What Gravitilab does

Gravitilab Aerospace Services Ltd. is a UK-based spacetech company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Kettering, Northamptonshire, with an operational office in Norfolk. The company provides microgravity and space-environment access services for research, testing, and qualification, targeting aerospace, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, materials science and nanomaterials, satellite and spacetech, defense, academic and research institutions, government, and commercial enterprises across 27+ industries. Services are designed to deliver up to 400 seconds of microgravity per campaign at lower cost and shorter lead times than traditional drop towers or orbital testing routes, with end-to-end campaign support or streamlined launch-booking options available via dedicated or rideshare packages distributed globally through the company website.

The company's product portfolio is built around three proprietary hardware platforms. LOUIS (Low Altitude Microgravity and Partial Gravity) is a patent-protected UAS-based drop pod system commercially available since Q4 2023; Phase 1 (2023) delivers up to 5 seconds of microgravity per drop, with Phase 2 (2024) extending this to up to 12 seconds at altitudes of 600–2,000m for payloads under 6kg. EDITH (Extensible Deployable In-flight Test Habitat) is a patent-pending retractable payload bay enabling payloads to experience extended weightlessness in flight before earth recovery, with a standard 16U form factor. ISAAC is a first-iteration suborbital rocket using a hybrid propulsion system that launches ~20kg payloads above 175km, providing 300 seconds of continuous microgravity, emitting 75% less greenhouse gas per launch than comparable vehicles, and is targeted for commercial availability in 2025.

Gravitilab operates a services-led business model combining direct website sales with inside and field sales motions targeting enterprise, government, and academic buyers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company emphasizes significant cost savings versus traditional microgravity testing methods. Disclosed capital consists of a £100,000 investment from the British Design Fund in May 2022, with the company otherwise remaining privately held and founder-controlled under Chair & CFO James Kilpatrick and Managing Director Mark Roberts CBE (former UK Royal Air Force Air Commodore and former UK Space Policy Lead).

Name

Gravitilab

Legal name

Gravitilab Aerospace Services Ltd.

Website

https://gravitilab.space

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gravitilab is a UK spacetech company providing microgravity testing, research, and qualification services via proprietary drone-based drop pods (LOUIS) and a suborbital hybrid rocket (ISAAC), serving aerospace, biotech, materials science, satellite, defense, academic, and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microgravity Testing & Space Access Services

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA), Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) for Space Systems (IMABACAG)

Keywords

• Microgravity testing services
• Suborbital launch services
• Space environment qualification
• Drone drop pod technology
• Hybrid propulsion rockets

Headquarters

HQ city

Coltishall

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Microgravity Testing Services: End-to-end microgravity testing services delivering up to 400 seconds of microgravity with significant cost savings and shorter lead times. Includes dedicated and rideshare launch capabilities.
2. Space Environment Access Services: Access to space and other operating environments for research, testing, and qualification activities. Customers can experience microgravity, space, vibration, temperature change, radiation, and thrust conditions.
3. Launch Services: Dedicated and rideshare launch capabilities with option to transport launch services to customers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gravitilab delivers end-to-end microgravity and space-environment Research, Testing, and Qualification (RTQ) campaigns using its proprietary LOUIS drone drop-pod system, EDITH retractable payload bay, and ISAAC suborbital hybrid rocket. Customers book either dedicated or rideshare launch packages to obtain up to 400 seconds of microgravity with full payload retrieval, shorter lead times, and lower cost than traditional drop towers or orbital testing.

