While the end of the international space station is looming on 2030, replacement solutions are emerging without it. While the United States accelerated via Axiom Space, travel or Blue Origin, and China structures its own orbital station, a French startup traces a third path, modular, reusable, autonomous, and designed for industrial and scientific uses. This company is Space Cargo Unlimited, created by Nicolas Gaume (CEO), David Ziegler
Based in France, it develops Bentoboxa compact and automated orbital system, capable of entering earth and dedicated to the exploitation of microgravity. Its objective is to make research, pharmaceutical production or even biological experiment in orbit, without going through the infrastructure out of reach, the major space stations. The model is to offer frequent, controlled and sovereign access to decentralized space laboratories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7D4SYYGRIK
Since 2015, Space Cargo Unlimited has already carried out two long missions on the ISS and a suborbital campaign, especially around agricultural and wine projects. This first experimental phase highlighted the complexity and dependence on current infrastructure, not very suitable for emerging commercial needs. Faced with these limits, the startup was committed four years ago in the development of its own orbital system.
The project between today in a new phase with the support of European Innovation Council (EIC)who selected the company for mixed funding (Grant + Equity) of 12.5 million euros. Institutional recognition, which is added to the support of investors as Eurazeo And Expansion. This funding will accelerate the operational commissioning of the Bentobox system, including subsystems (energy, thermal management, data processing) are designed to guarantee complete autonomy in orbit.
The ambition is to bring out a new European standard for access to microgravity, when platforms are becoming scarce and when the challenges of sovereignty crystallize. The vision carried by Space Cargo Unlimited is also part of the strategy displayed by the European Commission, which pleads for independent orbital capacities in the face of the geopolitical concentration of access to space.
The company already claims A pipeline of 82 customer projects committedproof of growing interest in rapid, autonomous and controlled missions. In a context where infrastructure becomes an economic and strategic lever, this initiative is a vanguard.
“EIC’s support is a strong signal in favor of a Europe capable of innovating and producing in space, to meet concrete needs on earth,” said the team in its press release.
