Europe’s HyPrSpace and Precious Payload team up as a sort of SpaceX service

French rocket startup, HyPrSpace, and Precious Payload, a satellite launch provider, have teamed up to simplify the process for payload developers to reserve launches using HyPrSpace’s Orbital Baguette-1 (OB-1) rockets. These rockets can deliver 250 kg to LEO, with the maiden launch set for 2026. HyPrSpace caters to the needs of smallsats and satellite constellations with dedicated launches and rideshare opportunities.

The OB-1, (pronounced like the Star Wars character Obiwan), promises launches at half the cost of traditional micro-launchers. Its hybrid propulsion system employs a patented innovation, significantly reducing R&D and industrialization costs. Its architecture requires fewer components and has simpler geometry than traditional systems, eliminating the need for turbopumps. HyPrSpace was founded in 2019 by a team of space engineers who created its Orbital Baguette-1 (OB-1) micro-launcher and innovative hybrid propulsion technology, to provide cheaper, safer, and greener space access.

“HyPrSpace’s hybrid engines represent the next generation in space propulsion technology. We believe their approach, which can be scaled to serve a family of launch vehicles and space tugs, and have a potential to lower barriers to space access and enhance in-space mobility,” said Andrew Maximov, CEO and founder of Precious Payload.

Precious Payload is a space tech company that developed Launch.ctrl, a marketplace for satellite operators to book a launch and the necessary services to take their payloads from the ground to space. This process revolutionizes the way space access is bought and sold, with a wide range of launch providers listed on their platform.

HyPrSpace’s hybrid engines are non-explosive, posing less of a fire hazard compared to liquid propulsion. Embracing a greener approach, HyPrSpace’s technology can use various types of solid fuels, including recycled and plant-based HDPE, a type of plastic, commonly found in items like soap bottles, milk containers, and plastic bags.

Sylvain Bataillard, Co-Founder & COO of HyPrSpace, said, “The OB-1 is our leap towards a future of cheaper, safer, and more efficient space access. After two successful engine tests in 2022, we’ve scheduled full-stage configuration ground testing this year, supported by the General Directorate of Armament (DGA), which brings us a step closer to achieving our goal.”

HyPrSpace’s recent collaboration with the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ DGA, which grants access to the DGA Missile Testing site in Gironde, validates the way for further innovation and testing. This strategic alliance strengthens HyPrSpace’s potential to ‘disrupt the launch market’. This unique opportunity enables the company to plan its debut suborbital test launch in 2025.