After the critical first step of becoming a satellite operator at the end of 2023, Exotrail is continuing to gain space heritage with a first “last-mile” in space delivery on February 28th 2024. The successful release in orbit of an 8U satellite by its spacevanTM orbital transfer vehicle is an essential achievement on the path towards becoming a space logistics leader worldwide.
With a telecommand sent around 11pm, Exotrail’s orbital transfer vehicle successfully separated its passenger in orbit, completing the inaugural demonstration of the end-to-end satellite delivery service: spacedropTM. Launched in November 2023 aboard SpaceX Transporter 9 mission, Exotrail conducted this delivery mission in close contact with the French Space Agency (CNES) and other space surveillance and tracking (SST) partners to guarantee the safety of all space assets.
spacedropTM is Exotrail’s end-to-end delivery service for satellites, from their integration on the transfer vehicle all the way to the “last mile” release on the desired orbit. This adds space access to numerous satellites with specific mobility needs – as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations distributed over several orbital planes do. This service allows tailor-made deliveries when embarking on shared standardized flights aboard heavy launchers, or by providing additional performance when using lighter launchers.
Exotrail has deployed the 8U satellite named EXO-0, manufactured by Endurosat, carrying an Airbus Defense and Space payload. Airbus’ passive detumbling device on board is designed to facilitate active debris removal, furthering Exotrail’s vision of a more sustainable space. With a record time of only six months from contract signature to launch, Exotrail demonstrated its agility and flexibility with its spacedropTM service to meet a challenging client timeline.
This delivery, happening after three and half months of safely carrying the payload, demonstrates the capacity of Exotrail’s spacevanTM vehicle to sequence its mission into multiple activities for various clients. Veoware, the second customer of the inaugural mission, will test its own hardware aboard the platform, benefiting from Exotrail’s hosted payload service: spacehostTM.
Showcasing its approach to space mobility in their mobilityhubTM framework, this mission brought together Exotrail’s own hardware and software products to provide a delivery service for its customers. The spacedropTM service relies on their spacestudioTM software for the mission design, on their orbital transfer vehicle and spacewareTM electric propulsion systems for efficient maneuvering in space, and their spacetowerTM software for all the operational flight dynamics computations.