Added Value Solutions (AVS) has signed a major contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead one of the two parallel studies for the design and development of the satellite platform for the ARRAKIHS mission.
ARRAKIHS—the first ESA Fast (F-Class) Astrophysics Mission to be led by Spain—seeks to shed new light on dark matter by investigating the faint outskirts of galaxies, which could hold key insights into the role dark matter plays in shaping galactic structures.
During the Phase A/B contract, AVS will deliver the preliminary satellite design and de-risk critical technologies essential for ARRAKIHS’ strict pointing and agility requirements. The mission, slated for launch by 2030, leverages AVS’s innovative high-performance, modular platform architecture, based on its standard LUR-100 bus, which covers satellite classes from 200 kg to 1 ton. This approach is a significant departure from traditional fully customized designs often required for astrophysics missions, demonstrating that AVS can offer a versatile solution without sacrificing precision or performance.
ESA has placed two parallel contracts for Phase A/B, that will compete for the implementation Phase C/D, for which only one will be selected in September 2026.
ARRAKIHS’ stringent precision and sensitivity goals—common in large, high-budget astrophysics missions— will be achieved by AVS’s innovative LUR-100 small satellite bus. Designed to accommodate advanced capabilities typically found on larger spacecraft, LUR-100 provides an agile, cost-effective solution with a compressed timeline for ambitious deep-space science by transferring high-end satellite know-how to a smallsat platform. For missions requiring a more compact form factor, AVS also fields the flight-proven LUR-50 bus, supporting satellites up to 200 kg without sacrificing high-end performance.
Led by IFCA (Spain), ARRAKIHS will probe the faint outskirts of galaxies, where dark matter’s influence is believed to be more pronounced. Its advanced binocular telescope, built by Satlantis, will be paired with the winning satellite platform—delivering unprecedented data on galactic structures and the underlying cosmic phenomena that define them.
This ESA contract arrives on the heels of a dynamic year for AVS. Earlier in 2024, the company launched LUR-1, based on its LUR-50 bus, a satellite that delivers high-resolution Earth observation and will also demonstrate technologies to enable quantum secure communications. Notably, LUR-1 is the first spacecraft equipped with ESA’s standardized MICE de-orbit interface, co-developed by AVS and GMV, enabling simpler non-cooperative debris removal and satellite life extension.
Future plans include a dedicated ESA mission to rendezvous with LUR-1 using the CAT active docking system, also developed by GMV and AVS. This is part of AVS’s broader push into in-orbit servicing, fueled by its robotics expertise in docking, refueling, and other satellite servicing architectures.
Backed by a strategic investment from Talde Private Equity, AVS has accelerated both its technical and geographical expansion. The company has scaled engineering and manufacturing capabilities across Europe, UK and the United States, positioning itself to respond swiftly to emerging market opportunities and high-profile missions like ARRAKIHS.
Later this summer, AVS will launch its first U.S.-led mission, providing two advanced satellites, a dedicated ground station, and a mission control center to a leading aerospace U.S. university. This initiative supports the university’s new spacecraft operator training program, building upon their well established aviation training degrees. The mission will also test a groundbreaking autonomous rendezvous and docking technique, attempting a world-first orbital docking operation without optical or LIDAR sensors—an approach that could reduce cost of docking between satellites by two to three orders of magnitude.
By applying its proven capabilities to the ARRAKIHS mission, AVS further solidifies its role in the global small satellite market and positions itself at the forefront of next-generation astrophysics research. The collaboration with ESA underscores AVS’s commitment to supporting ambitious scientific endeavors that expand humanity’s understanding of the universe—this time, focusing on one of the biggest mysteries in cosmology: dark matter.
ESA’s ARRAKIHS project manager, Carlos Corral van Damme, said, “ARRAKIHS exemplifies the appeal of Fast class missions in the ESA science program. By combining an innovative payload with a quasi-recurring platform, we can significantly reduce the time from the initial concept to the delivery of scientific data, paving the way for exciting and groundbreaking discoveries. The Fast missions address focused scientific cases and contribute to the program’s diversity. They also provide a fast-training path to the young generation, both in the scientific community and industry. The parallel industrial studies will ensure that the spacecraft design and the required technologies are ready for the implementation phase when the mission is adopted by the Science Program Committee in mid-2026.”
AVS’s CEO, Miguel Angel Carrera, said, “This contract is a powerful endorsement of smaller businesses and highlights Europe’s ability to embrace non-traditional players in flagship science missions. Competing with large companies is familiar territory for us, and all eyes are now on this two-year competition phase, where we aim to showcase our capabilities and value proposition to ESA and all stakeholders. It promises to be a fierce contest, culminating in a mission that will significantly boost humanity’s knowledge of dark matter.“