French space junk removal startup Dark has signed a partnership with Bordeaux Airport in preparation for the establishment of the company’s “Site B” facility.
Dark was founded in 2021 with the aim of developing an air-launched rocket capable of deploying payloads of up to 300 kilograms into low Earth orbit. The company has since narrowed its focus and is planning to offer responsive debris removal services with its Interceptor vehicle.
The company describes its Interceptor vehicle as the first emergency debris removal platform. It claims that the air-launched rocket will be capable of removing a dangerous object from space in less than 24 hours.
In preparation for its first demonstration flight, the company announced on 20 September that it had partnered with Bordeaux Airport. The Site B Facility will be utilized for research and development, production, maintenance, and space operations. Dark expects to begin hiring staff in Bordeaux by the summer of 2024 with the aim of eventually employing 500 people at the facility. According to a press release, Dark plans to locate “most of the company’s activities at the Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport.”
To date, Dark has raised approximately €4 million in pre-seed funding from a number of investors, including Eurazeo, Frst, and Kima Ventures. The company has also secured a €2 million grant from BPI and a number of early contracts.
In March 2022, Dark announced that it was working with both CNES and DGAC (the French civil aviation authority) to pave the way for the company to launch from the skies above the French mainland.
In June 2023, the company was one of three European microlauncher companies that signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Arianespace to study possible future cooperation. The company is examining utilizing these smaller launch providers to complement the Arianespace portfolio to provide innovative services to its customers. The other two companies that signed MoUs with Arianespace were Orbex and PLD Space.
Dark also signed a contract with CNES in June 2023 that will see the company conducting an emergency space debris interception simulation. The study will utilize Salazar, a framework developed by Dark that fully simulates the overall process and behaviour of its vehicle across various scenarios and mission types. The French space agency has selected a rocket body from a list of 50 objects that were identified as needing urgent removal from orbit and defined a mission scenario that Dark will be required to execute.
In the first half of 2023, Dark conducted a number of qualification tests on key systems for its Interceptor vehicle. The company is now moving forward with plans to test fire the vehicle’s engine by the end of the year.
