Exotrail Reveals spacevan™ LEO 002 Manifest
Exotrail, a leading European space mobility company, today reveals the fully booked customer manifest for its second orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) mission, spacevan™ LEO 002 ,codenamed “Wings of Light”. Scheduled for launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-16 in Q1 2026, this mission marks a major milestone: Exotrail is now officially acting as mission integrator, with the entire vehicle developed and assembled in-house at its Massy-based spacefactory.
spacevan™ LEO 002 is currently undergoing environmental testing in Toulouse and demonstrates Exotrail’s growing role as a full-stack service provider—delivering integrated solutions from spacecraft design and propulsion to integration and operations. This end-to-end capability ensures customers benefit from unparalleled flexibility, performance, and responsiveness.
For this mission, Exotrail is proud to welcome passengers who are shaping the future of space through disruptive technologies in the irrespective domains:
- Cailabs (France)– Flying its Astrolight ATLAS-1 terminal to expand in-orbit testing of optical space links.
- QuantX Labs (Australia)– Demonstrating a key component of its TEMPO atomic clock, a major milestone for Australian space tech.
- DcubeD (Germany)– Testing a novel deployable solar panel concept using spacevan’s onboard power and attitude control systems.
- NASA’s AEPEX (USA)– A 6U CubeSat from the University of Colorado Boulder aimed at improving understanding of energetic electron precipitation and its role in climat emodeling.
- Xtenti (USA)– Supporting integration and logistics alongside Exotrail and NASA, furthering in-orbit mobility capabilities.
- Lunar Outpost (USA)– Performing an in-orbit tech demonstration aboard a 6U CubeSat, advancing robotics and space resource tech.
“Wings of Light” follows the success of spacevan™LEO 001, launched in November 2023 (and still in operations), which validated:
· Customer and launcher integration.
· First spacehost™ (hosted payload) and spacedrop™ (satellite deployment) service execution.
· In-house developed ground segment to conduct spacevan™ operations.
· Over 1,000 electric propulsion ignitions, totaling120+ km of orbital change, thanks to its spaceware™system.
Jean-Luc Maria, co-founder and CEO of Exotrail, commented:
“The success of spacevan™ LEO 001 was a turning point. With spacevan™, we deliver tailored, flexible orbital transportation and testing capabilities that matches the increasing need for agile and precise deployment as well as the worldwide demand for in-orbit demonstration & validation. spacevan™ LEO 002 represents a key milestone—with six international customers and full in-house development and integration, we’re raising the bar.”
Brian Holt, CEO of Exotrail U.S. added:
“Signing two U.S. commercial missions marks an important milestone in advancing Exotrail’s vision of on-orbit mobility to life in the United States. Building on the heritage of spacevan™ LEO 001, we are now expanding with spacevan™ LEO 002 and welcoming two commercial partners on board. Together, we are laying the foundations for a service that empowers our customers to access, move, and operate their satellites with unmatched flexibility.”
The wide range of IOD/IOV missions supported by Exotrail’s spacehost™ service highlights the platform’s versatility and its capability to accommodate even the most advanced and demanding payloads. The use of the spacedrop™ service for critical orbital injection missions reflects the strong confidence customers place in Exotrail’s ability to deliver reliable and precise space transportation solutions.
Continuing its momentum, Exotrail is now booking new payload on its next mission, spacevan™ LEO 003, scheduled for mid-2026. This new mission still targets subsystem manufacturers seeking flight heritage and CubeSat operators, for whom the spacevan™ offers dedicated and optimized deployment solutions beyond the constraints of primary launch providers.
