13 May 2025

What a German Start-Up's First Test Could Mean for the Space Industry
A German start-up has completed a test of an inflatable heat shield, the first European and first private such operation. Inflatable heat shields represent the cutting edge of thermal protection systems, potentially holding the key to truly low-cost and democratized access to space. What does this test mean for the industry?
Background
8 May 2025

Johnson Energy Storage
Johnson Energy Storage (JES) has emerged by its founder, Dr. Lonnie Johnson, and was founded in 2021 as a spin-out from Johnson R&D, a research company established by Dr. Lonnie Johnson.
Background
1 May 2025

Sierra Space: Dream Chaser
Sierra Space is a commercial space company that spun off from the Sierra Nevada Corporation in 2021. It is developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane, a reusable lifting body spacecraft that shares many similarities with the historic Space Shuttle program.
Background
28 Apr 2025

The Exploration Company: Ablative Heat Shield for Nyx
The Exploration Company is a European aerospace firm founded in July 2021 by CEO Hélène Huby and a team of engineers with backgrounds in major programs like ESA's Orion-ESM and ATV. Headquartered in Germany, France, and Italy, the company aims to democratize space access through reusable technology, focusing on cargo transport to orbital stations and lunar missions. This background profile gives an overview of The Exploration Company and the heat shield it has chosen for its Nyx Capsule.
10 Apr 2025

Are Heat Shields the Key to Unlocking the Space Economy?
The space economy is growing rapidly, driven by commercial operations with lower costs. Thermal protection systems enable spacecraft to endure the extreme environments of atmospheric entry, but how will developments in this industry impact the broader space economy?
Full profile interview
8 Apr 2025

Apptronik, Inc
Apptronik, Inc has emerged as a leader in humanoid robotics, combining advanced engineering with strategic partnerships to address industrial and future consumer needs. Founded in 2016 by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, the company now employs over 150 people and collaborates with NASA and Google DeepMind and major manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and GXO Logistics.
Appears in IDTechEx Report

1 Apr 2025
Ion Exchange Membranes 2025-2035: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts
IDTechEx Report: Dr Jack Howley, Chingis Idrissov, Dr Conor O'Brien, Conrad Nichols, Eve Pope, Sona Dadhania and Dr Jiayi Cen
Full profile interview
24 Mar 2025

Solid Power
Solid Power was established in 2012 as a spin-out from the University of Colorado Boulder. Founded by Doug Campbell, Conrad Stoldt, and Sehee Lee, the company initially received funding from DARPA to explore next-generation solid-state battery technology. By 2013, Solid Power secured US$4.5 million in funding from ARPA-E and other non-dilutive sources, such as the Department of Defense and NASA. This early support enabled the company to transition out of the university's research labs and begin independent operations.
Full profile interview
17 Mar 2025

United Launch Alliance: SMART
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a major provider of rocket launch services. This profile focuses on SMART (Sensible Modular Autonomous Return Technology), which is currently in development and aims to enable the reusability of the Vulcan Centaur's two BE-4 booster engines.
Background
24 Feb 2025

ATMOS Space Cargo GmbH: Phoenix
ATMOS Space Cargo GmbH is a German aerospace company developing Phoenix, a low Earth orbit capable capsule that will use an inflatable aerodynamic decelerator (IAD) to withstand the atmospheric heating during re-entry. ATMOS intends to use this capability to enable space manufacturing.
Full profile interview
14 Feb 2025

Varda Space Industries
Varda Space Industries is a private American space research company headquartered in California and founded in 2021. The company designs, builds, and flies spacecraft to perform pharmaceutical operations in microgravity of low Earth orbit. It is one of a handful of private space companies to have successfully returned an object from low Earth orbit (along with SpaceX and Boeing).