Innovative Low-Mass Tanks for a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon European Micro-Launch Vehicle

2026-07-22

Small satellites (smallsats) are playing an increasingly significant role in space. Smallsats currently fly to space via ridesharing – taking spare capacity on a large launcher. Rideshare has numerous issues, including lack of availability, severe launch delays, and unsuitable orbits. Orbex is developing an EU-based orbital micro-launch vehicle with a uniquely innovative advantage that eliminates the issues of rideshare and mitigates the cost of a dedicated launch for smallsat operators. The vehicle exploits the properties of dual-cryogenic propellants to create an innovative, lightweight, low-cost tanking arrangement that reduces the inert mass of the launch vehicle by as much at 30% over traditional designs, and enable the world’s first environmentally-friendly rocket fuel strategy, with a 90% reduction in environmental impact. The small satellite launch market is well established and growing rapidly. The market for smallsat launch services is projected to grow US$2.52B p.a, by 2022, a CAGR 23.2%. The benefits of developing this tanking system for a European micro-launch vehicle include:- • Lowering cost of space access, including logistics/integration • Reduced delay in time-to-market • Enabling faster revenue generation for smallsat business models Orbex staff have designed & realized a prototype tank, and subsequently drafted patents for the technology. The tank was instrumented, hydrostatically pressure-tested and then used to prove the concept in cryogenic conditions. The objective of this SME Instrument Phase 2 project is to build on a prior SME Instrument Phase 1 feasibility study of the materials, suppliers and production processes required to implement this novel fuel tank concept using European materials and techniques at full scale. This Phase 2 project allow a European company to compete for this large, global market with significant, sustainable cost and operational advantages over global competitors.

United Kingdom (UK)

2026-02-01