Astraius
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Astraius firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Astraius
- Legal name
- Astraius Ltd.
- Website
- https://astraius.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Astraius industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Space Launch Services
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters (IMABACAE)
Keywords
Where Astraius is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Astraius business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Satellite Launch Services: One-time launch service fees for placing customer satellites into desired orbits. Pricing based on payload weight and target orbit. Revenue generated through direct commercial and government customer contracts for orbital delivery services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom launch services based on payload and orbit requirements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Astraius product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Astraius provides responsive, reliable, and affordable horizontal air launch services for small to mid-sized satellites. It uses an unmodified C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft to carry a multi-stage launch vehicle that is released in flight and inserts customer payloads directly into LEO or SSO, with industry-leading capacity of up to 800 kg to LEO and 470 kg to SSO. The service is operated from bespoke facilities at Prestwick Spaceport in Scotland with planned expansion to US spaceports.
Product overview
Astraius offers a single unified horizontal air launch service for small to mid-sized satellites. The service combines the C-17 Globemaster III carrier aircraft platform with a multi-stage launch vehicle (using Northrop Grumman Orion solid rocket motors for first/second stages and an Exquadrum upper stage), all operated from the company's bespoke Prestwick Spaceport facilities near Glasgow, Scotland. The system delivers payloads up to 800 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 470 kg to Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO), and is characterized by weather independence, rapid turnaround, and schedule flexibility compared to vertical launchers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Horizontal Air Launch Services Responsive, reliable, and affordable horizontal air launch service for small to mid-sized satellites. Uses an unmodified C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft to carry and deploy a rocket-launched vehicle that delivers payloads (up to 800 kg to LEO and 470 kg to SSO) directly into customer-desired orbits, with weather independence and rapid turnaround.
- Prestwick Spaceport Launch Operations Launch and range operations based at Prestwick Spaceport near Glasgow, Scotland, featuring bespoke facilities with two payload processing rooms, two multi-launch vehicle integration areas, and a modern mission/range control centre serving Astraius's UK customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 800 kg to LEO and 470 kg to SSO payload capacity
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Astraius
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Astraius technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Astraius partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, supportive and flagship.
- Spirit AeroSystemscoreCollaboration to enhance future satellite launch capabilities from Prestwick Spaceport. Memorandum of Understanding signed during Scottish Government Minister visit. Spirit AeroSystems brings advanced manufacturing expertise and world-class facilities to support Astraius development. Both companies are located within Prestwick's developing space cluster. Spirit's sites in Scotland and Northern Ireland are well placed to develop skills and technologies for space sector, contributing to design, manufacturing, integration and testing of aerostructures for launch activities.
- Northrop GrummancoreSelected as first and second stage motor supplier for Astraius launch vehicle at Farnborough International Air Show. Northrop Grumman's Orion solid rocket motors boost the launch vehicle after extraction from the unmodified C-17 carrier aircraft. Their long record of flight success and clear enthusiasm for the program provides confidence in the partnership. Announcement received support of UK Space Agency.
- ExquadrumcoreSelected as upper-stage motor supplier for Astraius launch vehicle. Exquadrum provides bespoke upper-stage motor with controllable solid rocket motor technology featuring throttlability and precise termination ability for accurate orbit insertion. The technology is an excellent fit for Astraius's upper stage application, meeting demanding customer orbit insertion requirements.
- UK Space AgencysupportiveGovernment agency providing support and endorsement for Astraius's launch program. Ian Annett, Deputy Chief Executive of UK Space Agency, publicly supported the Northrop Grumman and Exquadrum supplier announcements. UK Space Agency is committed to becoming the leading provider of commercial small satellite launches in Europe by 2030.
