French launch startup Latitude has removed all mentions of the Zephyr name from its website, now referring to its rocket simply as “Our Launcher”.
The rocket, previously known as Zephyr, is a two-stage launch vehicle that will stand 19 metres tall and is designed to deliver up to 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The company is currently targeting the second half of 2027 for the rocket’s inaugural flight.
While the exact timing of the change is unclear, Wayback Machine records indicate that it occurred between 13 February and 15 March. Although the company declined to comment on the removal of the name, it confirmed to European Spaceflight that the change was not unintentional.
Although Latitude did not explain the reason for the change, one plausible explanation is trademark risk. The Zephyr name is already trademarked within the aerospace sector by Airbus subsidiary AALTO, whose solar-powered High Altitude Platform Station aircraft bears the name.
The Zephyr trademark filing, which was granted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office in 2005, covers unmanned aerial vehicles, satellites, parts and fittings, and “launching apparatus for the aforesaid goods.” While it is unclear whether the trademark would extend to an orbital launch vehicle, such disputes are often decided on the “likelihood of confusion” rather than on whether two products are identical.
Given that both companies operate within the broader aerospace sector and target space-related markets, Latitude may have concluded that continuing to use the Zephyr name carried unnecessary legal risk. Whether the change was made proactively by Latitude or followed discussions with another party remains unclear.
Latitude is no stranger to name changes. When the company was founded in 2019, it was called Prometheus Space Industries. It then changed its name to Venture Orbital Systems in 2020 before finally landing on Latitude in 2022.
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