NewOrbit books 2028 launch for air-breathing VLEO satellite

(SpaceEnergy) British spacecraft company NewOrbit has secured a third-quarter 2028 launch slot for NEO-1, its first commercial satellite using the AURA air-breathing electric propulsion system.

The launch has been arranged through European launch broker RIDE!, with NEO-1 planned to operate between 200km and 300km altitude. NewOrbit said Japanese optics company Genesia is the first publicly identified payload partner, alongside two undisclosed customers.

NEO-1 is designed to counter atmospheric drag in very low Earth orbit using NewOrbit’s AURA air-breathing ion engine, which ingests atmospheric particles, ionises them and accelerates them to generate thrust rather than relying solely on stored propellant.

NewOrbit said on 1 September that it had manufactured six EM2 engineering models of its latest electric thruster configuration. The units are entering thermal-vacuum, vibration, plasma-diagnostics and endurance testing, with qualification targeted for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2027.

Following successful qualification, remaining EM2 units are intended to become flight models for integration with NewOrbit’s satellite.