Croatian space logistics startup Genesis Space Flight Laboratories (Genesis SFL) has moved up the launch of two subscale demonstration missions from 2027 to 2026.
Initially founded in Slovenia in 2020 as the Genoplant Research Institute, the company first focused on developing its Genoplant Analyzer, a โportable laboratoryโ for plant diagnostic monitoring. In July 2025, it spun off its Space Flight Laboratories division into a standalone entity based in ฤakovec, Croatia, to begin developing GEN, a spacecraft capable of supporting experimentation and in-space manufacturing in low Earth orbit. That same month, the company secured โฌ300,000 in pre-seed funding from Luxembourg-based investment fund Fil Rouge Capital to kick off the project.
Ahead of the first full-scale GEN test flight, the company will utilize subscale demonstrators to validate key systems. This process will begin with two small demonstrators scheduled to fly on rideshare missions in the second and fourth quarters of next year. Initially planned for 2027, the missions were moved forward after Genesis SFL announced on 9 September that it had secured earlier slots with an as-yet-undisclosed launch provider.
Speaking to European Spaceflight, Genesis SFL CEO Bence Mรกtyรกs explained that the companyโs GEN-1 and GEN-2 demonstrators will likely be the smallest reentry capsules ever flown, comparable in size to picosatellites. Despite their diminutive size, the capsules will be capable of remaining in orbit for approximately six months before performing reentry procedures, a capability made possible by the use of a host satellite also under development by the company. Once on a reentry trajectory, the capsule will separate from its host satellite and deploy a mini-parachute and antenna to enable recovery following a splashdown.
โThese first missions are critical, as they allow us to validate subsystems before moving to larger designs,โ Mรกtyรกs told European Spaceflight. โTheir compact scale forces us to miniaturize flight hardware, driving innovations that may benefit other developers and enabling more frequent, affordable launch opportunities compared to larger vehicles. Once these missions succeed, we will scale GEN to support larger research payloads while maintaining high flight frequency.โ
Before beginning development of GEN under Genesis SFL, the Genoplant Research Institute conducted its MAYASAT-1 mission, which carried payloads for three customers: InnoRenew CoE, University of Ljubljana, University of Debrecen, and Orion Space Generation Foundation. The mission was launched aboard The Exploration Companyโs Mission Possible demonstrator, which ultimately failed, resulting in the loss of payloads that had been expected to be recovered.
As part of its GEN-1 and GEN-2 missions, Genesis SFL has offered reflight opportunities to all of its MAYASAT-1 customers at no cost. According to Mรกtyรกs, the company has already received commitments from the affected customers.
After its initial two demonstrations, the company plans a gradual ramp-up in scale with several follow-on missions. In response to a comment on the companyโs 9 September announcement, Mรกtyรกs offered a brief look at the company’s development roadmap beyond its GEN-1 and GEN-2 demonstrators.
โGEN-3 will be about half the size of Hayabusa, GEN-4 roughly Hayabusaโs diameter (40 cm), GEN-5 and GEN-11 similar in size to Stardust, GEN-6 comparable in diameter to Vardaโs W series, and GEN-7 reaching the scale of Genesis (NASA JPL). From GEN-8 onward, the real fun begins.โ
According to Mรกtyรกs, the company plans to share a more detailed roadmap in the โnear future.โ
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