The joint UK-US start-up Astraius is pioneering an innovative approach to its planned global launch operations which it aims to start from spaceports based in the UK. Astraius will use the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, a tried and tested system capable of launching payloads up to 1000 kg to a variety of low Earth orbit (LEO) inclinations, as an ‘air-launch’ platform. With more than 270 aircraft in service globally, the C-17 is flown by the Royal Air Force, US Air Force and numerous other nations around the globe and has been successfully used by the US government for over 40 horizontal launch missions. At this summer’s Farnborough International Airshow, ROOM Editor-in-Chief Clive Simpson held a joint conversation with three of the company’s leaders, Kevin Seymour (founder and CEO), George Zambellas (Chairman) and Andrew Turner (Chief Strategy Officer).
How is your offering different from what is in the market at the moment, aside from horizontal launch?
Kevin Seymour: We bring a unique set of capabilities to satellite launch. By leveraging a platform with over 270 aircraft globally, we can scale and position in ways vertical launch providers cannot. Fixed-based sites cannot optimise launch points and orbital positioning as efficiently as we can. Additionally, as an agile platform, we minimise weather delays that often impact vertical launch operations.
