French small-launch startup Latitude is pushing toward a maiden flight of its Zephyr rocket within the next 18 months, prioritizing speed-to-market and manufacturing efficiency over reusability to capture Europe’s dedicated smallsat launch market.
In an interview with NASA Spaceflight’s “Europe’s Future in Space” series, Latitude founder and executive chairman Stanislas Maximin provided an in-depth look at the company’s development progress and business philosophy from the factory floor in Reims, where rocket sections and combustion chambers serve as a backdrop to an ambitious timeline.
Unlike many emerging launch providers chasing cutting-edge technology, Latitude’s approach begins with customer needs and works backward to technical solutions. The company is targeting the growing small-satellite market — currently dominated by SpaceX rideshares with two-year waiting times — by developing a rocket dedicated to launching small satellites.
“We do not make a rocket to make rockets,” Maximin emphasized. “We make a product that will deliver a service. Our customers absolutely don’t care what size the rocket is. If it were a catapult and it was reliable, they would buy it.”
The 20 m-tall Zephyr rocket is designed to deliver 200 kg to low-Earth orbit (LEO) at an ultra-competitive price point. The company targets constellation operators who need specific orbital deployments on compressed timelines. Customers for whom time-to-revenue outweighs pure launch costs.
Zephyr features a full-aluminum structure, powered by seven engines on the first stage and one vacuum-optimized engine on the second. Zephyr’s Navier engines are 3D-printed from Inconel 718, alongside most turbopump components.
“We spend a lot of time doing trade-offs,” Maximin explained. The company evaluated carbon fiber tanks and electric pumps before settling on aluminum structures and turbopumps. “Aluminum is way cheaper than carbon fiber. It’s way less performant, so that means we need better engines. But the trade-off we see is that increasing thrust and performance of your engines costs way less than going full carbon.”
The design philosophy prioritizes iteration speed. Each component is engineered for future upgrades without requiring complete redesigns — turbopumps that could convert to gas-gas generator cycles, structures that can evolve without retooling entire production lines.
Latitude has deliberately chosen not to pursue first-stage reusability for Zephyr, a decision Maximin defended with detailed economic analysis. “Our calculations show that with that size, it is not economically viable,” he stated, noting that even with parachute recovery, the maintenance costs and performance penalties outweigh manufacturing savings for a rocket of Zephyr’s class.
He pointed to Rocket Lab’s paused reusability efforts as validation: “They have stopped it, despite having done everything. I think it’s not that profitable, if not at all.”
For larger future vehicles, however, reusability remains on the table. “If we have any big rocket in the future that’s not reusable, I think it’s going to struggle,” Maximin acknowledged. “It starts making sense when you have a good enough capacity, probably around the three or four tons mark.”
Latitude engineers construct Zephyr’s second stage. (Credit: Latitude)
Latitude operates three test stands at a former NATO airbase 45 minutes from the factory, with two more under construction, including a full-scale replica of a launch pad. The rapid iteration capability allows the company to design, manufacture, test, and analyze engines within a single day.
“We have probably produced and tested around 10 thrust chamber assemblies in the last six months,” Maximin revealed. “It would have taken us previously multiple years to do this.”
The path to launch requires qualifying the first- and second-stage engines through mid-2026, followed by integrated testing of the complete vehicle. The second-stage tanks are currently being welded at the factory, with the electronics and software teams reportedly on schedule for hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Maximin set realistic expectations for the maiden flight: “The first flight is not going to go to orbit, probably. Statistically speaking, there’s a very low chance.” The primary objectives are to clear the pad without damage and to gather as much data as possible, ideally through maximum aerodynamic pressure, when aerodynamic forces and structural loads are at their greatest during ascent.
Latitude confirmed French Guiana’s Guiana Space Centre as its first launch site, utilizing the ELM-Diamant multi-user facility where the company is investing €8 million in dedicated infrastructure. The Soyuz-style launch pad features mechanically actuated support arms that fall away when the engines reach 100% thrust, a deliberately simple design that prioritizes maintenance reduction.
To reach the target of 50 launches annually by 2030, Latitude plans to operate from at least two spaceports, with a second location to be announced early next year. Maximin offered candid observations on Europe’s challenges in space entrepreneurship compared to the United States. “It’s harder in Europe, I have absolutely no doubt,” he acknowledged. However, he identified the core issue as a risk-taking culture rather than a regulatory burden.
Maximin also pushed back against the notion that bureaucracy is the primary obstacle: “If people think that regulations and paperwork are the biggest struggle in a company, they are in for a big surprise. It’s not the main problem at all.” He credited French and European institutions, particularly the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with transforming their approach to support NewSpace companies: “This kind of contract that CNES has done would have been impossible four years ago. They completely changed the way they work.”
Regarding competition within Europe’s emerging launch sector, Maximin embraced market dynamics: “Competition brings out the best in us. Companies should be able to fund themselves. The state can help, but should not be the main funding source.”
With nearly $55 million raised to date and profitability projected at fewer than 10 launches annually, Latitude positions itself as the affordable dedicated option for constellation operators unwilling to wait years for rideshare slots. The company estimates its total addressable market at 120 dedicated smallsat launches by 2029 — a figure Maximin calls “reasonable” based on current constellation development and funding trends.
Latitude conducts turbopump testing. (Credit: Latitude)
“We will need new products” beyond Zephyr, Maximin confirmed, but emphasized focus on current milestones: “For the moment, we are laser focused on getting Zephyr to the pad. Then we will be laser-focused on getting Zephyr profitable.”
In recent weeks, Latitude has continued to make progress toward its goal of being an affordable, dedicated small-satellite launch service. Notably, the company secured a former AstraZeneca pharmaceutical plant in Reims for conversion into a 25,000-square-meter rocket production facility capable of producing 50 vehicles annually. What’s more, German space logistics company ATMOS signed for a minimum of five dedicated launches per year from 2028 to 2032 for its Phoenix reentry vehicles. CNES has also been confirmed as Zephyr’s first customer for the initial commercial flight in 2026.
As European space companies continue efforts to establish independent launch capabilities, Latitude represents the idea that market-driven NewSpace approaches can succeed where institutional programs have struggled. Whether the company’s manufacturing-focused strategy proves correct will be tested when Zephyr takes flight from French Guiana in 2026.
(Lead image: Artist’s concept of Latitude’s Zephyr rocket at stage separation. Credit: Latitude)
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