Bussin (11/3/22)

Good morning. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be running a reader survey that will help us improve Payload, iterate on our products, and ultimately make this a better experience for you. 

We’ve designed the survey to make it as frictionless as possible for you—we’ll only ask one question a week. What’s more, you can answer directly within this newsletter. 

If you’ve been enjoying Payload and want to help us make it even better, we’d love for you to partake in the survey. You can find the first question below. Now, on to the main event…

In today's newsletter:🚌 Apex Q+A 🤝 Isar + Exotrail🗣️ Reader survey📝 The contract report

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A Q+A with Apex's Ian Cinnamon

Apex recently announced itself to the world with a $7.5M seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The startup seeks to manufacture 100-kilogram class satellite buses that can support ~100 kg of payload. Its first product will be called Aries. 

Last month, Payload caught up with Apex Cofounder and CEO Ian Cinnamon. He previously founded Synapse, a computer vision startup that exited to Palantir ~2.5 years ago. He also worked at LA venture fund Village Global as an investor and entrepreneur in residence. Max Benassi, Apex’s other cofounder, formerly built vehicles at SpaceX and served as Astra’s director of engineering. 

We recently caught up with Apex's Ian Cinnamon to discuss why the startup believes the satellite bus sector is ripe for disruption. In the convo, we also cover the company's recruiting plans, whether Apex's first Aries prototype is fully funded, when the company plans to start generating revenue, and newsier items, like AEI's acquisition of a majority stake in York and Lockheed's $100M investment in Terran Orbital. 

Read the full Q+A here. 

Isar Adds Another Space Tug to Manifest

Exotrail has signed a launch services agreement with Isar Aerospace. The German launcher will conduct the flights on its forthcoming, two-stage Spectrum rocket from Norway’s Andøya Space and the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.

More about Exotrail: The French space mobility startup offers last-mile transportation for satellites aboard its spacevan vehicle as part of its spacedrop service. The deal inked with Isar covers several missions across the 2024–2029 timeframe, and will see satellites delivered to LEO and GTO orbits.

• Fun fact: Exotrail trademarked the terms spacestudio, spacedrop, spaceware, and spacetower, which describe its portfolio of products.  

"The contract with Isar Aerospace enables us to consolidate our spacedrop service by offering more launch opportunities to customers looking for bespoke and competitive access to LEO and GEO orbits," explained Exotrail CEO Jean-Luc Maria.

Road to the launchpad: Spectrum is designed to carry up to 700 kg payloads to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). Isar is currently targeting 2023 for Spectrum’s maiden flight, and at the moment, it’s currently preparing to hot-fire test its Lox + Liquid Propane Aquila engine.

Need a ride? Exotrail is the second startup this year to select Spectrum to carry its space tug into orbit. In June, Italy’s D-Orbit selected the 28-meter rocket to carry its ION space tug to orbit no earlier than 2023.

The multi-launch deal is also not a first for the budding launch powerhouse from Munich . In September, German EO startup OroraTech signed a launch deal with Isar to deliver ten cubesats to SSO. Moreover, many of Isar’s other contracts include options for follow-on opportunities.

Payload's takeaway: With a growing launch manifest and $180M+ in funding to date, Isar looks to be a leading force among the plethora of European launch startups racing towards maiden flights.

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In Other News

• China’s spaceplane released an object into orbit sometime between Oct. 24 and 31, tracking data shows.

• ALMA, the powerful ground observatory in the Chilean Andes, fell victim to a cyberattack on Saturday that knocked its systems offline.

• Germany delayed the launch of its H2Sat telecom satellite to June 2023, citing Covid- and arson-induced delays.

• SpaceX is now building one Raptor engine per day.

• Yesterday, Gen. Chance Saltzman took over as the second chief of space operations. SecDef Lloyd Austin, Elon Musk, and other space execs were in attendance. 

• Biomass, ESA’s forest-measuring satellite, left Airbus facilities in Stevenage and is en route to Toulouse for final tests ahead of launch. 

• Here’s the latest reentry forecast for the Long March 5B, c/o the Aerospace Corporation.

The View from a Lighthouse

Drop whatever you’re doing and watch the video embedded below, if you haven’t already seen it. This will never get old: