Huntsville-based Aurex is partnering with a Florida space company to expand offshore launch capabilities, offering military, government and commercial customers new options for launching missions from the sea.
The company announced Monday its new LaunchReady service and a strategic partnership with Seagate Space, combining Aurex’s mission engineering and technical support with mobile offshore launch platforms.
The partnership aims to expand access to space by moving launch operations beyond traditional land-based spaceports, which can face geographic restrictions and scheduling limitations.
Seagate Space’s mobile Gateway platforms are designed to support orbital and suborbital launches, as well as hypersonic testing, from offshore locations.
The approach could provide additional options for national defense missions, missile defense testing and commercial space operations.
“Our customers need capabilities that work together to move their missions forward,” said Warren Kohm, CEO of Aurex. “LaunchReady puts the depth of our experience behind a coordinated team that can carry a customer’s requirements from early planning into mission execution.”
Kohm said the partnership will allow the companies to apply that approach to offshore launches while building support for future missions.
Taking launch operations offshore
Seagate Space’s mobile launch platforms are designed to overcome the geographic and scheduling limitations of traditional spaceports, allowing greater flexibility for defense, government and commercial missions.
The partnership will initially focus on missile defense and hypersonic testing, responsive space access and recurring offshore launches for multiple customers.
“We started Seagate Space to fundamentally rethink how the world accesses space. That means building the infrastructure to take launch operations beyond the limitations of traditional spaceports and out to sea,” said Sean Fortener, co-founder and president of Seagate Space.
Through LaunchReady, Aurex will provide mission planning, engineering, secure communications, cybersecurity, payload integration and launch operations support, helping customers coordinate complex missions from planning through execution.
The companies did not disclose financial terms, specific launch locations or a timeline for the first offshore launch campaign.
Headquartered in Huntsville, Aurex provides engineering, testing and technical services for defense, space and national security customers. Seagate Space, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, develops maritime infrastructure for offshore launches, spacecraft recovery and space logistics.
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