Isar Aerospace has signed an agreement with the French Space Agency CNES (Centre national d'etudes spatiales) to prepare the launch of its orbital launch vehicles from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in French Guyana.
This spaceport of CNES is the only active orbital launchpad in Europe from which every orbit can be achieved. The company has also hired Alexandre Dalloneau as Head of Mission and Launch Operations. He joins from Arianespace, where he was responsible for seven Vega rocket launches and three multi-GTO Ariane 5 missions.
"We are very glad to take the next crucial steps on our way to launch Europe's most powerful privately financed launch vehicle. CSG offers perfect conditions for our mission to provide Europe with independent and low-cost access to space. We are also very happy to welcome Alexandre to our team. With the technical responsibility for ten launches, he brings in a unique profile and profound experience in launching orbital rockets. With Alexandre, we are now very well positioned to set things up for our first launch", says Daniel Metzler, CEO of Isar Aerospace.
With its proximity to the equator, CSG allows Isar Aerospace to launch its Spectrum rockets into any orbit from the same pad. Its latitude of 5 3' also boosts performance for equatorial and medium-inclined orbits by about 20 percent compared to high-latitude launch sites. CNES is welcoming and supporting Isar Aerospace as a commercial launch provider in CSG.
Senior hire to prepare first launch for 2021
Isar Aerospace is strengthening its team by appointing Alexandre Dalloneau as Head of Mission and Launch Operations, bringing in eight years of experience launching orbital rockets from CSG. In his previous role at Arianespace, he was the Technical Lead for seven orbital Vega rocket launches to Sun-Synchronous Orbits (SSO), as well as three Ariane 5 missions with multiple satellites to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) including satellite integration, mission analysis, ground and flight safety.
"The fact that CNES opens the doors of its spaceport for additional commercial launchers in Europe shows the new dynamic in the European space sector. I am incredibly excited to join Isar Aerospace and shaping Europe's future in space which will determine our technological and economic sovereignty in Europe", says Alexandre Dalloneau, Head of Mission and Launch Operations at Isar Aerospace.
Isar Aerospace is developing launch vehicles to transport small and medium-sized satellites into the Earth's orbit as early as 2021. Among other missions, these first-generation Spectrum rockets are also suitable for satellite constellations – one of the most promising sectors of the space industry. The market for rocket launches is expected to increase to more than 30 billion euros by 2027 – almost 10 billion of which stem from the deployment of small and medium- sized satellites.
