Polish rocket startup signs second spaceport deal this week

Santa Maria spaceport

The Polish rocket startup SpaceForest today announced that it has signed a deal to launch its Perun suborbital rocket with the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium that is developing a spaceport on the island of Santa Maria in the Atlantic.

The launch planned for early 2026 will allow for comprehensive testing of launch procedures and confirmation of the capabilities and compliance of the Polish platform for conducting space experiments and research outside Poland, fully aligned with international standards. The mission will also serve as an opportunity to verify the operation of the PERUN suborbital flight system under nominal mission parameters.

This is the second spaceport launch contract SpaceForest has signed this week, the first being with the Eurospaceport launch platform to be located in the North Sea. According to the press releases, the Santa Maria launch will likely occur first. SpaceForest has also signed an agreement to launch its rocket from Norway’s Andoya spaceport. All three contracts suggest the company is marketing its suborbital rocket to new proposed European spaceports as a way to demonstrate the spaceport’s viability as a launch location.

The Santa Maria spaceport was first proposed by the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium in August 2024, and has already done two suborbital test launches, both using what appeared to be large model rockets. This contract gives it is first customer.

Proposed North Sea offshore launch platform gets ESA okay

Launch platforms proposed for North Sea
Launch platforms proposed for North Sea

The proposed North Sea offshore launch platform of the startup Eurospaceport has now signed an agreement with the European Space Agency to support a test launch of a suborbital test rocket by Polish rocket startup SpaceForest.

The map to the right shows approximately where Eurospaceport’s launch platform will be located for this launch. The map also shows the locations of the two proposed spaceports in the United Kingdom, as well as a second German-based launch platform, Offshore Spaceport Alliance, based out of Bremen.

The SpaceForest launch is targeting a 2026 launch, with the ESA contract covering some of the expenses. As it will be suborbital, the rocket will likely not cross over any nearby habitable land.

The Offshore Spaceport was first proposed in 2020, and has received financial support from the German government, and announced earlier this year that it would be ready to host launches by September 2025. As of yet no launches have been scheduled.

Both of these launch platforms will need to travel farther to the west in the North Sea to provide any orbital rockets a path north that will not fly over other nations. Even so, launches for both will likely be limited to polar orbits, making their value less appealing to rocket companies.

At the same time, their proximity to Europe and the ability of the launch platforms to dock in Europe gives them other advantages that will be of interest to the German rocket startups.

ESA awards Polish rocket startup €2.4 million contract

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a Polish rocket startup, dubbed SpaceForest, €2.4 million to upgrade its suborbital Perun rocket that the company has test launched twice in last year.

Perun runs on modified paraffin, commonly used as candle wax, and so its propellant is non-toxic. The rocket can be launched on a mobile launch pad, allowing for easy deployment at launch facilities around Europe. Last year, SpaceForest launched two full-scale models of its Perun rocket that flew to 22 km and 13 km altitude from the coastal town of Ustka, Poland, on the Baltic Sea.

This company is now the second Polish rocket startup to have successfully tested its rocket. The Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation has completed suborbital test flights of its ILR-33 Amber 2K rocket, and has a deal to fly its next test from Norway’s commercial Andoya spaceport.