European companies to fly commercial microgravity mission in 2026

WASHINGTON — Two European companies will cooperate on a mission launching next year to demonstrate microgravity research and manufacturing capabilities.

Atmos Space Cargo and Space Cargo Unlimited announced Nov. 12 that they signed an agreement for a mission scheduled to launch next year on a SpaceX rideshare mission.

Space Cargo Unlimited will provide BentoBox, its microgravity research platform, that will fly inside Atmos Space Cargo’s Phoenix 2 spacecraft. That spacecraft will spend several weeks in orbit before returning BentoBox to Earth using its reentry vehicle. The vehicle will be recovered near the Azores.

The companies said the flight is the first in a series of seven to demonstrate the potential of microgravity research and manufacturing independent of the International Space Station. The companies announced in December 2024 their intent to work together on those missions.

“This first mission showcases not just our hardware, but our business model,” Nicolas Gaume, chief executive of Space Cargo Unlimited, said in a statement. He said his found was getting “strong commercial traction” for the mission with much of the payload space already allocated, but did not identify any specific users.

“This flight will raise technology readiness levels (TRLs) for our customers, validate their models and demonstrate the potential of space as a factory for Earth,” he stated.

“The combination of BentoBox’s autonomous payload operations with Phoenix 2’s reusable orbital free-flyer and cutting-edge re-entry technology creates a complete end-to-end service that sets new benchmarks for space logistics,” said Sebastian Klaus, chief executive of Atmos Space Cargo.

Luxembourg-based Space Cargo Unlimited said in September it raised 27.5 million euros ($31.8 million) in a Series A round to support its space manufacturing plans. The round was led by Expansion Ventures with participation from several others, including the European Investment Bank and Luxembourg Future Fund II.

Atmos Space Cargo, with offices in France and Germany, flew its first Phoenix mission on a SpaceX rideshare launch in April. That was primarily a technology demonstration mission to test the performance of the vehicle’s inflatable decelerator. A change in flight paths for the mission imposed by SpaceX just weeks before launch limited the ability of Atmos to collect data from the reentry, but the company considered it at least partly successful.

Atmos received 13.1 million euros from the European Innovation Council Accelerator program in February to help fund development of Phoenix 2.

The companies did not discuss a schedule for the other six missions in their partnership. When the companies first announced the partnership last December, Gaume said the missions would fly through 2027.