- Prestwick Spaceport (Glasgow Prestwick Airport and South Ayrshire Council)flagshipLandmark partnership establishing Prestwick Spaceport as Astraius's primary launch location. Prestwick Spaceport, represented by Glasgow Prestwick Airport and South Ayrshire Council, secured Astraius as launch partner for spaceport development. The partnership aims to enable orbital launch of small satellites from Scotland. Prestwick offers strong transport links, favorable climate for launches, and benefits from £80m Ayrshire Growth Deal funding. The spaceport will provide bespoke facilities including payload processing rooms, vehicle integration areas, and mission/range control centre.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Astraius competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Arianespace: Arianespace operates Vega-C and other European launch vehicles serving institutional and commercial smallsat customers, including from Kourou. It is the incumbent European launch provider whose customers Astraius would compete for under the UK's commercial launch ambitions.
- SpaceX: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rideshare program serves the same smallsat customer base with high cadence and low per-kg cost. While not horizontally launched, SpaceX is the dominant incumbent shaping smallsat launch economics.
Emerging players
- ABL Space Systems: ABL Space Systems is an emerging smallsat launch competitor developing the RS1 rocket, targeting responsive and affordable smallsat access with a focus on defense and commercial customers, comparable to Astraius's target market.
- Orbex: Orbex is a UK-based micro-launch startup developing the Prime rocket for smallsat launches from Sutherland Spaceport. As a fellow UK smallsat launch provider, Orbex directly competes with Astraius for UK sovereign and European customers.
- Skyrora: Skyrora is a UK-based launch startup developing the Skyrora XL smallsat rocket. Like Orbex, it competes for the same UK sovereign smallsat launch customers that Astraius targets, though using a vertical-launch architecture.
- Firefly Aerospace: Firefly Aerospace develops the Alpha and MLV rockets targeting smallsat and responsive launch customers, including US government missions. It is a comparable emerging competitor in the responsive smallsat launch segment.
- Relativity Space: Relativity Space is developing the Terran rocket family (Terran 1, Terran R) targeting small-to-medium payload classes with additive manufacturing. It is an emerging competitor for commercial smallsat launch demand overlapping with Astraius's customer base.
Direct peers
- Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman operates Pegasus, the world's only currently operational air-launched orbital rocket, and is also Astraius's first/second-stage motor supplier (Orion). Pegasus is the closest direct technical and operational analogue to Astraius's horizontal launch system.
- Stratolaunch: Stratolaunch is developing an air-launch-to-orbit capability using a massive carrier aircraft, directly comparable to Astraius's C-17-based horizontal launch architecture. Both companies target responsive smallsat orbital delivery via air-dropped launch vehicles.
- Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab's Electron and upcoming Neutron rockets serve the small-to-mid satellite market that is Astraius's primary target. While vertically launched, Rocket Lab is the dominant dedicated smallsat launch provider and sets the competitive benchmark for price, cadence, and reliability.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Astraius social profiles
Digital presenceAstraius financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Astraius leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Astraius funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Astraius M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Astraius
What does Astraius do?
Astraius provides responsive, reliable, and affordable horizontal air launch services for small to mid-sized satellites. It uses an unmodified C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft to carry a multi-stage launch vehicle that is released in flight and inserts customer payloads directly into LEO or SSO, with industry-leading capacity of up to 800 kg to LEO and 470 kg to SSO. The service is operated from bespoke facilities at Prestwick Spaceport in Scotland with planned expansion to US spaceports.
Is Astraius a public or private company?
Astraius is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Astraius founded?
Astraius was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Astraius based?
Astraius is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Astraius make money?
One revenue line is on record: satellite Launch Services.
Who are Astraius's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Arianespace and SpaceX. Emerging players are ABL Space Systems, Orbex, Skyrora, Firefly Aerospace and Relativity Space. Direct peers are Northrop Grumman, Stratolaunch and Rocket Lab.
Does Astraius have an API?
No public API is recorded for Astraius.
What industry is Astraius in?
Astraius's product category is Space Launch Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAA, Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets, with a secondary code of IMABACAE, Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters. Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.