Airbus DS Houston

What Airbus DS Houston does

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. is a U.S.-incorporated subsidiary of Airbus, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, operating across four product segments: Space Systems, Air Power, Helicopters, and Unmanned Aerial Systems. Note that the firmographic record labels the subject as "Airbus DS Houston" (1-10 employees, Webster, TX, founded 1973) — this contradicts the substantive source material, which uniformly describes the broader Airbus U.S. Space & Defense subsidiary.

The flagship commercial offering is the Bartolomeo platform, an external payload hosting facility on the International Space Station (ISS) developed in collaboration with ESA and NASA. Bartolomeo accommodates payloads from 1U up to 1 cubic meter (up to 450 kg including Flight Support Equipment), with standard power configurations from 180W to 800W and redundant heater power up to 100W. It claims the highest data downlink rates available on the ISS and the only platform offering unobstructed Nadir, Zenith, and Limb viewing angles simultaneously for Earth and deep space science. The ArgUS Multi-Payload Adapter extends the platform to host up to five smaller payloads (from 3U volume) within a single shared slot.

Revenue derives from payload hosting slot sales bundled with an all-in-one mission service covering pre-flight payload preparation, launch and installation coordination, on-orbit operations and data transfer management, and optional post-mission payload return. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts; not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting institutional research organizations (government space agencies, research institutions) and private/commercial organizations, supported by a corporate website with technical product pages, downloadable brochures, a multi-episode video content series, and direct inquiry forms. Beyond Bartolomeo, the company offers LEO constellations, small satellite manufacturing, ARROW150/ARROW450 satellite platforms, GEOINT, space exploration services, A400M/C295/C212 military transports and MRO, UH-72A/B Lakota and MH-65 Dolphin helicopters, MH-125/AH-125 military helicopter variants, and UAS including Zephyr and Flexrotor.

Name

Airbus DS Houston

Legal name

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc.

Website

https://airbusdshouston.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of Airbus operating across space systems (Bartolomeo ISS payload hosting, satellites, GEOINT), military air power, helicopters, and unmanned aerial systems for government and commercial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

ISS Payload Hosting Services

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI), Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services) (HDAIAJAI)

Keywords

• ISS payload hosting
• External payload platform
• Space mission services
• Satellite platform solutions
• Geospatial intelligence services

Headquarters

HQ city

Webster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payload Hosting Services: Providing external payload hosting on the Bartolomeo platform aboard the ISS, enabling organizations to deploy scientific experiments in space without developing their own space systems.
2. Mission Services: Comprehensive mission lifecycle services including pre-flight preparation, launch coordination, on-orbit operations, and optional post-mission return. These professional services complement the hardware hosting offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Airbus DS Houston operates the Bartolomeo external payload hosting platform on the International Space Station (ISS), developed in collaboration with ESA and NASA. The platform accommodates payloads from 1U up to 1 cubic meter (up to 450 kg) with flexible power options (180W to 800W) and the ArgUS multi-payload adapter, and is delivered with an all-in-one mission service covering pre-flight preparation, launch coordination, on-orbit operations, data transfer, and optional post-mission payload return for institutional and commercial research customers.

Product overview

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. offers a diversified portfolio of aerospace and defense products organized across four main segments: Space Systems (including Bartolomeo ISS payload platform, small satellite manufacturing, LEO constellations, ARROW satellites, space exploration, and GEOINT), Air Power (A400M, C295, C212 military transports and MRO services), Helicopters (UH-72A/B Lakota, MQ-72C, MH-125, AH-125, MH-65 Dolphin variants), and Unmanned Aerial Systems (Flexrotor, Zephyr). The flagship space product, Bartolomeo, provides external payload hosting on the ISS with the ArgUS Multi-Payload Adapter enabling multi-payload missions. The company operates under a platform-plus-modules architecture with the Bartolomeo All-in-One Mission Service encompassing pre-flight preparation, launch coordination, on-orbit operations, and optional payload return.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bartolomeo: External payload hosting platform on the International Space Station (ISS) providing scientific observation and research capabilities.
• ARROW450
• ARROW150
• ArgUS Multi-Payload Adapter

