UARX Space was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Nigrán, Galicia, Spain. UARX Space is an in-space logistics company focused on providing rideshare and dedicated launch services for small satellites, including CubeSats, PocketQubes, and small satellites, from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to the Moon and beyond. Their mission is to offer flexible and reliable in-space transportation solutions to non-traditional destinations, enabling clients to succeed in their space endeavors.
Key Focus Areas
- Satellite Launch Services: UARX Space specializes in rideshare and dedicated launch services, enabling precise deployment of small satellites into various orbits, including LEO, geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), and lunar orbits.
- Propulsion Systems: The company develops modular propulsion systems, including green propellant thrusters, for orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) like OSSIE, which simplify satellite injection into desired orbits.
- Payload Deployment: UARX Space designs advanced deployment systems such as the Reliable and Advanced Mission Injector (RAMI) for CubeSats, allowing communication and battery charging during transit.
- Lunar Cargo Services: Their LUCAS (Lunar Cargo Services) platform is designed to transport up to 1000 kg of payloads to lunar orbits, with options for chemical or low-thrust propulsion.
- Lunar Landing: The LOLA (Landing Opportunities for Lunar Activities) lander is under development to deliver up to 100 kg of payloads to the lunar surface for in-situ resource utilization.
Key Partnerships
- European Space Agency (ESA): UARX Space collaborates with ESA on the Omega project, a subscription-based space mobility service under the Boost Programme, alongside Dawn Aerospace and Spherical Systems. This service provides turnkey propulsion systems for satellites weighing 30 to 500 kg.
- Arianespace: UARX Space’s RAMI deployer is set to fly on the maiden Ariane 6 launch, marking the first Spanish deployer to carry satellites to space with Ariane.
- Dawn Aerospace: UARX Space selected Dawn Aerospace as the propulsion supplier for its OSSIE mission, utilizing their green propellant systems for thrusters and reaction control.
- DLR (German Aerospace Center): UARX Space signed a cooperation agreement with DLR for the development of the OSSIE vehicle.
- Thales Alenia Space: In 2023, UARX Space was selected to contribute to the IMAGIN-e payload on the International Space Station, providing harness design, manufacturing, and radiation shielding solutions.
Key technologies
- OSSIE (Orbit Solutions to Simplify Injection and Exploration): A modular and scalable orbital transfer vehicle capable of transporting up to 400 kg of payloads to custom orbits, including LEO, GTO, and lunar transfers. It uses green propellant thrusters and is compatible with RAMI deployers and SAU&RON separation systems.
- RAMI Deployer: A CubeSat deployer that enables communication and battery charging during transit, particularly for long interplanetary missions or launch delays.
- LUCAS (Lunar Cargo Services): An advanced platform for lunar orbit missions, adaptable for chemical or low-thrust propulsion, capable of carrying up to 1000 kg or tons of payloads with low-thrust systems.
- LOLA (Lunar Lander): A lunar lander under development to deliver payloads to the lunar surface, supporting in-situ resource utilization.
- SAU&RON Separation Systems: Customizable 8″ and 15″ clamp-band systems for small satellite deployment.
OSSIE’s modular architecture allows customization for various mission profiles, from Earth orbits to deep space. By partnering with Dawn Aerospace for nitrous oxide and propylene-based propulsion, UARX Space prioritizes environmentally friendly solutions, unlike traditional hydrazine-based systems. UARX Space offers end-to-end solutions, from mission design to deployment.
Key Products and Services
Rideshare and Dedicated Launch Services
UARX Space provides Rideshare via the TOM platform, offering a modular, configurable deployer that attaches directly to a launch vehicle. It remains attached through initial orbit insertion and burns up with the rocket, minimizing debris. It supports CubeSats, PocketQubes, and other experimental payloads, delivering them to the target orbit where the launch vehicle arrives, thus making them ideal for demonstration missions like technology tests and deployments with tight budgets or flexible timing. UARX provides fully dedicated and hosted-payload deployment options via its OSSIE Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV).
TOM Platform
OSSIE Orbital Transfer Vehicle
The OSSIE (Orbit Solutions to Simplify Injection and Exploration) Orbital Transfer Vehicle from UARX Space is a modular, mission-tailored spacecraft that transports small satellites such as CubeSats, PocketQubes, hosted payloads, and small satellites from a baseline LEO drop-off into precise target orbits up to GTO, lunar transfers, and beyond. It has a modular configuration which allows selection between chemical or electric propulsion, avionics, power/data interfaces, and deployer types (CubeSat standard or clamp-band) to suit each mission. It incorporates eco-friendly propellants. OSSIE supports direct injection, orbital altitude and inclination changes, constellation phasing, LTAN/LTDN adjustment, GTO, and lunar transfers for accurate orbital maneuvers. It is equipped with UARX’s RAMI deployer, complete with communication and power ports. to allow in-flight charging and onboard interaction with CubeSats and hosted payloads.
OSSIE Orbital Transfer Vehicle
RAMI Deployer
The RAMI deployer from UARX Space is a state-of-the-art CubeSat deployment system, designed as a modular, high-reliability platform that supports both Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and interplanetary missions. It features multiple actuator redundancies through two distinct technologies and dual-actuation lines for high mission assurance. Optional interfaces enable CubeSats to charge and communicate before separation, useful for in-orbit testing and mitigating integration delays.
LUCAS Lunar Cargo Services
LUCAS (Lunar Cargo Services) is a cargo transport vehicle under development by UARX Space, designed to shuttle payloads from Earth to orbits around the Moon. Positioned as a successor to OSSIE, its mission is to make lunar orbital logistics broadly accessible. It has a payload capacity of up to 1,000 kg delivered to lunar orbit via a chemical-propulsion mode, or much larger “tons-scale” payloads over several months using low-thrust systems. It is built atop an upgraded OSSIE framework, LUCAS supports customer-specific payload configurations, and can attach standard landers like LOLA via mechanical interfaces.
LOLA Lunar Lander
LOLA is a lunar lander under active development by UARX Space, aimed at enabling in-situ resource utilization, scientific payload delivery, rovers, and other instruments on the lunar surface. The name stands for “Landing Opportunities for Lunar Activities” and reflects its mission-oriented design. It is engineered for compatibility with UARX’s other services, particularly the LUCAS cargo vehicle, so that payloads and instruments can be delivered into lunar orbit before descent and landing.
UARX Space is setting a niche in the small satellite launch market by offering modular, green propulsion-based solutions that cater to diverse mission profiles. Their focus on rideshare services and lunar missions positions them as a key player in the expanding commercial space sector, particularly for CubeSat and small satellite operators. By collaborating with major agencies like ESA and industry partners like Dawn Aerospace, UARX Space contributes to a more accessible and sustainable space ecosystem.
