French rocket builder HyPrSpace will launch its Baguette One demonstrator from a missile testing site in mainland France, after signing an agreement with the country’s defence procurement agency.
Founded in 2019, French startup HyPrSpace is developing a hybrid rocket motor that will power its future Orbital Baguette 1 (OB-1) launch vehicle. Before the rocket’s inaugural flight, the company will launch a smaller, single-stage suborbital demonstrator called the Baguette One. The flight will be used to validate key technologies for the larger OB-1 rocket, with a particular focus on its hybrid propulsion system.
On 16 June, HyPrSpace announced that it had signed an agreement with the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the country’s defence procurement and technology agency, to launch its Baguette One demonstrator from a DGA Essais de Missiles (DGA Missile Testing) site in the south of France. The single-stage demonstrator will stand at approximately 10 metres and is designed to be capable of carrying payloads of up to 300 kg to space. The launch of the Baguette One demonstrator is currently scheduled for 2026.
“Gaining access to this dual-use launch pad in mainland France is a major achievement after many years of work on our hybrid propulsion technology,” explained Sylvain Bataillard, Director General of HyPrSpace. “It’s a unique opportunity for HyPrSpace and marks a decisive turning point. We’re eager to launch Baguette-1 and to play a key role in building a more sovereign, more sustainable, and boldly innovative European dual-use space industry.”
The agreement with the DGA builds on an existing partnership, with HyPrSpace completing three static fire test campaigns of its hybrid propulsion system at the DGA Essais de Missiles facility in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, Gironde, between 2024 and 2025.