Orbex


Orbex is a British aerospace company that is developing a small commercial orbital rocket called Prime. Orbex is headquartered in Forres, Moray, in Scotland and has subsidiaries in Denmark and Germany. Its future launch complex is proposed to be built on the A' Mhòine peninsula in northern Scotland, United Kingdom.

Overview

Orbex was founded in 2015 with the aim at offering commercial launch services of nano- and microsatellites, especially CubeSats into polar and Sun-synchronous low Earth orbits. In July 2018, Orbex secured £30 million in public and private funding for the development of its orbital rocket system, named Prime. Orbex plans to construct a factory for Prime in Scotland that will eventually employ 150 people. Currently, the company is working on the approval of the Sutherland spaceport in northern Scotland, and is developing the Prime vehicle.
The Sutherland spaceport in northern Scotland was initially intended to be shared with Rocket Lab to launch their Electron rocket, but since the two vehicles use different propellants, the two companies would have separate launch pads while sharing some common infrastructure, however, planning for the site includes only one launchpad. The company also plans to launch from a future Portuguese spaceport in the Azores.

Prime

Orbex is currently developing a light launch vehicle called Prime, and its booster is planned to be reusable. The rocket's diameter is, and will use a non-toxic bi-propellant consisting of liquid oxygen and propane. One cited advantage of using propane is that it remains liquid at cryogenic temperatures, which enables a design where a central carbon-fiber tank of propane is surrounded by an outer tank of liquid oxygen, creating a light structural mass. It will be capable of launching payloads up to to a standard 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit.
The maiden flight of Prime is expected for 2021, and it will be for Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Orbex also announced it was chosen by nanosatellite startup Astrocast to launch their communications satellites.