Products and services

• Bartolomeo External payload hosting platform on the International Space Station that enables institutional and commercial organizations to deploy scientific experiments and observation payloads without developing their own space systems. Provides the highest data downlink rates on the ISS and unobstructed Nadir, Zenith, and Limb viewing geometry.
• ArgUS Multi-Payload Adapter Multi-payload adapter mounted in a standard Bartolomeo position that accommodates smaller, resource-efficient payloads starting from 3U volume within a shared slot, enabling up to five payloads to be hosted in a single mission.
• LEO Constellations Low Earth Orbit constellation services and solutions for satellite communications and Earth observation applications.
• Small Satellite Manufacturing Small satellite manufacturing capabilities offered as part of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's space systems portfolio.
• ARROW450 Satellite platform offering referenced within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's space systems portfolio.
• ARROW150 Satellite platform offering referenced within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's space systems portfolio.
• Space Exploration Space exploration services and solutions offered as part of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's portfolio.
• GEOINT Geospatial intelligence products and services offered as part of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's space systems portfolio.
• A400M Military transport aircraft offered within the Air Power segment of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense.
• C295 Military transport aircraft offered within the Air Power segment of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense.
• C212 Military transport aircraft offered within the Air Power segment of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense.
• MRO Maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for military transport aircraft within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's Air Power segment.
• UH-72A Lakota Light utility helicopter for military operations, offered within the Helicopters segment of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense.
• UH-72B Lakota Light utility helicopter variant for military operations, offered within the Helicopters segment of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense.
• MQ-72C Lakota Connector Unmanned aerial system based on the Lakota platform, offered within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's Helicopters segment.
• Flight School Next Advanced flight training solutions offered within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's Helicopters segment.
• MH-125 Military helicopter variant offered within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's Helicopters segment.
• AH-125 Military helicopter variant offered within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's Helicopters segment.
• MH-65 Dolphin Medium utility helicopter for coast guard and military operations, offered within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's Helicopters segment.
• Flexrotor Unmanned aerial system for defense applications offered within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's UAS segment.
• Zephyr High-altitude unmanned aerial system (UAS) for persistent surveillance, offered within Airbus U.S. Space & Defense's UAS segment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significantly reduces cost and time required to deploy a payload in space compared to developing independent space systems
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA collaborated with Airbus in the design and development of the Bartolomeo platform. The European Space Agency is a key strategic partner in this external payload hosting capability for the International Space Station.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA collaborated with Airbus and ESA in the development of the Bartolomeo platform for the International Space Station. NASA provides the ISS infrastructure and launch vehicle integration for the Bartolomeo platform operations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NanoRacks (Voyager Space): NanoRacks, now part of Voyager Space, is the most direct peer — it provides commercial payload hosting and utilization services on the ISS (and is developing the Starlab commercial station). Both companies sell external/internal payload slots on ISS to institutional and commercial customers with similar value propositions around simplifying access to microgravity.
• Axiom Space: Axiom Space operates ISS payload hosting and commercial astronaut missions, with a stated plan to detach its modules into a free-flying commercial space station. Directly competes with Bartolomeo for institutional and commercial hosted-payload customers on the ISS today.

Broad incumbents

• Northrop Grumman (Space Systems / ISS): Northrop Grumman provides ISS logistics, Cygnus cargo missions, and is developing a commercial LEO destination. Comparable as a large incumbent offering payload access and station infrastructure services to NASA and institutional customers.
• Lockheed Martin Space: Lockheed Martin Space manufactures satellites, provides space systems engineering, and supports NASA and DoD space programs. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating across space payload manufacturing and ISS-adjacent mission services.
• Ball Aerospace: Ball Aerospace designs and manufactures spacecraft, instruments, and payload subsystems for NASA and DoD customers, including Earth observation and science instruments that are the type of payloads hosted on platforms like Bartolomeo.
• MDA Space: MDA Space builds satellite subsystems, robotics (including Canadarm for ISS), and provides commercial space mission services. Comparable as an established space systems and payload infrastructure provider serving institutional and commercial customers.

Emerging players

• Sierra Space: Sierra Space is developing the Orbital Reef commercial space station in partnership with Blue Origin and is building the Dream Chaser spaceplane. Overlaps with Bartolomeo on the future commercial LEO destination and payload hosting market.
• Vast: Vast is developing the Haven-1 commercial space station targeted at microgravity research and payload hosting. Represents an emerging competitor to Bartolomeo for hosted-payload and microgravity experiment customers, particularly commercial R&D buyers.
• Redwire Space: Redwire provides space hardware including deployable structures, in-space manufacturing, and is a competitor in the ISS external payload hosting and space infrastructure market with offerings like the ROSA solar arrays and various payload platforms.
• Voyager Space Holdings: Voyager Space (parent of NanoRacks and part of the Starlab consortium) is developing commercial space stations and payload hosting services. Directly comparable as a competing commercial destination/hosting platform targeting institutional and commercial customers.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/airbusdshouston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airbus-ds-space-systems-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Airbus DS Houston