Exos Aerospace has officially opened an office in Adelaide Australia on December 5th — the Adelaide office setup is an enabling step to developing a second National Charter Enterprise, this time in South Australia.
A launch of the Exos Aerospace SARGE rocket.
Image is courtesy of the company.
Exos Aerospace developed the Exos National Charter Enterprise program with PricewaterhouseCoopers and INVITALIA as a way to bring reusable space hardware technologies to the world through a high-tech apprenticeship program. Exos Aerospace has targeted four National Charter Enterprise locations to mitigate risk as their transition from the SARGE (SRLV) Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle program to their Jaguar LEO launcher.
The Australia National Charter Enterprise is key to bringing reusability to the launcher business and is enabled by the strong technical training environment in Southern Australia. Exos Aerospace AU targeted LOT 14 to be the training center with mission support at Equatorial Launch Australia (for vertical launch) and the planned South Australia Spaceport for horizontal launch capability. Exos Aerospace AU and Fenix Space, Inc. intend to serve both commercial and government customers to refine the world of horizontal launch capability.
Shortly, Exos Aerospace AU will apply for a grant to support opening a training facility to supply Australians with technical, operational training for building and operating liquid-fueled rocket technologies. While primarily focused on providing additional skilled workers to the Australian aerospace industry, the machining skill sets taught for aerospace will cut across many industrial sectors.
In the first year, Exos Aerospace aims to train 24 people and commence growth with a year five target to train 200 high-tech workers per year. Educational growth will all be made possible by working with universities and educational facilities. The training will directly support ELA’s weekly launch initiatives and, naturally, make space research an integral part of core curriculums. The company envisions students seeing their training through to a hands-on launch experience through a proposed launch services agreement with ELA.
Fenix Space, Inc., is an offshoot of Kelly Space & Technology, Inc., a privately-held aerospace, defense, technology, and testing services company. Fenix is co-located with Kelly Space at its Aerospace Research and Development Center at the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, California. Fenix Space’s training model, coupled with the Exos Aerospace rocket training experience, will blend together a “space twist” hands-on technical training. Fenix Space, Inc. will also support advancing airborne launches using a tow plane and autonomous glider as a way to increase the rocket’s capability and launch flexibility.
Government policymakers don’t always know how to integrate commercially available capabilities, but they have brilliantly set the stage for us at LOT14, said John Quinn, the COO of Exos Aerospace. Exos Aerospace AU has commenced the ITAR work to bring a proven technical training center (partnered with Fenix Space) that will leverage Australia’s highly technical industrial base, Quinn said, adding that the company wants Australia to see how a small company can join with select Nations to “Charter” their way around the world, relying on key core strengths of the strategically selected Nations to bring us all together in the name of Space.