French launch startup Latitude has doubled its factory floor space in preparation for the first flight of its Zephyr launch vehicle.
Latitude was founded in 2019 and initially operated out of Paris before moving to its current home in Reims in 2020. The company is developing Zephyr, a two-stage 17-metre tall launch vehicle that is designed to be capable of delivering up to 100 kilograms to low Earth orbit.
Latitude expects to conduct the first flight of Zephyr in 2025. In order to prepare for the vehicle’s debut, the company has expanded its factory floor space from 1,500 to 3,000 square metres. The expansion didn’t require moving into a larger facility or consulting a construction company. Instead, the space was expanding by simply knocking down a wall to occupy a space adjacent to the company’s current production floor. The larger facility will be able to support the production of between five and ten Zephyr launch vehicles per year.
Earlier this month, Latitude announced the introduction of its new chief operating officer, Isabelle Valentin. The announcement included a clear mission for the company’s new COO: prepare Latitude to mass produce Zephyr on time, on cost, and on quality.
In a LinkedIn post sharing the company’s announcement regarding the new factory floor space, Valentin shared that Latitude is aiming to produce as many as 50 Zephyr launch vehicles per year. To hit that production rate, the company will look to open a second larger factory that will also be based in Reims.
