Horizontal Launch Company Dark Builds on Initial Fundraising Round
French horizontal launch company Dark is rapidly developing its capabilities on the heels of a $5 million initial funding round. In the few months since its inception, Dark has already built a multi-disciplinary team of experienced space engineers, secured its headquarters and test facilities, and acquired its first client commitments.
“Dark is all about the future of spacecraft. But, thinking about building a Space corporation, we realized that we could not rely only on the growth of the satellite market. So we included in our missions the applications and logistics that will make a difference 10 years from now.”
Guillaume Orvain, Co-founder & CTO of Dark.
The operational team is now working towards its first launch from France by summer 2026.
In a horizontal launch system, the rocket booster is carried aloft by a modified conventional airplane and released at altitude. Along with satellite launches, Dark says its rocket business model includes deorbiting services and high-altitude testing.
“Dark is all about the future of spacecraft. But, thinking about building a Space corporation, we realized that we could not rely only on the growth of the satellite market. So we included in our missions the applications and logistics that will make a difference 10 years from now,” said Guillaume Orvain, Co-founder & CTO of Dark.
The key point of the company’s system is to provide the capability to launch to orbit from anywhere there is an acceptable runway. To do so, Dark is collaborating with multiple air and space agencies to define the rules, processes and equipment required to fulfill its mission. As the current plan is to successfully launch from France by 2026, the first step involves exchanges with DGAC and CNES.
The new staff in charge of spaceports and hybrid launches is being integrated into the team and will define the operational steps and technical requirements essential to Dark’s solution.
After this first phase, the chosen launch airport will be announced by the company and its inaugural payload will be unveiled.
“Earth and Space are long term runs and we really believe the best applications are yet to come. For us, three things are clear: first, we can act now to improve our reach in space with radical vision. Then, we can’t get in the way of our heirs that will live with the consequences of our choices. Finally, there is no short or easy way to do it.
Dark states that its mission is to "build spacecraft that will empower sustainable human activity in space". They feel that their first system will accelerate new satellite applications and enhance active debris removal with emergency action, as well as provide a hypersonic test platform that will contribute to the development of future generations of aircraft and spacecraft.
(Source: Dark news release. Image from company YouTube video)