Exotrail

spacevan™️-001: 1000 days in orbit! Today marks a special milestone for all of us at Exotrail, as we celebrate 1000 days in orbit for our first servicing vehicle spacevan™️-001 and hence becoming a space operator! Since its launch on November 11, 2023, spacevan™️-001 has been successfully operating in orbit, with every core subsystem remaining fully operational (from power, to attitude determination & control, with GNSS and payload controller). It has delivered an 8U cubesat and testing a payload for the VEOWARE SPACE team, successfully validating both our spacedrop and spacehost offers on the first mission. On board, it also carries the first Exotrail’s spaceware™️- micro cluster² to fly in space. Its main propulsion line has now been operating for more than two years, and have demonstrated 100 km of orbital change and 1 year of station keeping around 400 km of altitude, accumulating more than 9 kN.s and 1500 ON/OFF cycles. These 1000 days are marked by the dedication of our engineering and operations teams, whose expertise has enabled spacevan™️-001 to continue operating day after day in orbit, a small prowess for a satellite we were planning on operating for a just a year at first and that has proven reliable enough to operate for almost 3 years. All that expertise is now being used to successfully operate spacevan™-002 and prepare for the operations of spacevan™-003, spacevan™-GEO1 and spacevan™-GEO2! A testament of our dedication to build the future of space logistics.

Welcome to Inside Electric Propulsion! If you've ever wondered how electric propulsion helps spacecraft move, manoeuvre and unlock new orbital possibilities, you're in the right place. Through 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 our new article series, we'll take you inside the concepts, technologies and applications behind electric propulsion, one topic at a time. From the fundamentals to today's key challenges, each article is designed to help you better understand this fast-evolving field and its role in advancing in-space mobility. Let's kick things off with Part 1: What are the different applications of space propulsion? Follow the link in the comments to read the full article and let us know what stood out to you!

Thank you to the French General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) Nicolas Roche for visiting Exotrail's headquarters in Massy. A great opportunity to showcase our industrial capabilities, visit our production facilities, and exchange on the critical technologies that will help shape the next generation of resilient orbital infrastructure. As space becomes an increasingly strategic domain, strengthening Europe's industrial base and advancing sovereign mobility capabilities in orbit are more important than ever.

Summer slows things down. It's often when the right questions start surfacing. And if one of them is about your career, what if this were the perfect time to give it new momentum? At Exotrail, we build the propulsion and mobility solutions powering the satellites of tomorrow. And to keep growing, we're looking to strengthen several teams: -GNC architect -Head of engineering -Customer project manager -PMO -GNC Team Lead If you want to start a new chapter this summer, join us! Find all our open positions in the comment section.

How well do you know spaceware™? From years of space heritage to global market adoption, the numbers tell the story. Behind these figures is Exotrail's commitment to delivering reliable electric propulsion systems, mission after mission. Explore the latest key figures behind our spaceware™ range and discover why satellite manufacturers and operators around the world trust Exotrail as their propulsion systems provider.

🚀 The Ariane family visited Exotrail in Massy   Last Friday, we were delighted to welcome an Ariane delegation to our headquarters in Massy, led by Christophe Bruneau, CEO of ArianeGroup, and David Cavaillolès, CEO of ARIANESPACE.   As Europe accelerates its efforts to strengthen sovereign access to space, close cooperation across the entire value chain has never been more important. Launch systems, in-orbit mobility and space logistics are complementary capabilities that, together, enable a more resilient, autonomous and sustainable space infrastructure.   At Exotrail, we are proud to contribute to this shared ambition by developing both high-performance electric propulsion systems and in-orbit services through our spacevan™ platform.   A big thank you to the ArianeGroup and ARIANESPACE teams for the inspiring discussions and shared vision for the future of the European space ecosystem.

Another successful edition of ★ Les Assises du NewSpace ★ , and Exotrail was thrilled to sponsor such a conversation on the future of the European space sector - be it in panels or on a “bateau mouche” ! After an evening cocktail on the Seine, yesterday Julie Grasset , our Chief People Officer, joined the panel "From campus to orbit: training talent for the French NewSpace sector." At Exotrail, training is treated as a strategic lever for scaling the business, with skills development plans co-built with managers and aligned with business strategy. She also addressed what the company looks for in new hires: technical skills as a baseline, but adaptability and alignment with a scale-up environment as the real differentiators. Jean-Luc Maria, our CEO, elaborated on "After SpaceX Transporter: who will launch Europe's Newspace?". Greater autonomy in launch capacity is needed and will arise from a true European answer. Exotrail believes it is an the chance to turn this situation in an opportunity to work together, with Europeans and partnered countries. From building the talents pipeline needed for growth, to strengthening Europe’s space capabilities, we are all hands on deck!

Yesterday, 6 of our propulsion systems lifted off aboard SpaceX's Transporter-17, our highest number yet on a single launcher. There are now 28 satellites equipped with our propulsion systems in space. These last 6 systems are now on orbit, ready to support missions for 3 customers across Europe and the United States. This mission reflects a broader trend we're proud to be part of: more satellites, more operators, and more missions relying on flight-proven propulsion to reach, maintain their orbits and safely operate. Thank you to our customers for their trust, and to every team member who made this milestone possible.

After a couple of months in orbit, spacevan-002 continues to progress through its key mission milestones, all achieved nominally and in line with expectations. The Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) has been successfully completed, covering the full sequence of spacecraft activation, early orbit stabilization, and establishment of full operational control in space, ensuring a safe transition of the vehicle into its mission configuration. Since then, the mission has continued with the successful ignition of the spaceware propulsion lines, confirming full maneuverability and thrust capability in orbit, as well as the successful drop and delivery of multiple payloads as part of the early mission execution. With spacevan-002 in excellent health and all key milestones achieved, the spacecraft is now fully operational and ready to continue its mission. Keep following the spacevan journey as more milestones and updates are on the way 😉

Exotrail is pleased to announce a new partnership with CYSEC to enhance cybersecurity on its spacevan GEO.   In Exotrail HQ in Massy, Patrick Trinkler, CEO of CYSEC, and Jean-Luc Maria, CEO of Exotrail, signed a contract to integrate its ARCA SATLINK encryption software solution on spacevan GEO, to secure satellite communications with CCSDS-based security at both ends of the satellite link.   By integrating CYSEC’s space cybersecurity expertise, Exotrail further strengthens the security-by-design approach of its future GEO in-orbit services. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to trusted, sovereign and operationally resilient European space capabilities. Together, Exotrail and CYSEC are contributing to the development of secure in-orbit services for the next generation of space missions.