CRUX Aerospace · Infrastructure
Launch vehicles for small satellites.
CRUX Aerospace is developing KAIKEN, an integrated satellite launch system: two-stage, liquid-fuelled launch vehicles with reusable first stages, for payloads of up to 250 kg and up to 1,000 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. It is in development.
- Vehicles
- KAIKEN 1 and KAIKEN 2
- Payload
- up to 250 kg and up to 1,000 kg
- Orbit
- 500 km sun-synchronous
- First stage
- reusable (KAIKEN 1B and 2B)
- Status
- In development
Small satellites need launches sized for them.
Getting a small satellite to the orbit it needs, when it needs it and at a cost that works, is one of the main bottlenecks in the space industry. CRUX Aerospace is building launch vehicles sized for that market.
The KAIKEN family
Each class starts with an expendable vehicle to reach the market sooner, then moves to a reusable first stage that shares the same second stage.
| Vehicle | Payload to 500 km sun-synchronous orbit | First stage |
|---|---|---|
| KAIKEN 1A | up to 250 kg | expendable |
| KAIKEN 1B | up to 250 kg | reusable; lands vertically |
| KAIKEN 2A | up to 1,000 kg | expendable |
| KAIKEN 2B | up to 1,000 kg | reusable; lands vertically |
KAIKEN 1A
- Payload to 500 km sun-synchronous orbit
- up to 250 kg
- First stage
- expendable
KAIKEN 1B
- Payload to 500 km sun-synchronous orbit
- up to 250 kg
- First stage
- reusable; lands vertically
KAIKEN 2A
- Payload to 500 km sun-synchronous orbit
- up to 1,000 kg
- First stage
- expendable
KAIKEN 2B
- Payload to 500 km sun-synchronous orbit
- up to 1,000 kg
- First stage
- reusable; lands vertically
The team
A core team with more than fifteen years of hands-on liquid-propulsion development inside Argentina's national space programme. Systems, propulsion, structures, avionics, and guidance, navigation and control are held in-house.
Questions
Who is building KAIKEN?
CRUX Aerospace, whose core team brings more than fifteen years of liquid-propulsion work in Argentina's national space programme.
How do I talk to the team?
Write to [email protected].