Product overview

Gravitilab is a Spacetech engineering business providing a unified platform of microgravity and space access services. The portfolio consists of three core technology products: LOUIS (a drone-based drop pod system for short-duration microgravity), EDITH (a retractable payload bay for extended weightlessness), and ISAAC (a suborbital rocket with hybrid propulsion for continuous microgravity). The company offers end-to-end testing services including Research, Testing, and Qualification activities across Microgravity, Space, and other operating environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LOUIS Microgravity Testing (Low Altitude Microgravity and Partial Gravity) Patent-protected UAS-based drop pod service that delivers short-duration microgravity and partial-gravity environments at relatively low altitudes. Multiple drops can be conducted each day, offering a more affordable and flexible alternative to drop-tower testing for customers in aerospace, biotech, materials science, and academia. Phase 1 (2023) provides up to 5 seconds per drop; Phase 2 (2024) up to 12 seconds per drop, with payloads under 6kg and altitudes of 600m–2,000m.
• EDITH Extended Weightlessness Testing (Extensible Deployable In-flight Test Habitat) Retractable in-flight payload bay (patent protection sought) that allows customer payloads to experience extended weightlessness within a space-like environment before returning to earth for recovery. The standard unit supports up to 16U payloads with 28V supply voltage, over 20W per payload, and over 50kb/s data download, enabling in-flight experimentation and qualification that is not possible inside a sealed drop pod.
• ISAAC Suborbital Microgravity Testing (Suborbital Rocket Solution) First-iteration suborbital rocket featuring a super-efficient hybrid propulsion system that launches modest payloads (around 20kg) to altitudes above 175km at velocities around 2,000 m/s, creating up to 300 seconds of continuous microgravity before payload recovery. The hybrid fuel system is safer than liquid- or solid-fuelled rockets and emits 75% less greenhouse gas per launch than comparable vehicles.
• End-to-End Microgravity Testing Campaigns Full-service Research, Testing and Qualification (RTQ) campaigns in which Gravitilab manages the entire mission for the customer, delivering up to 400 seconds of microgravity per campaign together with exposure to space, vibration, temperature change, radiation and thrust conditions. The service supports customers seeking to achieve TRL 6 and higher qualification without building internal launch capability.
• Dedicated Launch Services Exclusive-use launch campaign service in which the customer books the entire launch vehicle for their own payload, providing maximum control over mission profile, timing, and payload configuration. Suitable for enterprise customers with larger or higher-priority payloads that require full mission customisation.
• Rideshare Launch Services Shared-mission launch option in which multiple customers split the cost of a single launch, making microgravity access more affordable for smaller payloads, academic groups, and mid-market commercial customers. Designed to democratise access to specialist R&D environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 400 seconds of microgravity per campaign
• +5 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zero Gravity Corporation: Operates parabolic flight campaigns to provide brief microgravity environments for research, testing, and astronaut training. Directly competes with Gravitilab's LOUIS and ISAAC offerings in the commercial microgravity testing market for similar research and tech validation customers.
• Novespace: French subsidiary of CNES operating Airbus A310 ZERO-G parabolic flights for microgravity research and experiments. A leading European provider of microgravity access for academic and commercial research, directly comparable in target market to Gravitilab's offerings.

Emerging players

• Skyrora: UK-based small launch vehicle company developing suborbital and orbital rockets for smallsat deployment. Comparable as a UK-headquartered emerging launch competitor targeting similar commercial and institutional customers for suborbital access services.
• SpacePharma: Israel/Switzerland-based company providing microgravity experiment services for pharmaceutical and biotech research using satellites and ISS platforms. Comparable in targeting the same biotech/pharma microgravity R&D customer base Gravitilab serves.

Regional players

• Reaction Engines: UK-based aerospace propulsion company developing SABRE air-breathing engine technology with strategic partnerships across UK and US space and defence programmes. Comparable as a UK-headquartered advanced aerospace company pursuing space access and propulsion technology.
• Orbex: UK-based small launch vehicle developer building orbital rockets for smallsat deployment from UK spaceports. Comparable as a UK emerging launch services competitor pursuing microgravity and orbital access from the same regulatory and geographic footprint as Gravitilab.
• D-Orbit: Italian in-orbit logistics company providing satellite deployment, hosted payloads, and in-orbit services. Comparable as a European space services company offering payload deployment and related services relevant to Gravitilab's target space-tech customers.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Origin: Large aerospace company operating New Shepard suborbital vehicle for microgravity research and tourism. Overlaps with Gravitilab in suborbital microgravity testing services but at much greater scale, duration, and capital base.

Others

• Payload Space: Industry media and business intelligence platform focused on the space industry, including launch services and microgravity research providers. Listed as adjacent ecosystem participant tracking the same market Gravitilab operates in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gravitilab-aerospace-services

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gravitilab