianeGroup and CEA’s Department of Military Applications, the start-up aims for a first suborbital flight in 2024 and a first launch of the last launcher in 2025
HyPrSpace claims to offer a true technological breakthrough. Where most microlaunch projects are based on liquid propulsion (liquid oxygen/kerosene, for example), a hybrid (solid and liquid) propulsion engine is being developed. “This propulsion mode combines the advantages of liquid propulsion (modular power) and solid propulsion, at a much lower cost, summarizes Sylvain Bataillard. driven engines. We’re breaking that lock.”
On April 25, HyPrSpace announced a €1.1 million fundraising from Charles Beigbeder’s Geodesic fund (being incorporated into the new Audacia and Starburst expansion fund), from the French Tech Seed fund managed by Bpifrance within the scope of France 2030, and private investors. The start-up is also in the first promotion of the Blast accelerator, created by Starburst, Onera, Polytechnique and the Paris-Saclay-based SATT (Technology Transfer Acceleration Company). Scale models of its engine are already being tested at the DGA Missile Testing site in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles (Gironde).
Sirius aims at reuse
The other winner of the call for projects is the Ile-de-France Sirius Space Services (formerly Strat Space Systems), based on the Saclay plateau. Created in April 2020, the start-up is developing a family of three launchers: Sirius 1 (175kg payload), Sirius 13 (500kg) and Sirius 15 (800kg). These are due to take off in 2025, 2026 and 2027 respectively. The principle is similar to that of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, a heavy launcher consisting of approximately three Falcon 9s glued together. Sirius 13 consists of three Sirius 1s and Sirius 15 consists of five Sirius 1s, which allows for economies of scale and good management of releases. “This family of launchers will allow us great flexibility: the choice of launcher can be made at the last moment, to optimize the filling of the rockets”, explains Antoine Fourcade, founder of Sirius.
After a first fundraising of one million euros, the start-up (50 employees) aims for a second one in the summer, for around 5 million euros, and another at the end of 2022 (20 million euros). The idea is to eventually have fully reusable launchers. Sirius has just created a subsidiary, Orion Space Systems, which is working on two potential recovery systems. The first is a parachute descent, then a helicopter floor recovery by a kind of hook. That’s what New Zealand’s Rocket Lab (almost) achieved on May 3. The second would be a vertical landing, known as a “toss back”, made famous by SpaceX’s Falcon 9s. Sirius is targeting a launch cost of US$10,000 to US$15,000 per kg in orbit, a price that will be halved once the re-use of the launcher stages takes effect. The start-up estimates that it can achieve profitability from six launches per year and has a target of 12 annual launches by 2030.
big competition
There is still a long way to go for the two winners. First, the call for projects, which includes several phases, only ends in early 2023: there will likely be other projects selected by the end of the year. Above all, the two groups will have to face fierce global competition in the segment of micro and mini-launchers, between the Americans Relativity, Astra, Firefly or Virgin Orbit, the British Orbex, the Germans Isar Aerospace, RFA or HyImpulse, the Spanish PLD Space and the orbital and dark systems of the French company. Some of these players are already a step ahead: the German Isar has already raised 180 million dollars.