MaiaSpace has scrapped plans to conduct a suborbital test flight of its Maia rocket, opting instead to proceed straight to a full orbital launch attempt for the vehicle’s inaugural flight in the second half of 2027.
Under its initial development roadmap, the ArianeGroup subsidiary would have flown a full two-stage Maia vehicle with a reduced propellant load to a target altitude of at least 100 kilometres.
The company has, however, now concluded that its ground and combined testing has reduced the value of conducting a suborbital test flight.
“In view of all system and combined tests we have in our roadmap, we assessed that the value of a suborbital flight was eventually reduced and finally decided that the best option for our customers was to look directly for an orbital flight,” the spokesperson said. “We consider this is the best path towards the start of our commercial operations.”
The company is currently conducting regular subsystem testing. According to the spokesperson, MaiaSpace has completed a series of tests at its Vernon facilities in recent weeks, with details expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The next phase of the programme will move towards more complex testing towards the end of 2026 and into 2027.
This will include an integrated hot-fire test of Maia’s upper stage with its Prometheus engine at the company’s facilities in Vernon. MaiaSpace plans to perform first-stage hot-fire testing directly on its launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre, formally the Soyuz launch facility that the company is currently adapting to suit its needs.
The decision to eliminate the suborbital flight comes alongside another shift in the schedule for Maia’s inaugural launch. As recently as June 2025, MaiaSpace was targeting a first flight in the second half of 2026. That target slipped in February 2026, with the company stating that it was committed to performing an inaugural flight before April 2027. That commitment was announced during the signing of a Temporary Public Domain Occupancy Agreement for its future launch facility in French Guiana.
A MaiaSpace spokesperson has now confirmed to European Spaceflight that the company is targeting the second half of 2027 for its first launch attempt.
