POLARIS Spaceplanes

What POLARIS Spaceplanes does

POLARIS Spaceplanes (legal entity POLARIS Raumflugzeuge GmbH) is a German aerospace startup founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bremen, with a second engineering and flight-test site at Peenemünde Airport. The company develops reusable spaceplanes designed for horizontal take-off and landing from standard airport infrastructure, eliminating the need for dedicated launch complexes. Its proprietary core technology is the AS-1 linear aerospike rocket engine, which on October 29, 2024 achieved the world's first in-flight ignition of an aerospike rocket engine on the MIRA II demonstrator — a category-defining milestone after 49 hot-fire tests and 250 test flights across 7 scaled demonstrators.

The product portfolio comprises the AURORA light spaceplane (a two-stage launch vehicle for small and medium satellites with up to 1,000 kg payload to LEO), the VEGA hypersonic research and transport platform, a future heavy spaceplane, tanker/aerial-refueling configurations, and a tactical aircraft variant. POLARIS also secured a major contract from the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment (BAAINBw) for the Hypersonic Test and Experimentation Vehicle (HYTEV), a two-stage reusable hypersonic research platform with first flight targeted for end of 2027 — reportedly the first contract of its kind in Europe (and possibly worldwide) for a fully reusable hypersonic system.

The business model combines government defense contracting (HYTEV as a milestone-based design-build-test program with BAAINBw), planned small-satellite launch services via AURORA on a transactional fee basis, and prospective hypersonic testbed services for research institutions. The go-to-market is sales-led, primarily through direct engagement with government defense agencies and DLR cooperation on airspace integration. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company has raised approximately €20 million in private funding across 2024–2025, including a lead investment from Dienes Holding and oversubscribed rounds in mid-2025, supporting a team of 105 as of June 2026.

Name

POLARIS Spaceplanes

Legal name

POLARIS Raumflugzeuge GmbH

Website

https://polaris-spaceplanes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

POLARIS Spaceplanes is a German aerospace startup developing reusable, airport-based spaceplanes powered by proprietary linear aerospike rocket engines, serving defense agencies (notably the German BAAINBw via the HYTEV hypersonic test vehicle) and, prospectively, satellite operators and research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Defense Contracts: Revenue from government contracts for design, manufacturing, and flight-testing of hypersonic research vehicles for defense organizations such as the German BAAINBw. The HYTEV contract represents a significant government award for reusable hypersonic system development.
2. Satellite Launch Services: Revenue from providing small and medium satellite launch services using the AURORA light spaceplane launch system. Upper stage capable of carrying payloads up to 1,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit.
3. Hypersonic Testbed Services: Providing hypersonic testbed capabilities for defense research and scientific applications. The HYTEV platform designed to serve defense organizations and research institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

POLARIS Spaceplanes designs, develops, and manufactures reusable spaceplanes and hypersonic vehicles powered by proprietary linear aerospike rocket engines combined with turbofan propulsion. The company's products enable horizontal takeoff and landing from standard airports, eliminating the need for complex launch infrastructure. Its portfolio includes small satellite launch vehicles (Aurora), hypersonic research platforms (VEGA), tactical aircraft, aerial refueling systems, and government-contracted hypersonic test vehicles (HYTEV).

Product overview

POLARIS Spaceplanes offers a portfolio of reusable spaceplane products designed for horizontal take-off and landing from airports. The core product line includes the Light Spaceplane Aurora (two-stage launch vehicle for small and medium satellites), Hypersonic Platform VEGA, Future Heavy Spaceplane, Tanker & Aerial Refueling Systems, and Tactical Aircraft. Supporting these products are Demonstrators (scaled test vehicles including MIRA I and MIRA II) and proprietary Aerospike Engines (including the AS-1 linear aerospike rocket engine). The company also secured a contract for HYTEV, a two-stage reusable hypersonic test vehicle combining turbofan and rocket propulsion. All products operate from conventional airports without complex launch infrastructure and are designed for reusability across hundreds of missions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aurora: Light Spaceplane - high performance two-stage launch vehicle for small and medium satellites
• VEGA
• MIRA II
• HYTEV

Products and services

• Light Spaceplane Aurora

Quantifiable outcome

• 7 scaled demonstrators built and flown, 250 test flights conducted, 49 linear aerospike hot-fire tests completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DLR (German Aerospace Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2024DLR and POLARIS signed a cooperation agreement to explore integrating spaceplanes in commercial airspace. The partnership focuses on regulatory and technical requirements for reusable spaceplane operations alongside conventional air traffic.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab operates small-lift launch services (Electron, Neutron) for small and medium satellites, directly comparable to POLARIS's Aurora light spaceplane launch offering targeting similar smallsat customers.
• Dawn Aerospace: Dawn Aerospace develops reusable spaceplanes (Mk-II Aurora, B-20) with horizontal takeoff and runway landing for satellite launch, sharing POLARIS's reusable-spaceplane-from-airports thesis and propulsion focus.
• Hermeus: Hermeus is developing a hypersonic aircraft (Quarterhorse/Halfhorse) for defense and commercial applications, directly overlapping with POLARIS's VEGA hypersonic platform and HYTEV testbed for defense customers.
• Stratolaunch: Stratolaunch develops air-launch-to-space systems and hypersonic testbeds (Talon-A), sharing POLARIS's focus on reusable hypersonic test platforms for defense customers and horizontal launch architectures.

Emerging players

• Reaction Engines: Reaction Engines develops the SABRE combined-cycle air-breathing/rocket engine for hypersonic and reusable spaceplane applications, directly comparable to POLARIS's proprietary linear aerospike and turbofan-rocket propulsion architecture.

Regional players

• Isar Aerospace: Isar Aerospace is a German small-launch vehicle developer (Spectrum) targeting similar European smallsat customers as POLARIS's Aurora, though using vertical-launch rather than reusable spaceplane architecture.
• Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA): RFA is a German vertically-integrated small-launch provider developing the Helix vehicle, competing for the same European smallsat launch customers as POLARIS's Aurora light spaceplane.
• HyImpulse: HyImpulse is a German/Australian hybrid-propulsion small-launch startup developing the SL1 vehicle, a regional peer competing in the same European smallsat launch market as POLARIS.

Broad incumbents

• SpaceX: SpaceX dominates the global small, medium, and heavy launch market with reusable Falcon 9 and Starship vehicles, setting the price benchmark POLARIS must beat for Aurora to win commercial smallsat business.
• Sierra Space: Sierra Space is developing the Dream Chaser reusable lifting-body spaceplane for cargo and crew missions, representing a broader incumbent in the commercial reusable spaceplane category POLARIS competes within.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polaris-spaceplanes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 POLARIS Spaceplanes