Modern satellites feature advanced engineering achievements that provide us with communication, monitoring, or military capabilities. But their life cycle often ends tragically: they burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere or are sent to an orbital graveyard, where they remain forever. Lux Aeterna, a startup based in Denver, Colorado, has announced an ambitious plan to change this situation by creating the Delphi reusable satellite, which is scheduled to launch in 2027.
Reusable future
If the project is successful, it will significantly reduce the cost of delivering payloads into space and provide unprecedented flexibility. Today, satellites designed for long-term operation cannot be upgraded or returned. Delphi should be the first step toward true reusability. This prospect has already attracted the attention of the US Department of Defense, for which low Earth orbit has become strategically important.
The idea has proven to be so compelling that Lux Aeterna has already raised $4 million in pre-funding. The investors were Space Capital, Dynamo Ventures, and Mission One Capital. Founder and CEO Brian Taylor said that inspiration came while watching the launch of Starship from SpaceX, his former employer.
Ultra-strong heat shield
The emergence of super-heavy launch vehicles, such as SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s New Glenn, opens up new possibilities. Their huge cargo compartments allow satellites with powerful protection systems to be accommodated without sacrificing payload due to weight or cost. This is a key point for creating a device capable of repeatedly withstanding incredible loads and temperatures when entering the atmosphere.
Lux Aeterna’s solution was a reliable conical heat shield for Delphi, similar to those that protected NASA’s iconic spacecraft. The startup is keeping the details of the satellite assembly mechanism for placement under the shield and the process of its restoration between flights confidential for now.
“We studied NASA’s experience, especially its sample return missions. This helped us justify our architecture. When you’re doing something as ambitious as this, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel,” Taylor explained.
Space age is just beginning
Taylor’s extensive experience (working on Starlink at SpaceX, the Kuiper project at Amazon, and at Loft Orbital) gives good reason to trust the team. The plan calls for launching Delphi on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2027, completing an orbital flight, and returning safely to Earth. The next step will be re-launching to confirm reusability. Next, Lux Aeterna will work on a larger-scale production version.
Despite decades of progress, Taylor believes that the space industry is still very young compared to computer chips or cars. Reusable satellites, in his opinion, will be the key to its maturity and will open the way to incredible opportunities for the future space economy.
We previously reported on how China was exploring the possibility of creating a fully reusable super-heavy rocket.
According to spacenews.com
