• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • News
  • Featured
  • More News ⌄
    • SatNews
    • SatMagazine
    • MilSatMagazine
  • Events ⌄
    • MilSat Symposium
    • SmallSat Symposium
    • Satellite Innovation
  • Contacts
  • SUBSCRIPTION

SmallSat News

You are here: Home / News / French institutions award Exotrail in-orbit logistics missions worth several million euros

French institutions award Exotrail in-orbit logistics missions worth several million euros

October 12, 2022 by editorial

Exotrail’s in-orbit transport service spacedrop™, has been selected via a competitive tender process to perform the first orbital logistics missions ordered by French institutions.

In a contract worth several million euros, Exotrail is the in-orbit logistics operator the French institutions have selected to ensure a capacity for satellites transfer into low Earth orbit (LEO).

In 2021, the French government announced a national investment and stimulus package (France 2030), which included 1 billion euros to support emerging French space companies. As part of this package, Exotrail and the French government Space Agency (CNES) will ink a two-mission contract.

The first mission, scheduled for 2024, will see Exotrail’s spacevan™ vehicle demonstrate its ability to change satellite altitude and plan in combined maneuvers — a game changer for small satellite constellation deployment. In a second mission scheduled for 2025, the company will transport a microsatellite from the launcher’s delivery point to its final orbit.

This landmark contract is another meaningful step towards establishing Exotrail as a worldwide space logistics leader and creates significant opportunities for commercial and institutional space transportation companies to leverage the remaining capacity of these missions.

Exotrail’s spacedrop™ service gives satellite operators the flexibility they need to get their satellites to their operational orbits. Exotrail offers an integrated service by procuring access to space, integrating the platform with customers satellites onboard and performing required operations in orbit. The spacedrop™ service will be inaugurated in October 2023 and the missions performed in the context of France 2030 will benefit from an upgraded version of the vehicle; notably an improved propulsion system and a platform offering a greater payload capacity.

This contract emphasizes the benefits of a holistic vision of space mobility. Exotrail’s spacedrop™ vehicle will be powered by Exotrail’s space proven high-thrust, flexible propulsion systems spaceware™ electric thrusters and orbital operations will be completed using its proprietary software solution, spacetower™. Exotrail’s expertise in these two critical components gives its spacedrop™ service a clear edge on its competitors.

Jean-Luc Maria, Exotrail’s CEO stated, “We are honored to have been selected as part of the ambitious France 2030 plan, aimed at building next space leaders. This contract rewards Exotrail’s hardworking teams and the space logistics vision the company has pursued since its very foundation. It’s a crystal-clear message to our customers: spacedrop™ is the go-to service for operators looking for a high-capacity, flexible and competitive transfer solution in low, medium, geostationary orbits, and farther.”

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Archives

  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019

© 2019–2025 SatNews

x
Sign Up Now!

Enjoy a free weekly newsletter with recent headlines from the global SmallSat industry.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing! You will now receive weekly SmallSat News updates.
We love our advertisers.
And you will too!

Please disable Ad Blocker to continue... We promise to keep it unobtrusive.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.