Latitude
Overview
Vertically integrated small-launch vehicle developer, manufacturing its own Navier engine family in a converted large-scale French factory and targeting weekly launch cadence with secured access to French Guiana's Kourou spaceport.
Moat: Full vertical integration in a converted French factory plus secured Kourou access, targeting weekly cadence and roughly 50 vehicles/year by 2030 — a manufacturing-rate bet rather than a pure technology bet.
Business
Primary customers
- Commercial: Small satellite / constellation operators (targeted)
Sectors
launch-vehicles · space-propulsion · small-satellite-launch
Key Products
- Zephyrdevelopment
Small launch vehicle, up to 200 kg payload; first launch targeted 2027 per the company's own site, a slip from earlier hopes of a 2026 attempt.
- Navier engine familydevelopment
In-house kerosene/LOX engine family under cryogenic and turbopump testing across three stands, with two more under construction.
Near-term Catalysts
- 2027
Zephyr first launch
The vehicle's maiden flight, already slipped once from an earlier target; the binary credibility event for the company.
- 2026-2027
Navier engine qualification across multiple test stands
Required before Zephyr can fly; gates the entire schedule.
Top Risks
- A schedule slip is already visible (earlier hopes for 2026 have moved to a company-stated 2027) — small-launch startups burn runway fastest in the pre-flight year.
- Roughly €50M raised is thin against what peers have needed to reach orbit; another funding round is likely required before flight.
- Competes simultaneously against Isar Aerospace, Rocket Factory Augsburg, PLD Space, MaiaSpace and SpaceX Transporter rideshare pricing.
Recent Milestones
- 2024-01-22
$30M (~€27.5M) Series B announced, backed by Crédit Mutuel Innovation, Expansion, UI Investissement and DeepTech 2030
What investors should know
Q1When will Latitude's Zephyr rocket first fly?⌄
Q2Who leads Latitude?⌄
Q3How much has Latitude raised?⌄
Q4What was Latitude previously called?⌄
Q5What makes Latitude's approach distinctive?⌄
Peers
Sources & References
Press Release
- Latitude · 2026-07-25
