POLARIS Spaceplanes Prepares for Key In-Flight Refuelling MilestoneGermany’s POLARIS Spaceplanes is preparing to attempt a key milestone in its development of in-flight refuelling capabilities for its AURORA multipurpose spaceplane and hypersonic transport system.AURORA is an uncrewed platform designed for hypersonic flight testing and, with the addition of an expendable upper stage, capable of deploying satellites into orbit. During the take-off and landing phases, the vehicle will be powered by four turbofan engines. When conducting hypersonic testing or launching payloads into orbit, AURORA’s two aerospike engines will be fired. POLARIS is currently planning to begin operational flights of AURORA in 2028.In early 2024, POLARIS Spaceplanes announced that Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) had backed the development of an in-flight refuelling capability. This capability would extend AURORA’s operational range and boost its maximum payload capacity.By May 2024, the company announced that it had received approval from the country’s Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport to begin a seven-month flight testing campaign over the Baltic Sea. This testing included two small demonstrators, ALEDA and Mini MIRA II, developed as progressively larger testbeds for key technologies required by AURORA.To date, testing has included dozens of automated close-proximity formation flights. According to a 29 April update, POLARIS is now preparing for its first docking experiments, which the company says will begin “soon.”The primary aim of the experimentation is to develop the technology that will enable the refuelling of AURORA’s kerosene tank. However, in its original announcement, the company revealed that it would, as a subtask, explore the possibility of future refuelling with liquid oxygen.
POLARIS SECURES AN OVERSUBSCRIBED 5.3 MILLION EUROS TOP-UP FUNDING We are pleased to announce that POLARIS has secured an oversubscribed 5.3 million Euros top-up funding on its recent seed round, bringing three new investors on board. The round is co-led by Capnamic Ventures Bremen and Spacewalk VC, complemented by private investor Guiseppe Nardi. Three existing investors made a significant contribution to the round as well, including Dienes Holding and E2MC (Earth-to-Mars Capital) Ventures.POLARIS’ private funding now totals 12.4 million Euros, which is complemented by customer contracts of so far more than 10 million Euros.The new funding will be used to field our first serial product, to pre-fund upcoming new customer contracts, and to prepare for a large funding round in the coming months.POLARIS is pioneering a new category of reusable spaceplanes that take off and land horizontally from airports, offering faster turnaround, lower costs, and minimal ground infrastructure compared to traditional vertical-launch systems. The increasing importance of economic viability and sustainability, but also national sovereignty, make horizontal take-off spaceplanes the solution of the future for access to space and hypersonic flight. We are proud of our new and existing investors’ trust in our project and our company!A special big THANK YOU goes to the whole POLARIS team for making all our successes possible!
